

The team still hasn't managed to make the crowd look remotely convincing, but one day, eh? With just about every type of weather and driving condition covered at some stage or other, all alive with believable incidental detail, and with barely any pop-up to speak of, it's good to see Codemasters improving on this area so dramatically.

No matter what course we checked out, we were consistently impressed, and when you consider the UK course features muddy forests, gravel hills, tunnels and windy country roads often in the space of a mile, it makes for a captivating driving experience. Nothing new there, but the markedly improved visuals go a long way to properly highlighting these transitions. Thankfully, the vile blocky scenery and poor texturing witnessed less than a year ago in CMR 3 has been overhauled with a sprightly new engine which capably renders each of the eight rally locations (UK, Sweden, USA, Finland, Australia, Spain, Greece and Japan) with the degree of care, attention and variety that makes you actually want to see what's coming next.Īs you'd expect, every stage throws up a mixture of challenging conditions that can change unexpectedly from one section to the next. Last year's Xbox version certainly played as well as you'd expect, but was utterly let down by a truly unremarkable graphics engine which looked faintly embarrassing next to DICE's Xbox-only Rallisport Challenge.
#Codemasters colin mcrae rally 04 series#
The 80 per cent complete Xbox build we hold in our hands is basically the game Codies should have released last year, with a bewildering array of modes, features and neat tweaks that go a long way to restoring the series to its rightful place on the winner's podium.īefore we launch into a whistle stop tour of the game's many features, the most glaringly obvious enhancements are in the audio/visual departments.

That was until we sat down and played the thing. Dubious claims aside, it's without question the most successful Rally series ever, but after last year's comparatively lacklustre effort we weren't remotely excited about the prospect of a quickfire number four.

Details will be available simultaneously online at the game's web site, located at Set to be the rally event of the year, Colin McRae Rally 04 is due to be published by Codemasters this November for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.We're not sure why Codemasters still insists it invented the Rally game, but there it is, bold as brass in the Colin McRae Rally 04 press blurb.
#Codemasters colin mcrae rally 04 full#
Championships include a full rally season, specialist 4-wheel drive and 2-wheel drive events, Custom Rallies and an ultimate Expert Championship, which will set highest standards for the most die-hard rally fans.Ĭolin McRae Rally 04 performs its stage start at this year's E3 exhibition (May 14, Los Angeles) where Codemasters will reveal the game's new open championships and the part testing challenges. Gameplay will feature Championship, Rally and Stages modes, each with single player or multiplayer options that offer co-operative and competitive team challenges. The replay cameras are being enhanced to provide dramatic highlights from the rallies in dramatic televisual detail. Colin McRae Rally, one of the games market's most valuable and acclaimed motor sport franchises, returns this year as Codemasters confirms Colin McRae Rally 04, a PlayStation 2 and Xbox addition to the genre-leading 6 million-selling series.ĭue this November, Colin McRae Rally 04 will have players driving on the very edge of control as the series' sublime car handling combines with new championships, new single and multiplayer gaming modes, and unique car part testing challenges to win advanced technology for your car.Īn advanced visual engine will deliver stunning environments and more detailed stages through the fresh international rally courses.
