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GRAVEL (PS4)
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Publisher: Milestone.
Developer: Milestone. Released: February 2018. Genre: Racing. Other versions: XONE; PC. Posted 19th May 2019. By Tom Clare © 2019 |
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Gravel presented veteran developers Milestone with the ideal opportunity to make a rally racer free from the shackles of corporate licensing, having worked previously on Sebastian Loeb Rally EVO and a succession of WRC titles. It’s zeitgeist most closely channels the DiRT games, with an emphasis on vibrant presentation and a variety of quick-fire events. However, it also acknowledges the developer’s background in more sim-leaning efforts, with a predominant focus on racing, rather than points-based events and obstacle courses.
Going on its presentation, it’s clear that Gravel is gunning for the X-Games end of the market, with crowd-pleasing races on figure-of-eight tracks, a broad range of off-road vehicles and plenty of jumps, bumps and jostling with competitors. Grafittied menus and some slightly cringe-worthy attempts at creating hype around its fictitious drivers aside, it does a fairly commendable impression of Codemasters’ celebrated series. There are however a few areas in which Gravel comes up short, most notably in its surprisingly poor handling model.
Whilst the tracks aren't always memorable to drive, they're extensively detailed and look great
Chances are, the first time you happen across a corner, you’ll plough straight through it. I can’t remember a racer with such chronic understeer. There’s some setup options to tweak, but they don’t really solve the issue as you might expect. Softening the suspension allows you the unique dual hindrance of combining drastic understeer upon entry to corners with leery oversteer out of them. The physics engine can best be described as noticeable, as bumps here and there serve to further exacerbate the manoeuvrability issues of the cars, to the point where you feel powerless to avoid accidents. Fortunately, a rewind function goes some way to allaying the frustration that likely would have resulted from hitting a hidden divot and spearing off course.
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The handling never really comes to feel intuitive, and there are times when vehicles really struggle with bumpy terrain. That’s not to say you won’t have some fun, however. Gravel’s main mode, Off-Road Masters, is your common and garden Career mode, and a such, presents a predictable but pleasant selection of race setups to work through. The thrilling, high-speed point-to-point races prove the most enjoyable. Time Trial events are okay, whilst going wheel to wheel with other competitors on circuit events adds to the fun, even if these races will seem very familiar to fans of DiRT.
On the whole, the circuit design is nothing to write home about, though Gravel does look the business. There are countless visual highlights, and arguably, here lies the game’s strongest element. As you’d expect from a rally racer, it throws nearly every conceivable weather condition and road surface your way, and the atmospheric effects are very convincing. The various vehicles look really good, whilst the environments are diverse and richly coloured. The developers have invested a lot in the look of the tracks, replete as they are with impressive scenic touches. These include smaller details such as hot air balloons, helicopters, stadium complexes with extensively realised track-side paddocks, and more immediately noticeable vistas, such as brightly-lit evening cityscapes and vast mountain ranges.
On the whole, the circuit design is nothing to write home about, though Gravel does look the business. There are countless visual highlights, and arguably, here lies the game’s strongest element. As you’d expect from a rally racer, it throws nearly every conceivable weather condition and road surface your way, and the atmospheric effects are very convincing. The various vehicles look really good, whilst the environments are diverse and richly coloured. The developers have invested a lot in the look of the tracks, replete as they are with impressive scenic touches. These include smaller details such as hot air balloons, helicopters, stadium complexes with extensively realised track-side paddocks, and more immediately noticeable vistas, such as brightly-lit evening cityscapes and vast mountain ranges.
FOCAL POINT: SHOWROOM SPECTACLE
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Gravel offers an excellent array of rallying machinery spanning the last sixty years. Let’s be honest, what rally aficionado hasn’t wanted to emulate a WRC legend? Here, you can relive Colin McRae’s glory days, swinging a ‘95 Impreza around a super special stage, or step into the racing boots of fellow rallying royalty Carlos Sainz and Tommi Mäkinen, and their Toyota Celica and Mitsubishi Lancer respectively? Gravel offers plenty more besides, including a respectable number of classic vehicles and the much-vaunted Group B cars from the eighties. Ironically, considering that this comes from the people behind Sebastian Loeb EVO however, there’s a conspicuous lack of Citroën cars. At least you know the game to seek out if you want lots of those.
Where it loses ground is in the inevitable (and unfavourable) comparisons it draws with the DiRT games. The most obvious problem is that it simply isn’t as playable, the events are less exciting, and none of the racing is especially memorable as a result. There’s also some embarrassing attempts at self-generated hype. At the beginning of each Alaskan race, the announcer boasts: “we wanted to put on a spectacle worthy of the name… and we’ve done it!”, and continues in an increasingly grating manner from there on in. Season finale races, which suffer a similarly ill-judged dose of bombast, prove a bit of a damp squib, and you’re left to wonder why Milestone invested in some tacky FMVs vamping up a series of personal battles that never really materialise.
Gravel offers a number of different race events, though cornering acts as a serious roadblock to the game's aspirations
The mileage you’ll get from Gravel is perhaps best described as moderate, with the Off-Road Masters campaign good for a little under a week, and a competent but run-of-the-mill online suite boosting longevity just a fraction. Duff handling aside, it’s a competent enough title, with smart presentation and an acceptable selection of race modes. In a world with less competition, it would likely have garnered more affection. As things stand however, it’s one for the committed rallying game fan only.
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VERDICT
"Gravel is a competent title, and in a world with less competition, would likely have garnered more affection. As things stand however, it’s strictly one for the committed rallying game fan." OVERALL: 5/10 |
MORE PLAYSTATION 4 RALLY RACING REVIEWS
DiRT 4 (2017, PS4)
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Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo (2016, PS4)
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