Monday, September 10, 2018

V-Rally 4 (PS4)

V-Rally 4. It's a sequel. That's a given. If you are like me though, are new to the series, and are thinking about trying it out you no doubt want to know how technical the game is. Being the off road vehicular racing game that it is 'V-Rally 4' definitely leans a lot towards the more technical side of things even though the controls are super simple. With said controls including a control scheme with two brakes, basic thumbstick steering controls, and camera angle changes you'll need to learn the track layouts as well as how to best drift along on a variety of different terrains. In being designed this way with the technicalities lying mostly with proper maneuvering/driving as a main focus, and the micro-management of career elements as close second side focal point it banks a lot of it's appeal on sports fans' interests, and gears the game towards rewarding that type of fan for their applied understanding. When it comes to the genre type this racing sequel is by no means an arcade style experience. It is most certainly not one that can be casually picked up and put down without losing the know how your next go around. You will need to commit time to learning/memorizing the tracks, micro-managing the career and sponsor contract elements as well as committing efforts to paying/recruiting the paid crew members to maximize prize potential.

In the way of modes V-Rally 4 has it's fair share.  The modes won't truly open up to you in full until you've been evaluated in an initial race, and put through the menu system tutorial that explains everything you need to know though. Past the Canadian race trial intro that basically adjusts your controls (manual/automatic) according to your performance upon finish you will find yourself in the main offline menu system with which you'll not only engage in star ranked Rallies/Races for profit, but will also gain access to the lucrative contracts, vehicle specific dealership stock, a personal garage, and crew recruitment options. These options which you'll visit between races and rallies will be how you fine tune your money making endeavor. Make no mistake this game is more about the money, and what it can afford you than it is the actual races. It is pure career fanfare that sheds some light on the business end of Rally racing while allowing you to take part in races to that end.

Through contracts offered by sponsors, and higher companies of interest you can make the funds needed to proceed with any progressively lucrative offers, and in doing so loot some of the real world's finest vehicles from some well known dealerships. Cars that number 50 in total. These money exchange offers only come when you've proven yourself on the available tracks though, or when you've purchased a new vehicle from an interested dealership. Contracts, as rewarding as they are, aren't the only way to earn the cash necessary to manage your garage of vehicles or your hired crew. Rallies based on real world locations across the globe and under varying weather circumstances will be where a lot of your prize money comes from. These rallies and races which are vehicle class specific (V-Rally, Hillclimb, Buggy, Extreme-Khana) will require you to place first to reap the maximum reward. While you won't always see your opponents onscreen their times are kept track of alongside yours for record sake. Before each rally or race you will be able to select the AI difficulty setting which will effect the prize payout by percentage. Using a scale slider you can adjust it low or high influencing the amount of the prize money that's offered. For those of you looking to tweak vehicle settings you can do that as well via the similarly named menu option. Things like terrain focus can be changed, and in doing so effect how well the vehicles perform on the given track. You can also fine tune these adjustments per a lengthy list of sliders pertaining to key vehicle components for more accurate handling, and performance overall. Knowing what effects what is a must though.

Depending on the star ranking of the single route rally or lap based race the prize payout will either be lower or higher. One star will bank you about 10 Grand for making first place while others past that will bank you above 30 Grand for making the same placing. Choosing the rally or race is not merely a choice to be made on a whim though. You have to account for the allotted days required to complete the rally/race for crew payment sake. This includes crew members that range from designers to engineers, and mechanics. Crew members which demand a set weekly salary based on their ranking as a crew member. Each member in your crew that is hired comes with an expected salary as well as stats shown by icons that represent their ability to perform certain tasks. These stats have colored numbers that will let you know if they are more or less qualified than the previously acquired helping hand. If the numbers are green they are above the previous crew member in stats, and if the numbers are red they are worse. Black numbers represent an unchanged neutral stat. Along with all of this the named crew will come with a region flag for reference as well as a rank number which also lets you know how skilled they are at their job. You can hire up to 4 crew members per job class, but will have to collectively pay out a lump sum of money at the week's end. This means you must perform well enough in your races to afford a crew worth getting you to the top.

Garage options, and dealerships also play an important role in career success. In the garage you can upgrade your purchased vehicles for better performance as well as customize them via a customization menu. Assuming you have a car in your possession that you don't mind spending some extra cash on to jazz up you can choose from somewhat limited paint and decal options that include color, gloss, metallics, and clear coating to give it a base that will enhance/alter it's given appearance when used in-game. Along with this you purchase, and apply decals for some added flair. Even the tag can have a license of text befitting of your identity desires. The customization is a bit basic to be honest, but it does let you get creative enough to differentiate your own vehicles from other vehicles online players will have customized themselves. Dealerships, as they are, are of course the places where you can pick up and purchase class based vehicles using earned in-game currency. The more you race, and win races the more new cars will be made available to you. You will ultimately work your way up from budget priced vehicles to the more pricey and prestigious variety for each class. It should also be noted that vehicles can only be raced in rallies/races of their own class. For those of you still curious this is not a mix and match racer.

From the offline antics you will be able to participate in online rallies/races using what you've unlocked. The online portion of the game includes a "Quick Match" option which will allow for a map focused selection with rally/race type in mind. By clicking on the locale within the rally/race type selection area you will go head to head with other online races in a timed race to the finish. If you fancy a more fine tuned multiplayer option you can choose "Multiplayer" which allows for local split screen as well as online multiplayer against 7 other players. There are leaderboards included in the online portion of the game for bragging rights. As with the offline V-Rally you'll also find reward money as a part of the offering.

Racing in "V-Rally 4" is both easy, and technical all at the same time. The controls which feature a brake, handbrake, basic steering, and camera angles/view are easy enough to understand. What's not so easy is the actual application of these features to a race. In any given Rally a narrator will give you pop-up and vocal cues regarding turns, drift options, and approach methods. I actually found this to be more annoying than helpful. Besides that you will also have to figure out when it's best to use what brake (handbrake-sharp turns / brake-broad turns), and the twists and turns of the track itself. The rallies and races are a usual one run through ordeal making it necessary to revisit the track to perfect your playthrough. You'll also need to adjust vehicle settings before the match to align with terrain type, and component function. If you ever happen to crash or go out of bounds your vehicle will be reset in close proximity to where to crashed. More often than not it will set your vehicle in a position somewhat ahead of your mistake.

Visually the tracks, and environments are a layered course of photo-realism, and arcade style designs with complimentary weather effects. They are of supposedly real world locations, and include everything from the desert villages of Kenya to the urban streets of Japan. It is a game with a global aesthetic, and does good with what it presents in the way of visual quality. Lighting, shadows, and attention to detail are all noteworthy. Even the vehicle takes on noticeable damage, and dirt when racing through certain locations. You will also find onlooking bystanders which are a little less realistic in depiction. The sound quality, which is also noteworthy, includes all the vehicular sounds you'd come to expect from such a game. From the revving up of the engine to the changing of gears, and even the sounds pertaining to environmental interactions come to life in a real enough manner. All alongside complimentary controller vibrations set to react differently to different surfaces, and vehicle contact. There's even a hip-hop track to listen to while browsing the game's menus. The presentation as whole is not bad. It's where this game shines.

The Verdict ...

For me "V-Rally 4", though beautifully presented, felt like a game geared towards experienced players. With me being new to it I felt at a loss, and kind of rushed to understand everything during the initial tutorial phase. Control-wise the game was simple enough pick up on. Technically though it negated that casual control scheme almost entirely, and made the game a game that is definitely more for those who understand the ins and outs of Rally sport video games, and Rally sports in general. Having grown up on Gran Turismo I kind of felt this game was not for me. Not that it's bad, mind you, but more so that it's for a specific racing audience. That specific audience being the previously mentioned Rally sports enthusiasts. I think for them this game could be a good buy. It not only gives you decent offline and online racing options as well as invested features, but it throws in the career aspect in a streamlined way that isn't too overly complicated. That's about all I can say. The game felt polished, and content inclusive. Definitely good to look at.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Looking forward to what you have to say. Keep it clean, and keep it real. I will reply as soon as I can. Thanks for stopping by!!!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.