La Codemasters ha confermato ufficialmente l'uscita di Colin McRae Rally 4 anche per PC: il gioco sarà disponibile a partire dal mese di Marzo 2004. Anche il suo "avversario", Richard Burns Rally della SCi uscirà nello stesso mese... Trovate qui sotto la press release completa ed i primi screenshots della versione PC:

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Colin McRae Rally 04, the defining moment for rally gaming and already a massive console success, is coming to PC in March 2004 complete with exhilarating LAN and online racing.

For Colin McRae Rally 04, the gear grinding action is more intense than ever as the series' superb car handling combines with new championships, custom rallies, new single and multiplayer gaming modes, and unique car part testing challenges to win advanced technology for your car.

On PC, the game is enhanced with all-new online and LAN options enabling up to 8 players to compete simultaneously through Championship or Stage races in co-operative or competitive team challenges.

In Colin McRae Rally 04 it's the player in control - choose from over 20 rally cars and which championships to compete in. Game modes include 4-wheel drive and 2-wheel drive Championships (both with normal or advanced skill levels), Rallies, Stages, a Group B Championship featuring classic powerful rally cars and, for the professional, an Expert Championship, which demands the best performance from the most die-hard rally fan.

Universally acclaimed for having the best car handling physics engine in any racing game series, Colin McRae Rally 04 takes the already sublime handling model and improves it further. Previously the car handling employed a steering aid, which had the effect of making the car move around a central pivot point. Now the aid's been removed, effectively taking the stabilisers off, providing for a more professional and natural handling experience and you'll notice the difference over the varying terrain Colin McRae Rally 04 features 34 driving surfaces and 19 tyre types!

Colin McRae Rally 04 delivers 8 international rally locations (UK, Sweden, USA, Finland, Australia, Spain, Greece, and Japan), each with 6 rally stages and a shakedown event. Four Super Special stages are also featured. There are over 20 rally cars to be driven, including 4-wheel drive cars Citroen Xsara, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 and Subaru Impreza. 2-wheel drive cars such as the Ford Puma and Fiat Punto are included alongside classic cars. In the Championships, Colin McRae Rally 04 introduces a new element to rally gaming - testing new car parts to provide the team with advantageous technology. Now you have to earn new technology between rally events in a series of individual mini-games. The tests take place in different countries and test centres and each is specifically designed around the technology the player is testing - be it an engine, tyres or a suspension test. Complete a test challenge and a new car part becomes an available option for your car, increasing the chance of success against the competition as the season continues.

Drive like a professional and there's an Expert Championship: take to the toughest stages, locked into in-car view, using manual gears, and contend with the highest, most realistic damage settings possible and the toughest times to beat. Maximising the rally gaming experience that tests both the cars and the player's rallying skills, Colin McRae Rally 04 will be published by Codemasters for PC in March 2004.

COLIN McRAE RALLY 04 KEY POINTS:

* Choose from over 20 rally cars and compete in 8 game modes including 4-wheel drive, 2-wheel drive, Group B and Expert Championships
* Online and LAN multiplayer options enabling up to 8 players to compete simultaneously through Championship or Stage races in co-operative or competitive team challenges (with other players seen as ghost cars)
* New, faster game engine for incredibly detailed terrain visuals, plus enhanced replay cameras and new in-game "bumper cam"
* 8 international rally locations (UK, Sweden, USA, Finland, Australia, Spain, Greece, Japan), 6 rally stages in each, 8 shakedown events, and 4 Superspecial stages. Includes classic tracks from Colin McRae Rally, remodelled for 04
* Part testing challenges - earn new car technology by completing part tests between rallies
* Create your own Custom Rally with favourites stages or themed stages; Full set-up and repair options and detailed pre-race stage briefings
* Normal, advanced and expert damage settings. Plus 'damage cam': see the impact on your car post-race.

Il sito ufficiale della Henrik Roos Motorsport (team del campionato FIA GT) ha annunciato la propria collaborazione con il team SimBin per la realizzazione del prossimo GTR: Ultimate Racing Game:

Henrik Roos is proud to announce an upcoming new feature in the SRW concept for 2004. GTR - The Ultimate Racing Game is being created by SimBin Development Team, a worldwide collective of racing fanatics and with Henrik as the president. The artists tied to SimBin are known for their accuracy and stunning realism in their previous work....

I colleghi di Racesim Central hanno pubblicato una completa recensione del nuovo World Rally Championship 3 per Playstation 2: il titolo della Evolutions Studios viene valutato con un buon 88% come gioco, ma appena un 65% a livello simulativo.

Lets start with the good points. The handbrake is good - very realistic; it actually brings the back of the car around like it should. The front end of the car also understeers like a 4WD should and is encouraging you to bury it into the tree that is waiting patiently at the exit of the bend. The first problem with this area is that you have to hack away at the wheel and pull with all your might on the handbrake to generate a realistic amount of slide in your car, even on slippy surfaces like gravel or snow.

Driver 3 ha ora un nome più simile alla targa delle vetture presenti nel gioco, e un cast di attori professionisti all'interno del personale concentrato sul doppiaggio. Driv3r, com'è ribattezzata la produzione Atari, vedrà Michael Madsen (Le Iene) nel ruolo di Tanner, già protagonista delle uscite PlayStation. Ving Rhames (Con Air) darà voce a Tobias Jones, compagno d'azione di Tanner.

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Michelle Rodriguez (Fast and Furious) sarà Calita, personaggio inedito leader di una gang di ladri d'auto. Infine, Mickey Rourke (C'era una volta in Messico) doppierà Jericho, boss dell'organizzazione criminale combattuta da Tanner e compagni. Potete ammirare le immagini di gioco raccolte nella sezione screenshot. Driv3r arriverà nei negozi la prossima primavera, su Xbox e PlayStation 2, la versione PC dovrebbe seguire a breve distanza.

[Fonte Nextgame]

La divisione europea Sega ha spostato (ancora) in avanti SegaGT Online, annunciato per fine novembre e mai arrivato effettivamente nei negozi. Stando alle notizie circolanti in rete, e i listini di alcuni rivenditori, la versione completa sarà disponibile a inizio febbraio.

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Gli utenti Xbox appassionati del genere racing dovranno rivolgersi a Project Gotham Racing 2, titolo chiaramente più arcade, sperando che l'ultima data (provvisoria) non cambi nuovamente. Fino ai prossimi aggiornamenti, trovate tutte le informazioni su questo simulatore automobilistico nell'anteprima.

[Fonte Nextgame]

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Trentacinque, sedici ed otto. Non sono solo i rispettivi numeri di automobili, circuiti e sfide disponibili, ma anche i numeri che segnano, una volta ottenuti, la fine del gioco. E questo è il maggior problema di Ford Racing 2, ovvero una longevità non eccezionale, ma che alla fine dei conti risulta essere l'unica cosa "budget" oltre al prezzo.

For me, the whole package is what's important, and although I'm essentially a little bored by the rather hollow single-player experience, the online element elevates it way beyond its rivals for now. Hats off to Bizarre for a marvellous technical achievement, slapped wrists for meddling with the already perfect progression system and balancing and tarnishing what would have otherwise been a peerless single player experience and hearty congrats for an excellent online offering. Easily the most important Xbox title this year for online gamers - at last Live has a true killer app. Offline gamers, though, might feel unsatisfied.