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	Colin McRae Rally 3
	Developer: Codemasters Publisher: Codemasters Genre: Racing / Rally Players: 1-4 Similar To: RalliSport Challenge Rating: Everyone Published: 03 :26 : 03 Reviewed By: Ryan Newman Overall: 8 = Excellent

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Colin McRae Rally 3 tends to tread the line pretty finely. While one of the more difficult rally titles, it's also one of the more barren. Instead of the plethora of modes found in RalliSport Challenge, Rally 3 has two: Championship and Stages. Championship mode limits the player to only using McRae, and only driving his Ford Focus. Set across 8 countries (Australia, Finland, USA, Greece, Finland, Japan, the UK, and Sweden), each with 6 stages, as well as one special arena stage, players will unlock more cars for the Stage mode as they progress through Championship. The opportunity to repair the Focus comes only once every few races, so damage sustained in the first course will carry over to the next, and that cab really bring the momentum down a notch. What's really disappointing is that once it's time to repair the car, or tweak it, no information is given about the various parts. I'm not a car expert, so I need something indicating how my changes will affect the car; although, there is the feature to not only read about the stages, but also do test runs on them to check out what was changed by altering the parts, that still seems like a drawn out process when a few indicators could do that job nicely.

The courses are a varied lot, with some seeming like a breather in-between the more difficult ones. One of my biggest problems with Rally Fusion was that, no matter what surface the car was on, it always controlled like it was on ice, and this is an area where Rally 3 excels at. Going on an off-road path through forest clearly feels and controls much more loosely than when the car is on a paved road, and this is demonstrated throughout most of the courses as the terrain switches in-between sparse backwoods' routes and paved sections.

Helping the player throughout the race is the friendly co-pilot. A bit more thorough than some other rally titles, there will still be times when a course leads into a portion that is almost impossible to travel through without incident the first time through, and his directions just won't be enough to successfully traverse these areas. There's nothing more frustrating than having a solid lead and seeing it squandered because a road led to a valley of rocks with, what looks like, 3 different ways to go, and the instructions only lead to more obstacles and paths. While not numerous, those situations are still frustrating nonetheless. There are also odd scenes of the player's car pulling up to the line, and a replay of it taking off, but both cut off within a few seconds and offer nothing but additional loading times - while not detrimental to the actual gameplay, it does serve to drag things out.

What makes Colin McRae Rally 3 so good is that it just feels right. Taking a turn without troubles doesn't just feel like the breaks were hit at the right time, it feels more rewarding, like all those dents and bangs had paid off and the unwieldy machine is no longer the one in control. It's disappointing that there weren't more modes, or at least ways to go through Championship, and the information is a bit on the lean side, but it's the raw experience that makes the Colin McRae Rally 3 so enjoyable.

Graphics: 7.5/10
Taking a very streamlined approach, there really isn't a whole lot going on throughout the courses. Everything is crisp and nothing is really bad, it's just that things are pretty bare. Later courses within a given country look bland, but that's just from being in the same place for so long. The cars themselves look great, with exceptional animations and damage detail; which, aside from dirt flying and whatnot, is about the only detail that'll be seen. The menus are also streamlined, but not very informative and intuitive, so they're really bare for the sake of style, which would've been fine if they were more useful.

Sound: 8/10
Aside from the co-pilot, the revving of the engine is the only other thing that'll be heard. I had a tough time making out what the co-pilot was saying after he gave initial turning instructions; it was just one accent my ears didn't wrap around. The cars sound fantastic as they really come alive with varying tones that change for position, circumstance, and damage. The slightest alteration in a course will bring a different, if subtle, change in the engine's tone.

Control: 8.5/10
Pick a positive mantra and stick with it, otherwise there'll be some broken controllers in the near vicinity after the first course or so. While the controls will feel natural, it won't last long as the sensitive breaking and can make a course either a breeze or a pain. This initial ease of use does come in handy as it provides the fundamentals in navigating the courses, and enough for the game's more realistic nature to become evident. The menus are a little tedious, but other than that, this is one of the more responsive rally titles I've played.

Overall: 8/10
A fantastic title that is marred by limited replay value. While the Stages are enjoyable, they don't hold as much weight as the Championship courses and not even the various selectable cars can extend the replayability to something along the lines of RalliSport Challenge. There's no doubt that Colin McRae Rally 3 will get additional playtime after the Championship and Stage courses have been mastered, but it won't be as continuous and refreshing. Also, novices will have to put a bit more time in, and also trust in the crew's automatic car enhancements, since the information given is as limited as the modes to play in. A great title, but it needs more beef to maintain its position at the top of the heap.

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