"You want the truth? You can't handle the truth !"
Having owned all of these excellent games, I decided to give Colin McRae 2005 a try, and I could not be happier with my decision. This is a must have game if you are a racing fan.
What makes Colin McRae 2005 different in comparison to RalliSport Challenge 2 is the challenge of the game itself. If you are a racing fan that seems to beat other racing games rather quickly, or simply want a game that challenges you to the utmost, look no further than Colin 2005. This is a very deep and enjoyable game.
With Colin 2005 you have an enormous array of vehicles and a multitude of tracks to compete on. There literally is never a dull moment with this game. The gameplay itself is vastly superior to other rally racing games that I have played due to it's realistic physics, realistic car handling, and the grueling challenge of the tracks themselves.
You really get a sense that the vehicles have a "weight" to them in Colin 2005, and that every little pre-race tweak that you make to your car has a profound difference to it's handling.
The game is very challenging, but it does not cheat like so many other racing games do. br />
The graphics are excellent, with real-time shadows and lighting. Swaying grass, realistic trees, and fantastic car models. The cut out two-dimensional bystanders look a bit lame, but other than that, the game really shines graphically.
As I mentioned, this game can and will challenge you, but unlike many other racing games, skill greatly affects the outcome of every race. Learning how to play this game is a blast, not a chore.
Since I have both the 2005 and 2004 versions of this game I will address some differences in them.
As previously mentioned, Colin 2005 uses real-time shadows and lighting, whereas 2004 does not. Both games have excellent graphics overall. Colin '04 will tend to look a bit darker due to the lack of real-time lighting. The sounds in '05 are a bit more muted than the '04 version, especially in the chase camera view. This can be taken as both good and bad, since the '04 sounds were a bit overstated in my opinion, but did add even more sense of speed to the game. Fortunately you can always go adjust the sound level to suit your personal taste, so this really isn't an issue.
One difference that I actually like better in Colin '04 is the lack of the focus blur feature that is present in the '05 version. Colin '05 uses the focus blur to give a better sense of speed, but in the end, I feel it actually detracts a bit from the game by making the graphics a bit less detailed (especially during replays).
Handling in Colin '05 feels different than '04 due to an added simulation aspect of the gameplay, and without a doubt, this added handling realism makes Colin 2005 a harder game than it's '04 predecessor.
If you are having a hard time trying to decide between the different versions, there are a few things that may aid in the decision making process.
Colin '04 is currently supported by Microsoft as an Xbox 360 backwards compatible game, whereas Colin 2005 is not. Playing Colin '04 on the 360 is simply amazing. All the jaggies are gone due to the anti-aliasing features of the more powerful Xbox 360 hardware. You almost get a sense that it is an Xbox 360 title graphically. As mentioned, Colin '04 is a bit easier to get into due because it is a bit more forgiving than '05. Colin '04 can also be had for free if you buy the Toca 2 bundle pack (Toca is also very nice), which can easily be found for around $12.
Either way, you can't go wrong with Colin '04 or '05, If you are a racing fan, and want a real challenge, don't hesitate to pick up one of these games.