Colin McRae Rally 2005 - Hands On Preview

For the past few years, it can be argued that the Colin McRae series of rally games have set the standard of the rally sub-genre. Itâ??s true to say though, that the franchise has had it dark past (Colin McRae 3, anyone?), but with the success of last yearâ??s CM04, and the soon-to-be-released CM2005, the series has well and truly been put back on track.

Colin McRae 2005 certainly builds on the foundations of last yearâ??s release, and the menu system reflects that in its similarity. The developers have once again produced the menus with a minimalist look that focuses on the car and the environments â?“ and not on over-the-top â??showyâ?? menu graphics.

One of the main additions to this yearâ??s release is the Career mode, which allows you to start at the first rung of the rally ladder, gain driver points that unlock further competitions and culminating in the ultimate rallyâ?¦Wipe away those dreams of beginning your career behind the wheel of a 4WD Subaru Impreza, because you start off in a VW Polo Super 1600 and work your way up the ranks, unlocking new cars as you go. The initial competitions take place over a number of global stages, rather than multiple stages in one location. This is a good idea by the developers, because it allows you to adjust to the environments in the game â?“ after all, your driving technique must adapt depending on the rallyâ??s location.

CM2005 has over 30 cars for you to drive, from the Subaru Impreza through to the VW â??New Beetleâ??. So far, weâ??ve played the Polo Super 1600, the MG ZR, and the Subaru Impreza, and the differences in speed and handling are individual to the cars. The structure of the game is much less restrictive than previous versions. This has been accomplished not only through the number of cars in offer from the offset, but also the number and variety of modes that the game provides.

Aside from the Career mode, you can of course choose to compete in a World Championship, and try to beat Colin at his own game. This was essentially the meat of the last version of Colin McRae, and whilst the career mode does pad the game out, the Championship mode is still a major option within the game. Away from the modern day rally cars, the game also includes the B Group of cars from the 1980s. For those of you havenâ??t played the previous incarnation, the B Group were the super-powered cars that were almost impossible to control (they were the cause of a few deaths in 1980s, hence why they were banned). The game also allows you to take part in a number of mini-modes, and testing sessions, where you can test drive various components and upgrade your carsâ?¦

â??Speedâ?? is a keyword for Colin McRae 2005. The developers proclaim that the cars in the new version are over 30% faster than CM04 â?“ and it shows. Hitting high speeds brings a riding-on-the-seat-your-pants experience as you fly (sometimes literally) through stages. Another keyword that springs to mind is â??detailâ??. The developers have obviously sat down and thought about the little things that would make the game that little bit better. For instance, in Colin McRae 2005, if you collide with trees, leaves will drop down to the floor. Also, crashing into things will disorientate you, so the developers have added a â??stunnedâ?? screen, where the screen goes blurry as you recover from the collision (its kind of a less extreme version of a flash-bang grenade going off in Rainbow Six 3). With so much emphasis being placed on the speed of the cars, itâ??s a relief to see that the frame rate of the game has not been hampered. The environments flyby very smoothly, and the realism of the locations have been improved as youâ??d expect.

One of the key features that have been developed by Codemasters over time is the handling of the cars, and the evolution of car handling has continued with Colin McRae 2005. The control and sensitivity over the cars has always been a big plus for the series, and the developers havenâ??t tried to fix something that isnâ??t broken. What they have brought on further, is the feeling of weight distribution and the texture of the racing surfaces. If youâ??re negotiating around a hair-pin on gravel, you can feel the road surface under the wheels, and how the weight of the car is distributed from one side to the other as it swings round. You can even â??feelâ?? the gravel as it gives way under the carâ??s tyres, and if you try to compensate for the car fish-tailing, you can feel the weight distributing backâ?¦

Colin McRae 2005 also sees the return of Nicky Grist as your co-driver, and once again, so are the navigator codes with favourites such as â??4 left into 6 tightens into 3â?â?¦Whilst the constant chatter of the co-driver might be enough to drive some people to reach for their volume controls, it has to be said that to get the full rallying experience (including the warnings of corner strengths), youâ??d be well advised to leave Grist talk away.

The new version of Colin McRae also features Xbox Live & PS2 Network Play options. This now allows you to play against up to 8 opponents online, which is a great feature that many will be looking forward to try out.