Colin McRae Rally 3

 Xbox
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 17
  3. Negative: 3 out of 17
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  1. MichaelS.
    Feb 10, 2003
    9
    Dude. We're getting cmr3.
  2. SidStrange
    Feb 21, 2003
    7
    Good realistic game, bit boring though. Had major slowdowns when playing 2 player split screen, specially in Greece seems like the rendering process is in trouble, when you skid round the corners the dust etc seems to overload the processor, as are the super spec stages - maybe same dude programmed them? Wish we were both on the screen but sounds like I need RSC if you really want fun.
  3. JanO.
    Apr 18, 2003
    8
    I pretty like the game but unfortunatly the tracks are not wrc tracks also another disadvantage is that you can only choose ford focus during championship and it is not fare that ford is the best car in the game .The graphics kick ass and gamplay to...
  4. ShogunSTi
    Feb 15, 2003
    10
    Staffan K. is clueless and knows nothing about the sport of rally racing. Staffan K., go watch Fast and the Furious another 500 times, and enjoy yourself. To everyone else, Colin McRae 3 is the closest and by far most articulately recreated rally racing experience EVER.
  5. PaulR.
    Mar 1, 2003
    9
    CM3 is a realistic depiction of rally racing. It gives the look and more importantly the feel of an up and coming sport in the US. The car models are GT3 with realtime damage and in-car models. FINALLY A GAME WITH IN-CAR VIEW! That is one gripe I had with GT3 and Rallisport Challenge. If you don't like "timetrial" racing meaning racing by yourself against the clock, (which is what CM3 is a realistic depiction of rally racing. It gives the look and more importantly the feel of an up and coming sport in the US. The car models are GT3 with realtime damage and in-car models. FINALLY A GAME WITH IN-CAR VIEW! That is one gripe I had with GT3 and Rallisport Challenge. If you don't like "timetrial" racing meaning racing by yourself against the clock, (which is what rally racing is all about) then you may not like this game. However if you want a realistic racing game that looks and feels like it should...then get this game. Score: 9.5/10 The only reason it isn't a perfect 10 is because a few more game modes would have been nice.… Expand
  6. JugsterJam
    May 13, 2003
    4
    Welcome to the age of powerfull hardware. Colin Mcrae is not there yet. Junk and Jaggie is all you get. If you want to sell the game better add couple more weeks to develop a game with better graphics. We all have to wait for PS3 to come out so the xbox hardware can be used to the max.
  7. AndrewW.
    Aug 12, 2003
    7
    Staffan K... driving a rally car is not at all like driving a real car... it is not just more powerful or whatever you said... that's like saying four wheel is like driving rear wheel... get your facts right before you criticize a game for being too hard because its too real.
  8. StaffanK.
    Dec 14, 2002
    4
    This must be the most overhyped game on the Xbox since... I don't know. I wish the reason for me not being very impressed by this game could be blamed on expectations set too high. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as I would've been quite happy if it were only as good as the other major rally game on the Xbox: Ralli Sport Challenge (RSC). RSC is not perfect, but I'm This must be the most overhyped game on the Xbox since... I don't know. I wish the reason for me not being very impressed by this game could be blamed on expectations set too high. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as I would've been quite happy if it were only as good as the other major rally game on the Xbox: Ralli Sport Challenge (RSC). RSC is not perfect, but I'm sorry to say that Colin McRae 3 is even less perfect. I've never driven a real rally car, but I assume that it must at least resemble driving a regular car (only much more intense). This is were Colin McRae 3 fails. The main problem with Colin McRae 3 is that the driving experience simply does not feel right. The feeling you get is like driving a tank on soap, even when on tarmac. The car does not track - when you turn, the car rotates around its center axis, rather than follow the track of the front wheels. The result is that the car always seem to glide its way round the track rather than roll on its wheels - this looks real silly. Despite the car always seem to be gliding on a layer of slippery soap, it is surprisingly easy to stay on the track. It's almost like there is a magic force that prevents the car from sliding too much. If, however, you still happen to slide into the ditch, chances are that you wont get much farther away from the track than that, since most tracks are lined with (sometimes invisible) "barriers" that you can't pass. You are pretty much forced to drive on the road, and on the road only. There are very few places where you can drive outside of the road to e.g. find nice jumps to run over ;-) Speaking of jumps, the car doesn't seem to be very keen on jumping. It must be this mysterious force again that keeps the car down (well, it jumps, but not very much). This may be realistic, but it is boring. Since much of the fun (in my opinion) with racing games is to drive around finding cool ways to crash the car, the inability to get off the road and making high jumps feels very limiting indeed. When it comes to damaging the car however, this is the area where Colin McRae 3 shines. Since the car is modelled with very high detail; when you crash things fall off realistically. You can see the motor under the hood, doors open, etc. The only problem is that the game doesn't offer many opportunities to see this. There are only three views available (from behind, from inside and from the hood) while in game, and you have no control of the camera during replays. If you do something cool, chances are good the camera misses that completely. There are many more issues that help spoil the fun, for example: you hardly ever see any other cars in the game. All tracks are single player only, except the last "super special track" that end each game event. But even then, the two competing cars run on different tracks that runs in parallel. You never get the chance to bump into any other car; which may be realistic, but boring. Even when you and your friend play split screen, you will _not_ see each others cars! It's like, even if two players play the same track at the same time on the same screen, the cars are not there at the same time! This totally ruins all the fun with playing multiplayer. My advice to people looking for a racing game like Colin McRae for the Xbox is: Make sure you check out the competition (i.e. Rallisport Challenge) before buying Colin McRae 3. Most likely, you will end up with RSC rather than Colin McRae simply because RSC is _fun_ to play, and Colin McRae 3 is _boring_. +Realistic damage modelling -Car does not behave realistically.… Expand
  9. DanF.
    Mar 17, 2003
    2
    You cant play as any other car but the focus, also not a wide range of cars.
  10. JoeM.
    Apr 28, 2003
    9
    This game is completely absorbing if you're really, truly after a rally simulation. If you're after the fun of running a bunch of different cars, this ain't your game. Same if you're after the coolest graphics and replays (not that these are bad). But if you're really into the driving feel and the challenge of driving like a madman through country settings, then This game is completely absorbing if you're really, truly after a rally simulation. If you're after the fun of running a bunch of different cars, this ain't your game. Same if you're after the coolest graphics and replays (not that these are bad). But if you're really into the driving feel and the challenge of driving like a madman through country settings, then there is simply no better game, and I've played 'em all extensively.… Expand
  11. PunisherTeam
    Sep 1, 2023
    10
    One of the best rally games of the time. The graphics, fluidity and gameplay made PS2 and even PS3 games cry. For me, the best Colin McRae and the best version.

Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Best Xbox Game of 2003
69
#69 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Sports Gaming Network
    76
    CM3 has only a fraction of the features of "CM2" and fails to add significant upgrades. While the sound, driving, and stages are excellent, the game ultimately comes up short.
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  2. Xequted
    76
    Bad points aside, if you are looking for one of the most realistic racing games available.
    Read full review
  3. GamePro
    90
    As always with the McRae series, the sublime handling of your car is what makes this game so appealing.
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