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Developers World Championship: Match Report - Germany v Australia (Group D)

Rally Master Pro 3D (Germany) vs Real Racing (Australia)

Developers World Championship: Match Report - Germany v Australia (Group D)
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GERMANY Rally Master Pro 3D (Fishlabs)

VS AUSTRALIA Real Racing (Firemint)

The match of the day and arguably one of the biggest of the entire tournament was to be found in Group D tonight. Two development legends lined up their best-selling apps on the grid for a head-to-head drag race that threatened to split the judges as much as it stretched the mixed metaphor.

Pulling up to the halfway first line for the coin toss was Rally Master Pro 3D, representing the might of Germany and veteran mobile coders Fishlabs.

Flashing its headlights from the opposite corner was one of Australia’s finest in the shape of Real Racing from the illustrious iPhone developer Firemint.

With both game engines faring well at full price, as well as in ad-funded rehashes (both curiously for Volkswagen), it was geared up for a truly mouth-watering prospect. But after 90 minutes of high-octane action, who'd be first over the (goal) line?

Kick Off: 7.30pm, 13th June The critical view: Off the grid, there wasn’t a lot to separate the two nations, as both games handled the conditions effortlessly and gracefully. Rally Master Pro’s realistic road terrain and varying weather types helped keep the team focused on the job in hand.

In Real Racing’s rear view mirror, though, the Australians spotted a weakness in the German outfit’s multiplayer connectivity – there was none. Its local wi-fi battles and online leagues allowed Firemint's racer to press home the advantage and pounce for the opening goal.

Germany hit back 15 minutes later, once the damage had been repaired by one of its clever in-game mini stages. The challenging nature of its 27 courses classily assisted with a deft flick round the corner.

The attractive 3D graphics on display from both teams delighted the watching thousands, while only the lack of vehicle customisation and fine-tuning tempered the overall enjoyment.

In a final, spectacular flourish to the opening half, the respective coaches of Rally Master Pro and Real Racing waved their numerous awards from the dugouts. An elusive Pocket Gamer Gold was sufficient to hand the Australians a tap-in at the back post, and see them enter the break with their noses in front.

Half time: Germany 1 – 2 Australia The Fans' 45: In traditional Aussie fashion, their crowd bayed for more, spurring the Real Racing team onto greater heights. The players obeyed and produced some scintillating stuff on the counter attack, culminating in a quick score for the YouTube video uploading tool.

Visibly stunned, the German fans attempted to respond by pointing out the excellent post race analysis feature, notching a successful strike for Fishlabs. However, any hopes of reeling the Aussies in were rapidly dashed.

With Firemint already careering down the home straight, chequered flag in sight, a canny swerve and cut back from the ever-impressive AI down the channel allowed Real Racing to ram home a fourth and finish the match.

A valiant showing from both sides then and one from which the Germans certainly have ample time to recover, provided they're not too tyred from their exertions.

Full time: Germany 2 – 4 Australia Latest Group Tables - Fixtures & Voting - Squads

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Richard Brown
Richard Brown
With a degree in German up his sleeve Richard squares up to the following three questions every morning: FIFA or Pro Evo? XBox 360 or PS3? McNulty or Bunk?