Colin McRae Rally 3 service areas update

Codemasters has released the first information regarding the way in which players will be able to set up their rally cars in between stages in Colin McRae Rally 3, its forthcoming rally driving sequel.

Codemasters' goal with the latest game in the Colin McRae series has always been to make players feel like they're assuming the role of the man himself rather than his Ford Focus vehicle. It was been revealed today that one of the ways in which the development team is looking to achieve this is by allowing players to actually visit the Ford Rallye Sport service area before each rally begins and in between the individual stages.

"We want the game to give the player a real sense of being McRae and being part of an international rally team," said Guy Wilday, head of studio and producer of the McRae games a Codemasters. "Colin McRae Rally 3 is more than the 'start stage, race car, end stage' construction of its previous incarnations. So the rally driving is mixed with these sequences to provide the flow of a rally and create the long-term tension of the almost yearlong season."

The sequences that Wilday is referring to will include visits to the service area, during which players can ask their engineers to make changes and repairs to the car; pre- and postrace sequences such as interviews; or even the codriver finding time for a quick cup of tea. Areas of the car that can be worked on according to the player's setup preferences include the engine, the chassis, and the suspension.

Colin McRae Rally 3 for the PS2 and PS2 is scheduled for release in North America on November 19 and in Europe on October 11. A PS2 version of the game will follow in 2003, while the PS2 version announced at E3 earlier this year doesn't appear on Codemasters' release schedule at this time.