Colin McRae Rally 04 update

Codemasters has today released new information on Colin McRae Rally 04, which is currently in development for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The game will feature more than 20 rally cars, eight different gameplay modes, eight international rally locations, variable damage settings, and an all-new handling system that does away with the steering aid that made the cars in previous McRae Rally games appear to move around a central pivot point rather than handle realistically.

"It's all in the detail; the team has enhanced the already-powerful physics engine to make each car handle even more realistically and instinctively," said Gary Dunn, Codemasters' director of development. "Cars are modeled heavier and have more attributes added to the engine. From Colin McRae Rally 3, we've also increased the number of terrain surface types from 20 to 34, and tire types from 10 to 19, to ensure the handling on different surfaces and weather conditions is more accurate than ever before."

It's been announced today that Colin McRae Rally 04 will ship in Europe earlier than expected, toward the end of September, although it appears that the November release date for North America is still accurate. For more information on Colin McRae Rally 04, check out our previous coverage of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game.