GSY Retro Xbox

Ten years later and 2004 still stands as one of the best years in racing games. Every sort of racer imaginable saw at least one entry that year across every platform. Between Gran Turismo 4, Burnout 3, Colin McRae 4, Richard Burns Rally, the original FlatOut, TOCA Race Driver 2, Need for Speed Underground 2, and imports such as Kaidou Battle 2 there were no shortage of great games to play. Perhaps more than most, however, it was RalliSport Challenge 2 that really hit it big with racing fans.

Digital Illusions CE, or DICE as they are more commonly known, was a developer that was committed to the Xbox pretty early on. While they started off with the release of the mediocre Shrek back in 2001 it was only one year later that we received the glorious Rallisport Challenge. Hearkening back to the days of Sega Rally with an extra touch of realism for good measure, RSC was one of the fastest and most exhilarating racing games on the system offering remarkable visuals, sublime handling, and a fast frame-rate. Two years later DICE returned with one of the most finely polished sequels of the generation; Rallisport Challenge 2. Now sporting full Xbox-Live support and offering a huge selection of tracks and events, RSC2 remains a game which many racing fans still look back on with fond memories. After putting the game back in for ourselves it became clear why; the handling is incredible. Within the first 10 seconds those memories of carving up corners and sliding around hairpin turns come flooding back.

DICE has become very well known for Battlefield and, of course, Mirror’s Edge but we continue to lament the fact that they will probably never again work on a top tier racing game. While PGR at least made the trip to Xbox360, where it unfortunately will remain, Rallisport Challenge never even had the chance to take on a new generation. To commemorate the games 10 year anniversary (I know, we’re a couple months late) we have a selection of high quality 60fps videos ready to go.

The videos below were captured using a Micomsoft XRGB-Mini using two different settings. The videos displayed in a smaller window take the original 640x480 image from the Xbox and simply scale those pixels to 1280x960 without any additional filtering. The result is a crisp, but more pixelated, image that more accurately represents the raw output from the system (or as close as one can get using the component output). The widescreen videos engage the zooming features in conjunction with the games anamorphic widescreen mode to deliver a fullscreen presentation. In this mode integer scaling is not possible so an extra filter is required to achieve a decent picture. The end result is a slightly blurrier image as a trade-off for a full 16:9 presentation. Let us know which type of video you prefer for any low resolution games that offer a 16:9 mode.

ricochet
ricochet
Commented on 2014-07-13 17:47:19
Very cool !
In reply to
eternaldragonx
eternaldragonx
Commented on 2014-07-13 18:44:56
Was my favorite racing franchise. I really hope they bring it back in the form of Forza Rallisport.
In reply to
Tinks
Tinks
Commented on 2014-07-13 19:03:01
These games ruled!
In reply to
Executioner_UK
Executioner_UK
Commented on 2014-07-13 19:22:21
Great retro article!! Utterly amazing game this was. Used to have LAN sessions for racing games and we played this for hours alongside PGR. There was nothing on any other console like it. Makes me laugh that a certain new gen racer is being applauded by the fanboys for its rain effects lol 10 years too late! So many "next gen" features in todays racers have already been implemented at some point back in the day. Still i suppose it gives the kids something to look forward too lol

Thanks for the retro news, great little feature on the site. Now do an article on Midtown Madness 3 while you are in a racing mood ;)
In reply to
vspectra06
vspectra06
Commented on 2014-07-13 19:27:00
Awesome. I prefer the full 16:9 vids! :)
In reply to
GriftGFX - He can also<br>ban your ass!
GriftGFX
Commented on 2014-07-13 19:27:34
DICE :)
In reply to
sydegamer
sydegamer
Commented on 2014-07-13 20:30:19
Make videos of all 720p and 1080i games on xbox.
there a about a dozend of them.
thanks.
In reply to
AnthonM2
AnthonM2
Commented on 2014-07-13 20:40:43
I don't know why the track design isn't boring like in other rally games, the people working at DICE are not talented they are geniuses, and still best trees in a racing game, now DICE only make shooters because of stupid EA.

DICE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Codemasters
In reply to
TGO
TGO
Commented on 2014-07-13 22:56:57
love this retro stuff but I remember every other racer the article mentioned but this one, the name and artwork probably didn't do this game any favours back then, it looks like a budget release at first glance, probably why I don't remember it.
In reply to
dargis49
dargis49
Commented on 2014-07-14 00:50:51
I would give almost anything for a RalliSport Challenge 3.
In reply to
b0vril
b0vril
Commented on 2014-07-14 03:34:08
Never did play this.
In reply to
newbielives
newbielives
Commented on 2014-07-14 07:43:57
V-Rally 2 and 3 are so much better than the Rallisport series. And if you are talking about the original Xbox, Colin McRae destroyed Rallisport. Sorry Rallisport was one of the worst rally games I've ever played. I'm not expecting Richard Burns or anything but Rallisport, just had crappy physics that were even more arcady than arcade physics. The tracks were too wide and just felt dumbed down. Worst Rally game ever.
In reply to
aphex187
aphex187
Commented on 2014-07-14 09:41:34 In reply to GriftGFX
Posted by GriftGFX
DICE :)
FANBOY!!!!

Seriously miss games like TOCA and V-Rally, the days of caning round tracks with out a MP mode in sight! *gets all misty eyed.
In reply to
2PintsOfInsulin
2PintsOfInsulin
Commented on 2014-07-14 14:32:37
Great game, one of my favourites.
In reply to
INDIGO
INDIGO
Commented on 2014-07-14 22:01:35
Good times. I miss the Rallisport franchise.
In reply to
r3tr0gam3r1337
r3tr0gam3r1337
Commented on 2014-07-15 17:05:43 In reply to Executioner_UK
Posted by Executioner_UK
Great retro article!! Utterly amazing game this was. Used to have LAN sessions for racing games and we played this for hours alongside PGR. There was nothing on any other console like it. Makes me laugh that a certain new gen racer is being applauded by the fanboys for its rain effects lol 10 years too late! So many "next gen" features in todays racers have already been implemented at some point back in the day. Still i suppose it gives the kids something to look forward too lol

Thanks for the retro news, great little feature on the site. Now do an article on Midtown Madness 3 while you are in a racing mood ;)
man will you quit with the trolling nobody cares!, for your information many of these so called weather effects were implemented in many games over 10 years before RS was released however having weather in an arcade game where no change to the physics of the game kinda makes your point irrelevant.
In reply to
MrWhite
MrWhite
Commented on 2014-07-15 20:21:17 In reply to r3tr0gam3r1337
Posted by r3tr0gam3r1337
man will you quit with the trolling nobody cares!, for your information many of these so called weather effects were implemented in many games over 10 years before RS was released however having weather in an arcade game where no change to the physics of the game kinda makes your point irrelevant.
From most racing games from that era, and before, that I can remember, physics were an integral part of the weather conditions too, and yes, that's from games back in the PSX era, so I think it's ironic that you're having a go at someone for not really making a point, when it turns out that he does and you don't.
In reply to
GriftGFX - He can also<br>ban your ass!
GriftGFX
Commented on 2014-07-16 00:04:27
The dude he's calling out is clearly trolling and it's not even remotely on topic. And he does it all the time. Cute anecdotes anyway.
In reply to
MrWhite
MrWhite
Commented on 2014-07-16 00:08:46
This trolling lark makes no sense to me.
In reply to
rekathon3
rekathon3
Commented on 2014-07-16 02:40:26
I loved this game

This and Moto GP on xbox was killer, use to play them all the time online.
In reply to
Kethmach
Kethmach
Commented on 2014-07-16 04:35:43
I LOVED those games. I was just talking about RSC2 last week and saying that if it ever had come out on GoD or XBOriginals, I would have bought it without a second thought. Those games were SO ahead of their time. They were doing deformable terrain YEARS ahead of the competition. Great, great tracks, amazing lighting and a hoard of great cars. DICE really nailed it, so it's a shame they have nestled in too deep with Battlefield (not hating on BF, just saying- that's where the money is at and where it's going).
In reply to
r3tr0gam3r1337
r3tr0gam3r1337
Commented on 2014-07-16 06:22:52 In reply to MrWhite
Posted by MrWhite
From most racing games from that era, and before, that I can remember, physics were an integral part of the weather conditions too, and yes, that's from games back in the PSX era, so I think it's ironic that you're having a go at someone for not really making a point, when it turns out that he does and you don't.
ok if this makes you feel better Colin McRae Rally and Vrally had weather effects and physics that affected the cars and these games were released around 1995/6 however the vast majority of racing games like test drive 4,5 & 6 all had weather effects but the physics did not change the way the cars handled, my point is having weather effects in an "arcade" game "RS", note "arcade" not "sim" makes his post irrelevant!
In reply to
Executioner_UK
Executioner_UK
Commented on 2014-07-16 11:13:42 In reply to r3tr0gam3r1337
Posted by r3tr0gam3r1337
ok if this makes you feel better Colin McRae Rally and Vrally had weather effects and physics that affected the cars and these games were released around 1995/6 however the vast majority of racing games like test drive 4,5 & 6 all had weather effects but the physics did not change the way the cars handled, my point is having weather effects in an "arcade" game "RS", note "arcade" not "sim" makes his post irrelevant!
PGR 4 was an arcade racer! Had every type of weather you could want in a racer including snow, ice, torrential rain, fog etc and as dynamic as it could ever be as there was even a feature that enabled you to replicate the weather in your own locale if your console was connected to Live!! The weather affected the cars handling! My point being that some people are jumping all over new gen features like they have never been done before and i happen to find it funny!

You are correct about Colin McRae, specifically 3 and for me had the best rain effects of any racer, the wipers clearing the screen realistically too! Yes working wipers in 2002 ;) If this also makes you feel better, the PS2 version was technically superior to the xbox version as far as the weather effects were concerned.

There are many features from racing games in the past that need to make a return. MSR on the Dreamcast had real time night/day based on the clock setting on your console, added to the immersion when you were playing as it was going dark outside and seeing it replicated in-game.
Ive pre-ordered Drive Club and FH2 and looking forward to both but i do miss a lot of the old school racers, sim and arcade and what they brought to the table for racing fans.
In reply to
r3tr0gam3r1337
r3tr0gam3r1337
Commented on 2014-07-16 14:58:15
im not taking stabs at specific consoles if that's what you are hinting at, ive had tons of fun playing many games over the past 30 odd years ever since my first games on the Commodore 16, ive still got my DC together with MSR and my 360 with PGR3, there are only 3 games which i personally regard as my absolute favorites two of which have already been mentioned, the last is GT3 A-Spec, the reason why i have not listed a recent game is that recent games are trying too hard while games back then were and still are fun.
In reply to
jenesuispasbavard
jenesuispasbavard
Commented on 2014-07-16 15:32:17
Along with Forza and Project Gotham Racing, one of my favorite series on the Xbox. Good times.
In reply to
About the game
Platform
XBOX
Published by
Xbox Game Studios
Developed by
DICE
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