Forget the original Colin McRae: Dirt ever happened. If you have it, snap it in half and whisk it out the window at your neighbour's cat. Dirt 2 is the game the first one should have been - a petrol-fuelled orgy of angry cars, weighty powerslides and lush, detail-filled mud porn.
The original Dirt was a solid game with plenty of cars, events and some pretty nice visuals. For that, it was praised. But if, like this writer, you're a long-time Colin McRae fan, you'd have built up resentment for the game's arcadey approach to what used to be a very serious racing series. Cars lacked weight, you didn't respect speed or corners, and the handling just felt wrong.
Colin McRae: Dirt 2
Official trailer
0:57Gorgeous 'attract' footage just ahead of the game's release
Colin McRae: Dirt 2
Official trailer
0:57Gorgeous 'attract' footage just ahead of the game's release
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Colin McRae: Dirt 2
Official trailer
0:57Gorgeous 'attract' footage just ahead of the game's release
Forward two years and Codemasters has well and truly got its arse into gear. This is a proper rally game. You know that the moment you floor in into the first bend thinking you can make it round and the car just carries its speed, drifting sideways and slamming door-first into a wall. You've got to be skilled - slow that bad boy down and put it into corners properly.
You've got to nurse the throttle and brake as you drift, keeping your nose pointed in the right direction without over-cooking it and letting that tail end get away from you. It's all about managing the weight of your car - these are two-ton chunks of metal blasting over loose gravel and mud, and this time they actually feel like it. Not like weightless balloons that do exactly what you say no matter how wreckless.
Of course, keeping these weightier cars on the course is a far tougher ordeal, but Codemasters' Flashback system helps out with that. Just like in Grid, Flashback allows you to access a short replay of the seconds before a crash or race-wrecking mishap, and re-take that section to try and fix your previous error.
It may be against the ethics of racing purists, but the fact that you can only rewind the action three times per race (or fewer on harder modes) and are restricted to around 10 seconds past means the challenge of getting through a race is retained. The game is far from a push-over and we had to retry races several times on some occasions.
Not to mention the fact that you need to master an incredible variety of driving styles. Just as you get your brain locked into the subtle speed and controllable drifting of a normal rally car, the game throws you into a trailblazer event in a massively beefed-up rally motor with a giant spoiler, and it all goes mental.
Then you're in a big truck on the course with seven other racers in a brutal game of argy-bargy. The trucks tend to slow down too much when you take them sideways, so you end up fighting to keep them going in as straight a line as possible. But it's this challenge that stops them from being boring to drive like they were in the first game.
We love the point-to-point rallies with your co-driver reading out the corners ahead - with the improved handling it really harks back to the original PS1/PS2 McRae days. Only now it looks f-ing incredible, instead of blocky and full of pixels.
The Rally Cross events are sweet, too. They lock you and a bunch of other racers into a short and rather cramped racing circuit for a pre-determined number of laps. The Rally Cross cars are absolute animals - like rally cars but angrier. You jab the accelerator, the engine roars and these things rip the Earth a new equator.
Dirt 2
Official trailer
1:29World tour and massive rock music for the win
Dirt 2
Official trailer
1:29World tour and massive rock music for the win
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They're perfect for the cramped courses of Rally Cross events because they pick up speed on the tiniest of straights. Throwing them around corners while gently threading the throttle is a test of raw skill and discipline. You want to go faster, but holding the accelerator all the way down isn't the way to get it.
The visceral experience you get from these cars, and the rally cars in fact, is almost unparalleled in any other racer. Your tyres feel like they're in contact with the changing surfaces of the ground.
The interior view is intense. Instead of the sedate, stable experience you get in most games, in Dirt 2 the camera jolts around violently with every bump in the course, while your driver's hands swing the wheel around erratically as you make dozens of tiny adjustments on the analogue stick to keep your car on the road.
Water puddles splash into the windscreen with literally astonishing realism (you will say 'wow'), obscuring your view momentarily until the wipers come to your rescue. There's no doubt that it's harder to play in this view, much harder, but you'll do it to prove you have the biggest balls.
But even in the external view, crashes feel severe. The camera shakes and fizzes out like you've clouted your TV. The heavier the shunt the redder and more vision impairing the effect.
The deep crunching sound is spot-on too, as is the resulting damage on your car. The paint scratches, the intricately detailed dents and snapped-off bumpers - it's all there. Seriously, the Gran Turismo 5 boys need to give Codemasters a call because this is where car damage in videogames is at right now.
If you can keep your car away from walls and get across the finish line in first, your victories earn you money and XP. You use money to buy new cars, liveries and upgrade your motors for high-tier races, while your XP increases your driver level, unlocking new locations, races and tournaments as your reputation spreads around the world.
Dirt 2
Official trailer
0:52Actual gameplay movie from E3
Dirt 2
Official trailer
0:52Actual gameplay movie from E3
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It's a nice system, but one that's unfortunately impaired by the game's over-enthusiastic menu presentation. It's all very nice to have full 3D menus disguised as tour busses and racing venues but when you just want to start a bloody race, waiting for the camera to swoop stylishly from your tour booth to your garage where you choose your car can become a little tiresome. Just some plain old menus would have been faster and easier to comprehend.
The relationship system is another one of the game's over complications. The AI characters in the game (including real racers Ken Block and Dave Mirra) have individual temperaments. In theory, AI characters are meant to respond to how you drive, so if you drive fast but clean they become your buddy. Drive like a bastard and smash them off the course during a race and they'll hold a grudge and, in future races, show you the same brutality.
It's an interesting mechanic. But we'll blow our own trumpets in saying we were good enough at the game to overtake other racers and win without having to bounce off them on corners. Being clean drivers, everyone liked us, so it made no difference to our experience of the game.
Want more to think about? You've got 'Missions' to complete too. They're optional challenges, like rolling your car a certain number of times, leaping a certain number of metres or sliding a total distance, to complete during races. Again, you can ignore them, but it's another attraction to an already massive single-player mode.
Take it online and you'll find all of the events and courses unlocked in the single-player game unlocked and ready to play with others online. Although the online modes weren't playable at the time of writing, we had a quick blast of a LAN race at a recent Dirt 2 event in London - a Rally Cross event with three others - and it was utter carnage.
Dirt 2 may continue Codies' idea of diversifying what used to be a pure-breed rally sim, but this time it does it properly. The handling is superb, weighty and satisfying with every last handbrake turn. The crash damage and overall visual detail is of the highest calibre in games today, and there are so many events you'll be busy for hours. Codemasters got it right, this time.
I'm genuinely surprised at this review as I thought the cars in the demo felt unnatural to drive. I just didn't get it, though that could have been because of the limited options.
Also, I hate the rewind feature in these games as it totally ruins any believability. If you can't get around a course without using such a feature, then you are rubbish and need to practice more.
The visuals were not all that great in my opinion and there was some screen tearing in the demo. Has this been eradicated?
Now I am confused because I need a decent racing game and this review makes Dirt 2 sound like the 2nd coming. However, as I said before, I didn't like the demo at all.
Ive heard nothing but complaints about this game but this is the second review that has said the game is very good. Im downloading the demo and if i like it will certainly be buying this.
I might need to pick up the demo again and see if there's a way of turning off all of the assists - I agree it didn't feel any better than the original so I'd written it off, but I didn't do much menu searching.
Still won't touch the NFS series though. Forza next month = sorted
This review confuses me too as i also thought the demo was pretty poor. The handling on the car was exactly like the first one.
I felt the handling in the Baja race in the demo was the same as the original but the rally section felt a hell of a lot better than the first ones. All the cars in the first one felt the same to me and i decided against buying it but i'm really considering getting the sequel after trying the staggered start rally course.
I'd still love to see a Rallisport 3 as the second was the best rally game i'd played since Colin McRae 2 on PS1.
This review confuses me too as i also thought the demo was pretty poor. The handling on the car was exactly like the first one.
I felt the handling in the Baja race in the demo was the same as the original but the rally section felt a hell of a lot better than the first ones. All the cars in the first one felt the same to me and i decided against buying it but i'm really considering getting the sequel after trying the staggered start rally course.
I'd still love to see a Rallisport 3 as the second was the best rally game i'd played since Colin McRae 2 on PS1.
I'd be up for Rallisport 3 - oh yes! I loved that game on the original xbox. It made me laugh when I hit a tree for the first time and it wobbled and dropped leaves onto the ground. Awesome. Great visuals and great handling.
I felt the demo was amazing. Totally agree about the difficulty being upped a bit. I know people hate the rewind feature but you dont have to use it. Any fan of racing games need to at least try this.
Its sad but the only thing stopping me buying this game the fact that my logitech nitro wheel seems break at regular intervals and if it broke before I play Forza 3 id be suicidal.
If you want a PC rally game that will kill you, try Richard Burns Rally. Quite simply the best rally sim ever made. You need a wheel to experience it properly (although it's okay with a pad too, before the PS2 owners kill me), and it will make your arms ache, but it's as close as you'll get to real rally driving without having to pick grit out of your hair
i love how this review keeps on saying rally. this game has little to do with rallying. youve got some hick redneck dirttruck racing (yeehaw!!!), rallyCROSS, raid (which unless its in a pari-dakkar epic point to point style race sucks!) whatever the point to point in the demo was (was set up like a special stage, worked like a special stage but wasnt a special stage somehow??!) and in the rally mode youve got 4 respected rally cars (group n mind, evo 9 & 10, new and last gen impreza) and elclipses, a f**king POINTIAC, a 350z (?) and a bmw z4M (????). WHO THE f**k RALLIES A POINTIAC AND RWD COUPES!!! Throw in the frankly vague and no way realistic handling model (based on the demo) and in conclusion, mentioning the terms colin mc rae and rally in connection with this game is one of the biggest travistys in gaming. rant over......
For stunning visuals, I personally preferred the WRC series. No surprise that Mr Mike Jackson had to through a dig at Gran Tourismo 5, in fact the best crash will be from these systems should he be slected to review the game lol
I thought the demo was pretty good myself- didn't notice any screen tearing (360 version at least). It drew a descent line between realism and fun, though the handling was a little twitchy- perhaps a steering wheel would sort that out perhaps? I'm not sure if I'll buy it just yet- Forza looks set to be the definitive racer for me right now. As for the rewind time feature- I really don't see how this is a problem for anyone- if you don't want to use it- don't use it (I do wonder if it's because it's a feature not in GT5 the usual suspects are knocking it). Sure as hell beats re-starting the race all over again because you sneezed or something. Quicker too. I agree with the reviewer about the presentation and menu's though. Really tacky with the cheesy voice over and the sheer slowness of starting a race. I'm only basing my opinion from what the demo offered though.
You realise that back in the 70s, most rally cars were RWD? I point you to not only the RWD, but also rear-engined Alpine A110, the mid-rear Lancia Stratos and the lesser-known but still equally RWD Talbot Sunbeam. The higher groups only moved to AWD in the 80s.
And of course nowhere in the word "rallycross" does the word "rally" appear, so no idea what that could be. And it's not like all the previous McRae games have had rallycross modes or anything.
So maybe point-to-point isn't the focus as it should be, but if you're an example of the average WRC fan then maybe that's for the best.
You realise that back in the 70s, most rally cars were RWD? I point you to not only the RWD, but also rear-engined Alpine A110, the mid-rear Lancia Stratos and the lesser-known but still equally RWD Talbot Sunbeam. The higher groups only moved to AWD in the 80s.
fair point but in these modern times rwd, med and rd cant compete with 4wd, which is why the only people rallying rwd cars are true mentalists in mark 2 escorts (respect to those guys) who compete in classic or modified classes on national rallies. i know all about the rwd history of rally and if some of the cars you mentioned were in the game i would totally approve, but seeing as dirt 2 is so hip that it hurts its theres no point making that argument. proper top class modern rally cars are 4wd, and ignoring that fact in a rally game says alot abot how much codies disregard rallying, treating it as an american extreme sport rather that a boinfide top class motorsport. therein lies my main issue with dirt2. ps you forget to mentio in your non 4wd hall of fame the fiat 131 abarth, lancia 037, porsche 911, opel manta, mk1 and 2 escort, renault 8 gordini, ford seria cosworth and mini cooper but to name a few........
Nobody else got the feeling this rally game has gone more "arcady" and especially "Americanized"? It's like playing a soccer game in american football gear... Not my cup of tea... nudge nudge wink wink...
Nobody else got the feeling this rally game has gone more "arcady" and especially "Americanized"? It's like playing a soccer game in american football gear... Not my cup of tea... nudge nudge wink wink...
Well, after hammering this game for a few hours I'd say the handling is definitely a lot better than Dirt (1). This is particularly noticable when you use the G25 wheel - the original was awful with the wheel; the cars felt alien, unresponsive and light but in this one you really feel that you have control of them. USing the wheel actually impoves the game rather than hampering it.
Unfortunately though - there's just not enough proper rallying. After playing for a few hours I'd reckon that proper point to point rallying has so far made up less than 15% of the game.
I also can't stand all the americanisation - it just makes the game feel like it's been aimed at either kids or morons.
I too want Rallisport 3. I'm still yet to be as impressed by a game as much as I was when I first played the 2nd one..
However I'm not keen on the handling of the various cars. It's the first one I've ever played where it feels like the rear of the car isn't connected to the front. Yes I know the handing in Dirt 1 was far too robotic and arcadey, but this one just feels like the car has shopping trolley wheels attached.
And how come it's got Colin McRaes name on it, yet it's become all Americanised and silly, and has very little to do with proper rallying? The game feels like it's trying very hard to be the off road equivalent of NFSro Street. Last time I watched WRC, I'm sure they weren't launching rockets every time they entered a jump.
Also who the hell is this Ken Block bloke? I keep hearing about how he's this top class rally driver (Top Gear were bigging him up last series), but if he's so good why's he not competing in WRC alongside Sebastien Loeb and co?
hope this helps to clear things up a little, the reason why this game feels americanized is because colin did a lot of this kind of racing in the later stages of his career (hes also done a lot of track racing as well) he competed alongside ken block etc. and this game is a tribute to those days, not his rally career, it is still a great game although i do agree it could have had a little more point 2 point rally stages in it
hope this helps to clear things up a little, the reason why this game feels americanized is because colin did a lot of this kind of racing in the later stages of his career (hes also done a lot of track racing as well) he competed alongside ken block etc. and this game is a tribute to those days, not his rally career,
erm mc rae went to 1 (mabey 2) x games evennts. this is not even the main rally event in north amercia, as there is a fairly burdogening rally community in north amercia. ken block and travis pastrena cut their rally teeth in the amercian rally championship, a standard point to point championship. x games rallying is a once in a year event. thus as mc rae didnt race in the a.r.c, and only went to a handfull of x games events, how did he compete against ken block and pastrena a lot?
also as the man who won britians first wrc title, is 4th in the all time wrc wins list and in europe the name that springs to mind when rally is mentioned, how is dirt a fitting tribute to his career??
just the opinions of a life long colin mc rae and wrc fan, not a sk8rboi who likes chavy cars but is to alterantive to be a chav(not nessassairly you ernie just the market at which this game is now aimed at)
I too am searching for the magic I experienced with the original Colin Mcrae 2 on PS1. These days I just don't have the time to play for hours and hours - all I want is a good game where I can race against a mate in a split screen mode. Is Dirt 2 only a single player game like Dirt 1? I also much prefer the accelerator/brake to be the right stick - as opposed to R2/L2. Can someone recommend a good Multi-person rally racing game on PS3? And also if I had to purchase my own steering wheel - which do you receommend?
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McRae series back on form
ro Street. Last time I watched WRC, I'm sure they weren't launching rockets every time they entered a jump. 
