Xbox Series X|S Review Key Provided By KT Racing
Last year’s WRC 9 was the first time that I’d actually enjoyed my time with the series. It offered great tutorials for newbie players like myself, as well as unique tracks, and driving mechanics that required carefully precise maneuvering.
Fast-forward to exactly a year later; we now have WRC 10, which capitalizes on the 50th anniversary of the sport it’s based on by adding new events featuring some of its history’s greatest moments. It also improves on my compliments of the last title and adds a few more layers of gameplay as well. This is a series that is only getting better and better with every new release.
Gameplay
The WRC series is at its best this time around as the near-perfect gameplay from 9 has been improved even more in 10. Races are just as anxiety-inducing as the last but feel even more exhilarating by just how smooth the driving mechanics really are.
Courses also continue to offer unique moments of gameplay, making every single second of its duration important. Taking your attention off of the game for even a split-second can really send you off task. There really isn’t another racing game like this, offering something so precise and yet fun all at the same time.
WRC 10 also dives a bit deeper into the realism aspects of WRC with things like its Shakedowns; which are a chance to get a lay of the track and its terrain. This allows you to make a further decision on what kind of tires to use so that you can come out on top. Not only does it further gameplay, but it gives you a better understanding of what exactly these racing teams do.
As a huge fan of tutorials, I was glad to see that this game even takes extra time to teach you all of what it has to offer in easy-to-follow and clear-cut instructions. It’s especially important when you consider that the game’s Career Mode is the center-piece of the entire experience and now offers even more to do than in previous entries.
Besides all of the intertwining races taking place in this mode, is the team management abilities. We’ve seen this in previous entries but for this title, you have even more responsibility. New additions include leveling up team skills through R&D and communicating directly with sponsors. It’s cool to see the ins and outs of what goes into WRC outside of the racing portion.
Aside from the Career Mode, WRC 10 offers so many different modes to play that it’s pretty remarkable. There are online challenges, different kinds of multiplayer modes, skill development modes, and various singleplayer options as well. One really sweet thing you can do is edit your own car customizations via the game’s Livery Editor. You can use custom paint schemes or create stickers, with additional options being unlocked just by playing.
One of WRC 10’s most marketed game modes to watch out for is its 50th-anniversary rallies. Here, you’ll take part in WRC’s most historic, real-life events. They vary over decades and offer some really interesting rallies that thus far, the series hasn’t really seen. Because the cars aren’t your usual, modern rally cars, it’s a test of how well you can adapt to these old sets of wheels. This title prides itself on its history, and it shows in every inch of blacktop and gravel.
What’s a game these days without Photo Mode? Luckily, WRC 10 has that too, and it’s really fun to use. All of the photos within this review have been entirely captured by me. It offers various filters and settings to play around with but it isn’t overwhelming at all. There’s basically a filter for any kind of instance you need, right at your fingertips.
Overall, WRC 10 offers so much, that’s done so well that it really shows how much effort and precision that the devs put into their games. As this may be becoming an annually-releasing series, I can only hope that these devs continue to raise the bar on what they implement into their work and don’t become one of those sports titles that become lazy and/or stagnant.
Audio and Visuals
When it comes to visuals, WRC 10 still falls in the realm of looking gorgeous in some cases and looking weak in others. I’d say that for the most part, this series seems to get closer to the look of triple-A titles in the genre. Vehicles always look fantastic and levels that are covered in snow or rain look jaw-dropping. Like I said last year, the weather elements really enhance the graphics overall. I think the sunny weather races paled in comparison.
The performance aspect of this game on a Series S is phenomenal. I never had issues with sluggishness or dropping frames. This truly is a next-gen title that puts the consoles’ hardware to full use.
Audio is yet again, superb. My new favorite thing about it though is that your co-driver now has so many more lines of dialogue besides just reading pace notes. They’ll warn you if you’re driving too recklessly or yell at you if you crash. You can even change their gender which wasn’t something I particularly remember from WRC 9.
Replayability
While WRC 9 offered a lot of ways to play at launch, many of its additional offerings came post-launch via updates. WRC 10 on the other hand offers those things from the getgo. There’s a vast list of things to do between its solo play, multiplayer, and challenges that make it difficult to get bored. I really wish that more games these days offer as much gameplay as this franchise consistently has.
What It Could Have Done Better
My main complaint, like last year, comes back to the fact that graphics could be hit or miss. It isn’t as noticeable as it once was, but it is still evident with this new title.
I also would’ve liked to have a dedicated button to jump into Photo Mode. Trying to reach the Start button while during is a nuisance and it would’ve been much better to be able to just hit a D-pad button instead.
When it comes to your co-driver, they only ever have British-sounding accents. What’s odd though is that you can choose basically any nationality for them to represent. It just breaks immersion a bit to hear my co-driver who I chose to be French, sounding like they came from Britain instead.
Verdict
WRC 10 manages to improve on the things that I praised its last entry for as well as implementing a ton of new gameplay features available at launch. This series is unmatched when it comes to its detail and depth. Though it can lack at providing top of the line visuals in some cases, this is a beautiful title that can show off the performance side of next-gen hardware. If you liked WRC 9, then you’ll be in love with 10. If you’re a noob to the franchise, this is the perfect time to jump in.
