We reviewed WRC 7

Driftwood
Thursday, September 14, 2017 | 10:15 AM
15 comments

GSY Review PC PS4 Xbox One

WRC 7 will be officially released tomorrow, but we have been playing the game for almost a week now, on PC and PS4 Pro. We therefore have tons of videos to share with you as well as a full verdict and our usual +/- section. We also remind you that we will be live playing the game tonight from 9:00 to 9:40 CET.

Verdict

Is WRC 7 more accessible than DiRT Rally? Obviously, as it reminds more of the original Colin McRae games than anything else. Does it mean the game is just an insipid arcade racer with no finesse to it? Hell no! With this third attempt in the WRC franchise, developer Kylotonn has proven us their talent when it comes to making solid rally games that can be fun and still demanding in many respects. Stages are particularly well-crafted, which adds a lot of tension when behind the wheel of the 2017 WRC cars. Not only is WRC 7 a real pleasure to play, but it is also very nice on the eye this year, with environments that often look better than DiRT 4's, if not always. Of course, console players will probably be a bit disappointed by the 30 fps locked framerate, but it is never detrimental to gameplay and the choice to finally propose a smooth experience was the right one in our opinion. The last 2 games had unlocked framerates and that's something we could never truly enjoy. With all the positives we find in this year's edition, it is then all the more frustrating to see WRC 7 has more or less the same shortcomings than Codemasters' rally titles, with a number of stages per country that is a bit stingy, even though it can be explained by the choice to make longer ones instead of a wider selection of short tracks. Ever since we played WRC 5, we felt the French studio's work was really promising, so we're happy to see we were right. Each year, the franchise gets better and better, and this time, the leap is clearly a lot more impressive. You and our fellow colleagues may disagree of course, but we've had a real blast playing WRC 7 and we can't wait to try it with a wheel. What a great end of year for car racing games fans!

On the plus side
Much improved graphics
13 destinations et 52 stages and super-stages
The right balance between simulation and accessibility
Smooth on PC and PS4 Pro
Good driving sensations with a gamepad
Rumble feedback is as it should be
Engine sounds don't disappoint
Nerve-racking stages
Very nice lighting effects
The journey only rally can offer

On the downside
The copilot still doesn't sound natural enough
Driving through puddles is disappointing visually
Some XB1/PS4 players will bitch at the 30 fps (and they'll be wrong)
Too many old wheels are still not compatible on PC
4 stages per country "only"
Loading times are longer on consoles
Replays still unable to pick the right camera angles
Weather conditions could have been more extreme

Commented on 2017-09-14 11:49:34

Dos it run at 60fps on PS4 Pro?

In reply to

KORNdog

Commented on 2017-09-14 11:56:06

might have to pick this up.

Driftwood

Commented on 2017-09-14 11:56:42 In reply to amiga500

Posted by amiga500

No, locked 30.

Commented on 2017-09-14 12:15:45 In reply to Driftwood

What a shame....
Thanks for the info.

Commented on 2017-09-14 12:55:02 In reply to amiga500

What a shame....

Well no, it's locked so it's no problem.

MrWhite

Commented on 2017-09-15 03:32:42

This looks fantastic, surprisingly. The Argentina video almost looks photo real from inside the car. Amazing lighting and environment detail, and it looks like it plays a lot like the first two McRae games on the PS1, which are two of my favourite rally games.

Commented on 2017-09-15 12:13:58 In reply to Driftwood

I know locked is good, but only 30fps on Pro....?! WRC 6 was already beyond 30fps - up to 60- (unlocked) on standard PS4, I hoped for a stable 60fps on the more powerfull/expensive Pro!

If Dirt Rally with more demanding physics/driving model and amazing gfx can achive 60fps on a standart PS4, it's really a shame that WRC 7 can't achive the same on Pro!

Commented on 2017-09-15 12:16:27 In reply to amiga500

They didn't choose not to do it, they simply couldn't. There must be a reason why DiRT 4 doesn't look very good on PS4 (and PS4 Pro). Now I understand that some people would be disappointed, but when you consider the latest F1 game, which has tearing and drops on PS4 Pro, I'm not sure this is what I would want.

Commented on 2017-09-15 13:15:55 In reply to Driftwood

On Dirt 4 there are stages that you must compete with other cars and that makes it more demanding for base PS4, but even on these demanding stages Pro handles them perfectly at 60fps!
On Dirt Rally & WRC you only compete with time!

https://youtu.be/OiqMYDjo34c?t=439

For me there is no excuse (for the Pro version), I can understand the locked 30fps for the base PS4 version but no way for the Pro!

vansant

Commented on 2017-09-15 13:29:59

Not true. You compete with other cars in Dirt Rally and WRC7.

Commented on 2017-09-15 13:42:39 In reply to vansant

In which mode?

Commented on 2017-09-15 14:08:25 In reply to amiga500

And there is tearing in those races (and frame drops as far as I can remember), and it's only 5 to 6 cars right? but then again, it cannot be compared when you don't know the size of the team and the game's budget. DiRT 4 took more than a year to develop too.

In super stages.

Commented on 2017-09-15 18:23:25 In reply to Driftwood

Dirt Rally (which I own) runs perfectly stable at 60fps and it's a 2 years old game!
I agree with you that it's not fair to compare the 2 teams, because I'm sure that Codemasters have more team members but i still believe that when you can achive close to 60fps on base PS4 on WRC 6 it's really a shame to not achive 60fps on Pro.

To tell you the truth I'm really happy that they locked at 30 the base PS4 version because WRC 5 & 6 had big problems with screen tearing and fps drops that ruined the handling and the overall experience.
Even with these problems WRC games on PS4 are still my favorite Rally games and certainly the most enjoyable to play!

However I'm still disappointed with the Pro version of WRC 7..... :(