McRae hits iPad

The world’s most popular rally game, Colin McRae Rally has hit the iPad. Just released, Codemasters has brought to the iOS device family, the teal coloured, sparse menu system and the time honoured rally game play that the late great Colin McRae put his name to for many years on PC and gaming consoles of all brands.  

Bucking the free-to-play trend that can end up costing big dollars, Colin McRae Rally on the iPad sets you back an up-front $5.50, but delivers a satisfactory chunk of rallying goodness on the go.

Six rally series over three countries (Australia, Greece and Corsica) with a choice of four cars, (Ford Focus, Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI and the Lancia Stratos) seems somewhat lean to begin with, but each rally series consists of a number of stages with repair sections between some stages. Championship modes mix up the rally stages including an expert series.

Terrain is somewhat varied with tarmac mixing with gravel and mud, unfortunately there are really no car set up options apart from ensuring the repairs made will eke out the best performance on the road ahead.

The game offers different views and control options depending on your preference, primarily onscreen touch or tilt based steering, and a chase or bonnet based camera. Then it is on to the start line of the stage. Along with the accelerator and brake controls, there is a hand-brake option for those tight turns and hairpins. All of these controls can be position on screen wherever you like.

Graphically, the game is pretty old school, the textures are rather flat, but there is enough detail to provide a rally experience that is pretty amazing given the platform. The sky boxes look a treat and the shadow effects add some extra punch.

Audio wise, the cars sound tinny through the main speaker, but somewhat fuller with headphones. There are plenty of ambient noises from the terrain and the mostly unseen fans beside the course.

Your navigator will take you over crests and jumps, warn you about rocks and tight bridges and generally get you to the finish line without too much confusion.

Don’t expect state-of-the-art particle or dust effects, nor ghost cars showing your friends times -- this is a sparse strictly single player experience that should not be taken too seriously. However, it is nice to see the damage affects and mud pile up on your car. And tilting the iPad is not the same as precisely steering through a course with a force-feed-back wheel, so don’t get too hung up on exacting the best possible time, perfectly each time.  

In general, the full price up front Is my preferred method of gaming on the go. It is therefore hard to argue about the value proposition of this classic game you can take on the road for a little more than the cost of a coffee.