Dakar Desert Rally is a survival racing game about not getting lost

pcgamesn.com:

Dakar Desert Rally, the latest instalment in the racing game series, thrusts players into the front seat of souped-up trucks, cars, motorbikes, and more in a high-octane race for the ages. Breathing new life into a series that goes all the way back to 1988’s Paris-Dakar Rally Special, developer Saber Porto has brought Dakar back to the virtual world in style.

“There are no rules in Dakar,” Saber Porto founder Paulo J. Gomes enthuses as I clamber into the rather impressive racing rig. “That’s why certain cars don’t appear in the game – some companies don’t want their cars to be destroyed.”

Well, that’s reassuring.

Once I’ve gotten somewhat comfortable, Paulo opens up a seemingly never-ending list of every vehicle under the Arabian sun. Selecting a fancy looking car, I roll up to the starting line with victory in my eyes. As the sands shift in front of me on the starting grid I smash my foot to the floor, the thought of beating my AI competitors the only one pulsing in my mind. I take off at immense speed, plotting my path through the pack and over the next horizon, that is, before I lose traction and hurtle into a tree. Yes friends, I am a licensed driver, nothing to see here.

Much like any other racing game, players will need to beat the competition while staying on course by passing through different beacons. The difference here is that you can get to those beacons in any way that suits you: veer into the sands or stick to the path – the decision is yours; just watch out for the trees and boulders.

Until I brush up my skills you’ll find me zooming around in the much more forgiving, casual-minded ‘sport’ mode, but there are two others; professional and simulation. We take a look at the latter, which is the hardcore