Dirt

"Real racers do it in the DiRT"

First off, I've been anticipating this game for quite some time now and, having never played a Colin McRae game before I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Having now spent a large chunk of time with it I can honestly say it's unlike anything I've ever played before, but it's not without its flaws.

GRAPHICS
Simply put, this game is gorgeous. And I'm playing on a standard definition TV. I think that says a lot. I'm particularly happy with the way the environments came out, except for England. In the desert, the sand glows with almost unnatural intensity and when racing through a forest in Australia, the path is covered in patterns of shadow and light. England however is a totally different story. It is probably one of the most bland, lifeless places in the game. Strange, seeing how Codemasters is based in England. However, that's just a minor gripe.

Another thing I absolutely love in this game is the helmet camera. While this feature was much talked about in Project Gotham Racing 3, I never did feel as if it belonged in that game. The cramped interior of an Italian exotic is not the greatest place to implement the helmet cam. This game, however is a completely different story. It just adds another level of immersion, almost making you feel as if you are really driving the car. Crank up the vibration in the controller and you can almost taste the dust.

Car damage is also a wondrous sight to behold. Depending on the difficulty level you are playing on, you can very quickly demolish your car and eliminate yourself from the race. Doors come off, windows shatter and body panels crumple as you slide into walls and crash into trees. I've even had both rear fenders fly off a truck after landing a jump.

SOUND
There is music in this game, but only about seven songs. Since these only play during replays, repetition doesn't become too much of an issue. As for the engine sounds, personally I think they are a little disturbing. They sound like the transmission is about to fly apart. But that might just be how a rally car sounds, and it does give a good sense for how much power these cars actually have.

Finally, the most annoying part of the game. The co-driver. While he is definitely helpful during races, his lines are delivered with painful “hip surfer” attitude. Lines like “Smooth and steady. I'm Mr. Smooth, you're Mr. Steady” and “We're the best because we're the fastest” are repeated frequently and don't help at all. Plus, it seems like he comes on to me before every race by saying something to the effect of “Go get ‘em tiger.” That ain't cool.

GAMEPLAY
The basic premise of the game is to drive around (or through) a track, attempting to beat your opponent (or their time). What makes it interesting is the fact that you'll have to contend with the unforgiving environment to get there. The roads themselves are treacherous enough, composed of blind turns, jarring bumps, hairpin turns and jumps. Of course the fact that there are no real barriers on the roads means that you can easily slide off and destroy your car on trees and rocks or even slide off a cliff (which is so exciting I've done it on purpose a couple of times).

The races themselves are varied and, for the most part, exciting. Rally races are the bread and butter of this game. You'll be off-road (dealing with the aforementioned hazards) on long intricate tracks with your co-driver reading off the turns as you go. CORR races are raced on dirt tracks in buggies and trucks and are welcome diversions from the intense Rally races. Rally raids are raced in SUV's and something that looks like a garbage truck. The other types are Crossover and Rallycross. These two differentiate themselves from the others by being held on short asphalt tracks and being less exciting than everything else.

Something that must be mentioned is the fact that this game has an arcade like feel to it. It's not as overly blatant as, say Need for Speed or Midnight Club, but it sometimes becomes obvious that cars aren't behaving in a strictly lifelike manner. I however, am happy that the developers choose to do this, because I don't think I would derive as much enjoyment from contending with a 300hp car sliding on mud if said car behaved realistically.

THE VERDICT
So, would I recommend buying this? Heck yeah I would. It is definitely something that hasn't been done to death and it delivers plenty of excitement and thrills, but it sometimes gets a little tiring (mostly when you're driving on a track).

HIGHS
- Helmet camera
- Great graphics with no slowdown
- Lots of tracks
- Point to point rallys

LOWS
- Annoying co-driver
- Crossover races
- Tarmac tracks
- Not enough actual off-road racing

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/31/07, Updated 10/03/08

Game Release: Dirt (US, 06/19/07)