Dakar Desert Rally: A little taste of desert at home

Dakar Desert Rally perfectly symbolizes the current video game industry. Trailers and other marketing effects suggest that the game in question will be amazing when it hits stores. However, when the latest from the Portuguese studio Saber Porto (formerly Bigmoon Entertainment) was kindly sent to us on PlayStation 4 at the beginning of October, frustration took over. Cascading slowdown problems, and above all, several “crashes” in the middle of the game which completely redirected us to the console menu. This was not a very pleasant experience. But unfortunately it has become the norm in the video game world. The Internet is used to apply "patches", these updates which correct defects in the game after its release and which add additional content. The days when a game looked as good as a truck the day it was released in stores are a thing of the past! Rather than serving as a guinea pig, it is better to wait a few months for the game to stabilize before picking up the controller again. 

© Saper Porto

Beauty of the country

This method bears fruit on Dakar Desert Rally. The gaming experience has become enjoyable, the content gargantuan. It is now possible to compete in all the stages of the last three Dakars, from 2020 to 2022! For that alone, we can take our hat off. In these three editions, all the vehicles in each category have been modeled. You can get your hands on the SSV T4s of the 2020 edition, the least efficient of the lot, then try the quads and motorcycles. Their behavior, quite unpredictable when the game was released, has recently been refined. For credits that you obtain by completing objectives, you will be able to unlock the monstrous Kamaz trucks. Children will certainly set their sights on the Toyota Current Hilux T1+ and BRX Hunter T1+ from Nasser Al-Attiyah and Sébastien Loeb, the Audi RS Q e-tron being available via a paid download. As for parents, they will rediscover their childish soul by taking control of historic machines like the Peugeot 205 T16, the 405 T16, or even the legendary DAF Turbo Twin truck.

The graphics do justice to the splendor of the Saudi landscapes. This game almost makes you want to go there to do some sightseeing: desert, dunes as far as the eye can see, rocky ocher-colored mountains, you discover the geological variety of the country at the same time as you progress in the career.

© Saper Porto

A simulation for all types of players

The game achieves the feat of addressing hardcore players without forgetting neophytes. Do you only have a quarter of an hour to spare? Choose Sport mode to complete a short special against several artificial intelligences, like a Forza Horizon. The adrenaline shot is guaranteed, but not authentic. Purists will jump on the Simulation mode. The immersion is total. You must then find your way using the real road book used by the competitors, listen to what the navigator tells you, firstly the course to follow like a compass. Even the speed limited by the FIA ​​to 170 km/h has been introduced! Completing a stage of the Dakar in one piece, without missing a waypoint, provides a rewarding feeling, as the difficulty is high. Still bring a few treats so you don't get sluggish: Saudi Arabia is reproduced at 1/5 scale^e and a stage of the Dakar can take 45 minutes of driving.

Dakar Desert Rally: Released October 4 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series and PC. From 39,99 euros.

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