EA SPORTS™ WRC

EA SPORTS™ WRC offers a rally racing experience with a solid foundation in physics and a wide variety of cars and stages, appealing to fans of the genre. Players appreciate its immersive gameplay and the extensive content, including long races and multiple countries. However, the game suffers from significant technical issues such as poor optimization, frequent crashes, and intrusive DRM and kernel-level anti-cheat measures, which have alienated many users, especially those on Linux or using VR setups. The game's development was abruptly halted by EA, disappointing the community and leaving many promised features undelivered. Despite these problems, some players enjoy the game's accessible driving mechanics and customization options like liveries, though the career mode and repetitive track design have been criticized. Overall, while the core gameplay is enjoyable, the game's technical shortcomings and EA's management decisions have greatly impacted its reception.

Highlights

Players praise the game's realistic physics and immersive rally racing experience. The variety of cars, stages, and conditions provide depth and replayability. The driving mechanics are accessible to both wheel users and gamepad players, with good steering wheel support noted. Customization features such as the livery system are well-liked. The game offers a substantial amount of base content, including long races and multiple countries, which appeals to rally enthusiasts. Some reviewers find the gameplay fun and engaging, especially when compared to other rally titles.

Criticisms

The game is plagued by poor performance and optimization issues, causing frequent frame rate drops and crashes even on high-end PCs. The intrusive kernel-level anti-cheat and always-online DRM have been widely criticized, especially since the game is primarily single-player. EA's abandonment of the title and cancellation of future updates have left the community frustrated. The career mode is seen as restrictive and repetitive, with forced quests and limited track variety. Visuals are described as outdated or subpar, and VR support is minimal and problematic. Many players report launch failures and connectivity issues, further diminishing the experience.