Dirt 2 – Review – Xbox 360

I am no stranger to racing games or more specifically rally racing games. The epitome of them all IMO was Rallisport Challenge 2 for the original Xbox, it had it all Rally, Rallycross, Hillclimb even Ice/snow racing. To be completely honest it’s graphics still hold up to this day. Being a little jaded by the excellence I felt in that game it is hard to review another without comparing the two. Somehow I managed to squeeze out a review with little to no comparison of a previous gen title.
Dirt 2 comes on to you like a cheap prostitute with a greedy pimp(and no I don’t REALLY know what that is like). From the second you turn it on you become this unknown driver trying to make it big in a world full of experienced off road drivers, who pull you into there world and encourage you along the way to the top of the podium. Ok, maybe not quite that elaborate but what Dirt 2 does do, is give you one of the most dirty experiences your going to get in a world full of supercars.

At the start of the game you’re given a car that belong to the late great Colin McRae and along with your dirty dumpy travel trailer you embark across the world to different events to further advance your career as a rally car racer. At first glance it is your typical racing game but with dirt. What set’s it apart are the awesome menu design(or lack thereof) and an immersive experience that actually makes you feel like you are this driver. The menu system is pretty much non existent, you actually take the role of your driver and navigate him around first person style. you can go to a map laid out on the table to select different events which then takes you outside to choose between your rides, and eventually you go to your car to start the race. It isn’t a completely free flow experience but it is a step up in the next direction towards making it a truly immersive world. You also can select to navigate around your trailer to access the MP part of the game and the options and extras.

Once you decide to select an event you have at the start of the game only a few events to choose from in a select few locations. The more you race and compete the more XP you gain therefore unlocking more locations and events as well as extras such as liveries(paint jobs) dashboard toys(hula girl/dinosaur) and even rear-view mirror accessories( pair of shoes/dice and my favorite Your XBL Avatar).

What kind of racing will you be doing to gain this XP? Dirt 2 offers a fair selection of events. You have your standard Rally which is a point to point race, where you are competing against the other drivers times. You also have rallycross which is a straight race against other drivers on a closed circut track, you have gate crasher where you have to crash into as many gates as possible each time shaving time of your total and the quickest run wins. Gatecrasher is surprisingly enjoyable as are the other modes.

Each mode has it’s one selection of vehicles you can race and while some modes such as rally and rallycross share a vehicle set you will have to purchase a rallycross package in order to use that car on it. The same goes for a few other modes as well. But there is a wide selection of vehicles you get to get dirty. You have your standard selection of rally cars. Suburu WRX and Lancer Evo’s but you also have a few modes where you get to drive Trophy trucks, modified rally trucks and buggies as well. This all leads to a fair selection of cars and allows the game to not get boring as each type of race and vehicle handles differently then the others.
The last thing I would like to cover are the graphics. While I don’t ever want to say graphics make a game, in Dirt 2 they definitely make it more enjoyable. First I would like to mention the in care view which is available. It is by far the best in car view in a racing game I have come across at this point(crossing fingers for Forza 3’s to be good) it is a little restricting as far as view is concerned and you are not able to see as well as a bumber cam or follow cam allows but it allows for an immersive experience ans spares no detail, from the driver shifting to the water splashing on the windshield distorting your view until your windshield wipers clear it off.

While the in car view is beautifully done, it isn’t the crowning gem of this game where looks are concerned. Because everything about this game looks great. The tracks and scenery look great as they zoom by and no detail is spared. One of the courses takes place close to a Cruise ship port of call and I swear to you one of the ships looks just like one I just recently traveled on, I even found myself pausing it to compare details. In a game like Dirt one thing that has to be authentic is the dirt and getting your car dirty is as detailed as they come. First your car is covered in dirt then you fly through a water puddle and some of the dirt gets washed away to make way for the mud that takes it’s place covering some very well detailed vehicles.

Dirt 2 is a great thing to look at and the gameplay is there as well. But I can’t have a review with nothing negative so I’ll pull one out of my ass in hopes it will not dissuade you from getting or playing this game. Codemasters brought over a feature from one of there other racer’s GRID which I don’t really like. During a race, you can hit the replay button a rewind the replay to a certain point and restart from there. This replay feature while unique and definitely a life saver at times, takes away from the immersion I want to feel when I play a racing game. I enjoy knowing that if I slam into a rock and total my car the race is over, that’s one of the things that get’s my blood pumping and makes me a better driver. The replay feature takes away from this and the thrill is lost.

I would still take Dirt 2 over many other rally games out there. It hits the spot for me and follows through with a magnificently looking and well played game. It has a wide range of vehicles and race locations and a good number of events. While some complain that there are not enough rally races(point to point) they need to keep in mind this game is not called rally racing it is called Dirt which encompasses all types of races that take place on Dirt courses. Get over it and enjoy the game.

Score: 7 out of 10

Review courtesy of Growngeekgaming

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