RalliSport Challenge 2 is undoubtedly going to be one of the titles that game stores leave on in the window to showcase the powerful graphical capabilities of the Xbox. The cars themselves look absolutely stunning, both when they look waxed and polished at the beginning of a race, dirty and covered in mud after a race, or bent and busted up after a few accidents. Racing along in rain causes raindrops to collect on the windshield and camera, while cruising along through dense fog obscures turns and potential hazards down the road. Nighttime racing is nerve-racking, as the only thing you can see is what is illuminated by your headlights. A huge enhancement over the original Rallisport Challenge is that the tracks themselves are much, much more realistic. In the previous game distant hills were simply lumps of textured polygons, with Rallisport Challenge 2 they look like actual landscape as seen from a distance. There are many more eye candy objects as well, and instead of lumps of bushes alongside the road as the only bit of detail there are now those as well as rocks, boulders, cactuses, kangaroos, and various other small details.

Rallisport Challenge 2 sounds as good as it looks. As you rip down the tarmac in a Mitsubishi Skyline in a Hill Climb event you can hear not only the engine but also the whine of the turbo, which can be further accentuated by effects such as echo and reverb if you are passing through a tunnel. Every bone jarring wreck and collision makes a variety of nice sound effects, such as the sounds of crumpling metal and shattering glass. Rallisport Challenge 2 actually becomes startling in its detail when it comes to sound effects. For instance, there is actually a unique sound effect for the sound of wet grass slapping against the side of your car as you slide sideways off of the road. Rallisport Challenge 2 comes equipped with a good amount of songs in its soundtrack, mainly of the rock variety, but what most gamers will opt for is the games soundtrack support. If I cant cruise down a winding dust road in Australia or an arrow-straight brick road in Spain listening to my favorite songs in real life, at least can do it in a video game.

As a whole, Rallisport Challenge 2 is a really fun game. The only glaring flaw throughout the entire title is the lack of a damage system that has actual consequences; meanwhile the rest of the game may as well serve as the benchmark that future rally racing game designers should aspire to. Rally racing can be one of the toughest forms of racing since winding turns, bad road conditions, and road hazards are more of the standard than the exception, but instead of constantly frustrating the gamer Rallisport Challenge 2 entertains them. Even when mistakes are made and that shiny car is reduced to a heap of broken glass and loose bodywork, the accident that caused the change is fun to watch in spite of the time lost due to it. Rallisport Challenge 2 may not be a perfect game, but as a rally racing game it may as well be crowned king and be the game that all others of the genre must try to aspire to.