This is one game you'll want to get if you're into rally racing.
The most striking thing about CMR05 is how fun it is to play it. You can engage in the Career mode, which takes you through a series of events that once bested, will unlock cars and upgrades. Then there's the Championship mode where you get to be Colin McRae himself and race for the crown of World Rally Champion. There are also other two modes: Challenge and Multiplayer. The first is like a quick race mode while the second one allows you to play a split-screen game or race online against other people.
I didn't count how many cars there are but I'd say around 30. If you occasionally watch the WRC you will recognize most of these cars: the Citroen Xsara, the Subaru Impreza or Ford Focus. Of course, there are many other vehicles, some belonging to a different era of rally racing, like the Ford Escort or the legendary Audi Sport Quattro. There are also a number of performance parts to unlock for each car, giving the game a bit more depth.
But the thing that adds the most depth (and where CMR05 shines) lies in the game's impressive driving mechanics, which feels quite realistic. And unlike many other racing games, CMR05 has an outstanding damage system that looks and feels right. Also, things like tire choice or suspension setup have a dramatic impact on your racing time, so it's important to pay attention to these details. This might sound intimidating for rookies but it's actually pretty simple: you consult the race info section (where you are briefed about weather and surface conditions) and then simply make a choice based on what you've just learned. Simple yet effective. Few racing games make driving so intense and entertaining without sacrificing realism.
The graphics are another thing about CMR05 that will surely impress. The game simply looks amazing, the cars are detailed (their windows shatter on impact, the bodywork bends and gets dirty etc.) and the environments are beautiful, you even have stuff like time of day, weather conditions, and great particle effects. But it gets better: the hardware requirements are low, enabling this game to run smoothly even on low end PCs. I played this on a 5 year old Athlon XP CPU and it could run this baby at 1024x768 and medium to high detail without even breaking a sweat. And you'll easily be able to max it out on any computer even remotely new. CMR05 is also very polished, I haven't had problems with the game, no bugs or glitches, and no crashes. It seems CMR05's developers aren't called Codemasters for nothing.
The other aspects of the game are also very solid. The sound is good, and of course, Nikki Grist's voice is still there to guide you through the various races. It's nice to hear him in this edition too, his info during races is invaluable and very accurate. The only complaint here would be that the Multiplayer mode is a bit lacking. But I like how you can play Split Screen, something many PC games have forgotten.
Overall, this is one of those games you'll want to get if you're into rally racing. And even if you aren't, CMR05 is easy to get into, so try it regardless of gaming tastes.