In terms of gameplay, new dynamics and driving styles are currently on the factory floor - but Codemasters aren't giving away any details, the rotters. There's a wealth of new features and content, together with a revised race structure. That said, Codemasters are keen to point out that, although we're all distracted by buffed and glossy paintwork, they've been doing most of the work under the bonnet: tweaking this, tuning that, and bashing all the other stuff with a wrench.
So, when you're sliding through the drizzling rain of Kielder Forest in Cumbria or scooting along the parched roads of Cordoba, what you see is actually there. Anyone who's ever watched a backseat view as Messrs McRae, Makinnen and Sainz hurtle through one of the cliff-edge stages will know just how exhilarating rallying can be.Īs well as looking a lot faster and more realistic, the backdrops and scenery have been assembled from photographic masters taken all around the globe. Considering that inappropriate speed forms the backbone of the entire motorsport, this can only be a good thing. There's also the promise of a quantum leap in frame rate and perceived velocity - partly due to a rewrite of the graphics code, partly due to the omnipresence of fast processors and 3D accelerator cards -to give an altogether more exciting ride. Although mirror-like bodywork is somewhat incongruous in a rally game, the cars should become dirtier and dirtier as the stages progress. There are now considerably more polygons hopping round the screen at any given moment, allowing the cars and countryside to be rendered with as few jagged lines as possible, as well as a new reflection mapping technique that gives objects a glossy sheen. Visually, the new game is rather arresting. The 30-strong team of developers at Codemasters HQ have breathed on the original game's graphics engine, and the preliminary screenshots you see here are testimony to that fact. With over 1.5 million units shipped in Europe and Japan, plus a number one chart slot in 26 countries, the McRae name has been one of the most lucrative motorsport franchises yet and they're keen to preserve its status. There isn't a car driver on the planet who hasn't driven across snow, wet grass, down a dusty track or up their mate's gravel driveway and wondered what it'd be like to leap on the throttle, saw at the wheel and give the car a damn good lashing.Īnd it's this innate rallying instinct that games developers have been exploiting for several years, with countless different titles for every format from home consoles to cabinets in seafront arcades.Īfter the huge success of Colin McRae Rally on the PC and PlayStation, Codemasters have upped the budget for the sequel and promise to retain all the elements that made the first game a best-seller.
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