WRC is on schedule to make its appearance on the PSP, making it the first officially licensed handheld FIA rally game. If you are wondering how the PSP will differ to the PS2 version and if Sony's promise to "protect" PSP content from simple ports is being kept, read on. If the images, available by following the screens tab above, are anything to go by it seems that WRC is just as visually impressive on PSP as it is on PS2.
WRC The Game
Immerse yourself in the first officially licensed handheld FIA World Rally Championship game - packed full of exhilarating stages set in the toughest terrains the world has to offer. Experience the "in your face" thrills and spills of rally on the move - feel the speed, embrace the power, taste the mud!
Features:
- Featuring the 16 official rallies from around the globe including Japan and Mexico, plus 19 bonus stages and downloadable content enabled
- 30 fully deformable cars, including Evolution and Extreme spec cars, plus all 17 official 2004 registered drivers, from the 6 official manufacturers
- Link up to other PSPs via WiFi for multiplayer battles in 16 super special stages allowing you to pit your wits against the best WRC drivers in the world
We've seen WRC on PS2, can you tell us what is different about this game?
WRC will utilise all of the same licensed cars, drivers and tracks / stages as PS2 however the emphasis with WRC is really more about easily accessible, pick-up and play gameplay with more against arcade style against the clock challenges.
So it's not just a port?
No, WRC PSP is built from a completely new code base and entirely different set of art assets than PS2.
What new elements have you introduced to the game?
All the familiar Quick Race, Time Trial, Single Rally and Championships will of course feature, but all are now based on a more arcade style, in order to take maximum advantage of the quick fire nature of the PSP.
Is this created by the same team that worked on the previous games?
No, different developers are working on this title and this gives a significantly different visual style and feel to WRC on PSP.
Are there many major differences in the development for a software title for PSP?
We've found that our development teams have rapidly gotten used to developing for PSP. What has surprised many of us, however, is how powerful the PSP actually is once you begin to better understand the hardware. This means that although teams are slightly smaller than PS2, comparable team sizes are required to make the best of the hardware.
Tell us more about the WiFi elements in the game.
We plan to include the opportunity for up to 8 players to play head-to-head via WiFi on an ad hoc basis. Players will be able to compete on 16 specially designed looped stages. WiFi will also allow players to transpose their stage times using ghost cars with other players and other PSPs.
Are you going to include any downloadables that can be used to enhance the title at a later date?
Yes, we plan to support the title over its life with the inclusion of bonus tracks and cars as well as other licensed elements.
As a developer, what is the most exciting element of working on software for PSP?
I guess being there at the start. No portable games console has ever had the power to truly deliver powerful 3D gameplay before and the power of the PSP will undoubtedly take many people by surprise. It certainly surprised us!
What features has the game got that take into consideration the fact that the PSP is portable?
We wanted to avoid streaming lots of data so as to prolong battery life. Obviously this isn't even a consideration on PS2, so you have to think about how to get the best out of the PSP without relying on old common place techniques. With WRC PSP, we recreate WRC's breathtaking vistas by cleverly pre-loading much of the data. We also decided to completely re-design all of our circuits, so as to have far more close-to-the-player, high speed action.
