V-Rally 3 (Xbox) Retro Review!

Hey Guys Dave here again, with another Review!

Today i am talking about one of my all time favourite racing games, V-Rally 3 on the Original Xbox!

Now VRally was a racing series that primarily existed in the mid nineties on just about every console available at the time, it was made by Eden Studios and published by Infogrames and in the case of the 3rd game, Atari.

Vrally 3 came out in 2003 on Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube to average critical review scores and ultimately ended up being the most recent game in the series.

The game is alot more arcade in its driving and physics engines compared to its big rival of the time, Codemasters Colin Mcrae Rally series. Its driving style in particular is very loose in comparison, which to be honest i do enjoy, especially now as this type of driving game is almost non existent in the triple A market.

Now the reason i love this game so much  is its very enjoyable career mode. As you can see from my gameplay footage in the video below you start off without a team and have to take test drives to get a contract. At the start this aspect is essentially a driving skill rating with one test giving you only a single chance and another letting you have unlimited attempts at hitting the target time.

I like this approach because it organically lets you progress as a player, the better you become the  harder the game gets. An interesting part of this are RPG style stats for each of the teams which displays a score rating for budget, performance, reliability and Morale. All these stats dictate how well your car performs, how much the team are able to improve it throughout the season, your chances of a new contract and ultimately your expectations.

I love this, as it gives you the option to build a team up or jump ship to a better car. There is also 2 distinct divisions, 1.6l and 2L. which acts as a clear progression in difficulty. The 2L cars are much faster and harder to control and as such when you get offered a chance to test drive for a 2L team you will need to be able to drive it based on skill not on how long you've been playing the game which i absolutely love. In modern games it can feel a little too easy to move up through the ranks thanks to AI difficulty settings, rewinds and driving assists but thankfully V Rally has no such options, if you get better... great! if you dont, well.... get used to the Polo.

Overall i think V Rally 3 is a criminally underrated gem on the Xbox, it doesn't look or play as well as Colin Mcrae Rally for sure but its arcade racing and deep career mode make its something entirely alternative even in 2018.

7.5/10

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U) Review

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was an interesting and incredibly smart release for Nintendo during the Wii U's 2nd year struggles. It is essentially an expanded game built from the Captain Toad levels from Super Mario 3D World, using that games assets and mechanics and putting them into a 70+ self contained puzzles.

This may sound like im implying this is a quick fix title not worthy of your time but in fact, it is quite the opposite.

In Captain Toad you guide the Captain (And Toadette) through each level to collect 3 gems, a star and a bonus objective that ranges from collecting a Gold Mushroom to not being seen by enemies. The game uses the gamepads gyro and touch screen to manipulate the camera and levels in order to aid your progress and overall the game does a pretty good job of utilising the Wii U's often maligned tablet controller. Thanks to the Amiibo update you can now scan a Toad Amiibo and play a bonus hide and seek objective on every level which is a nice little bonus is you have the Amiibo and want keep playing.

The story is presented in an interesting episodic format that tells the story of Toad and Toadette hunting for Stars and saving each other from Wingo, a large bird enemy. The short cutscenes and episodic style fits the game perfectly. It feels like the perfect game to lay on the sofa and play a few levels off tv on the Gamepad which was one of the consoles biggest attractions during its run on the market. The only issue i have with the game campaign is the reuse of the bosses throughout the game. Although the levels built around them are slightly different, its still a little boring if you are playing the game in large play sessions. That being said i completely understand why, the game was clearly built quickly on the cheap and as such reusing assets is simply required for the development time.

Overall im very pleased with Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Its a fun puzzle game built from arguably the most interesting and memorable aspect of Super Mario 3D World and at the time its was not a full priced release in the UK with a RRP of £30. The game is fairly short but if you want to 100% the game with the Amiibo Hide and Seek the 12-15 Hours is still great value for money.

Nintendo again showcases why they are so beloved with a unique, polished and fun puzzle platformer. Aside from a few camera issues and the reuse of boss assets Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a marvel of design and is simply a must have if you own a Wii U.

8/10