[REVIEW] World Rally Championship 6

Today was the release date of the newest virtual part of one of the biggest motorsport classes in the world: World Rally Championship 6, shortened WRC6, has been released for PC, Xbox One and PS4. I've tested the game for about 2 hours now and in this review, I'm looking to what this new game has to offer compared to it's earlier parts.

Positives:

+ Introduction of the game: A feature I loved, is the fact you start in a introduction in which you will get the opportunity to get used to all the things you will have to face in a rally. Also, this introduction will be used to base the difficulty on, although you can still change it to your own liking. The introduction exists of 2 individual stages; The first really as a introduction, the second is already more of a competitive stage.

+ Head-to-head stages: Something I really missed in WRC5: The Head-to-head challenges. It's a great thing to really have a point to aim for; Though not all rallies have this option, I'm a huge fan of it's return for (at least) the Portuguese rally.

+ The addition of soft and hard tires: 1 thing I actually did not miss in earlier version, but which I do love in this version is the tactical war between the soft and hard tire. As most of you know, the soft tire is faster, whereas the hard tire is more durable.

+ Improvement of details: One thing that has been taken care off in the good sense, is the fact that the small details have been worked out. The drive to the starting line for instance, a small thing that makes the experience much more fun. Also, the punctures in this game can give you headaches when taking risks.

Negatives:

- AI isn't set properly: I felt that the AI isn't set up properly. Though that has been an issue in WRC5, in this case I feel it might be even worse. In Junior WRC, where I started in my career, I was at least 5 seconds faster per stage on the AI, winning the first rally almost 2 minutes ahead of the rest of the field (On a 27 minute rally)

- Standard settings set up weird: Also, the standard controls are set weird. I had to set the controls completely by myself; Gear buttons were normal push buttons, the handbrake was set on the extra console of the G27 and also the lights of the rev limiter don't work (Though I don't mind, my steering wheel is positioned too low for me to even see those lights)

- New weather conditions: There are some more detailed weather conditions. It's good to see that the game gets better in terms of graphics, but on one of the stages in Portugal I could not see a thing. I went so slow, that I was able to improve that time on the second run on that stage by over 30 seconds.

Overall:

I'd say, overall this game is better than WRC5. Details are worked out better than before, I experienced a bit more feeling with the car and the return of Head-2-head stages is great. 

Still, there are a couple of things that need attention. Especially the level of AI; In the lower classes (Junior WRC), the AI is just way too easy on Simulation difficulty, with easy victories guaranteed. 

Is it worth the price? If you are a hardcore WRC fan, it is. It can give you a massive challenge in terms of getting better. Also, the fact you can compete against a virtual Ogier, is a great reason to purchase. If you are just in it to have a new racing game, you might want to wait a little more to see if there are patches being brought up. The game itself is more than decent, but it's a little raw. And to pay €40 for a game like this, may be a little high, especially for people who don't particularly buy it for the WRC itself.