Colin McRae Rally 2.0 - PC

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Also for: PlayStation
Viewed: 3D First-person / Third-person Genre:
Racing: Rally
Media: CD Arcade origin:No
Developer: Codemasters Soft. Co.: Codemasters
Publishers: Sold Out (GB)
Released: Unknown (GB)
Ratings: 3+
Accessories: Control Pad

Summary

A truly great rally game is a rare thing of beauty and elegance. Rallying as a sport is in itself one of those great pursuits that balances itself between the realms of “I could do that,” and “That looks impossible.”

Colin McRea Rally 2.0 is the best rally game to date, and arguably, the best driving game. From the initial code we received it was apparent that the PC version was a direct port of the PlayStation game, a fact made evident by instructions such as “press X button to continue” littering the code. This is not a bad thing as the PSX title was amazing.

With Colin McRae 2.0, Codemasters has gone for a mini Gran Turismo of Rallying, and has included a roll-call of some of the best and most famous Rally cars of all time. There are the twin Lancia beauties, the ludicrous rear wheel drive Stratos and the HF Delta Integrale, available in three spanky paint jobs. The Mini Cooper is included along with a beast-like Sierra Cosworth. There are also all the modern motors you would expect to see like the Subaru Impreza, Colin’s Ford Focus and the winner of the 2000 season, the 206 GT.

As this is a port of the PlayStation version all the arcade functions of the original have been included, with enhanced AI taken from technologies developed for the TOCA series.

It is in Rally mode that this game really shines. The emphasis is on real rally simulation with all the stages from the 1999 World Championship included. The level of concentration required to jump and slide your way around the circuits is massive with any lapse seeing you career off into the ditch.

The main bonus for the player in the PC game, aside from the enhanced graphics, is the force feedback support. You can feel every bump and rise on the track along with the necessary ability to gauge grip. The game has full online support including the option to compete in a full rally online.

On the down side, Collin McRae 2 requires a really high-end PC to perform well. When tried on a P3 500 with 128 Meg and a Voodoo 3500 the draw distance had to be dropped to below half and the resolution to 640 x 480 to stop the screen from stuttering. Also, Codemasters have annoyingly changed the co-driver command colours meaning that a three corner is now yellow instead of orange. This aside, the game is an absolute triumph and a must for PC owning rally fans.