Codemasters has announced the next incarnation of its world-beating rally franchise, Colin McRae Rally 2005. The game will be shown for the first time in all its glory at the E3 expo in mid-May.
The first thing worthy of note is the change in naming convention for the game. Previously we"ve had 2.0, 3, and 04. This time, however, it"s clear that Codemasters intends to take an EA-style annual approach to releasing updates. Which, as far as we"re concerned, is no bad thing...
Secondly, McRae 2005 will feature an online mode for the first time, on both Xbox and PS2. Eight players will be able to take each other on at once in head-to-head rally races. We don"t know any more than that at this stage, although some form of time-trial based competition would befit the game well too.
Finally - and most importantly - there will be a spanking new career mode, which Codies describes as "the steering-wheel-gripping heart" of the game. Players will race through 20 different rally classes (such as Challenges, Cups, SuperCups, Shields and Championships), including more than 300 stages in all, in a much expanded lineup of vehicles. Expect to throw up dirt in four-wheel drive, two-wheel drive, four-wheel classics, super two-wheel, rear wheel, distinctive and 4x4 classics.
Other touted improvements include upped graphical splendor (trees will drop leaves if you crash into them, apparently), new individual damage models for every car, a new "bonnet-cam" and an improved chase-cam.