Codemasters Colin McRae Rally 3 X Box Racing Review

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
3 votes

Price Paid:  $50.00 from media play

Summary:
nobody can talk bad about this game because it's simply the most realistic rally experience on any game console from car damage, to controlled power slides, and also the car physics.

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Summary:
Colin McRae Rally 3 is simply the best rally racing game on the planet! If you are in to racing or rally games, this is definatly a must have!

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Price Paid:  $50.00 from EB

Summary:
Colin McRae Rally 3 is a game that took me a while to warm up to. At first, the game just didn’t click with me because I had some problems with the controls. However, after several hours of practice, I adjusted to the controls and discovered that the underlying game was quite impressive. Overall, McRae 3 is a challenging, deep, and fun rally game but does not have the same broad-spectrum appeal that Rallisport Challenge (another game for Xbox) does. Rallisport Challenge is much easier to pick up and play and has more forgivable physics whereas McRae 3 requires more of an investment of time before the gamer will appreciate it. McRae 3 is a fairly accurate simulation of the rally racing seen in the FIA World Rally Championship, so keep that in mind when deciding to purchase or not. Each of the games (Rallisport and McRae 3) are quality games, yet offer different approaches to the sport of rally racing. If you’re interested, visit http://www.wrc.com for more information on the FIA WRC. This is a type of racing Americans may not be used to and is a welcome change to the Nascar fever that has seemed to sweep this nation … yes, there are racing leagues that don’t involve V-8 cars driving around in circles.

McRae 3 does so many things right and offers the gamer a very deep gameplay experience. However, there are some issues that keep this game from reaching the coveted 5/5 score. The control issues, the lack of modes, and the limitation of only being able to race a Focus in the Championship series are the specific problems I have with the game.

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Price Paid:  $50.00 from Game Crazy

Summary:
If you like rally racing then you’ll like this game plain and simple. It stays true to the sport in every aspect. Colin McRae Rally 3 has the looks, the feel, and the sound. If you don’t like “time trial” type racing then you probably won’t like this game. But that is what rally racing is all about—you and the course against the clock.

The visuals are breathtaking. I would say they’re right up there with my other favorite racing game Gran Turismo 3. The car models on the outside look identical compared to GT3. But of course Colin McRae goes a step further and adds real time damage and also adds models inside the car—ex: roll cage, driver and co-driver. And what this game also has visually that is a must in my opinion is an in-car view. I do have to add in GT3’s defense there are 6 cars on the track versus one with CMR3. But all opinions aside this is a great looking game. The rain or snow hitting the windshield and the wipers going back in forth adds to the realism.

The control of CMR3 is also right on. If you’re expecting some sort arcade game like Burnout or Apex then you’ll be let down. But if you want a realistic depiction of what a rally car feels like then this is the game.

The sound couldn’t get any better. You have the clunking noises of the car and you hear the transmission and your co-driver navigating. Nothing missed here. I particularly like the door sound effect if you happen to hit a tree or something you’ll hear the door swing around then close shut. Good stuff!

In my opinion the only draw back with this game is the lack of game modes. It seems everyone agrees here. I’ve never had a Colin McRae Rally game until CMR3, but I was disappointed that you can only go through the championship mode with Colin McRae. I would like to pick the car I want and maybe even use my name as the driver. I’m sorry but the Ford Focus is not the car I would choose to go through a championship season. And if you pay any attention to the WRC and this year then you’ll notice that Mr. McRae himself has the same opinion because he isn’t driving a Focus. :)-

Final Score: 9/10

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Price Paid:  $50.00 from eb's

Summary:
Colin Mcrea is back. For years now it has been the pinnacle of rally racing and as far as I'm concerned it continues to be an adicting and exciting rally sim.