Rally racing may not be immensely popular here in the States, but thankfully that hasn't detoured developers from creating a number of rally games that range from arcade to sim. I truly love driving/racing games, and I'm more than happy to include the rally sub-genre in that statement. Recently there have been a couple of new entrants to the market. That being Shox from EA and Rally Fusion from Activision. While Fusion doesn't have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Rallisport Challenge or VRally, it's certainly no dog.

Activision has loaded this game with different racing modes, and they know it. It's all over their advertising. It may only look like there are a few to choose from in the main menu, but actually inside the Race of Champions, there are numerous challenges. You'll participate in one on one races, championship circuits, hill climbs, and more. As you progress through this mode, you'll have opportunities to unlock new cars and tracks. Per current racing game standards, you begin the RoC mode with only a few Class C cars available such as the Toyota Rav 4. Some challenges require you to drive a certain car, while others let you select from any that you've unlocked. Eventually you'll move up in rank and get to drive Class B cars like the Lancer Evo and then finally to the Class A cars which include the Lancia Stratos.

The main drawback from the game is unfortunately one of the most important aspects. How does it drive? Rally Fusion definitely leans hard towards the arcade aspect of racing. Weight of the cars is light and floaty, and power slides (which may be the most important aspect of a rally game) are over exaggerated and inconsistent. It's frustrating getting set up for a turn and throwing the back end around only to have it slide off course like you were a puck on a shuffle board. This makes it real easy for beginners to spend most of their time on walls or in trees. That's not to say that it isn't easy to pick up and play. It is, perhaps too much so. Walls don't do much to slow you down, and on some courses you can just ride them all the way around a turn, kind of like the old Daytona trick. Within the hour you should have a handle on how these cars are going to control, and you shouldn't expect much else beyond that.

I was surprised how well the graphics turned out for both systems. After originally seeing it on the XBox, I didn't think the models or the tracks would hold up quite as well on the PS2. I was wrong. The PS2 even has a neat heat wave effect implemented on the desert tracks. The cars look awesome, and have interesting details all the way down to the tires. Usually developers have to trade off the pretty models in order to get car deformation, but Rally Fusion has an excellent mix of both. Early jumps will pop your door loose in a jiffy, and if you're not careful, you'll lose bumpers, hoods, and even your tires. The damage not only looks great, but it affects your performance as well. Worn suspension will pull the car to one side or the other, and your transmission will keep you from getting into higher gears. Poor driving will lead to engine failure or the loss of your drive wheels forcing you into early retirement. Excellent attention to detail.

The details also carry over into the tracks and environments. All ground types are covered from your standard dirt and tarmac to mud and snow. The muddy and raining courses are of special interest as they show off the fanciest effects. Mud splatters and piles up on your car, and the rain will constantly hit your windshield. It even lets up or rains harder on certain sections of the track. In the end, it all looks very nice.

Not that I'm surprised, but there is no music playing during the races. This is actually the way I prefer to play, since I'm more interested in hearing the tone of the engine listening for shift points, but I figured there would at least be an option. The music plays during the replays, and it's not too shabby. Rally games are more about listening to your navigator anyway. He's always busy shouting out what turns and obstacles are coming up, and if you don't know the course, he's always a huge help. He's also a source of great amusement. If you drive like an idiot, I guess he feels like your putting his life in jeopardy. He gets all frantic and starts shouting out the turns in this, "Oh my god, we're gonna die" kind of voice. Good stuff.

Rally Fusion is definitely not going to appeal to everyone. The hardcore rally fans are probably going to be turned off by the simplistic controls and physics. On the other hand, they may be starved for another rally-centric game. Casual gamers will find this easy to pick up and play, and anyone will certainly notice the high replayability with all there is to do and unlock. I know I had a hard time pulling myself away from the RoC mode, even though my instincts were telling me I was tired of playing it. It has that kind of affect on you, even though it's only a slightly above average race engine.