Rally Fusion sings like a Canary

The world isn't exactly short of rally sims at the moment, with the excellent Rallisport Challenge already out on the Xbox and coming to the PC in the next few months, and the much anticipated Colin McRae Rally 3 expected on most platforms before the end of the year as well. Then there's GTC Africa, Rally Championship, Rally Trophy, V Rally 3... And now you can add another title to that lengthy list - Rally Fusion : Race Of Champions. Developed by Climax, the brains behind the excellent Xbox motorbike racing game Moto GP, Rally Fusion is based around the eponymous Michelin Race Of Champions, which takes place in the Canary Islands of all places. Included in the game will be over twenty tracks spread across nine settings, with the usual championship and quick race options, and a mixture of hill climb, rally stages and circuit races to take in. Also on offer are twenty fully licensed vehicles to drive, and the latest batch of screenshots to issue forth from Activision even shows some bizarre looking buggies along with the more traditional Peugots, Fords and Toyotas. Climax's development director Nick Baynes is promising that their latest effort will "raise the bar" when it is released in October on GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox, with "all action gameplay and stunning visuals" apparently on the cards. With such a crowded field of competitors it's going to have to be something special to stand out, but if it's half as good as Moto GP Climax should be on to another winner. Related Feature - Rally Fusion screenshots (PS2)