I got this game through the post this morning, it may be too soon for a review considering I have played only 3-4 hours of this game and about 30 mins of the demo but I felt it was necessary to spread the word
THIS GAME IS AWESOME
When it comes to newly released games I am quite critical about what I believe to be worth my hard earned money (as some may know if you read my ODST rant...), however, having found this copy for £35 from puregames.co.uk, I cannot think of a better use for £35 in this world.
Quite simply, Codemasters have done it again (and I mean in the good way, not the TOCA or Jericho way...), there are hints of GRID's brilliance all over this game, but not so much to make it seem like a re-skinned game I might add. Codemasters have produced a game that is not only fun to DRIVE in, but to NAVIGATE around too!! Sounds crazy I know, but the menu's in Dirt 2 are so fluid and intuitive its actually fun to let the camera drift from your trailer to the outside arena so you can take in the atmosphere of the environment!
Which brings me nicely on-to the atmosphere, not new to making immersive gameplay environments, the team that handled GRID have made you feel like how you
should feel in the game, like a rookie playing with the big boys. You feel like a star in front of the crowds and when Dave Mirra gives you a call you
want to make him impressed with the way you drive! And remember, this is just a game and Dave Mirra is merely a character and yet you still feel compelled to try and gain respect from these, well, lumps of pixels... Its a great atmosphere which really puts you in the position of, lets say, a young Colin McRae.
The graphics certainly dont spoil the feel of the game either, If you have played GRID (I know its getting a lot of reference but it is a close match ^^) you will remember the amazing shine and detail on the cars and environments. Imagine that shine but x2 and add in stunning particle effects that make you pause the game just so you can play back in slow-mo your cars drifting through a puddle.
Dirt 2 looks so good its damn difficult to keep your car on the road just because you keep looking off into the distance at low mist over some mountains the other side of a valley, or staring into a cloud of water and dust from your cars tires. You may think 'nah he's just over-exagerrating' and perhaps I am, but take a look yourself before you judge
As for the gameplay, the infamous 'instant replay' feature is back from GRID, I feel that it isn't really necessary as its just as fun to restart the race as it is to rewind a few seconds when you crash but it's a welcome addition nevertheless (even if I do just use it to stare at the graphics for a second time
). The difficulty levels are well positioned and range from making the game really Arcade-ey to a fantastic rally simulation the punishes the smallest mistake. It caters to the casual arcade gamer, harcore car/rally nut and just plain masochistic completionists, and does so flawlessly. The cars handle like you expect them to in a real world situation and this really allows you experiment and adapt your style to the tracks, add in a tuning system so you can alter the suspension, downforce, ride height etc and you could spend hours tweaking to get the best lap time (which I no doubt will do...).
The only bone-to-pick I have with DIRT 2 is that the mini-map while driving is a little small and is white (which when on sunny tracks makes it difficult to see as its at the top of the screen), though this is a very small bone indeed as the tracks are very memorable and it only takes a couple of races to have all apex'es and jumps/shortcuts memorised.
Some of the tracks (I have yet to play them all but so far all amazing
) are just jaw-dropping, Battersea power station is a brilliant track which I have played on several game modes in the day and at night (I have yet to see if the day/night transition is on all or just one track, I will edit when I find out
). The tracks are taken from real locations and many from WRC rally stages or x-games event stages. So much detail is put into the tracks that they stick in your mind and really paint a picture of the locations you travel to and from, making the game all-the-more immersive.
I have yet to play a multi-player match on XBL but I have quite high hopes, particularly for the rally events.
There are some great little additions to the main game that add more than you would expect to the experience. For example, you can hang many many items from your rear-view (like your avatar!
) and place items on your dashboard too. Along with a ton of liveries (no custom painting like forza, but I see this as a +ve to be honest, I never went for all that fiddly vinyl stuff) the extra content is more than just a side-show, it adds a bit of character to the game, a bit of humour in a humourless racing genre. The ability to view your cars in stunning detail in between races is very appreciated by me (though an in-car view would be nice in this area, like the in-race view), after all, why put so much effort into the cars if you can only see the back end in a race or in a replay?
The camera-angles in-race are also very well done, the standard is great and most players will probably stick to this, but for a better view of the track ahead there's a high up view. Or if you are feeling daring you can try the in-car view which is very difficult but feels very nice if you get it right
.
Well, I shall stop here though I could talk for hours but Im torn between playing DIRT 2 and telling others about how good it is
This game is well worth £35 of anyones money and if you don't buy this game or at least get a mate to buy it so you can steal it you are certainly missing out on one of the best games I have played in a very long time. A damn fine tribute to one of rally's greatest, RIP Colin McRae.
9.5/10 (0.5 deducted for poor map and the fact that I still have to pay £35 for a game, and no game deserves a 10 unless I paid less than £20 like the good old days)
Well, I'm off to play DIRT 2, buy it and come join me
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Subject: Dirt 2 
Wed Sep 30, 2009 9:03 am
