It’s been a
while since I’ve ever been excited about a rally racing game and this coming
from a guy obsessed with hot cars and the mostly European appreciation for
tearing it up in the dirt in the Australian outback. I can blame my love for
rally racing to the Colin McRae Rally games that Codemasters introduced a
long while back on the Xbox and so, you can see, I was excited to hear that
another realistic rally racing simulator would be available again but this time
for the Xbox 360. DiRT is an automotive work of art that will fling mud
in your eye and you’ll love every minute of it and yes, it might not be perfect
but it is one of the best rally racing games you’ll find so far.
Codemasters is
certainly no stranger to racing simulators that are realistic and extremely
challenging to the point that the more casual racing gamer might just want to
stop and consider dusting off old favorites like Need for Speed or
Ridge Racer. Those who enjoy a more strict, by-the-book racing game,
however, should not look any further than the likes of the Colin McRae Rally
racing games or Codemasters’ other racing simulator ToCA Race Driver
series. DiRT continues in the Colin McRae tradition of rally racing with
licensed vehicles in exotic setting as you attempt to leave your mark in the
rally racing circuit.
The game
contains a lengthy and challenging Career mode that spans a number of race
circuit tiers that take you from the bottom of the pyramid to the top by winning
races. Then again you can jump right into the championship in Rally Championship
mode where you can compete globally in a series of races where you can decide
what type of vehicle and how many races. You can also participate in
single-player events that range from Time Trail, Single Race or Single Event. Of
course, what racing game isn’t complete without an online and offline
multiplayer mode?
Career mode is
the real meat of the game with over 66 events spanning a diverse number of
disciplines. The racing disciplines are essentially racing styles such as the
Rallycross, Rally Raid, the CORR and the Crossover. There are also events like
the Hill Climb that add enough events rally fans will definitely enjoy sinking
their teeth into throughout the game. You’ll not only gain recognition for
completing each event but you’ll also earn money to purchase new and better
vehicles. The vehicles themselves range from 2WD, 4WD RWD cars as well as some
from the Classic series. You’ll be able to get behind the wheel of real vehicles
such as Suzuki Escudo, a Lotus Exige and a number of off-road trucks and even
buggies.
While the
gameplay remains strict, the game is still fun enough to give each race an
exciting and ultimately enjoyable feel to the race types. The first time you’ll
hit a hard left while trying hard to maintain your first place position you’ll
know you’re playing a really challenging racing game that’s right up there with
the likes of Forza 2. Sure you can change the difficulty setting from
Clubman (an easy yet still tough difficult setting or a Pro Am setting, but the
game is still pretty hard that it might turn off the more casual racing game
fan. Still, if you do manage to stick around you’re in for a treat because the
opponent AI isn’t dumb nor will you feel like they’ll get a boost towards the
end of the last lap like in most racing games.
The game’s
controls are actually perfect whether you pick the controller or an Xbox 360
approved steering wheel controller and your car will always feel responsive to
your style of driving. The problem is that whatever vehicle you pick they will
always feel a bit “floaty” in rough terrain and there’s rough terrain in many of
the real-life circuits that will take you from Italy to Germany and the United
Kingdom. You’ll even be racing a buggy in Chula Vista, California. It’s a good
thing that in the Rally and Rally Raid modes you’ll be accompanied by a
co-driver who is good at giving you a head’s up when it comes to corners. It’ll
take awhile before you realize the numerical meaning for corner calls. It also
helps that the camera in this game is perfect no matter what view you use.
If you’d like to
concentrate on the championship aspect of the game you can always try Rally
Championship whether you like to try a European Championship, an International
Championship or even a Global Championship. You can set up limits to the
championship races, something you won’t get to do much of in the game’s weak
multiplayer mode. Online you can take on up to 100 racers in a very limited
racing mode that’s just one of the game’s biggest sore spots … well, second
biggest. The game suffers from a stutter in the framerate that affects both the
single-player mode as well as the multiplayer mode. It doesn’t get too bad,
though.
Graphically
speaking, DiRT is a gorgeous-looking Xbox 360 game with plenty of details
and realistic backgrounds. Each environment offers plenty of eye-catching detail
that gives each exotic locale its flavor and the track design just benefits from
it. The licensed vehicles also look amazing bouncing across the terrain and
while it’s painful to see an Audi TT slam into a boulder as the hood gets
crushed and front wheel pops off like a champagne cork, the realistic vehicle
damage just adds to the realism perfectly. Even the sense of speed is well
represented in the game.
The game’s sound
isn’t bad either, although the majority of the time you’ll just be listening to
the sounds of every vehicle’s engines and the tires kicking up dirty. Crashes do
have a somewhat detailed crunch to them but nothing in the degree of the Crash
Mode in the Burnout series. Still, close your eyes and you’d swear you
were watching a rally race on television. You’ll hear from your co-driver and
he’ll do a good job of steering you in the right direction but somehow he sounds
like he’s sitting in a booth somewhere sipping tea. At least the menu screen
narration and the discipline explanations (handled by X Games newcomer Travis
Pastrana) are informative and handled by somebody who sounds excited about the
sport.
Easily one of
the coolest and most entertaining rally racing games on the Xbox 360, DiRT
is one of those games auto racing enthusiasts should not miss. Of course, it’s
not entirely perfect thanks to some framerate issues and a really weak
multiplayer mode, but these flaws just don’t distract from a pretty face and an
overall excellent package well worth your time and money. Really, do yourself a
favor and pick this one up right away, racing fans.
|
|
Gameplay: 8.2
The licensed
vehicles feel a bit bouncy even if you manage to do something about the
suspension in the garage but still the controls are wonderful and the racing
action is tons of fun. Yes, the framerate takes a dive throughout the game but
it’s nothing that really takes you out of the game or ruins a lap. Even the
real-world tracks are great.
Graphics: 9.0
DiRT
looks amazing and the environments look nearly photo-real to the point that when
you do slam into a tree you’ll see bits of bark and leaves fall from it. The
damage to the vehicles is also a highlight and watching your vehicle kick up the
dirt will bring tears to rally racing game fans.
Sound: 8.5
The game’s not
big on music and what little sound effects you’ll hear in the game will be
drowned by the sounds of the vehicles’ engines but at least it does a great job
of displaying all the sounds you would hear during a rally race. Your co-driver
sounds like he phoned in his voice work but at least Travis Pastrana does an
excellent job narrating the menu selections and your every career advancements.
Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
Climbing the
tiers in Career Mode won’t be easy and keeping up with the skilled AI will not
be easy in Rally Championship mode either. To make matters even more difficult,
your car takes real damage to the point that it can disable it completely if
you‘re not careful.
Concept: 8.5
There are
plenty or real life cars to drive in this game including Colin McRae’s sweet
prototype vehicle as well as the sleek Subaru Impressa. The tracks are also
designed beautifully and make each racing discipline a unique experience.
There’s a multiplayer mode as well but it suffers from framerate problems and
just a general sense of a multiplayer mode so under whelming that it just isn’t
good.
Multiplayer:
6.9
Why was
Codemasters able to pull off an excellent multiplayer mode for the ToCA
Racing series for the original Xbox but not for a next-generation console
like the Xbox 360? The slim multiplayer options will not fail to disappoint Xbox
Live fans and rally racing enthusiasts.
Overall: 8.5
DiRT
will make a true rally racing fan out of you and will be spinning in your Xbox
360 for quite a long time to come. It’s a dazzling-looking game with plenty of
challenges and a lot to love despite a few weak spots here and there. If you’re
looking for yet an excellent racing game for the 360 then you should definitely
consider buying this one.
