Xbox 360
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 lays more rubber down in the long running Colin McRae series. Fans noted the move away from the mere rally format as the original DiRT landed, opting for a more arcade style and fans will be pleased to learn that DiRT 2 builds on this. Why the move away from the old format? Codemasters have the answer.
Let's start by mentioning that the team who developed DiRT 2 were the same group that, just a year ago, had Racedriver: Grid on the starting line and ready to roll. The development time of the game is short by any margin but the Codies still hold their numerous BAFTA gaming awards for racing games in high esteem. This isn't Fuel territory, another developer with Codemasters publishing, this is all their own work.
DiRT 2 uses the third generation of the EGO engine that Codemasters have been using for many years. You may think the concept for the game came on the back of DiRT but Ralph Fulton is quick to point out that this process was started four years ago when they started to consider the new media available. They created the DiRT brand to move away from rallying and towards the more modern style of racing. They're true to their fan base though and rallying is still a definite part of the formula.
This move was to reflect McRae's own progression after he finished racing in the World Rally Championship. It provides a more out of the wilderness and into the stadia type environment and is supported by DiRT 2 having an official X-Games license. In fact the first car you receive is McRae's own Subaru Impreza from his X-Games endeavour and when you receive it you are reminded fully of the driver's boots you are going to fill. DiRT 2 doesn't stop there though it celebrates the man in all his activities before his unfortunate death so we have rally stages, Dakar Rally type events, X-Games events and at last an online feature.
The single player mode takes the player to the finals of the X-Games but again, staying true to a fitting tribute to the man himself, this is followed by the McRae Memorial Challenge which not only pits you against father and son, Jimmy and Alasdair McRae but also other, as yet unnamed, racing greats. The online mode provides possibilities for up to 8 players to race together.
It could have been more but Ralph told us that in play testing 8 provided the right level of challenge without become an annoyance. When you play the game it feels right and the chaos of cars on uneven surfaces kicking off together is much harder to judge than Racedriver: Grid's twelve potential online opponents. Add to this the added damage effects, tighter tracks and touches that will be familiar to fans of the TOCA series and you have a tight yet varied racing experience. Also in addition there's the Jam feature. This allows online players to select any track with any vehicle and in any game mode and the variety this unlocks is huge
As with all the Codies race games the game has a beautifully tailored menu system set in an X-Games party atmosphere with a soundtrack compiled by Kerrang Radio DJ Christian Stevenson thrown in for good measure. Here you can select races, load and save and look at souvenirs you've collected from around the world. Some of these are for the dashboard so you can see them if you're using the cockpit view, not that they'd be there to distract you.
Let's get down to brass tacks though and discuss how it plays. Far better than DiRT is the simple answer. With a new engine we seem to have returned to the proper sliding days of old. Much like Colin McRae 2.0 you have to feather your throttle to ensure that a simple turn doesn't become a disastrous off-road canter down a cliff. It'll take some getting used to, but as you understand that the cars actually handle far more realistically then it will be an easy learning curve.
Driving faster will be more difficult however, as the terrain will prove more influential to your racing line as ever before. With better off-roading possibilities than its predecessors you can move slightly farther from the beaten track, but low grass can hide a mass of dangers and more realistic physics throw the car about more. There are no direct driver assists here but various maps and two co-driver options help ease the problem - if you listen to their advice or even have them switched on.
Many tracks are based carefully on real places where events take place, but new track locations have been discovered using Google Maps, with the scenery and backgrounds rendered lovingly and realistically. Not that you‘ll have much chance to look unless you‘re upside down, in a ditch or behind a bush. This is mainly a danger because the increased variety of terrain and environment will keep you busy as you attempt to master the game. Realistic rally stages are dealt with properly so you see your opponents drive off ahead of you. You can catch them or be caught yourself, all adding to the intensity.
If this sounds like too much and you feel you may need to be an expert to even consider competing, then fear not. All these things, especially the realism, add to the ability to both learn and control the cars in varied and different situations. Unlike DiRT you feel a part of your vehicle again and fans of the old Colin McRae series will be more than happy with this redux.
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 represents a strong leap forward from the original DiRT and should please new players and old veterans alike.
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is released on 11 September 2009