Traditionally, when I begin a review with the proclamation that I'm a fan of Gran Turismo, it's a prelude to a boatload of criticism. In the case of the outstanding Rallisport Challenge 2 however, I make that statement merely to underscore the caliber of of the standard to which it is held. Believe me, it holds up impressively well.

Graphics: A+

Rallisport boasts what may be the best graphics in a racer--at this time I know of no better on any platform. The cars are well detailed and excellently rendered. Every part of the car can show damage, from busted windows to bumpers hanging off the back. Even if you race perfectly, you'll notice the dirt and mud your car convincingly picks up, though thankfully you don't have to worry about going to any trouble to wash it yourself.

What really steals the show is the scenery, which is nothing short of spectacular. Roads are well textured with creative use of shaders in spots like mud. Trees and other roadside structures are smartly designed and little details are scattered about that add enormously to the feel of the game. Lighting is exceptional, as are the weather and day/night effects. All of this is presented at fluid framerates throughout the game. While I did notice some minor glitching in the form of some tearing and a few incorrectly lit polygons in a couple races, it's so insignificant as to be below the perception threshold of most folks unless they're looking specifically for it.

Sound: A

Dolby surround support is always a good place to start. I find myself coming to expect it in every title of quality these days, and in this department Rallisport doesn't disappoint. Sounds are placed with care and it's usually easy to tell which direction they're coming from. Signature engine/shifting sounds and some impressively throaty environmental sound (like the roar of waterfalls as you pass them) definitely satisfy. They don't quite offer the subtlety of Gran Turismo, but they get the job done nicely.

Musically, RC2 could use a tad more variety, but it hardly matters because of custom soundtrack support. Both Rallisport's own soundtrack and soundtracks on the hard drive can be selectively enabled or disabled, and you can pick and choose which songs you want to hear in each soundtrack.

Interface: A

An integral part of Rallisport's gameplay is the concept of unlockables. Finish a given race and the tracks of that race are unlocked for multiplay. Also, certain tracks unlock new cars as you proceed through the game.

Rallisport's interface is both well polished and well suited to this sort of approach. Most choices at a particular menu level--and ALL of the most common choices--are visible at once. Everything is quickly and intuitively accessible with just a few flicks of the controls.

Multiplayer: A

Like Project Gotham 2, Rallisport uses XBox Live not only for multiplay, but also to make the game XBox Live Aware. This way, you can tell when a friend has hopped online and they can also see that you're on even while you're racing in single player mode. In all menu screens there's a handy trio of icons in the upper right corner that can keep you apprised of your online status and of any outstanding messages.

Multiplayer lobbies are well done. Players can join the game lobby even while a race is underway. An indicator bar shows racer's progress through the current event to keep the wait from getting boring.

In actual races the developers of Rallisport made very sensible choices. For example, in games with more than four players collision is automatically disabled. This makes a lot of sense because rally tracks are pretty tight, and 16 players jostling each other in such narrow quarters would quickly become a mess. When collision is disabled, opponent cars are represented by smoothly stylized wireframe "ghost" models. I suspect this is also why even with all that competition that framerates remain silky smooth.

Gameplay: A+

I'll be the first to say that Rallisport's handling physics aren't the most realistic. Aspects such as weight transfer are difficult to gauge. The beauty of Rallisport however is that they don't have to be. The "feel" of rally racing is conveyed pretty convincingly and in this sort of game that's what matters the most. Ice racing, for example, is memorable in this respect because of the unusual handling that cars acquire. You can almost feel the slush churning beneath your tires as you careen frictionlessly around curves.

There's a good variety of racing options to keep gameplay fresh. Every race type offers at least a couple of basic track environments, with many variations available for each.

Though it's presented in an understated manner, it's also possible to tune vehicles before racing. Tire type, gear ratio, and various elements of braking, front/rear power distribution, and suspension can all be adjusted. These choices actually have meaningful impact on gameplay, as tracks commonly mix road conditions in a wide variety of combinations. Unfortunately, there's no means of parts upgrade nor detailed specs presented on the cars. This is, however, the one major omission I've noticed in an otherwise fantastic title.

If you're into racing at all and have an XBox, do yourself a favor and pick up Rallisport Challenge 2.