14-Mar-2007
Preview: Colin's latest stuns us with shocking realism
We'd seen the impressive screenshots for Colin McRae: Dirt but we were totally unprepared for the actual visual treat Codemasters has put together with the sixth instalment in their rally series.
Seriously, those
shockingly realistic screenshots are absolutely true to the in-game graphics.
When you drive on the grass you can see it bend as it folds down underneath your car. Look behind you and you'll see the grass remain compressed as you drive away. It's not that there's never been nice grass in games before, it's the sheer amount of it that's impressive. The grass is so thick it forms a gorgeous furry texture that covers the banks.
Compare this to the usual flat green texture with the odd stick off solid grass you see in other racers - PGR 3 and Gran Turismo HD included - and you can see why this is special.
The lighting is equally as astonishing. You'll pass under trees to see the shadows of individual leaves cast onto your motor as the beams of light sneaks through the gaps in the overhead vegetation. And this is topped off by some really nice depth of field (or focus blur) - giving the distant scenery a slight haze while the ultra-realistic cars stay as pin-sharp as you like.
We were blown away by the
damage model as well,
not just on the cars but on the scenery, too . If you slam into a metal lamp post it's not solid as a rock, like some games, nor is it flimsy like a papier mache pole.
Your car hits it with a solid impact as it realistically bends. You can drive on but your car will be in bad shape, and don't expect to keep your front bumper.
We were even more impressed when
we managed to bend one of those metal barriers that line the road - which are usually rock solid too.
As we tried to recover back onto the road the front corner of our car got stuck on one end of the barrier, and with the accelerator held firmly down we slowly
bent the metal into the road before freeing up our bumper and hobbling the remainder of our smashed car along the course.
This is going to be one hell of a rally game.
, i've 256kbps speed & i dont want to d/l the game, coz it'll take more than a day for it to d/l
(best rally game -> RBR)
