McRae DIRT in June

By Robert Purchese Published 24 January, 2007

Codemasters says so.

Codemasters is planning to launch Colin McRae: DIRT simultaneously on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in June, the publisher told Eurogamer this morning.

"At the moment the guys in the studio are working towards June, more likely to be the end of June I'd imagine," said a Codemasters spokesperson.

"As far as we're concerned internally, everything's on track."

It will be the first next-gen rally outing for the publisher, who is eager to impress us with heaps of sparkly high-definition mud.

The game will have the usual boot-full of point-to-point races and plenty of off-road excursions, as well as new Rally Cross events. You'll be able to hop behind the wheels of 2WD, 4WD, Classic and RWD vehicles, drive carelessly, and make a right old mess.

DIRT's got a flashy new damage engine too, multiplayer support and European, International and Global rally championships. It's enough to get our engines purring.

While you're waiting for the June release, you can gander at the screenshots elsewhere on the site.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • mkreku #1 5 years ago

    I love how they call renders "screenshots"..

    I could bet a lot of money on the actual game not looking like that when it hits the market.

  • Steroyd #2 5 years ago

    WRC FTW \o/

    ...wait a minute...

    ...oh... :'(

  • in5ane #3 5 years ago

    Damn, this'll be the first game I have to consciously decide whether to get it on PS3 or the 360... Is Live really worth it... Kinda takes me back to the days where most games where neck and neck on the SNES and Megadrive, and I'd pour through Mean Machines and Gamemaster to see which version scored ever-so-slightly better.

    Looking forward to the game whatever the format however, I've had a rally itch no game since Rallisport 2 has managed to scratch, and that game isn't backwards compatible :(

  • bivith #4 5 years ago

    "I love how they call renders "screenshots"..

    I could bet a lot of money on the actual game not looking like that when it hits the market. "

    I'll bet it does. The screenshots look feasible enough.

  • mkreku #5 5 years ago

    For me Colin McRae Rally 2.0 was the highlight of the series. Well, that's the one I had the most fun with. Of course, I never tried the first one. I do own every one of them since then though. I must say that I think the last incarnations have been too.. simulation-like, if you will. I'm not so interested in having to keep one wheel pair in the ditch just because real race drivers do that, I'm more in it for the fun factor, the cars and the multiplayer.

  • Zomoniac #6 5 years ago

    Damn, this'll be the first game I have to consciously decide whether to get it on PS3 or the 360... Is Live really worth it... Kinda takes me back to the days where most games where neck and neck on the SNES and Megadrive, and I'd pour through Mean Machines and Gamemaster to see which version scored ever-so-slightly better.

    The graphical differences will be marginal at best, and if anything will weight slightly in favour of 360, so basically it comes down to would you rather have online play, rumble, achievements and custom soundtracks or an optional out-of-place tilt control system?

  • Nige #7 5 years ago

    I'm so excited, a small fart came out.

  • IAmBatman #8 5 years ago

    Are those the screenshots that one of the artists got fired over admitting were photoshop mockups?

  • mkreku #9 5 years ago

    Zomoniac: The graphical differences will be marginal at best, and if anything will weight slightly in favour of 360, so basically it comes down to would you rather have online play, rumble, achievements and custom soundtracks or an optional out-of-place tilt control system?

    The Playstation3 version might also have free online multiplayer..

    Why wouldn't the Playstation 3 version be able to have custom soundtracks too by the way..? It has a hard drive.

  • andromeda #10 5 years ago

    gfx aside,

    the first Colin Mcrae still remains the best in the series..best jumps and always made a decent wallop sound when you landed, which the next installments seemed to occasionally cockup. Played it more than GT back in the day. I hope this can conjur up some of that old magic

  • Zomoniac #11 5 years ago

    The Playstation3 version might also have free online multiplayer..

    It might. But do you really want to have to add all your friends again for one game?

    Why wouldn't the Playstation 3 version be able to have custom soundtracks too by the way..? It has a hard drive.

    Well to the best of my knowledge none of the games so far support it. It's not an integrated system feature, and nobody so far seems to be willing to go out of their way on PS3 to add features that aren't strictly necessary, whereas with 360 it's a requirement.

  • haowan #12 5 years ago

    IAmBatman: He claimed they were Max renders, not PS mockups. And it is still only rumour that the reason he was let go because of saying that, he doesn't know for certain himself, he only thought so at first.

  • rotj #13 5 years ago

    "The Playstation3 version might also have free online multiplayer..

    Why wouldn't the Playstation 3 version be able to have custom soundtracks too by the way..? It has a hard drive."

    You're such a fanboy mrekru, do you know that? How does the PS3's free online multiplayer make a difference as to which version you buy? I imagine he's either a Gold member, or he's not. It isn't pay-to-play on Xbox Live. It's an all-encompassing subscripton-based service. So if he's already on Gold, then the PS3's free online is in no way a selling point for the game in question. The console itself, maybe. But for individual games? No.

  • rotj #14 5 years ago

    And besides, assuming he is already, or plans to be a Gold Live subscriber, then there is really no choice in the matter, given a desire to play the game online. For online functionality and features, Live shits all over the PlayStation Network. Anyone that would willfully take a PS3 game over its Xbox 360 counterpart, with a view to playing said game online, is barking. Unless of course they don't wish to subscribe to Gold, full stop.

  • aldo_14 #15 5 years ago

    I'm eternally glad not to own a Ps3 or 360, going by some of the inane bickering by certain people in this (and other) thread..... I'd hate to be grouped by association.

  • mkreku #16 5 years ago

    I am boycotting the Playstation 3 (and telling everyone else to do the same) because of the price and the late arrival in Europe. I guess that makes me a Sony fanboy.

    I own an Xbox 360 with a Live Gold account (which I hate, I feel ripped off) and Gears of War (which was a major disappointment) and am eagerly awaiting Bioshock and Mass Effect (and Alan Wake in a distant future). I guess that makes me a Sony fanboy.

    Just because I hate the bandwagon of Sony haters doesn't mean I like Sony myself (except their Bravia TV's). I think the Wii is a stupid one-trick pony, Microsoft are greedy ($140 for a 5400RPM 20 GB hard drive?!) and short-sighted and Sony are bumming us up the arse. Wii might be fun, the Xbox 360 has the best games (upcoming at least) and the Playstation 3 has the most intriguing technology. Credit where credit is due and all that.

  • in5ane #17 5 years ago

    I didn't mean to start anything- I see having the choice as a good thing!

    I am a Live gold member, but increasingly find online a waste of time. At the grand old age of 26, with associated fiancé, job and mortgage etcetera, I don't have the time to dedicate to being very good online, and don't want to have a bunch of immature twats scream in my left ear.

    However, I forgot about achievements! Those little pop-ups might just swing it.

  • Nige #18 5 years ago

    >and Sony are bumming us up the arse.


    How does that work then?

    :)

  • paulf #19 5 years ago

    "As far as we're concerned internally, everything's on track."

    i thought this was an off road racer ...

    /gets coat

  • thinktank #20 5 years ago

    bring back the rallisport games, nothing else compares.

  • UncleLou #21 5 years ago

    I see only 2 fanboys in this thread, and mkreku isn't one of them.

  • Feanor #22 5 years ago

    Name names! '_'

  • SomaticSense #23 5 years ago

    Forget your Forza 2's and GT5's and whatnots, THIS is the racing game I'm looking forward to most. The potential for a truly next-gen CMR is immense.

    And sod off to all the cries for less simulation and more arcade. If you want those then wait for the next fucking Rallisport game.
    The things these games have done best is blend that arcade pick-up-and-play feel with occasional sim-like sensibilities. If anything, now that it has entered the next-gen, there should be more minor sim aspects. Like a realistic stage setup for once (16 to 20 odd stages for each rally, including repeats and reverse runs), much longer stages (a mixture of quick 5 minute runs and long 15 minute treks, like in the WRC), and more countries.

    EDIT: After all these years there still hasn't been a truly dedicated rally game. There has been countless F1 games, TOCA game, and a couple of Le Man games, and an FIA GT game in GTR. There is even a WTCC game (Race) from the same makers of the aforementioned GTR, and the WTCC is a brand new championship. Rally motorsport has been around much longer and still hasn't had a truly dedicated and top quality rally game (the crap PS2 WRC games don't count......).
    Codemasters, I hope you are listening!!! You don't have to have a WRC licence to make it work!!
    Edited by 1 at 24/01/07 @ 15:40

  • Steroyd #24 5 years ago

    @Kato

    ....OI!! \o?

  • ruckus #25 5 years ago

    @SomaticSense
    I take it your not including pc games such as Rally Championship, Rally Masters and Rally Trophy then?

  • djchump #26 5 years ago

    heh - spot the TCE readers in here ;-)

  • SomaticSense #27 5 years ago

    @SomaticSense
    I take it your not including pc games such as Rally Championship, Rally Masters and Rally Trophy then?

    I'm not a PC gamer due to my comp being shit and all, so I don't really keep track of the games on the 'ol beige box anymore.

    But it would be nice to have a properly realised CMR rally game on a console. The same or similar driving mechanics to the previous CMR, but with more of a realistic and involving structure. The games are always ace regardless, but they could go so much further with the series without needlessly cramming all the other extra off-road stuff.
    Edited by 1 at 24/01/07 @ 18:43

  • Rambaldi #28 5 years ago

    Yes but where is Rallisport 3?

  • bystander #29 5 years ago

    The Neon engine in this game was built in collaboration with Sony interestingly enough.

  • freedumb #30 5 years ago

    I hope this game brings a (Mc)ray of sunshine into my living room when I eventually get it. The problem is with the price of the PS£, my bank balance will we seriously dented. I hope it doesn't HIRT.

    /gets coat

    Maybe I don't need ot worry about it for now, while I'm still in Collinge.

    /dies
    Edited by 1 at 24/01/07 @ 23:49

  • SomaticSense #31 5 years ago

    If you are that bothered about the price of the PS3, then the answer is simple...... don't get one.

    Besides, this isn't a PS3 exclusive you know, and the PS3 isn't the only console out there.