Sebastien Loeb Rally EVO (Xbox One)

So here's the thing, which I only say to give context to my comments about this game. Myself I am in the top 1% of Xbox users by time in the world.... and basically all I play are driving games. Taking that into account then I say this with regard to this Loeb game and the other two main rally games out now.I btw do not get paid to be nice like many do.Loeb's game is pretty good. It has 5 stars overall from me because that is it adjudged against it's two direct competitors, WRC 5 and Dirt Rally which has just been released on console. So let's look at them brieflyWRC 5 is appallingly bad. Awful graphics which belong in 2006, car sounds which appear to be a recording of an asthmatic electric lawn mower and driving psychics by Big Al's shopping Trolley Emporium... it is a 0 Star production. How the WRC allow something so shameful out in their name amazes meDirt Rally.... apparently a lot of people are excited about this game, or is it a sim? Or a simcade? No, it is just a game and in many ways a pretty poor one. Why? Look at driving games and they are all basically at pains to say they can be adjusted to be played by anyone, child to granny... Dirt Rally says nothing about this and maybe wisely.... as it is a wholly inaccessible game.The driving psychics are pretty good, the graphics good, the sounds I would say are excellent and Dirt Rally has the best 'night' driving of any driving game at present... BUT.... and it is a vast BUT.... it has no way to set the difficulty and that matters. There is no re-wind, there is no nothing. Lose concentration for a second and you'll be wiped out in the scenery. That makes it incredibly irritating and truly dull. The Ai is set so high it is crazy. You start your career at Open... then progress to Clubman.. but finish too low in the standings and you're back down to Open... where I suspect many will stay until after a couple of weeks they throw it out of the window as a waste of timeIt has a Rally X section where you can choose difficulty... great I thought. So set it to easy and .... finish 4 out of 4 every time, cannot get to the final, cannot move up the rankings so cannot open the FIA Rally X section of the game....just insane. So we buy a game then can't access parts of it because we can't set the game to our ability? How wonderful ... not.Also for some reason there are only 6 rally locations and a few stages at each plus a handful of cars... where's the rest of the game?Dirt Rally it appears has been made for a tiny group of people, basically, PC players who think that RBR (Richard Burns Rally... an ancient game they have played for the past 9 years or so) is a message from God. If you're a mere mortal, do not waste you money on Dirt Rally is my adviceSo Loeb Rally? Lots and lots of cars, lots of tracks, lots to do.... decent enough psychics, acceptable graphics, decent career mode, sensible Ai difficulty choices and...wow... a rewind facility. The other thing is that it gives a feeling of speed that is about the best I have come acrossIf you want the best driving game for XBox One, that is still the quite brilliant Forza 6 by a country mile or 10.. but the best rally game out now is definitely Loeb's offering by a million miles

Although the graphics look great and is probably a great driving game I find it very difficult to control the car just using the basic X-Box hand set. I think for this game you need a more dedicated driving type control device.

good game

On initially loading the game and watching the cut scenes, I couldn't wait to get stuck into the game and immerse myself into a race overwhelmed by the stunning looking graphics.My first reservation was over the brutally long loading time before I could begin a race, and closely followed by sheer disappointment at the graphics. Think of an early WRC on the PlayStation 2. The handling seemed a bit all over the place too, not helped by the fact it doesn't feel like you are driving, but rather that the car is floating around the track.My first recommendation would be for anyone to race using the cockpit view. Once I did this I had a much better experience, it just seems to improve the look of the graphics and give a much better feel of actually racing. Although that said, it doesn't take away some of the shocking draw distances, with things appearing at the side of the road just as you approach them.Also, a bit of tweaking with the settings is required. I prefer to go for the semi-professional set up with opponent on AI. It leaves you feeling that you are in charge of the car, mistakes and all, but that those mistakes won't cost you the race.The biggest draw of all has to be the length and depth of the game. You can dip into whatever mode you like, and there a lot, in order to build experience which then opens up the Sebastian Loeb events. It makes it so much better than a linear career mode and saves boredom setting in.So to conclude I do recommend this, just be prepared that the graphics are underwhelming, and you will need to tweak the game to suit your playing style.