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Sixty Left Over Crest - Don't Cut!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: March 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I almost passed this game up.

I don't usually like sim racers that much - I stick to Project Gotham, Burnout, and Need For Speed - but after learning that Colin McRae Rally 04 would be released at the magical $20 price point, I had to give it a try. Rally racing's basically just time attack outdoors anyways, right?

I quickly learned that's only part of it.

Rally racing is huge in Europe, but is more of a niche event in the States. Maybe because there's no direct competition....? Who cares. Bottom line, this is the best game to be released at twenty bucks since Sega's masterpiece, Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution. This is no mere budget title - Codemasters cares about getting virtual rally racing right, and CMR04 shows off excellence in all areas, from the stylishly minimal menu design to the photorealistic cars and tracks.

The thing that scares me away from racing sims is all the tinkering you do to the chassis, suspension, blah blah. Just gimme a car and let me hit the road. But somehow, with this title, fiddling with the settings is incredibly addicting and very necessary, perhaps because of the nature of rally racing itself: you & your car against the clock and terrain. If you're gonna avoid wiping out and trashing your ride, you'd BETTER take the time to tweak the ride height and gear ratio. CMR04 eases newbies (like me) into this obsession gradually, clearly explaining how the different settings affect your car's driving and allowing you to test it before racing "for real." Oh, you also better check the road surfaces and weather conditions of the upcoming stages and prepare accordingly, or else your car will flip at the first hairpin.

But there's more. After every couple stages, your car has undoubtedly suffered a little damage (or a lot, if you're a novice like me). You are given the option to repair the damage, but only up to an hour's worth of mechanic-time. The game clearly shows what's damaged, how bad the damage is, and how long it will take to repair, either partially or completely. Strategy becomes a major player here - should you leave your bodywork unrepaired while totally fixing your suspension, or fix it all, passing the 60-minute limit and suffering a time penalty during the next stage? These decisions can be agonizing, and directly affect how you drive. It's extremely well-implemented, well-designed, and, thankfully, user-friendly.

In addition, every few stages, you're given the option to test-drive prototype parts, and if you're successful, your car is fitted with the performance-improving equipment, whether it's new tires, ceramic brakes, or improved shocks.

So, even though there's one car on the track at a time, there's always a LOT going on behind the scenes. But this relatively low-amount of on-screen action means that CMR04 has some of the most wonderful visuals ever to grace the racing genre. The attention to detail is astonishing, especially from the first-person cockpit viewpoint. The tracks and weather effects can look hauntingly real. And then there are the car models....my goodness. No, it's not a nice thing to damage your vehicle, but the damage modelling is incredible. I slammed into a fence at 70 mph and my passenger door would no longer close, flapping open like a broken metal wing whenever I took a hard turn. I took a jump way too fast and blew two tires upon landing, and my car spent the rest of the run on the rims, spraying sparks in all directions and making a wince-inducing, all-too-real grinding noise. I had to fight just to keep my car on the road, but I still managed to eke out a first-place finish by two tenths of a second. Whew! It was as intense as a platinum-medal PGR race, or screaming at full-boost against traffic in Burnout.

After all this praise, what negatives can I possibly come up with? Well, given the nature of rally racing, the game can get a bit repetitive during extended sessions, and gets rather unforgiving as you progress to higher difficulties. No in-game music is a slight hit as well, although I really don't think I'd use it much if given the option - too busy listening to the nav's directions and the engine gear-shifting purposes. And besides a scoreboard, there's no online support at all - a real shame for a game this finely tuned. But hey, at $20, you really can't complain too much.

I went back and forth between 4 and 5 stars for this rating, and ultimately decided on five because the amount and quality of game you get for the price is a gift from Codemasters to U.S. gamers everywhere. And I fully admit that if CMR04 had been anything more expensive than twenty bucks, I would more than likely have passed it by.

Thank goodness things turned out the way they did. Colin McRae Rally 04 is easily my gaming surprise of the year so far, and has opened my eyes to a genre and sport that I previously didn't care about.

Best rally racer ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

So what if the real Colin McRae hasn't been crowned champion of the World Rally Championship since 1995? In the virtual world, his rally racing series gets better with each release, constantly earning him champion of off-road action. Number four improves many aspects of its predecessor, resulting in, once again, a near perfect drive. Rally racing is perhaps the black sheep of the speed world. You don't drive in circles, you compete against the clock, and you have a navigator sitting next to you. The true challenge is maneuvering on ruggedly narrow roads that twist and curve through mountains, forests, and canyons in all types of weather conditions. It's a hair-raising experience fit for any outdoor racing fan. This year's McRae Rally finally makes you more accountable for the damage taken to your car. Slide too much, and your tires can blow. Dent the body, and the aerodynamics are shot. Scrape too low to the ground, and small rocks will stop you in your tracks. A limited amount of time to fix car ailments as well as determining vehicle adjustments that can shave off seconds create a more realistic feel to the game. The gas-guzzlers-there's a good selection of two-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive, and classic-but-now-banned cars to choose from-all perform well, too. Just be prepared to slip and slide if you're not used to drifting through turns. Visually, Rally 04 looks much better than in previous versions. The environments are more detailed with a special attention to realistic road conditions, such as variations of mud, gravel, asphalt, and snow. Cars slowly get grimy as you progress, and vehicle damage looks genuine. The sounds, though sparse, add to the game's authentic experience. Your navigator steadily calls out the road bumps ahead, while the constant hum of the engine never goes off-key. Rally 04 has some minor setbacks , though. Although the game carries the name of a real rally racer, none of the tracks are real, and it doesn't feel like you're racing in a rally championship where you'd see crowds of spectators on every side cheering you on. Some stages seem bland and without depth, too. Still, these are all just minor grievances. They can be easily overlooked, especially if you're paying only $20 for this quality racing game

great graphics, but too slow

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: April 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The graphics in this game are really good, and being able to play championship mode with two players is great, but the game takes entirely too long to load. $20 is a great purchase price, but save your money and wait for the new version of Rallisport (coming out 5/4/04).

Close... But no cigar

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 11
Date: March 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was really excited to get my hands on this the 04 version of Colin Mcrae rally, At the price I thought I could not go wrong...
Now do not think that this is a bad game, it is certainly not.. however it is just not as good as it should be.
The graphics are good, but not great, and the overall gameplay is ok.
When will designers of games like this not look at Rallisport challenge? The single thing that makes that title stand out is the level of car control and feeling of speed.
Colin Mcrae 04 just does not portray that as well.
On the positives: the car damage is good, and the tracks are challenging.
On the negatives: The load times are absolutely outrageous and the game is just too easy.. ( I completed the first rally without losing a single stage!)
The gameplay is all about keeping your racing line clean and avoiding hitting ANYTHING. If you do this you will be the fastest. However this is just not that fun.

If you do not have any other Rally games then for the price this is not a bad purchase. If you already have Rallisport Challenge..... save your pennies

The best Rally by far

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is excellent, I don't know what everybody complains about. This is the best Rally game so far that is out. It has excellent graphics and the realism is great. The course details are amazing as are the car details and the damage is realistic. I'd highly recommend this game for any racer and for the price, it's a steal. 5 stars in my book.

Real Rally Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The best single player rally game I have played. If you're familiar with the WRC this game is the most realistic rally game out there. The multiplay does suck, but that's because real ralling is not run against other people, its run against the terrain and against the clock. If you like nascar ( driving in circles ) don't buy this game, if you like the WRC then this is the game for you.

omfg

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 11
Date: March 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

this game its like form other world it raly good its like grang turismo4 but only for rally

this its the best rally game really good buy it

Great game for $20

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: July 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

At first, I was a bit scepticle of this game, being that it was $20. Normally, cheap games that are new suck. But this game is an exception. The graphics, amazing. The damage modeling is the best I have ever seen. When you are flying throungh the rain and you see little things like rain that goes to the top of the windshield, your jaw will drop. The gameplay is also great. If you do not choose the right car setup, your flying all over. Probably the only downfall of this game is that after beating all of the championships, it can get a little boring. The mutliplayer also isnt all that good. But this game still rocks. If you are a rally fan, this game is a must buy.

Dissapointed

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I own CMR03 and find it to be superior to CMR04. I don't think the graphics are better, and the soundtrack in CMR03 is more enjoyable. Save your money and purchase a used CMR03 and have fun. I rate McRae Rally 03 a full five stars, but this version 04 in my opinion is about three stars. The only thing I like about this product is the price.

EXCELLENT!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

SELLER WAS A PLEASURE TO BUY FROM AND THEIR CAUSE IS A GREAT CAUSE. CHECK THEM OUT. PRODUCT WAS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE WITH NO PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED IN THE GAME PLAY. PRODUCT WAS EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED AND QUICK DELIVERY TO BOOT!!!! THANKS AND MAY GOD BLESS YOUR CAUSE

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