The physics and graphics are noticeably better this time around. You can fly through plastic barriers and send small objects rolling across the track, but hit something solid and your car will crack open like a monkey nut in a vice. Wrap you car around a tree and leaves will flutter to the ground. Individual courses have been given a thorough going-over too, and now shine like a set of newly polished hubcaps...

When Papyrus Racing Games released its final installment in the storied NASCAR Racing series in February of 2003 and was then officially shut down by publisher Vivendi Universal in May of this year, one of the most remarkable tales in all of computer gaming was seemingly brought to a disappointing and premature standstill. Rarely in this flighty, roller coaster industry has a single developer so mightily impacted its chosen genre...

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The demo will feature one car model and two tracks and the
players will have the choice of two different car handling models:
simulation and arcade. Besides of normal rally (time attacks) and
head-to-head (with collisions) races the version will also feature the Free
Style mode allowing for competition on the whole terrain with no
restrictions to one set up track.


Thanks to the possibility of adjusting main car's subsystems it will be
possible to tune the car for track's conditions as well as for one's own
preferences. Additionally the demo will allow for hosting players' own
servers - both Internet and LAN.


The full version of Xpand Rally will also offer a comprehensive
career mode with over 70 races and more than 700 tuning parts for the cars.
It will also feature a Single Race mode. The players will be given 35 racing
cars divided into 8 groups. Photorealistic graphics of the tracks placed on
5 varied landscapes, fully dynamic and interactive surrounding of the
tracks, realistic car damage model and driver's injuries, finally a set of
editing tools allowing for creating players' own tracks - all are main game'
s features.


Techland has today confirmed that the release date of the title
set to 2004-09-24 has not been changed.


For detailed information about the game and discussion on the
forum visit www.xpandrally.com.

Soffocato tra velleità simulative e un comparto tecnico inadeguato, Richard Burns Rally non può dirsi un prodotto perfettamente riuscito. La palette cromatica riesce a donare un tocco di realismo alle ambientazioni, ma non è sufficiente a colmare alcune lacune del motore grafico, che non impressiona per numero di poligoni a schermo né, mancanza assai più grave, per quanto riguarda la fluidità. Il modello fisico è estremamente realistico e curato nei minimi dettagli, permettendoci di intervenire su una folta schiera di fattori, dalla campanatura delle ruote alla pressione dei singoli pneumatici, ognuno dei quali si fa apprezzare immediatamente nel modello di guida.