DiRT 3

It’s fair to say that DiRT 2 was quite a departure from the previous game. Basic rallying was thrust to the side in lieu of a new extreme sports motif and judicious use of the word “awesome”. DiRT 3doesn’t ditch the extreme aesthetics of it’s predecessor altogether, but takes steps to reign it in considerably and move the series closer to it’s roots.

Your trailer which served as your hub in DiRT 2 has been jettisoned in favour of a very slick and stylish menu system that seems like the logical progression from the original DiRT. The level of design that has gone into the menus is truly impressive and always looks the part.

                                     
But you didn’t pay £40 to look at the striking menus, you paid that money to race and thankfully DiRT 3 plays just as well as it’s predecessors in that regard. Although some may dismiss the handling model as arcadey but it’s actually pitched just right. Controls always feel tight and responsive but always leave the player with a feeling that they are never more than a split second away from losing control.

To help ease in new players, Codemasters have included a whole suite of difficulty options so you can cater the experience just right every time. The difficulty of races always goes up a notch each time and by the time you get to the end of the games campaign mode, you’ll feel like a racing god.

Codemasters have also managed to cram in just enough new content and game modes to keep existing franchise followers happy. The more prominent role given to the standard Rally events feels fresh but it’s the introduction of the new Gymkhana discipline that steals the show. Playing like a vehicular version of the old Tony Hawk games, Gymkhana tasks players with performing tricks in an arena setting to get high scores. Players will soon find that drifting around tight obstacles, performing donuts and exploring the open world settings is a delight. There’s even secret packages to be found and all kinds of new things to try out. It’s a fantastic introduction to the series and is a thrill a minute experience that will draw players back to better their high scores.

There’s also new weather effects and night time racing to contend with. Try to negotiate a snowcovered hairpin bend at breakneck speed in the dark. You literally can’t see anything! It’s a testament to the games graphical quality that all the environments look stunning regardless of the conditions. There’s a real beauty in seeing the sun set over Kenya or rampaging through Aspen.

Multiplayer fans are also well catered for with a fantastic range of game modes. Besides the standard race modes, players are treated to a fantastic capture the flag variant that is an absolute riot and a riotous game of automotive tag. Perhaps most surprising though is the inclusion of a split screen mode that works fantastically without any real sacrifices to the core gameplay. Credit to Codemasters for the amount of effort they’ve shown here.

It’s always hard to be original in the racing genre but by mixing in the traditional rallying modes, new modes like Gymkhana and the fun packed online options, DiRT 3 tries harder than most. By marrying these modes to the fantastic handling model and providing a great amount of variety, DiRT 3 should keep petrol heads entertained for a very long time indeed.