Hardcore sim

There is a large gap between an arcade racer and a simulation. At the launch of the Series X there are two games featuring off-road racing, and they couldn’t be further apart from each other. I reviewed DiRT 5 just a few weeks ago and now am digging into the Series X upgrade for WRC 9. While the box art for each might lead some to believe they are similar titles, that could not be further from the truth.

WRC 9 is a simulation racer at its core. This means that players will have to pay attention to every turn, every crest, and learn how each car handles down to the most miniscule detail. This takes some getting used to coming off of DiRT 5 where I was sliding around corners at full speed. Smacking a wall in WRC will send the car spinning and I pretty much just gave up on the race when this happened. These games are all about perfecting the course and learning the tracks.

MSRP: $49.99
Platforms: XSX (reviewed), XSS, PS5, PC
Price I’d Pay: $49.99

For those that don’t know, the WRC games are actually spiritual successors to the Colin McRae games of old. These were known for their realism. They also focus solely on rally racing, and in fact it is the official game of the 2020 World Rally Championship.

The simulation aspects of the game are deep. Outside of the racing itself there is also a career mode where players can fine tune every detail of their experience. This includes sponsorships and crews to better their racing career. The game spans thirteen countries with around nine tracks for each one, giving a ton of variety. The normal surfaces apply including asphalt, gravel, and of course snow. I was never bored when moving through the courses and some of them are more impressive than I had anticipated.

The driving is extremely realistic so don’t expect to come in power drifting around corners. There are some difficulty adjustments though. Players can opt to gain assists on things like traction control or braking. This eases the pain, but I still found myself crashing constantly. I blame my time with DiRT 5 just recently as I was so used to the high-flying antics of that game in particular. Still once I got it down the controls are superb. Allowing great handling of each vehicle.

Of course the big question is how does this version stack up to previous gen. WRC 9 was already a great looking game, even on Xbox One X. The Series X adds a few enhancements such as lightning fast loading and a better frame rate, but the core visuals are about on par. That is not to say the game looks bad, in fact it is one of the better-looking racing games out there. Instead the enhancements focus more on quality of life changes as opposed to raw visual fidelity. The frame rate is rock solid and the cars feel great.

WRC 9 is a nice update and yet another game taking advantage of the new hardware. Most likely overlooked the game when it initially came out. If you enjoy simulation racers this is definitely one to put on your radar. The Series X enhancements are a nice addition to an already solid rally game.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.