App Army Assembles - Rush Rally 3 gets our community's motor running

I am like Jon Snow in the sense that I know nothing about racing games - along with shooters, they are the least likable games to me. In this respect, you have every right to take my review with a large grain of salt.

Anyway, at first launch the game loaded pretty quickly on my antique device, which was quite a pleasant surprise. What came next was not so welcome, as graphics calibration brought about a fairly blurry and washed out image.

The game contains significant number of play modes, settings and vehicle customizations, which is good for the experienced players, but might be a bit overwhelming for such wannabe racers as me. During my bumpy rides I experienced no lag whatsoever using tilt controls, but there is also an option for touch ones, should you prefer those.

To be frank, I was not really impressed with this title, but taking into account everything what I said above, you might expect a considerably better experience with Rush Rally 3 than me.

My experience on an iPhone XR was smooth with a quick initial load time. The frame rate never seems to drop while zipping around the quick corners of this challenging rally game.

Instead of racing on roads, rally tracks are instead comprised of narrow winding dirt trails. It has touch and tilt control options, the former being what I was most comfortable with. There aren’t any licensed cars, but you’ll find reasonable facsimiles of many rally classics.

The game feels good. It runs fast on my iPhone XR and looks gorgeous. It’s definitely the sort of game you can put lots of time into.

If you are old - as I am - you might have a fond memory of the Colin McRae series on PlayStation. Simulation-style rally driving was a revelation back then. Having to obey the barks of your co-driver as you crested jumps, while deciphering rally code to know how severe the next bend might be, was a refreshingly new take on the driving genre.

Rush Rally 3 is not the first title to attempt to bring back those glory days on mobile. But it is, in my opinion, the most successful.

The lack of any real tutorial or explanation of how rally progression works seems to show the developers are largely preaching to the converted here. By which I mean if you already know you like this sort of game you’re going to like this one a lot.

That’s not to say it wouldn’t benefit from borrowing a few things from more modern mobile experiences. I found myself wanting a little more feedback on progression and rewards (I fear FTP mechanics such as loot boxes and unlocks have worked their way into my subconscious). However I would assume this is a premium title though I have no indication on price.

The game is big. A lot of different modes: career, rallycross, hot lap, multiplayer, skill games. Career alone seems the equal of a console title in terms of the amount of events. I tried to play multiplayer but the vagaries of the game centre system and the fact it’s not yet released frustrated me.

I played all the other modes and was surprised at how much variety there was considering the core is still “drive a rally car fast but carefully”. The rallycross was a highlight as it puts you in races with AI cars, which relaxes a little of the stress you can feel plummeting along a dark rally stage where one twitch of the steering can effectively ruin the whole stage. With AI I was able to use my patented “slam into the leaders at the corner and barrel my way into the lead” technique.

I was playing on an iPhone X and the graphics were smooth and 60fps the whole time. Loads were also impressively short. I played using touch controls which were ok but a controller would probably be better. Throw this up on Apple TV from your couch with a mifi controller and I bet you’d thank yourself.

Depending on the final price and the functionality of the multiplayer I would have few qualms recommending this title to anyone who enjoys good driving games. If that’s not your thing, this won’t change your mind. It knows what it is and it’s not interested in convincing you otherwise. I think that deserves respect.

Rush Rally 3 is a lovely game. I’ve known the series for a few years now and they always deliver quality. The latest installment is no different.

The graphics have improved over previous installments and the gameplay is great as always. For me, this is one of the better racers to play on a mobile phone. It drives like a dream!

The options are huge and there is something for everyone to do, even a full career mode. I would recommend this game to anyone, it’s brilliant!

Rally racers are a genre I have absolutely zero love for - to me they're the gaming equivalent of watching paint dry, with paint drying winning out on the enjoyment stakes since there's a chance it's solvent-based.

With that in mind it's probably best if you stop reading my impressions now as I doubt they're going to help you discern if Rush Rally 3 is worth a purchase.

Graphically it's competent as these games should be, it plays fluidly with no appreciable slowdown or stuttering. The controls didn't work for me, high precision games need high precision control systems. Tilt and touch screen based schemes just don't cut the mustard.

Should you buy this game? No idea. I know I wouldn't.

As far as racing games on, this one isn’t bad.

I wouldn’t say there is anything particularly unique about it. You have all the same game modes of Career mode, quick play and the ability to upgrade your car. The graphics feel well polished and the controls actually aren’t too bad for a touch screen racing game.

I did constantly find myself being placed last no matter what (guess that will happen until I upgrade my car) but I simply enjoyed racing along the tracks and viewing the scenery.

The game does require some practise to perfect the rally slide without ploughing into a tree.

I thought this game would be great on the larger screen but I was wrong. In many ways it was harder because of the positioning of the controls, and handling was very sensitive resulting in lots of skids, awkward cornering and despite my best efforts, all last placing.

I have to be honest and say that despite trying really hard, I didn’t get a lot of joy from the overall experience.

That said, the graphics are really good, the sounds are exceptional creating the right atmosphere for the races - it’s just a shame about the poor controls.

Not a big fan of these racing games as none of them have come close to the enjoyment I had playing Horizon Chase.

The game looks great, nice environments and cars, but none of the available controls really worked for me and I really prefer racing against other cars on a track to being out on my own struggling to make hard turns.

Wasn't a fun ride for me and there was nothing really making me want to keep trying.

I remember playing the first rush rally a few years back and I have to admit it seems to have really come on. The graphics are very nice and the cars handle really well.

The controls work ok but it’s probably much better if you have a controller to hand. One thing I will say is it can be very unforgiving at first and definitely isn’t for anyone looking for a gentle learning curve and arcade gameplay.

That said I still recommend, but only for racing fans looking for a challenge.