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Colin McRae Rally 3
PlayStation 2
Released On: Apr 22, 2003
86
7.6
All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
86
92% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
8% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
86
92% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
8% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The game IS gorgeous. The graphics are beautiful the sound effects are spectacular, and the overall presentation is extremely stylish. [May 2003, p.92]
The feel of the driving is what earned the McRae series its reputation, and the controls remain impeccable in this PS2 edition.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 34 User Ratings
7.6
59% Positive
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
35% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 34 User Ratings
7.6
59% Positive
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
35% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Actually a 10/10. I had so much fun with it. The mechanics are very good. I think it can get boring over a long time playing but that doesn’t really make it worse imo. Worth buying!
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PlayStation 2
Физика лучше, графика красивей, автомобилей и трасс больше, стандартная эволюция гоночной серии.
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PlayStation 2
A simple joy to play. There's little about it that isn't excellent, polished, authentic rallying of the highest standard, with the graphics, sound, and above all handling to back up its well-respected license.
A very good rally racer. It looks good and plays even better. For those interested in this style of racing, this title is one worth looking into.
A good game hindered by lack of options and other cars to drive in the Championship mode.
Has a lot going for it. But it goes wrong in one key area: The Championship mode. It’s much too limited. We get to drive one car throughout our career, and we don’t get to make our own repairs when we damage it; the computer does it for us.
Due to its paltry length and lack of decent multiplayer options, I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this game. It is, however, a solid offering.
Playing this game in 2021 turned out to be much less of a challenge and waaay more of a satisfying experience. Racing games don't age too well but Colin McRae Rally 3 has avoided becoming an unplayable yet nostalgic piece of software.
You can clearly see that visually it's not keeping up anymore, but for a 2002 release - the graphics are stunning. Some tricks like copying the sky texture and putting it in a lake to simulate reflections are obviously there, and apparently in 2002 spectators attending rallies were 2D flat, pixelated monstrosities but the main stuff - cars and surruounding areas - is done really well.
Speaking of cars, it's technically a simulator, so your nicely rendered Ford Focus (the only available car in the single player mode - explanation below) might get wasted during the rallies. The damage mechanism is quite believable and detailed, and works differently with different kinds of tracks (i.e. it's easier to destroy your brakes when you use them very often on a slippery surface). Before each run you are given a report on how damaged your car is, and sometimes it's better to be careful, as you can destroy the vehicle entirely and basically get disqualified from the rally. Needless to say that the performance drops when the condition of car worsens. Saving your car from bigger or smaller damage will not be easy, as the driving model is quite challenging - although today it doesn't feel super realistic but I guess 19 years ago it was an ultimate driving simulator. Still believable, though. Just keep in mind that some bushes and traffic signs are indestructible and if you bump into them (which isn't hard to accidentally do) they will give your car a hard time. Quite hilarious for a game trying to be realistic.
The game offers 64 tracks in single player mode (split into 8 countries) but most of them repeat itself on the course of 3 championships (6 rallies each, difficulty increasing with each championship) the player takes part in. It might get a bit repetitive but as I said, even if you memorize the levels it's not really easy to beat the clock. Additionally, weather changes are a small diversion. Each completed rally unlocks a new component for the car and sometimes a new vehicle that can be used in other modes. Because yes, it's a Colin McRae game, and you can only play the career as him. A bit limiting but I guess it's the only option Mr McRae was fine with at the time.
Outside the career mode you can try to set a new record for the tracks or play with a friend with a second controller. It's classic split screen stuff, nothing mindblowing but essential for a racing game.
During the gameplay I hardly noticed any glitches, framerate drops were happening very rarely and only during cutscens. For a game that probably uses a lot of the PS2 potential it's quite a good result.
CMR3 kept me engaged during single player mode and some time i played with a friend and I totally don't regret giving this old PS2 title a chance - it's not really long or sophisticated like modern racing simulators, and has some silly elements that scream it's early 2000s but it's altogehter immensely fun! If you have a chance to play it, give it a try - the worst that can happen is nostalgia kicking you right in the groin (definitely check out the extras section in the main menu with a bunch of oldschool trailers for some forgotten games meant to be released in 2003. It felt like a time travel combined with treasure hunting to me).
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PlayStation 2
The superior power of the PS2 gives the Colin McRae series an adrenaline boost with some much improved graphics and detailed environments. It's still a one car only affair but it's still one of the best on the console.
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PlayStation 2
20 years on and I still think this game can be good fun. Even putting my nostalgia aside, the content in this game has a quality feel to it, especially the damage model that, for a 20 year old game, is still pretty solid. The only downsides to this game is the overall lack of cars, especially comparing this game to CMR04 and 2005, and the handling model that needs some time to be mastered because of the way cars steer from the center. Even so, I recommend this game to anyone who wants a simple and fun rally racer, even though the sequels are better in almost every single aspect.
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PlayStation 2
what a rubbish game! the font is tiny and barely readable, before starting a simple race there are several loads that take a while the gameplay of the car is rotten.
Colin 2005 is light years ahead of this ****
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PlayStation 2
Plutôt juste graphiquement (mais fluide) ce CMR 3 ne convainc pas non plus sur ses effets sonores faiblards, ni sur sa conduite tout aussi faiblarde et très arcade. Cela étant, pas de quoi s'en étonner outre-mesure au vu du passif de Codemasters en ce domaine. Le contenu est également trop faiblard et l'ensemble du jeu souffre d'une anémie inquiétante : mou et chiant, il ne propose que des voix anglaises et une expérience globale des plus désagréables. Un épisode de la "célèbre" licence trop paresseux et bâclé pour s'y ****, ce serait une totale perte de temps.
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PlayStation 2
Summary (Colin McRae Rally 3 isn't just about cars and tracks; it's about giving gamers the professional rally driver experience. The game makes a massive leap in terms of playability, motor sport detail and rich visuals; above all it delivers a game that captures every drop of sweat, the split-second decision and the teamwork that goes into act...
Rated E
for Everyone
Platforms:
- PC
- Xbox
- PlayStation 2
- GameCube
Initial Release Date: Apr 22, 2003
Developer:
- Codemasters
Publisher: Codemasters
Genres:
