Special Stages: WRC 3 Adds Boss Battles

On the rare occasions that I play a racing game I often think 'you know what this needs? A boss battle or two.' A Formula One game in which, suddenly, everybody else has a monster truck and their sole desire is to squash you. A street racing game with a tank or two blowing the roads and buildings to bits. A Nascar game with a track that occsionally bends to the right. Well, upcoming rally game WRC 3 actually has boss battles. Really! It says so in this press release: "the Boss Battle – in total 7 – will try the players abilities through a special head to head mode. They will have the chance to race against the boss driver of the track trying to reach the first position." Below, a video that explains nothing.

A car will be involved. Perhaps words will reveal more than moving images. Here's the lowdown on the new modes, straight from the horseless carriage's mouth.

• Drift Contest: Coloured poles are positioned along the road and the driver is awarded points to drift the car as near to them as possible.
• Rally School Contest: The player has to race on a section of a Special Stage trying to keep the car inside the cones.
• Crash & Run: Negotiate with the tracks hitting the bonus points and avoiding the minus points.
• Gate Contest: Reach the finish line avoiding obstacles along the track. Obstacles consist of a series of gates, some of them fake which can be easily destroyed and others that are far thicker, slowing the car down when hit. Every gate has an indicator that shows if it's a fake or not. However, the indicator is only activated when the player is very close. It's all about speed and reflexes!
• Survival Contest: Your car will degrade as the clock counts down, the only way to pass the challenge is to reach the finish line as fast as possible whilst passing over Repair Kits that will give the car a bit of health back.
• Top Rally Contest: The player races through a Special Stage driving to beat his opponent who is in a "Special Vehicle". Beat the vehicle to earn the highest points.
• Combo Contest: Mixes two or more mechanics from the other challenges.

Finally, the Boss Battle – in total 7 – will try the players abilities through a special head to head mode. They will have the chance to race against the boss driver of the track trying to reach the first position. This final stage race will allow access to the next track on the career mode.

Not the boss mode I had hoped for, I'm afraid.

While admitting that the career mode is intended to make the game more accessible to newcomers, Milestone's game director Sébastien Pellicano says, "We can assure hardcore gamers that this won't change the nature of the WRC license itself." Phew!

If you wish to know more, perhaps take a look at Jim's thoughts on an early version of the game.