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Turbocharged, intercooled goodness
By Tom Fahey
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Graphics?
Only the best!
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Colin McRae 3: The newest,
the most anticipated, the best. All other rally simulators will
be overlooked, for Colin McRae delivers the best in this genre.
Look out Rally Championship, move over WRC, coming through Rally
Fusion! CM3 is burning round the corner and is looking at 1st place.
Codemasters are back for a third round, this time on the PS2 and
Xbox. Colin McRae and his trusty sidekick Nicky Grist (the navigator)
are back in their seats looking for another world title - that is
of course if you are good enough to get them there...
Along with the improved graphics, which are to be expected, the
physics engine which is most impressive and helps elevate CM3 above
the crowd of rally sims doing the rounds.
From the outset, there are two game modes. The 'stages' mode where
you can race on any of the available tracks with any of the available
cars with any of your available friends, and 'championship' mode,
which is the highlight, pinnacle, peak, summit, acme, and everything
else that represents the best feature of a game.
Here, you play as Colin Mcrae through a 3-year contract with Ford
Rallye Sport Team. The career consists of three Championships, each
of which span across six countries.
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Keep
looking. My keys are in here somewhere...
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You have a two-day rally event in each country that follows after
your shakedown day. The shakedown is where you can customise the
different features of your car, find out the track specs and, all
in all, prepare for the race ahead.
The customisable features consist of altering the brake pads, the
gearbox, tyres, engine, chassis, suspension and the steering.
Each of these different options can hold great influence over the
outcome of your run, depending one how you utilise them. Different
track surfaces call for different car settings for optimum performance,
so don't overlook the importance of this aspect of the game.
The other useful feature of shakedown day is the 'telemetry'. You
can have three test runs on shakedown day that you can make use
of by testing numerous settings for you car.
The telemetry screen allows you to look at data recorded from those
test runs so that you can compare you different runs on a graph.
It's pretty tricky stuff.
Once racing, your car can be damaged, which is a natural hazard
of your everyday rally driver. Damaging your car enlightens you
with the full potential of the game's graphics, but can also greatly
hinder your career. If your car is too seriously banged up, you
won't be able to continue, but also you give the poor Scotsman a
bad reputation...
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The visuals
on both Xbox and PS2 are superlative
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You do get a chance to repair your car on the following shakedown
day, but can only repair that which you have time to do.
So, in other words, if the car is smashed up pretty bad, then you
can't fix it completely, which alters the cars physics making it
harder to drive.
The graphics in CM3 are of a particularly high standard. From the
cars, to the many effects scripted into the courses, these graphics
are all top notch and are bound to satisfy even the most poly-hungry
player.
The bodywork on the cars are near perfectly rounded, with all the
appropriate sponsor stickers and logos standing out clearly. That
is, of course, until the dust or mud from the race covers them over.
And, if a door or some other panel falls off, then that too hinders
the view.
My point is that the chassis' aren't made from one 3D model like
in GT3, but many - all of which can be individually damaged. So,
if you swing around a bend a little fast and knock your right side
door on a tree, then it is most likely to be dented - sometimes
broken - so it can't close and it swings freely.
Sometimes the doors and other parts will fall off if damaged, exposing
Mr. McRae and Mr. Grist, not to mention the engine.
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Check
out those dust clouds. We're in love!!
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The many tracks have input to the impressive graphics too: Mud
flying, dirt blowing, snow falling.
As you fly round the tracks, the surface comes with you. All these
environmental particles fly up from the treads of your tyres, adding
to the brilliant effects of the occasional rain or snowstorm that
creates a wonderful atmosphere in CM3.
You get a fantastic grasp of rally driving through the graphics
and such effects, let alone through the physics engine in this simulator.
The soundtrack that comes with CM3 is really cool, too. What I
want to know is where to buy it!
There are some really neat tunes that you can crank as you tear
up the course, unless you what to turn up the sound effects and
hear the mighty raw of your engine, or the occasional smashing sounds
of a little "fender-bender".
Now, the conclusion: Buy this game.
Why? Because it has the best physics since Gran Tourismo 3 A-spec,
and the most detailed graphics I've seen in a driving simulator
on any console.
This is a perfect portrayal of a rally championship, shown in detail
via the career mode spanning three years. All car lovers will need
no more convincing, and to everyone else, Colin McRae 3 is numero
uno.
Game:
Colin McRae Rally 3
System: Xbox
Players: 1-2
Memory Card: Yes
Developer: Codemasters
Distributor: GameNation
Rating: 90%
(Ratings
Key/Explantion)
Colin McRae Rally 3 is on the shelves now.
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