The game features just the right level of realism to keep things fun for fans of real rally racing without getting too frustrating.
To get the most out of your car, you'll find fairly extensive car setup screens. The default setups usually work well enough, but if you want, you can choose from multiple tire types and then adjust their pressure for more grip or more speed. You can tweak the suspension, ride height, and stabilizers, and you can alter the gearbox ratio, differentials, and brake bias.
In keeping with its relatively realistic focus, V-Rally 3 pays a lot of attention to damage modeling. Slipups will result in damage to headlights, suspension, the gearbox, and more. In the career mode, you'll usually only get to service your car after every two rally stages, and even then you'll have to select carefully what you want your crew to fix in the limited time allotted them. So, a little damage can go a long way toward putting you out of the running. Fortunately, the damage model is relaxed to where a bashed-up car will definitely create real problems for you, but you'll have to truly total your vehicle to suffer a breakdown. On top of that, the game lets you put your car back on the track with the press of a button without hurting your time much, which actually seems too forgiving.
One of the most impressive things about V-Rally 3 is how it models the damage visually. When you switch to an external camera view or watch a race replay, you'll see a dead taillight where your car banged into a tree, or you'll spot missing bodywork, holes in the windows, a mangled hood, and more. If your bumper flies off, you can even smack into it as it tumbles out in front of your car. Sustain too much damage to your front end, and you'll notice the hood start to vibrate violently as you drive over ruts and bumps in the road. Even if you somehow manage to keep your car scratch-free, you'll notice that it gets progressively dirtier, with dust and grime coating the bodywork and windshield.
The visuals overall really shine in V-Rally 3. It's true that the graphics won't make you forget the visually stunning Rallisport Challenge. It's true, too, that some textures seem a little simplistic or washed out, and the character models certainly need more work. But V-Rally 3's cars are wonderfully detailed, and the terrain is genuinely varied to reflect the dense pine forests of Finland or the reddish plains of Africa, for example. The weather effects look outstanding. Realistic fog will turn to rain, with water pooling on the road and droplets beading on your windshield. On the icy roads of Sweden, you'll notice frost collecting on your headlight shrouds. The glare from the setting sun looks wonderfully convincing, and it's not just for show either, but has a real effect on your racing as you try to spot upcoming turns amid the dazzling light. Along with the weather effects, clever little trackside details help bring the locales to life, too. As you race around a turn, you might see a small herd of deer desperately scrambling across the road, or you might spot a helicopter hovering nearby to film the race.
You'll find the heart of V-Rally 3 in its relatively deep career mode.
V-Rally 3's audio isn't as good as the visuals, but it generally succeeds nicely. Engine noises, slipping tires, gear shifting, and other driving sounds seem convincing. Your navigator's voice is clear as he reads off the pace notes to you, though some warnings come later than they should. On the downside, the game's lame menu soundtrack is forgettable at best and downright annoying at worst. Fortunately, you can turn this music off.
Weaknesses like that usually don't hurt V-Rally 3 too much in the end. It's true that the gameplay modes might not be varied enough for some tastes, and controlling some cars can be quite tough, at least at first. Still, the driving is genuinely challenging and exciting, and the game features just the right level of realism to keep things fun for fans of real rally racing without getting too frustrating. Combine that with real-world cars and a solid career mode, and you get an impressive rally racing game.
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