DiRT 2

    

CODEMASTERS TAKE THE COLIN MCRAE FRANCHISE IN AN WHOLE NEW EXTREME DIRECTION!

Colin McRae may no longer be with us, but the legendary rally star lives on in the form of the ever popular Colin McRae rally franchise developed by Codemasters. First appearing back in 1998, the series as gone from strength to strength being both a commercial success and a cult favourite with fans of the sport. Despite the popularity of 2007's Colin McRae DIRT, Codemasters have seen fit to re-imagine the franchise with an whole new visual style, a style that seems all to rather risky for dedicated and loyal fans of past McRae Rally games. While the original DIRT offered a much European image of rallying, it's sequel goes for the more extreme X-Games angle of which it both benefits from, and somewhat suffers for.  
 
Almost instantly DIRT 2's more extreme visual change is on offer, with a rather unique main menu. Which comes in the form of your very own truck, stationed at a given location depending on where your currently racing. From within the truck you can access the usual tour mode, multiplayer, extras and of course options. It needs to be seen rather then described, but it's an obvious showing of intent on the part of the developers. On the mode side of things, you get what you'd expect from a Colin McRae game. Tour mode is where you'll be spending much of your time racing at the many varied tracks or stages set around the globe, multiplayer is where you'll be able to now access many more options then the previous game to play online with friends and the extras allow you to look up all sorts of pleasant little treats.   

 

Now while the online as seen some obvious improvements over it's predecessor, it's not the only department to see development. Codemasters have clearly listened to the complaints of fans and improved the overall handling of the cars and though things can still feel a little to floaty on the odd occasion, it's a welcome change from the unpredictable handling of the previous instalment. Of the rallying types you'll be handling, few if any can be classed as new to the franchise though all have seen improvements in some way or another. It's more about the quantity of certain rally types rather then their originality. For example, fans were eager to see more rally cross due to it's popularity in the previous game and DIRT 2 answers that eagerness with many more rally cross stages. Though there maybe a few to many in the end.
 
Still there is a wide array of rally types to enjoy and your sure to pick your favourite, though the tour mode is structured so you will have to experience all that is on offer, meaning you won't be able to skip any types your not a fan of. But that's not to say there are any poorly conceived rally types in DIRT 2, unlike the original DIRT I found myself enjoying all that was on offer to me. There are a number of other factors at play in the tour mode aswell, you can now become buddies with real life popular rally figures such as Ken Block, Katie Justice and Dave Mirra. Speaking of which long time Colin McRae Rally fans will either enjoy Ken Block interrupting you every couple of minutes or go insane with anger, praying for him to shut up, It should be said that Ken Block's voice chatter is the most unnatural of them all, but considering Codemasters long history with the European rallying scene, I found the endless X-Games chatter and Americanisation of the franchise very off putting.  
 
That is where one of the main issues lie with DIRT 2, the game as been hugely Americanized to the point that it doesn't really feel like part of the Colin McRae Rally franchise. While it does indeed spice the overall image up to some degree, it also as the potential of alienating long term fans who aren't particularly interested in the X-Games or Ken Block. It much depends on taste, or if you can handle the uncomfortable chatter of Ken telling you how awesome you are every minute or so. But while these factors get become frustrating, they come no where near to destroying what is a very enjoyable mode. The tour mode is basic, but very accessible with emphasis on levelling your profile up to unlock new liveries, in car toys and other extras. That levelling system also transfers well to other modes found within DIRT 2, one being multiplayer which as seen vast improvements over all previous instalments.  
 

Doing multiplayer in a rally game as never been easy, so you can forgive Codemasters for slightly limiting options and rally types in the previous DIRT game. But DIRT 2 finally allows rally fans to battle online in all sorts of rally types and race options, even allowing you to set up the use of vehicles that weren't originally meant for that track or stage. The game will display a warning that you can choose to ignore, but allowing such a choice shows great advancement over the original game, Of course what does more online options mean if the performance isn't up the much, well thankfully DIRT 2 ran rather well when playing online, with only two particular races suffering from any degree of lag. Overall the multiplayer is without a doubt one of the best new features in this latest entry.  
 
Of course I can't review DIRT 2 without talking about the visuals. Built on the third generation of the ECO Engine that ran the previous DIRT game and Codemasters popular 2008 release of Race Driver: GRID, it's a masterclass of visual delight. While many will talk about the graphical prowess of Forza Motorsport 3 or Gran Turismo 5. It's all to easy to ignore DIRT 2, which right now is one of the best looking racing games on the market. A realistic damage model, stunning lighting and blinding water effects makes DIRT 2 a visual treat. But let's not forget it's audio offerings, featuring the quality you'd expect from Codemasters and a surprisingly well thought out soundtrack featuring many of the popular bands of today. It's hard not to be blown away by DIRT 2 on both a visual and audio standpoint.  
 
There are a number of other treats worthy of a mention, one being the inclusion of the rewind system first seen in GRID. While many developers have copied the concept, the Codemasters version is still by far the best and it's a feature that simply makes more sense when one considers the risks of rallying. While you can try and say it's an unfair advantage, you will end up using it more then you think. Of course the feature is not allowed online so if you make that mistake in multiplayer, you'll pay for that mistake. The higher difficulties allow you to use the function fewer times meaning that you need to be more careful when driving, so remember to drive with care before you go smashing your nice little Subaru into a brick wall.  
 

Overall DIRT 2 is a worthy sequel, offering visuals that will go underrated and an experience worthy of Colin McRae's legacy. It's new extreme visual direction as the danger of alienating long term fans of the franchise, and the endless chatter between the featured real life rally figures can become dull and repetitive, But as a game it's both a blast and a true challenge for anyone who loves their virtual racing. It's not the most realistic of games, but yet again Codemasters prove that they can hit the perfect mix between simulation and arcade racing, allowing for both a fluid and accessible experience for experienced racers and those new to the genre. Multiplayer is without a doubt a true highlight, allowing for many varied options when playing online and while the featured levelling up system isn't as deep as one would hope, it is welcomed and worked well into the overall DIRT 2 experience.   
 

SCORE: 5 STARS OUT OF 5. 

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