Colin McRae to race onto PS3 this year

Racing series Colin McRae, known for its attention to realistic vehicle damage, is heading to the Playstation 3 this fall with Colin McRae: Dirt.

The latest entry in the franchise, which is named after the 25-time tournament champion Scottish race car driver, has a main focus on realistic damage effects.

The game's developer, Codemasters, even has a proprietary physics engine called "Neon" that simulates real world effects of crashes, burnout, and other crazy driving maneuvers.

Colin McRae: Dirt also incorporates the same kind of physics to the racing environments, like walls, tracks, and signposts. All these effects happen dynamically and in real time, according to Codemasters, meaning the track will have different effects on drivers if there have been previous crashes or damage. Codemasters says the game will also support 7.1 channel surround sound on the PS3, a feature widely neglected by most developers for the next-gen system.

Dirt, which is already available on the PC and Xbox 360, will come out for the PS3 this September.