Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2577 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Codemasters
• Released on: 2004-09-24
• Platform: PlayStation2

Manufacturer's Description
The steering wheel-gripping heart of Colin McRae Rally 2005 is the all-new Career Challenge, which takes players through a full professional rally career, driving the most diverse selection of rally cars. An incredible 23 individual rally events provide a personal challenge with real progression and rewards through a non-linear series of Challenges, Cups, SuperCups, Shields and Championships as you earn the right to complete with the very best.

Launch your career as a privateer but take the lead and progress onto more powerful cars, taking part tests to win further upgrades. Through the 23 events, drivers will be pummelled through a staggering 300+ stages driving cars from 4-wheel drive, 2-wheel drive, 4-wheel Classics, Super 2-wheel, Rear Wheel, Distinctive and 4x4 classics. Beyond the Career Challenge, there's a toy box of rally-fuelled adrenaline racing gaming with its 4WD Championship, Ra6ly, Stages and Online gaming modes.

And just when you thought a McRae game couldn't offer more detail or visual splendour, the game's development team is cramming it in: the new bonnet-cam and an improved chase cam gives a real sensation of speed and undulation. Enhanced damage and scenery visuals include new individual damage models for each car and should you crash into a tree, it'll shudder and even drop leaves!

Customer Reviews

Bigger and Better
Colin Mcrae may not be currently doing much in the world of rallying but with Codemaster's on his side he bestrides the world of rally games like a colossus.

If you have played previous games in the series particularly 3 and 4 then this new version will be comfortably familiar to you. There are no radical changes in interface from no 4, but there are a few changes in playability.

Loading the game you are faced with three main play options: Challenges, Championship and Career.

The first option gives you access to time trial and single rally options. It's here you will notice the first real changes. As well as the mainstay rallies of Australia, GB, Japan, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Finland and USA, you have a new rally in Germany. This coupled with 9 stages per rally instead of the usual 6 (plus a few super specials). This means nearly twice as many stages as in the previous two. Also there are many more vehicles available split into several different categories and all can be used in rallies.

Championship mode seems to be a direct port of the main part of no 3. You complete a season as Colin Macrae himself. The main difference is that you get to select from 5 cars instead of having to drive just one.

The highlight of the game though is career mode. Here you create a driver and launch a career (obviously.) You start with 5 cars and access to a few rallies. Winning rallies unlocks cars and events. All the cars in the game can be used although only certain vehicles can be used for specific rallies. for instance one of your early rallies is the Escort MK 1 cup, a rally round 6 uk stages only available to MK 1 Escorts, this gives great variety to your career.

The stages themself are as always beautifully crafted and can be very confusing at times if you don't concentrate on your co-drivers pacenotes. A nice touch is that although some of the stages are through the same locations as previous games the course layouts are different. Causing cocky drivers (like me) to go right instead of left in Greece cos that's what you did before.

Overall then this is a worthy evolution of the Colin Macrae franchise and well worth purchasing. If you can't decide between this and Richard Burns then buy this. It may not have the level of realism but it has 50x the playability.

Wicked Game
This game is really enjoyable it has a mixture of things to do the career option is fun as you gain old classic rally cars and the championship makes a great 2 player game. Ive bought this game and love it if you like rally cars and driving games this is the one for you.

Depends what you want
I'm a big fan of this series and a big fan of rally driving itself. The thing that has always attracted me to the game is the realism, unfortunately this seems to be lost in this version.

Compared to this, CMR4 had a much better feel to it, you really felt like you were burning along a dirt track by the seat of your pants. This version seems to lose that and feels much more like an arcade racing game than a sim.

If you want a game, buy this.
If you want a sim, buy CMR4.