Review
Release Date: 10.08.2002
Platform:
Game Boy AdvanceDeveloper:
Ubisoft EntertainmentPublisher:
Ubisoft EntertainmentReviewed by
Wade Monnig on 4.27.2003
Some titles have a reputation that precedes it. When the PSX version of Colin McRae Rally was released in Europe in July of 1998, the rave reviews began. For fans of rally racing, Colin McRae Rally had the same impact as Gran Turismo did to traditional racing fans. Over a year and a half later, it finally made it to the states and the U.S. also heaped rave reviews upon the title. Rally racing fans with their ear to the ground clamored to pick it up and certainly weren’t disappointed.
It’s sequel on the PlayStation, Colin McRae Rally 2.0, also received hefty praise. Now, Colin McRae Rally 2.0 is making its first foray into the handheld market, a market more dominated by fantasy kart racing than true to life rally racing. Stuffing realism into a handheld racer certainly isn’t an easy job, but developer Codemasters has created a release that proudly holds up the Colin McRae standard of excellence.
Realism has always been the backbone of Colin McRae and Codemasters seem to have made that their first concern when creating this title. Vehicles manufactured by Ford, (of course, since Colin McRae is sponsored by Ford) Subaru, Toyota, and Mitsubishi are in here. Each vehicle is all scored in several categories like RPM, weight, and handling. A tweaking menu also allows you to adjust various setting, change tire types and generally customize your care in various ways. One point of realism for those game players not familiar with rally racing is that you can flip your car. Good braking skills along with feathering the throttle will keep you on the track but any fan of Real TV knows that rolling your car is a real possibility. CM2.0 even manages to keep the co-driver voice-overs, giving you a heads up on upcoming twists and turns.
The graphics are decent for a racing title. The most work went into each of the cars, with accuracy down to the smallest decals making the cars look exceptional. The road surface also gets high marks, with running water and car tossing berms rendered with equal skill. The detail that went into these graphical aspects only goes reinforce the poor quality background rendering.
A fair number of game modes are also included. You can race each leg of a rally in the Time Trial Mode to try to get the best time or use the Single Stage Mode to compete in a single race. I spent the majority of my time in Championship Mode racing the different legs of the six tracks in six different countries and earning money to fix damage to my car (Yea, so I rolled it a few times) or to buy new upgrades.
The game is easy enough to pick up and play if you have a feel for rally racing but, as you progress through each difficulty level in Championship Mode, it becomes devilishly challenging. Intelligent tweaking of the various vehicle settings will also allow you to shave critical seconds off your time.
With hidden cars to unlock, fast paced stages and a battery back-up, Colin McRae 2.0 is easy to pick up and play for a few minutes or a few hours. This title is a must for any rally-racing fan and for anyone looking for something a little more realistic than a mascot filled kart racer.
