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Colin McRae Rally 2005 PS2 Codemasters The Colin McRae franchise of Rally driving games has consistently delivered high quality simulations of the sport on PC and various games consoles. This latest iteration for the 2005 season also graces the machines at the forefront of the console race, with the usual small variations in graphical features (XBox owners and PC enthusiasts of course getting super-deluxe weather effects and slightly more realistic foliage) depending on the CPU grunt of each respective machine. The same general framework applies as always, with a plethora of modes available invariably all involving the swift racing of a car with lots of logos on it through some rather fine looking scenery, with the novel inclusion of a highly customisable 'Career' mode that makes for a personal touch. Sadly there is still no inclusion of a 'destruction derby' or 'See how they run - spectator scatter' mode, which would open up the franchise to a whole new audience. An even larger than normal amount (around thirty) of vehicles are at the player's disposal, with some more unusual manufacturers being represented (Volkswagen, Mini Cooper) once the player progresses through championship mode sufficiently to unlock them. Predictably, a number of graphical facets of the game have been tightened up, with even more realistic car-body damage (with different damage models being featured for different classes of cars), and the inexplicably popular and revolutionary step of incorporating trees that drop leaves when you slam your finely tuned racing behemoth into them. Camera angles, environmental effects on your vehicle, spectator animations, and the extent of weather variation have all been improved quite significantly. All fine and dandy, but not really a drawcard for true rally enthusiasts. With such a range of weather-specific multi-stage races, the fine tuning of your car becomes absolutely crucial in remaining competitive. Taking you across the globe, the tracks in this iteration have perhaps become even more tightly designed, demanding an alarming amount of player attention which makes for an exhilarating experience in comparison to more standard car racing. The multiplayer component of the game allows players to race any section of any course against an online opponent - although due to the nature of Rally itself there is never more than one car on the course at one time, with your opponents ghost car appearing whilst you race against their time. Codemasters have suitably added to the existing grace and near-perfection of the CMR series to make this updated version essential to any Rally enthusiast.  |
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