DiRT

[FOTF 0]

I just picked up DiRT. Although I haven't really dug deep yet, I have found a very interesting game.....

 

Graphics - The visuals of the game are amazing. While not quite on par with the Simbin games, these are still top notch. The car details are simply awesome. The cars look exactly as they should after rally....dirty, dirty and dirty! The damage model is something to be seen to believe....one of the best I have ever seen. Windows spider web and then shatter, each glorious shard visible. Body parts loosen and flap in the wind before breaking off (A nice addition is the part is still lying on the ground the next lap) Tires break off with a hard hit. Damage can also be done to the environment. Tire barriers scatter, signs flatten, small trees snap...about the only thing I haven't been able to break is the concrete barriers....The cars interact with the environment exactly as they should...dirt flies off the surface and branchs and underbrush blow as your car scoots by, suspension flexes as you hit ruts in the dirt surface....one touch I really like is the way the visible engine parts (exhaust, etc...and in the case of the buggies the engines themselves) move as you rev the engine waiting for the start light. All this eye candy comes at a cost of course. The system regs are pretty steep. Apperently, it won't even run on the old "XP" model Athlon chips...it requires Athlon64 or better. So....older system owners beware.

 

 

Gameplay - The game offers several modes "Career" "Championship" and "Rally World". Career mode is a tiered system, each event you win earns you points and money. The more points you earn in a given tier, the more events you unlock. Then more you unlock, the bigger the prize money. You can buy new cars and liveries as you earn money (Don't worry, each event has a default car so you can race anything that is unlocked). Personally, I am not a big fan of the whole "unlock" system as seen in recent racing games. Championship is just what you expect it to be. You have several series, ranging from World Rally to CORR (American style trucks running on motocross type tracks) and even hill climbing. If rallying isn't your thing, that's cool....cause there is pretty much something for everyone that enjoys racing in dirt. And then Rally World is where you go for your basic one off quick races. The more you unlock in the other modes, the more you can do in Rally World. There is more than enough in this game to keep you busy for awhile.

 

 

Physics - Well....it's done by Codemasters, so don't expect state if the art physics here. While greatly improved from the "Car stuck on a pin" physics of the old Colin McRae Rally and TOCA series, it is still behind the current generation of sims. The cars seem to slide a bit too easy at times, and then other times not break out at all. There doesn't really seem to be any consistency here. Do-able, just not mind blowing. The physics here aren't horrible, they just aren't up to the standards set by the GTR's and RBR's (Richard Burns Rally) out there...but this makes for a game that is playable to a much larger audience. So at the end of the day, you have to make the choice between something you can sit down with and instantly play, or something you need to practice 2 years just to have a competitive lap time. DiRT is hands down the "Sit down and enjoy right away" game as far as it's physics are concerned. That said, the game will offer a challenge to any skill level, so don't think because it's physics are "dumbed down" you are going to walk all over it....

 

 

All in all, I think DiRT is a pretty good racing game. It has it's flaws, but with it's visuals and all the different cars and modes it is hard to say no to this game. While it is no "Richard Burns Rally" killer, it is certainly a nice addition to the collection. I give it a hearty thumbs up

 

[Revvin 1]

Nice mini review, I have this game on the Xbox 360. I thought the visuals are the best yet seen in a sim, maybe the 360 has a little more eye candy but I thought the detail was very good indeed. Agree on the physics though, the handling does not feel as realistic as other games but its good fun and reminds me of the days I used to trade stage times with a workmate who I introduced to PC racing games - Colin McRae being the first he tried.

[FOTF 0]

Revvin, do you play with a controller or a wheel on the 360?

 

I was pretty stunned when I saw a review in the XBox mag that said this is the best racing game on the 360 considering Forza 2 is out there.

[+Fates 63]

If the guy in the right seat can write that neat while traveling at 160mph over the desert.....It really is that good.

[FOTF 0]

Haha.....he is just reading.....that way, you don't have to stop at the gas station for directions!

 

Not quite able to get it to 160......I just unlocked the Evo, so we'll see...

[Revvin 1]

Revvin, do you play with a controller or a wheel on the 360?

 

I was pretty stunned when I saw a review in the XBox mag that said this is the best racing game on the 360 considering Forza 2 is out there.

 

I play with a joypad at the moment though I'd like to get a wheel for driving games on the 360, shame my G25 doesn't work. I would definately disagree with that magazine comment as Forza 2 IMO is leaps and bounds ahead of anything available on the 360.

[Hengist 0]

Nice mini review, I have this game on the Xbox 360. I thought the visuals are the best yet seen in a sim, maybe the 360 has a little more eye candy but I thought the detail was very good indeed. Agree on the physics though, the handling does not feel as realistic as other games but its good fun and reminds me of the days I used to trade stage times with a workmate who I introduced to PC racing games - Colin McRae being the first he tried.

I love DiRT on the 360. I agree that it's not on a par with something like Forza2 for technical accuracy, but it does a good job of portraying what I imagine driving a high speed rally car feels like. That's good enough for me. The force feedback with the MS wheel is also pretty well done. It adds a lot to the experience.

Edited July 20, 2007 by Hengist

[Revvin 1]

I love DiRT on the 360. I agree that it's not on a par with something like Forza2 for technical accuracy, but it does a good job of portraying what I imagine driving a high speed rally car feels like. That's good enough for me. The force feedback with the MS wheel is also pretty well done. It adds a lot to the experience.

 

I think the two games complement each other, Forza 2 is a great road/track game while DiRT is a nice off roading game, my only dissapointment was when I tried a tarmac stage the car handling felt a little odd but other than that its an enjoyable game and I'm glad I bought it (based on Hengist's comments on another forum).