visually stunning but with insulting DLC policy and too light on content
The Negatives:
Very few locations in the core game, with only 6 countries available. Even the game Colin McRae Rally 2005 (also by Codemasters) had more rally locations in it: 9 of them. So Codemasters have actually gone backwards as far as this goes. You have to buy DLCs to get an adequate number of countries to do rally in. Added to this, the locations that are "missing" from the core game are those most rally-sport fans would consider essential locations for a rally sim: Finland, Germany, Greece, Monte Carlo, Sweden, and Wales. I think Codemasters were fully aware of this; it was a safe way for them to ensure a guaranteed flow of income from DLC, as people who are really into rally racing would feel forced to buy these DLCs in order to [in their mind] get a complete game. I think it's rather unethical in my opinion, to conduct your business in this way. Codemasters are hardly alone in this kind of behaviour but it does concern me, and it does affect my opinion of Dirt Rally 2 since I don't feel I got a complete or finished core game, despite the premium pricing.
The Rally Cross still doesn't feel good. Going from the stage rally to rally cross feels like jumping from a hardcore sim to something rather arcade. The physics feels very different, as if you are driving a plastic toy car. It doesn't feel grounded in the same way the stage rally does. The sense of weight and impact feels too light. It is also bizarrely difficult for some reason, regardless of game setting, yet you have to win (or at least reach the podium) in order to make progress in the Career mode. The rally cross in V-Rally 4, not to mentioned Dirt 1-3, is far better in comparison. It's actually fun in those games.
While proudly marketing itself as an official FIA World Rallycross Championship game, it only features 8 of the official 12 tracks (for 2018 and 2019). Guess where you will have to get the other official tracks? That's right, through paid DLC. Imagine buying the latest F1 game and not get the scheduled Monza or Silverstone tracks, that you have to buy them as DLC when they eventually get released. Again, it's rather unethical of Codemasters to do this, and again I don't feel I got a complete or finished product since you don't get all the official tracks in the core game.
While portraying itself as a hardcore sim, the Career mode is structured more like an arcade game, where you need to unlock things in order to make progress. For something self-proclaimed a "hardcore sim" I expected a more open career structure, synonymous with modern hardcore sim racing, in vein of Assetto Corsa, Race Room, rFactor 2, Automobilista, Project Cars 2, and so on. To me this feels very much at odds with the rest of the game, and of the niche-market DR2 is aiming for.
The Hill Climb is so light on content I question why it's even there, ... but I guess you have to buy more DLC to find out! I feel it is simply added as padding to the core game, to make the game look bigger than it actually is and thus justify the hefty price-tag. If you want to see how you can make Hill Climb racing good, you should look at V-Rally 4.
While the rally stages are very lengthy and there's a good number of them for each country location, the majority of them look too similar to each other. There's not much variety in the stage designs, it's all too bland and somewhat boring. Only a few of them stand out as memorable. In contrast, I can easily recall most of the stage designs in WRC 7 and Loeb Rally, not to mention the old McRae games. Lastly, 50% of the stages in DR2 are just the reverse of the main stages, so there's even less content than you might initially think, ... again, think of the game's premium price-tag.
The Positives:
The game looks fantastic, visually. There's lots of detail in the environments. It's certainly the most photo-realistic rally game on the market (in august 2019).
The sound effects are fantastic, and make the driving more enjoyable. Together with the pretty visuals, they elevate the immersion of the game a great deal.
The game handles really well with a controller, it feels intuitive and robust. It's better than in the first DR game for sure, where it felt somewhat "off" and flimsy.
The rally stages are very lengthy and there's a good number of them for each country location (around 12). However, I would gladly have traded half of these for more country locations in the core game. As mentioned, 50% of all the rally stages are just the reverse of previous stages.
The physics modelling is very good, it's tough and challenging, as you constantly have to think about how you are driving and what you are driving on. Although, I don't notice enough difference from the first game to be honest.
Conclusion:
Despite the impressive graphics and hardcore physics in Dirt Rally 2, when I'm in the mood for some rally racing I find myself playing WRC 7, V-Rally 4, Gravel or Sebastian Loeb Rally instead. They are not as pretty and hardcore as Dirt Rally 2, but I feel they offer more of everything and I have more fun playing them. I also don't feel their respective developers and publishers are being unethical towards consumers, unlike Codemasters.
To be frank, I actually felt insulted when I realized I had paid €40 for what is essentially Dirt Rally 1.5. I should have known better, but the majority of reviews by games journalist's, heralded the game as a much improved Dirt Rally, and I bought into it. If this had been an F1 or MotoGP game, I get it: there's a limit to what you can include in the package when you are making a game that is an official representation of a real-world event. However Dirt Rally 2 had no limits as far as the content it could offer. There's not enough new content, the physics does not feel significantly different from the previous game, and Codemasters DLC policy is sneaky and nefarious.
I would rather go back and play the McRae or Richard Burns games, than return to Dirt Rally 2. They are much better games in my opinion.
