V-Rally

***V-Rally***, released in Europe as ***V-Rally: 97 Championship Edition*** and known in Japan as ***V-Rally: Championship Edition***, is a racing video game developed by Infogrames Multimedia and initially released in 1997 for the PlayStation. It is the first entry in the *V-Rally series*.

## Development

*V-Rally* was developed over the course of nearly two years by a team within Infogrames based in Lyon, France, comprised of 20 full-time people which would later be known as Eden Studios. The PlayStation development kits did not cover the requirements needed for the game, so the developers created their own programming tools, including the game engine, which renders the environments and cars in 3D using the Gouraud shading method. Ex-rally world champion Ari Vatanen gave the developers insight on how the cars should handle collisions and drifts.

## Gameplay

*V-Rally* is a racing simulation game in which players drive rally cars through a series of stages. The game places a strong emphasis on replicating the behavior physics of real cars and generally requires more practice than arcade-style racers. Aspects such as weather condition, road surface and drive wheel configurations has a significant impact on the car handling. Ari Vatanen noted that although each car features the same control concepts, there are significant differences between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles.

The game features various game modes which can be played in single-player or split screen multiplayer:

* Arcade mode - Players has to win all stages in the series before expiring their three credits. Winning a stage grants an additional credit, whilst players loose one credit upon loosing a stage.
* Championship mode - Players has to win all eight rallies, each of which consist of three stages. To win the Championship, players has to accumulate the most points, which are given as 5 for 1st place finish, 3 for 2nd place finish and 1 for 3rd place.
* Time Trial mode - Race against the clock in the stages of V-Rally.

## Cars

Main article: V-Rally/Vehicles

The game features 11 cars from the 1997 World Rally Championship, all licensed including their stickers. Both Kit Cars and World Rally Cars are included.

### Car Tuning

Players has the option to tune the suspension, gear ratio, gear box and over/understeer of their car.

## Courses

Main article: V-Rally/Courses

The game features 42 tracks to race, with stages including sceneries based on Sweden, Indonesia, England, France, Spain, and more. Weather conditions include rain and snow, whilst road surfaces range from asphalt to gravel or dirt.

## Rebranding

### *Need for Speed: V-Rally*

Electronic Arts distributed the original *V-Rally* for the PlayStation in North America and associated it with their *Need for Speed* series. This North American version features the Toyota Corolla WRC as a new car.

## Special Releases

### *V-Rally: Edition 99*

Main article: V-Rally: Edition 99

*V-Rally: Edition 99* is an updated version based on the 1998 World Rally Championship, developed by Eden Studios and released for the Nintendo 64 in Europe on December 1998, and in North America in September 1999. The Windows version would be released in Aug 31, 1999 and was also known as *V-Rally: Multiplayer Championship Edition*.

It features several improvements including revised physics engine for better vehicle feel and control, the Toyota Corolla WRC, and redesigned menus. It also included enhanced graphics, including 3Dfx support on Windows.

### *V-Rally: Championship Edition* (GB/GBC/Mobile)

Main article: V-Rally: Championship Edition (GB/GBC/Mobile)

A handheld version including 4 licensed cars and 20 racing tracks was developed by Ocean Software Ltd. and released in 1998 for Game Boy, with a later version by the Velez & Dubail Dev. Team for Game Boy Color in 1999. Mobile ports would follow for the Palm OS in 2000, and Symbian/Windows Mobile in 2001. It has two game modes: Arcade and Championship.

## Reception

In Europe, *V-Rally* received very positive reviews from critics, who compared it favorably to *Sega Rally Championship*, praising its large number of tracks and challenging yet rewarding gameplay. In North America, reviews were not as positive.

## Cover Art

PALPAL (PlayStation Platinum)NTSC-JNTSC, "*Need for Speed*"