colinmcrae
Latest
Codemasters pulls McRae ads
Following the death of rally car driver Colin McRae last weekend in a helicopter crash, Codemasters has decided to pull advertising for the PS3 version of Colin McRae: DiRT out of respect. Codemasters says that the ads are being stopped "with consideration to and in agreement with McRae's family." The helicopter crash in which McRae died also claimed the life of his five-year-old son.We're curious to see how McRae's death will impact the future of the series. Considering the American version of DiRT didn't really have McRae's name attached to it, it's more of a question about the European versions.
Breaking news: Racer Colin McRae dies in helicopter crash
[Update: Codemasters, publisher of the Colin McRae games, has issued an official statement.]A sad day for fans of racer Colin McRae on Saturday as news broke that he died in a helicopter crash. He was apparently piloting a chopper near his home in Lanarkshire when something went tragically wrong, and according to eyewitnesses it exploded in a fireball. It's not known who else was onboard with him, but some reports say his five year old son may have been aboard as well. McRae's five-year-old son was also killed in the crash.The official Colin McRae website is completely black as a sign of mourning, and our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this tragedy. The last video game bearing his name, Colin McRae: DiRT was released earlier this summer, and sold over 500k copies in its first week of release. Born in Lanark in 1968, McRae was the son of five-time British Rally Champion, Jimmy McRae. He was the first Briton to be named world champion when he won the event in the mid-1990s and was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his outstanding achievements.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Codemasters says DiRT sold 500,000 in one week
Behold the power of mud! Rally racer DiRT has sold globally 500,000 copies in its first week of release, according to Codemasters. The publisher cites statistics from web site VG Chartz that the Colin McRae-less US version was number one on the Xbox 360 charts, a move that is sure to get the NPD a little hot and bothered.Speaking with Joystiq, VG Chartz president Brett Walton said that the 500,000 shipment figure "is likely to be a shipment figure" (i.e. Codemasters has sold 500,000 to the retailers, not necessarily to the consumer). Walton said that the sales were 110,000 in the US (70,000 for Xbox 360 and 40,000 on the PC) and around 150,000 total in Europe.
Sega Rally skids onto PSP this September
We never really understood what a "garally" was or why we had to say it, but our love for rapidly moving metal objects needs no explanation. Joining the previously announced PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 version on store shelves this September, Sega Rally for the PSP is described by Sega as a provider of "everything its predecessors laid out when defining the rally genre; amazing visuals, superb handling and closely fought competitive racing." And as any rally fan will tell you, the real competition comes in the form of dirt, dust and remorseless trees.In terms of human competition, the game will feature an infrastructure multiplayer mode along with Wi-Fi support. And for those worrying that Sega Rally might be a shoehorned PlayStation Port-able game, Sega assures us that it's been developed from scratch by Flatout's Bugbear Entertainment. Garally![Via PSP Fanboy]
European PSN releases for June 8th
Those of you who enjoy your beat-em-ups will no doubt be pleased with the recent European PSN update. As well as a couple of trailers for upcoming PS3 games, Sony gave us Mortal Kombat 2. The full release list is as follows. Mortal Kombat 2 (£1.99) Colin McRae: DiRT trailer (free) Ninja Gaiden Sigma trailer (free) Isn't it is nice to finally get some playable content with a name that doesn't start with "Go!"? MK2 is a worthwhile purchase, especially considering the low price. We reviewed it in May (back when the Americans got it), giving it a score of nothing-to-write-home-about out of ten. Things can only get better for the PSN though, with upcoming releases of Calling All Cars and Super Stardust HD. Will removing the spines of our friends over the internet keep us occupied until then? We hope so.
DIRT demo tracks mud onto nice, clean marketplace
Rally fans rejoice, for the Colin McRae: DIRT demo has finally arrived on Marketplace. If you prefer your racing a little muddier than, say, Forza 2, then DIRT is just the thing for you. If the footage we've seen of the game is anything to go by, then DIRT looks to be a stellar title. Why not download the 770MB demo and find out for yourself? Have any fanboys out there taken this filthy racing sim for a test drive yet? What do you think?
Colin McRae: DiRT demo is positively filthy
Maybe you liked that Forza 2 demo, but it just left you feeling a bit clean. Maybe you long to break the cement shackles and cruise the natural roads that God made for you. Or, maybe you just want to kill a few minutes. The new Xbox Live demo for Colin McRae: DIRT doesn't care, it's chill like that. Unless, of course, you live in Mexico or Asia. In that case, you're out of luck.We haven't played through it yet (our severe obsessive-compulsive disorder would force us to stop every 30 feet to use our economy-sized Windex and paper towels) but we're looking forward to hearing what you think. Just, you know, wipe your feet first.
Colin McRae DiRT screenshots are DiRRRTy
Yes, yes, the screenshots you are seeing are indeed from the PC version of the upcoming off-road title Colin McRae: DiRT, but that does not change the fact they're probably the same on the PS3 and the 360. What else can we say? It seems like a fun, rally car racing dirty adventure through the badlands of Nowheresville.Games with cars are fun, but... how many of these will we see this year? We're not hating on any particular racing/driving game, but they seem to clog up new consoles like nobody's business! Maybe it's just the PS3, and that's fine, but it makes us bring up the inevitable comparison: where does your racing game loyalty lie? Are you a driving sim person, a la Gran Turismo, or are you a crazy off-road maniac and enjoy your life with a splash of mud like in MotorStorm? Street racing may be your bag, too, with all those Need for Speed titles out there. What's your poison?
New (dirty) SEGA Rally Revo screens
SEGA has finally lifted the veil on it's latest Rally installment SEGA Rally Revo by showing of a few in game screenshots. It looks good, it looks dirty, and looks heavy on the motion blur effects, but we're not sure how much more we're supposed to get from these screens. SEGA promises to re-energize the Rally franchise with dynamically breakable obstacles, bumper to bumper action, and a flurry of two and four wheel vehicles. Can it compete with Colin McRae: DIRT? We'll just have to wait and see this fall when SEGA's Rally Revo makes its dirty debut on the 360.
Colin McRae consumes DIRT in June
Of course, North American rally fans will want to read that as "DIRT consumes Colin McRae in June." Eurogamer reports that the Scottish speedster's first outing on those newfangled Xbox 360 and PS3 devices is currently slated for a June arrival. A Codemasters spokesperson relays that "everything's on track", though it would be wise to remember that in this sport, everything doesn't always stay that way. Regardless, Colin McRae: DIRT, or DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road as it's vaguely known in the US, remains highly anticipated by those that prefer to race against an insidiously ticking clock as opposed to some playboy in a Ferrari.On a related note, we expect it was that very same playboy that said "no" (or "nay", if he's especially pretentious) to any chance of a Rallisport Challenge 3.
