WRC 7 FIA World Rally Championship

Quick tip before you buy, this game should never ever be played on keyboard and mouse, or any rally and/or racing game for that matter.
This game is also a RALLY game, not a RACING game, they are two completely different generes. in one you drive as fast as you can. in the other you listen to what the co-driver says, and carefully (or recklessly) drive down the track following his instructions. m'kay? don't bother reading most of the negative reviews, as they don't state why they think it's a bad game. it's not, just for a niche audience,
I got this game for my dad, and decided to try it out for myself, and to be frank with you, it's a blast. I love how sensitive you need to be to not crash after 2 seconds from start.
Now if you look at the reviews, this game was made for a steering wheel. Which, i mean is kinda obvious, looking at the third video here, however the game is perfectly playable with a controller. This game was clearly mad for people who are a fan of this series and/or rallying in general, and thus is made for those people who, probably has a steering wheel. if you want something more beginner friendly play DiRT Rally or some shit.
Edit: All right folks some of you have said that IF you are good at driving THEN you can drive good with a keyboard, i mean, sure i guess. And yes Madmonkey68 good keyboard controls for the old games is kind of a given, controllers for pc racing games weren't that common back then as it is now, so keyboard controls isn't as much of a big focus point now. i'm not using this as an excuse for my driving abilities in any way shape or form, i know i suck at driving games, and i embrace that. most of my playing time is with my dad or someone else.

Recently bought this game and I have to say that it's an extremely enjoyable experience.
The physics are really solid (setups matter), the pacenotes are customizable (how many details and how fast the codriver gives them to you) and the visuals and sounds are really solid as well.
But the best aspect of this game are the tracks. Lots of small and narrow roads which results in a great sense of speed when you are blasting through the countryside. It really gives you an actual sense of pride and accomplishment when you nail a stage without any damage to your car (not the EA way).
I wish the career mode would have a bit more depth to it. It's fine but the team aspect could have been fleshed out more imo. Also something that I found slightly annoying was the fact that you couldn't change the setup of the JWRC car in the career mode. I guess they do this to not overwhelm the people that try out a rally/race game for the first time. But in my case it was kind of annoying because some of the settings during that season didn't feel optimal for my driving style.
Also I tried the game with a gamepad and steering wheel. My steering wheel isn't supported however so I would recommend anyone who is interested in buying this game to definitely check the supported peripherals on the game's website. Anyway controls with a gamepad are rock solid as well.
Lastly a tip for anyone who starts playing this game. Use the manual transmission not automatic! I always try the automatic settings in racing games and in this one... oh man... it seems like the gearbox is constantly fighting you when you take a slow tight corner. Refusing to go into a higher gear at the right moment. I usually play with manual so this wasn't a big issue for me. But for someone who prefers automatic settings without having to think about gear changes, it's not ideal imo. That combined with the narrow courses make this game not the easiest to learn but really satisfying once you get the hang of it.
For those that are new to rally games the game is worth it if you are willing to deal with quite some challenge in terms of the gameplay (manual gearbox + narrow stages). The medium ai difficulty setting is already quite forgiving so I assume the easy setting will be ideal for new players. So you can easily learn things at your own pace.
For experienced rally fans this gets an even bigger recommendation because of its challenging stages, excellent physics and the more (I don't like to use the word but...) "hardcore" approach. Not necessarily in terms of the physics but more so in terms of the stages and focus on manual shifting.
This is the best WRC title I've played so far. And I've played a couple of them throughout the years (WRC FIA World Rally Championship (2010), WRC 3 (2012) and WRC 4 (2013).

Bought it on sale, wasn't expecting too much but it turned out to be really good. Every stage looks and feels different, and there's a lot of them. The cars are very predictable but fast, giving the game a really nice flow. If you want something challenging like Dirt Rally, this isn't for you. But if you want a simple and really fun simcade racer, you can't go wrong with this game.

Surprisingly solid.
Even mediocre racing games are really good now.
The stage variety and quality really takes center stage. The roads are legitimately narrow and each location feels unique.
The handling, though on the simcade side, is satisfying and consistent. Less challenging and more forgiving than DiRT Rally, but that works in this games favor.
DiRT Rally is the first rally franchise you should play. But when you feel like you've played as much DiRT as you can take and just want more rally, WRC 7 is the next thing you should grab.

I very much liked WRC 7. I see a lot of negative reviews comparing it to the Dirt series. I don't have a lot of experience there, but I have played a couple of them enough to see there are some differences. I am not going to claim this is better, but it's a fun alternative.
I liked the career mode. I also like how you can restart a race without being penalized if you feel like you want to. The graphics are outstanding. The sound is perfectly adequate. I got excellent performance on my i7 5930 and R9 390X with all settings maxed. There's some very nice looking tracks and I liked running the actual stages of the WRC.
The feedback on my Logitech G27 seemed good.
Overall, I think if you enjoy rally games, I encourage you to give it a try. The only real downside is multiplayer is dead and the server seems to have been turned off which is a poor move. Get the game on sale - frequently it's quite inexpensive.

It's an alright arcade rally game, really
Score 5.5/10
Pros:
- genuinely fun and addictive handling "model"
- licensed content
- simplicity
Neutral:
- performance
- vehicle setup
- stage variety, majority are well-made locations
Cons:
- graphically still on a poor level, was still an improvement over the previous title
- lacks an ultimate meaning, career mode feels silly
- game modes, blessing to have a custom championship but lacks elsewhere
- still has rallies that feel awful or not representative of their home country
- audio needs huge improvements
- few gameplay bugs
Other:
- good price on sale
Review:
Five is not a bad score, it's representing what it means to be average, and that is sometimes just enough. To start my review of WRC 7, I want to mention that things have gotten quite much better since their past two titles. I feel like Kylotonn has realized their weaknesses, and started working on them and It can be seen as a better end result. It is sad however, the tough development time leaves them with very little time to realize them. Still, comparing this to the atrocious WRC 6, it feels like a good upgrade, something that isn't an insult to the official license and all the fans of the series. I have persisted to have faith in them, even when they have failed my expectations twice.
What creates the better part of this title are the handling and stages, which both have been greatly improved with time. The more arcade feeling is what makes this game bearable to play. It's fun, it's simple, it's something unique in the modern rally genre. Intentional or not, I prefer that this isn't a simulator. The handling feels rather responsive and even when playing with a controller, I can feel the car and the way it behaves. This is a bare minimum of what should be done, but I really do appreciate that it doesn't just feel like floating around, like driving a boat. Only greater negative on the handling comes from frequent physics glitches, that can launch you rolling and ruin your stage, or even a full rally. Improvement is needed, but for once I can say that I'm satisfied enough what the developers have offered us and that is the same for the rallies that are included in this years version. The other better half has gotten a brand new feature, a longer stage to each of the 13 rallies and that is a welcome surprise. I personally wish there was overall more stages to these rallies, but I'm glad that the ones they've made are mostly alright, or even better. I find that majority of rallies make for an experience that is fun even after dozens of repeats and hours of high-speed action. Then there are sadly some that feel wrong, and from my perspective as a Finnish resident, they don't necessarily even represent the country they are from in a good fashion from the rally point of view, and at times even the geography itself.
In the end, license can either work against you, or be your friend. With rallies, Kylotonn has received a diverse set of beautiful locations, but the car selection, It's not perfect, but luck was on their side as 2017 season had some great competition on both WRC and WRC 2 classes. It gives the player enough to choose from, to at least find one or two comfortable cars to compete with, and perhaps even something one can fall in love with.
Another positive point comes from the simplicity, that creates an addictive trap for the player. It's not hard to learn to stay on course, which is something that I can really appreciate after many long hours with more simulator-based games. Mistakes are often forgiven, the difficulty can suit all kinds of players. Setting up your preferred rally experience is easy, it's part of why this game is so simple. From the A.I difficulty, to just those few assisting features and even vehicle setup, it's all child's play.
The core is something that makes future seem full of potential, but in the current timeline, it's still full of the the nasty. It's probably a little disrespectful to say it in such a way, but WRC series has felt like a large scale student project in its graphical department, which is one large lacking part. They've finally made some improvements that make for a passable end result, but passable compared to what Codemasters have been able to produce is well, poor. It's like, everything needs improving. Gladly, the performance is quite alright, which is some justification for the graphical side. If I was a little let-down by the visuals, the audio is where this dips deeper. I'm disappointed, it's like a bland meal. It can pass, but better should be expected. If it wasn't for the okay co-driver, it would easily be the worst con here. It takes us to the boogeyman, greatest negative that there is. It's really that difficult, sigh. Even in the past, it's rare to find good examples, but I feel like modern rally games really do lack a good career mode to keep players invested in the product. I believe that by utilizing the license in a form of real-world events could be nice, for their future. I can see interviews, rivalries, rally tests and real sports hype, some champagne on the podium as things I'd like to see. More narrative, more meaningful career is what is needed, make it interesting. If it wasn't for custom championship, I'd have barely any reason to keep playing. There the restrictions have been lifted, you can throw any of your disliked rallies away and just have some fun, where this game shines the brightest.
In conclusion, elements that create this, such as gameplay, graphics, content, and audio are very varying in quality, and still, need improvements if this game ever wants to be something good. At this point, it's on a level that can be quite enjoyable, especially for those who don't necessarily need the most realistic experience, for those who just want to drive, have fun, and for the fans of the real world series. It can fit a somewhat large audience, though mainly the casual one, which can also be a good thing, as this game can stay unique in that way. It's an easy portal for the rally genre, thanks to its well-made difficulty adjustments, simple and addictive gameplay, and overall a presentation that is good enough for one to feel somewhat positive about. I suppose the reason why I recommend this, instead of throwing it under the ground for it's poor and ugly parts, Is just the fun I've had with it. I know it's not going to last forever, but for those next 20 hours or so, I'm sure I'll have some of that smile creating rallying, the well-done dance of roaring engine. I do still want to warn, perhaps the low price was one reason for me to have a warmer approach at this rather than not.
I'd recommend to purchase WRC 7 on sale.

The "mixed review" status for this game does a disservice to rally racing fans and race game fans in general.
I'm a huge fan of DiRT Rally with triple-digit hours in that game, but WRC7 is an excellent alternative in its own right. It looks great, sounds great, the handling and physics are very interesting -- different than DiRT, a little less "floaty" perhaps, but both games handle well.
The tracks and terrain range from gorgeous to spectacular.
One thing to note: there are some limits on controller remapping. If you're like me and you insist on shifting using the right joystick, then you will need to take additional measures. You can read my comments and instructions here:
This is a mark against the developers, but the overall game is worth the trouble.
Another thing: I experienced some micro-stuttering issues. Several things helped clear it up somewhat (with a nVidia GTX 1050 card).
First, on the nVidia control panel for this program, I set the adaptive V-sync option (both adaptive and standard work well but adaptive worked better), and turned V-sync off in the game.
Secondly, turning off in-game FXAA and using nVidia's anti-aliasing (I used 4x) had a notable improvement in both performance and quality.
Finally, what cleared it up a bit more, paradoxically, was to increase the in-game frame-rate cap from 60 Hz to 75 Hz (the latter is my monitor's rate cap at 1080p).
It's still got some optimization issues though.
I would absolutely recommend this game if you have a little patience to sort out the settings. It scratches that simcade rally-racing itch in a big way.