Colin McRae Rally 3 Review - PC Game Reviews

Colin McRae Rally 3 Review

gems of wisdom like “3 right into four left narrows” This is meant to give you vital information about the upcoming terrain and is explained in the manual. I just blocked him out and did what I do best…Drive. Which brings us to what rally racing is all about. In rally racing you don’t get to overtake other cars. You don’t even get to SEE other cars. Your mission is to get from one point to another in the quickest time, with the least possible damage. You go through, over, around and under some of the roughest terrain in the racing world. You are Colin McRae.

You can play the single stage mode with any one of the 21 cars, but the championship mode is what really shines. Racing through 56 stages in eight countries gives you a new respect for the men that do this in real life. The game succeeds in interesting you simply because of its extreme attention to detail. The car physics are spot on, as is handling and acceleration. The game even has an advanced tweaking option, but I elected to let the computer handle it. These are the most professionally modelled rally cars I have ever seen, all of which are destructible. If you keep smashing into trees and rocks, your windows will shatter, your bumpers will fall off, your doors will be left behind and your wheels might even come off! The graphics are amazing if you have powerful enough hardware to turn them all the way up. Dust clouds, rain, snow and even the windscreen wipers in action are all true to life. The sound of the various cars in the game has also been captured perfectly. From the roar of the revving engine, to the screeching tires, right down to the smashing of glass when you sideswipe a tree…it’s all here.


So what drags this title down? Firstly, the background details are scratchy in parts. Bushes are one dimensional, signposts don’t bend if you smash them, puddles of water are badly done and there is sometimes a horizon pop-up effect. However, what is most shocking about the title is the unlocking of the extras. Each CD has a unique set of codes. To unlock the 21 rally cars, all the tracks, countries etc you have to either call up the Codemasters Hintline at 1 pound a minute or log on to their website, pay by credit card and have the codes mailed to you. Both options are naturally impossible for most Indian gamers. What they want to do is make us pay to access content in a game that we already own! This kind of marketing ploy just manages to tarnish what is an excellent racing simulation. Despite everything, this title is highly recommended for rally fans. If you have bought/wish to buy this title and want to unlock the secrets, never fear! Just turn to the Cheats page.

HIGHS: Great Effects, Incredible Detail
LOWS: Limited Appeal, Shameful Marketing Ploy
NUTSHELL: Best Rally Sim on Any Platform.
Christof Rating: 89%