Rookie players may be thrown off, but Codemasters once again comes through with (mostly) driving grace.
The WSR main racing mode as a whole is exciting, and the introduction of a new LiveRoutes system – where you can jump into racing junctions on-the-fly, without much assistance in terms of mapping – will really challenge vets looking to take the game to the next level. But it would've been nice for Codemasters to throw the newbies a bone. The game does have an easy difficulty, but even then, you've only got so many rewinds to benefit from before you're taken out of the race for good from the numerous accidents. The first race alone left us swearing enough to eat multiple bars of soap. Rookies, proceed with caution.
The experience is further pushed with segments surrounding the racing, between ESPN segments that talk about your increasing skills (neat move on Codemasters' part – I want a real racing show now), a garage team that stays steady with your performance and helps you out (even if that means an in-car commentator that doesn't know when to shut up) and the ability to earn rewards from sponsors. If you're up for the challenge, you'll find plenty to do here down the road – no, literally, down your road through the WSR.
If you've got friends that are in a racing mood, you'll also appreciate the in-depth multiplayer, which helps with matchmaking you with the right skill set and also tracks your progress through the returning RacerNet. You can also make new Rivals and challenges on a weekly basis and see how you're faring through an in-game browser, and eventually level up to the point that you're a supreme champion.
