Colin McRae Rally 04

Imperium Gier (9.4 out of 10)

Z pewnością Colin McRae Rally 4 jest i będzie najlepszą częścią z całej serii. Bardzo dobra oprawa graficzno-muzyczna (choć grafika posiada jednak trochę wad), spora ilość samochodów i tras oraz elementy, których brakowało w poprzednich częściach – to argumenty, które przemawiają za niewątpliwym sukcesem kolejnej części. Ścigamy się również już nie tylko „wymuszonym” Fordem Focusem, ale jakimkolwiek modelem samochodu!

Totalgames.net (93 out of 100)

We know that rallying isn’t for all but Colin McRae 04 is the perfect package. Well for now at least. It’s funny how we say that with each game but then with every incarnation Codemasters amazes us again.

Deaf Gamers (9.2 out of 10)

So there you have it. Colin McRae Rally 04 is another jewel in the Codemasters driving game crown. From top to bottom it's another first class effort. The only downside for PlayStation 2 owners is that the save game file weighs in at almost 2½MB, which is a substantial chunk of your memory card. You have to wonder what could added to number 5, aside from the return of the arcade mode that is. Whether or not you own Colin McRae Rally 3 you owe it to yourself to purchase this latest version as it is, without a doubt, the best rally simulation on the PlayStation 2 at the moment.

Computer Bild Spiele (1.43 out of 6)

Leider haben sich die Entwickler nicht alle Kritikpunkte am Vorgänger-Spiel zu Herzen genommen. Wieder fährt der Rallye-Fan zwar durch wunderschön gestaltete Umgebungen, doch es lässt sich kaum ein Zuschauer blicken (wobei in der Realität schon mal 500 000 Leute, wie zuletzt in Finnland, an der Strecke stehen). Trotzdem ist das Spiel „sehr gut“. Und geht wegen des atemberaubend realistischen Fahrverhaltens und der Modi-Vielfalt an der Spitze aller Rallye-Spiele über die Ziellinie.

allaboutgames.co.uk (9 out of 10)

Colin McRae Rally 04 may not have the WRC license of its rival, WRC3, but it beats it in the core area of gameplay, providing both the most enjoyable Colin McRae game to date, and the best rally game around at the moment.

Computer and Video Games (CVG) (9 out of 10)

Subtle improvements in all areas plus tons of new gameplay modes and cars mean that CMR04 is a giant. Even if you own the previous games, this is essential if you're serious about driving.

Official UK Playstation 2 Magazine (9 out of 10)

One for experts and newbies alike, Colin 4 is a superlative rally sim with a tank full of satisfying options.

Futuregamez.net (90 out of 100)

While Colin McRae Rally 04 doesn’t offer any huge leaps and bounds over the not-so-old Colin McRae Rally 3, while it is still a nicely polished game. The unlockable cars certainly add value to the game, and particularly with the Citroen 2CV are opening the gate to a rally-through-the-ages style game sometime soon. The crazy co-driver and lack of multiplayer, while minor issues are the only real letdowns for this game and hopefully can be fixed ready for when Colin McRae next appears on the PS2.

Gamers Europe (9 out of 10)

Colin McRae Rally 3 came and went like a packet of Skittles. You're happily content even though there are some disgusting colours (the green ones) and keep on going through the pack until you're all out of Skittles. At that point you grab some Fruit Pastels because you're done with Skittles. Understand? Good. Hence forth, Colin McRae Rally 04 (CMR4) has been in the pipeline since the brief sales of its predecessor. What has changed since then, and will this version leave us as a nation with more of a dent in our wallets than the last? To be honest, I'm not sure what to think - racing games do die off pretty quickly unless you have a bunch of friends to play multiplayer races with.

PSW (Playstation World Magazine UK) (9 out of 10)

Perfect? Well, we could easily pick some holes. Occasionally it slows down. Very occasionally. And, yes, sometimes you hit a tree the size of a twig and stop dead. Sometimes. But that’s really it. To dwell on such tiny flaws in a game that so massively pushes the rally genre forward would be like snivelling at a slightly battered briefcase that contains used £20 notes. Pure folly. We like rally games. We really do. But “liking” Colin McRae Rally 04 is akin to thinking Faberge eggs and Michelangelo sculptures are “OK”. This game probably won’t be surpassed for years to come. Thinking about it, you’ll probably have to wait for Colin McRae Rally 05. Hence the score. Just buy the bloody thing.

Gamesmania.de (90 out of 100)

Ach wie ist das schön. Codemasters hat eigentlich alle Kritikpunkte, die bei Teil 3 angefallen waren, aus dem Weg geschafft und präsentiert mit Colin 04 ein Rundum-Wohlfühl-Paket für Rallyefans. Danke dafür. Für die nächste Ausgabe wünsche ich mir Fahrten bei Nacht und etwas mehr Atmosphäre beim Sieg einer Rallye oder der Meisterschaft. Aber das bekommt ihr sicher auch noch hin!

Gamesdog (9 out of 10)

Without a doubt, the finest rallying game on the market so far. Well done Colin!

GameCell UK (9 out of 10)

The only thing we've noticed that downgrades this game from the Xbox version (that we've played to death) is the slightly lower resolution (unsurprisingly), a little more pop-up in the distance, some inexplicable slowdown in replays and a less silky frame rate. Obviously, if you haven't seen CMR 04 running on the Xbox these small gripes don't spoil the game in any way - it's easily the best rally game on PS2, it leaves both WRC II Extreme and V-Rally 3 in a muddy ditch and really throws down a gauntlet to the forthcoming WRC 3.

Jeuxvideo.com (18 out of 20)

Une vraie leçon de pilotage en provenance d’Angleterre. Codemasters, qui n’aura jamais mieux mérité son nom, réalise avec Colin McRae Rally 04 une simulation de conduite magistrale, réaliste, et à la durée de vie excellente. Nul doute que WRC 3 devra avoir de multiples atouts sous le capot pour réussir à se hisser au niveau du dernier rejeton de la famille McRae.

4Players.de (89 out of 100)

Respekt! Nach dem durchwachsenen, wenn auch zweifellos brauchbaren dritten Teil hat sich Codemasters richtig ins Zeug gelegt und liefert ein fantastisches Rallye-Spiel ab. Steuerung, Fahrphysik und Schadensmodell sind schlichtweg grandios und sorgen für ein rundum gelungenes Fahrvergnügen. Grafisch befindet man sich ebenfalls auf einem hohen Niveau, kann aber nicht ganz mit der Weitsicht in der WRC-Serie mithalten. Auch der Umfang ist im Vergleich zur engsten Konkurrenz eher gering, obwohl man mit den zahlreichen Fahrzeugklassen auf den 48 Strecken lange beschäftigt ist. Vorerst kann sich Colin McRae Rally 04 knapp an WRC 2 vorbei schieben und die Führung im Genre übernehmen. Doch da WRC 3 auch schon in den Startlöchern steht, wird sich zeigen müssen, ob diese Führung auch langfristig Bestand hat. In jedem Fall gibt es derzeit kein anderes Rallye-Spiel, das sich in fahrerischen Belangen einfach so „richtig“ anfühlt.

Jeux Vidéo Magazine (17 out of 20)

Corrigeant les défauts du précédent volet, Colin 04 vous tiendra en haleine grâce à son excellente jouabilité, secondée par nombre d'options et de modes.

PSX Extreme (8.5 out of 10)

At the risk of sounding contradictory, I'll have to say this: Colin McRae Rally 04 is a great game, but ultimately lacks soul.

NTSC-uk (8 out of 10)

From a reviewer’s perspective, Colin ’04 makes for an easy conclusion. In terms of its key elements, there is little to criticise. Despite some peripheral imperfection, this easily ranks as the best rally title currently on the market. Representing what might be the last under McRae’s name, its certainly a worthy and respectable tribute to six years and four titles of continuous evolution, and places the franchise firmly back on the top. Rally fans: miss it at your peril!

Eurogamer.net (UK) (8 out of 10)

Once the undisputed king of the Rally driving genre, Codemasters came in for a fair bit of flak with last year's slightly disappointing Colin McRae Rally 3. Although the core gameplay was still undoubtedly strong enough to please the faithful, some were disappointed about only being able to drive a Ford Focus, and the company found its flagship product desperately wanting in graphical terms, slipping behind Sony's WRC II on the PS2, and being firmly trounced by DICE's more arcade oriented entrant RalliSport Challenge on the Xbox.

Silicon-Fusion.com (8 out of 10)

The Colin McRae series has a unique place in gamers' hearts due to the reason it's one that created a 'nostalgia moment'. To elaborate, a 'nostalgia moment' is a moment in gaming that you remember forever; the first time you played Pac Man, the first fireball you pulled off in Street Fighter II and the first time you saw Mario 64 are all examples. And Colin McRae Rally on the PlayStation will be remembered for having the guts to stand up to Gran Turismo, and impressing on a different level; no one had seen a rally game on that level before. Sega Rally was good as an arcade game, but Colin allowed actual rally tracks to be played with more realistic handling. And when a game has one of those moments it will hold a place in the hearts of all gamers, no matter how long the series goes on. You feel indebted to the game for some reason.

Super Play (Sweden) (8 out of 10)

Colin McRae Rally 04 är ingen revolution på något sätt. En lite svårare styrning och en mycket realistisk kartläsare gör att spelet riktar sig till den hårt arbetande rallyfanatikern som vill ha en riktig utmaning. I övrigt är det så bra som vi har rätt att förvänta oss av ett spel i serien. Varken mer eller mindre.

Factornews (8 out of 10)

Colin McRae 4 s'impose vraisemblablement comme le meilleur jeu de rallye disponible, grâce à des sensations de pilotages simplement fabuleuses. On prend vraiment un pied monstre à avaler des virages plus vicieux les uns que les autres. A mon sens, un des jeux de conduite les plus amusant à prendre en main. Simplement indispensable.

G4 TV: X-Play ( )

Although it's an admirable effort, we don't see this rally racing game winning any new converts in North America. Most gamers just won't know what to make of it. What this title does, it does well. But to introverted Yanks like us, it makes about as much sense as putting mayonnaise on french fries.

Gamer 2.0 (7.7 out of 10)

Although the PC is littered with top-notch first-person shooters, role-playing games and strategy titles, it’s not often you find a truly great racer to play. Colin McRae Rally 4 is one such title, offering a perfect balance between realism-fueled gameplay and high-octane corner careening. In fact, diehard Colin McRae Rally fans and newcomers alike will garner huge enjoyment from this polished, classy racer. Yet, if you already own the other Colin McRae titles, you might be disappointed by the strong sense of deja vu you encounter with Rally 4.

Gameplanet ( )

THE PLAYSTATION 2 HAS three particular strengths when it comes to driving games: USB force feedback steering wheel support and an official product line from Logitech; console link support via the i.Link Firewire and network adaptor connections; and now online play capacity.

Boomtown (7 out of 10)

Sport does funny things to the British people. When an international football tournament is taking place the English, Scottish and Welsh fans all cheer on their respective teams and hate everyone else. But as soon the rally season starts, everyone in the country cheers for the same man. A Scotsman, no less. Things return to normal after a few beers, as everyone hates each other again.