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Colin McRae Rally 2005

Published By: Alan Jordan On: 22/11/2004 12:00
Rating: G Difficulty: Hard Learning Curve: 3+ Hours

THE SCOREBOARD

8.0
Great

Gameplay	8.0	"Colin Mcrae 2005 is everything you could want in a rally game."
Graphics	8.0
Sound	7.0
Value	8.0

By Alan Jordan

Have you been tearing up the world lately on Burnout 3? Always enjoyed a good arcade racer like Ridge Racer? Then you probably shouldn't be reading this review then as Colin McRae Rally 2005's driving model is anything but that of an arcade racer. The physics in the game are unforgiving and take time, patience and commitment to master. While this may be off putting to some, if you are after a real rally simulation then this is the best option you are going to get on the PlayStation 2 right now.

As mentioned, the physics in the game are superb, rather than the somewhat insane jumps and power sliding in something like Sega Rally for example. Remember all those rules you were taught in physics at school? Well believe it or not those actually apply to real life. Hard to believe I know, but a car which weighs more than a tonne cannot be propelled insane distances when going over a foot high bump in the road. Steering around the courses is just as unforgiving. If it is raining or icy then you have to take this into account while tearing your way around the countryside.

One small gripe I had with the controls, which may not annoy other people as much, is the degree to which the analogue functions of the PlayStation 2's controller are utilised. To accelerate fast you have to press the X button really hard. Initially I was wondering why I was going so slowly until I dug my thumb into the X button and launched off at some silly pace. It is slightly annoying as I ended up with a very painful thumb after a while.

Standard racing game modes are the name of the game with Colin McRae. There is the standard time-trial and two player modes as well as an extensive championship, where you get to be the man himself, and career mode. The career mode is the bulk of the single player game and allows you to progress and unlock 30 something unique cars for you to burn more rubber if you want to. The mode is huge and demands a fair few hours to get through the thing. There are even some innovative little mini-games spattered throughout career and championship mode to break up racing time and to improve your car.

McRae is no slouch in the graphics department either. While it does not quite look as good as something like Rallisport Challenge 2 on the Xbox, it is outstanding when compared with other PlayStation 2 titles. The car models are excellent. The landscapes also look good but being a rally game they were never going to be as exciting as something like Burnout 3.

The car's interaction with the landscape is one particular bonus in the graphics department. Does it annoy you when you absolutely trash your car in a game yet you finish the race looking like it is straight out of the showroom? Well that isn't going to happen in Colin McRae 2005. Your car, if you are as bad a driver as me, inevitably ends up dirty and smashed to pieces at the end of a race.

The sound in the game is nothing spectacular. As with any rally game your co-driver reads out his ridiculously coded pointers while hurtling around corners at 100 miles per hour. Music is absent when racing which makes sense but can leave the game feeling a little flat at times. The sound effects make up for it though and are adequately grunty in the engine and gear-shifting department.

One added feature that I unfortunately cannot comment upon is the online component, as my PlayStation 2 is not yet kitted out with a network adapter. From what I hear it is very well set up and there is little to no slow down when racing online.

Whether Colin McRae Rally 2005 interests you now comes down to whether or not you enjoy simulation or arcade style racers. If you prefer something that you can quickly pick up and play then avoid this, you will get frustrated far too easily. If you enjoy a challenge and prefer your racing of the simulation variety then give this one a go, you should not be disappointed.