Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13889 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Codemasters
• Released on: 2004-04-02
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platforms: Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP

Manufacturer's Description
The rally game re-invented by the people who invented the rally game. With new cars, new co-driver, and a new season Colin McRae Rally 04 returns with all the gameplay you've come to expect from a Colin McRae title; however, this time it's souped-up to the max. Test your rally skills as you battle it out in the snow, sand, gravel and mud to win the rally championship.

Now you're in control--choose the team, the car and the championships which include 48 stages plus four shakedown stages across eight countries from the UK and Finland to Australia and the USA. Each international rally is designed in stunning detail to capture the dramatic environments and conditions individual to each course. Pick out your car from over 20 vehicles featured throughout the game, including 4-wheel drive Citroen Xsara, Mitsubishi EVO 7 and Subaru Impreza. 2-wheel drive cars such as the Ford Puma and Fiat Punto are also included alongside classic cars and bonus vehicles. Constructed in exquisite detail with the spot-on physics and handling each car makes each driving experience unique. The high-end simulation approach to the cars is beautifully balanced with the game's exclusive rally stages, each designed by hand to deliver the perfect rallying gaming experience.

Colin McRae Rally 04 offers you the opportunity to test out car parts to provide your team with new advantageous technology. The tests take place in different countries and are each specifically designed around the technology you are testing--be it an engine, tires or a suspension test. Take part in the rolling road test to unlock a new engine or the suspension test to unlock new springs. Complete a test challenge and the new technology becomes an available option for your rally car, increasing your chance of success against the competition as the season continues.

Maximizing the rally gaming experience that tests both the cars and your rallying skills, Colin McRae Rally 04 is set to be the rally event of the year.

Customer Reviews

Colin McRae Rally 4.
This game is so detailed and the levels are just gorgeous, especially the English ones. You really do feel like your driving through English country lanes. The weather and effects in the game are convincing too, sparks fly, dust and rocks are thrown up from the wheels, small obstacles move and slide convincingly when crashed into and even the trees and grass move in the wind. The modelling of the cars is superb and the damage effects are brilliant, damaged body panels flap around and come lose, windows shatter and even the dirt and dust builds up on the car as you're driving along. Both the driver and co-driver are also nicely animated and really look as if they're diving the car. The championship modes in the game are both challenging and very competitive. You can compete in both 4WD and 2WD championships in 3 difficulty modes. Playing through them unlocks an assortment of extra cars including Group B rally cars from the 1980s and some of the coolest rally cars from motoring history. Once you've unlocked them you can also compete in a Group B championship. During any championship game, you periodically visit the service area to repair your car. From time to time you are also given the opportunity to acquire upgrades for it by playing in 'Parts Testing' mini-games. Besides the Championship modes there is also Stages mode, Custom rally mode and network mode for playing on-line with up to 8 players. For an idea of how this game runs, I play it on my PIII 2GB nothing special motherboard with 1024MB of SD ram and a GeForce4 Ti graphics card (4xAGP), on Windows XP at a screen res of 1024x768 32bit, with all the game settings on high, plus the Antialiasing setting in the NVIDIA display properties set to 4x and it runs like a dream. If you're thinking about buying a good Rally game or even just a good racing game, I strongly recommend Colin McRae Rally 4.

How to make Colin McRae Rally 04 work for you
Here are a few tips that might make CMR04 work better for your computer.

1) Graphics Card - if you have a nVidia Ge Force4 MX 440 you will not have all the effects that you should have because you need a FX driver or higher. Prices for these Graphics cards range from £41 inc. VAT to nearly £3500 inc. VAT. You need a Supported 32Mb or a 64Mb graphics card.
Supported Graphics cards -
ATi: Radeon 8500LE, 8500 Pro, 9500 Pro, 9700 Pro.
Matrox: Parhelia
nVidia: nForce 1 or 2, GeForce, GeForce 2, GeForce 3, GeForce 4(NOT MX DRIVERS)
SiS: Xabre 400

2) Windows - you need to have either Microsoft Windows 98 98SE (second edition), 2000, ME (Millennium Edition) or XPHome/Office/Proffessional Edition. IF YOU HAVE WINDOWS 95 IT WILL NOT WORK

3) Space - you need to have at least 3.5 GB hard drive/disk space (3GB for game, 500Mb free after installation). 128-512Mb RAM.

4) Sound - CMR 04 does not work with any integrated sound/graphics cards. You need Direct X 9 compatible or higher.

5) Processors - Pentium 3/4 or AMD Athlon at 2.2GHz or higher.

6) Take a note of your system configuration by selecting Run from the Start Menu and typing in dxdiag - once it has loaded select Display or Sound and take a note of what your system config is BEFORE buying any game not just Colin Mcrae Rally 04.

Alternatively you could contact Codemasters - tel: 01926 816044 or fax: 01926 817595

Return of the Mac
The Flying Scotsman returns for what could be his last outing now that the world of WRC has turned it's collective back on the great man. So we have to appreciate while we can a series of games that have always been the benchmark in the genre. SEGA Rally set the standard all those years ago, and only Colin has proved regularly that what many see as a boring, lonely discipline can be a great test of skill and lots of fun to boot.
The first game set the tone of pushing graphics and gameplay forward, but the second game gave such screen presence and immersive action that we wondered how the third instalment could improve. Sadly, it let us down. The graphics were undoubtedly stunning, and the TV style presentation added a little something new, but the game was so restrictive. Under the watchful eye of Ford, the game would only let you compete in a championship in a Focus. And the loading times were appalling.
But Codemasters are not people who ignore criticism, and here we are with Colin 4.0. As usual, the long suffering PC owners had to wait for the Playstation crew to get their teeth stuck into it first before we did. And, listening to their comments, it would appear the number 4 was the game 3 should have been. But as always, the PC versions are always that little bit better!
So it was with excitement that I began to install the 4 discs worth of game (3GB install, so make sure you've got the space). Crank up the graphics to the top setting, sit back and enjoy the ride. First thing you notice if you owned 3 was the radically faster loading times. Once into the game, the environments you drive in are divine. Wide open tracks for those high speed four wheeled drifts, and narrow mountain forest stages that test your close control.
The choice of cars is huge, although I was a little disappointed to find my chariot of choice, the MG 6R4, was no longer present. However, this was soon over come by the white knuckle rides to follow. You really do tense up and begin to sweat when you're approaching that tight turn a little faster than your co-driver (Derek Ringer) has suggested.
Anyone such as myself who follows the sport will delight at the in-car action. Watching the footage on TV from inside the car, the gravel splattering under the car, the windscreen thick with dirt while the scenery flies past at terrifying speed. All of this is stunningly recreated here.
And it's worth practising with the in-car view as to truly master the game you'll have to compete in the advanced championship with only this view available. Codemasters trying to force the true experience of rallying onto us. And it works a treat.
If you have even the remotest interest in racing games, you are urged to play this game. If you love racing games, do nothing else until you've ordered your copy.