Reviewed: October 15, 2007
Reviewed by: Justin Nixon
Publisher
Codemasters
Developer
Codemasters
Released: September 11, 2007
Genre: Racing
Players: 1
Online: 100
8
10
8
9
8.8
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
The popularity of rally racing has really taken off within the past decade. The sport has garnered many new fans during that time. Despite this spike in interest with the genre, it will probably never be as big as either stock car racing or street racing. Games based off of this sport have received the same type of success. At the same time, the games will likely never out-sell a game like Gran Turismo or Need for Speed.
DiRT is the newest game from the Colin McRae series of rally-racers. There is little doubt that this has been the premier series in the genre of rally racing. This also marks the first appearance of the series on the PlayStation 3. Given the power of the PS3 and the quality of this series in the past, DiRT could bring this genre to new heights, and I can’t wait.
When you first slide this game into your PS3 and start it up you will witness one of the most amazing intro videos for any racer. After the video the voice of Travis Pastrana will walk you through the initial set-up of your profile, and gives you an option for a quick, but useful tutorial. After you set everything up and go through the tutorial you are ready to fully experience DiRT, an experience you won’t soon forget.
Right from the start you’ll fall in love with DiRT. Much of this initial attraction has to due with possibly one of the easiest, yet most impressive menus found in any game of this generation. Imagine a cloudy three-dimensional space that goes on and on as far as you can see. Floating in the distance are various red shapes. You are presented with a menu bar with seven option tabs to choose from. Choose any one of these tabs and a red line leads you from that tab through the cloudy 3-D space to one of those red shapes you saw in the distance. It turns out that object was just a box with a subset of options based on what you just chose. Choose one of those options and another red line leads you to the next set of options, and this continues until there are no more things to choose from.
The initial bar has Career, Championship, Rally World, Multiplayer, Options, History, and Extras. Pick any of these and that red line will lead you through space to the next set of options. The interface is simple but at the same time very imaginative.
If you choose the Career tab you are led to a giant pyramid of events. This is the heart and soul of DiRT. At the bottom, where you start, there are 11 events to choose from. Each event is worth 10 points and a set amount of money depending on the event and the level of difficulty chosen. You will have to get a set amount of points to unlock the next set of races in the pyramid. This continues with each level until you reach the very top, which could take a large amount of time to do.
Championship mode will allow you participate in one of four tournaments. The first two are unlocked while the third and fourth will have to be unlocked by winning the other two. Each tournament has anywhere from 3 to 6 races in it.
Rally World is just basic exhibition racing. Choose a track, choose a car or truck, and go race. Multiplayer is also very basic. You can choose to either go online and race or just use a LAN connection. Up to six players can race against each other at a time. You can also check online leaderboards through this option. For the most part the online is pretty weak in variety. The Options tab gives you the chance to adjust your profile settings, controller setup, sound, and on-screen display. Lastly, the Extras tab allows you to view unlocked videos.
As for the actual racing events, the game offers you a choice of anywhere from two to five or six different vehicles to race with, most of which have to be purchased. There are cars, trucks, buggies, semis, and even garbage trucks to race with. Of course, each event has its set of requirements and limitations so you won’t be taking a small car on an Up-hill Climb event. Each vehicle controls differently also. Small cars accelerate faster, while 4x4 trucks can climb hills faster.
Now for the actual racing. DiRT is a rally-racing simulation. Don’t expect an arcade-like experience. Just think Gran Turismo rally style. You can’t take corners like a mad man or you’ll find yourself flying off a cliff or slamming into a tree. This may not sound to penalizing to some, but, as you will soon discover, damage your car too much and the race is over. Your car can only take so much damage in this game. If you usually don’t like racing simulations, DiRT will change your mind. DiRT isn’t in any way frustrating like some other racing sims on the market and will entertain fans of both arcade and sim racers alike.
As we all know, the PS3 “sacrifices” rumble support for its Sixaxis motion-sensing controls. DiRT doesn’t use any form of this motion-sensing technology throughout the entire game. This is a little disappointing considering that the Xbox 360 version does support the rumble feature while the PS3 version doesn’t support SIXAXIS. The lack of rumble will occasionally make the cars feel weightless too. You don’t get that rumble feedback as your hopping small hills, hitting other vehicles, or flying off of cliffs.
Absolutely gorgeous! This is really the only way to describe this game. DiRT is one of the best looking racers that you will ever play…ever. The cars, first of all, look exactly like their real-life counterparts. The first thing that you’ll notice is that the cars show an extensive amount of damage throughout the race. Scratches, dents, cracked glass, broken glass and other damages show up as you bang around the racetrack in pursuit of the finish line.
Little additions like light reflection and dirt build-up also make the cars stand out. At the beginning of the race you may have a clean shiny car but by the end it could be covered in a nice layer of dirt depending on the track. Not only does this look good but it also helps suck into the game as you feel that you are driving a real car not just a computer generated one.
The cars aren’t the only visual masterpieces in DiRT. The environments will blow you away too. Whether it’s the mountains in the distance or the trees by the racetrack the environments are spectacular. You won’t believe that this is a game. Even at high speeds your surroundings look great.
The best part may be that you really get that feeling of “I can go anywhere.” The game doesn’t make you feel like you are limited to a linear racetrack, although in reality you are. You feel like those mountains in the distance are just a short dive away not just an added visual. Of course you can’t actually stray too far from track or the game will reset you but the game really does feel open.
Not only is DiRT one of the best looking racers on the market but it also may be one of the best looking PlayStation 3 titles out there. You won’t believe your eyes from start to finish.
If DiRT has a weak spot this is it. The sound isn’t bad by any means but you won’t really notice it while you’re mesmerized by the gameplay and the amazing graphics. The music is forgettable. Travis Pastrana does a good job with the introduction narration. The car engines sound great and overall add to the experience, but at the same time, you won’t find yourself thinking “Wow those engines sound great” as you’re playing. You’ll be too busy thinking “Do real cars look this good!?” instead.
If you like racing games then you will love DiRT. The bottom line is that DiRT delivers on everything that makes a racing game great. It has great gameplay, numerous cars and events to pick from, and absolutely amazing graphics. Could you really ask for more? The lack of Sixaxis on a PS3 racing title is a little disappointing but has any racing game really been made better by Sony’s motion-sensing technology? I don’t think so. If you own a PS3 then you should own DiRT.
Even after playing through DiRT and experiencing all of the greatness that it has to offer, I can’t say that this sub-genre of racing will ever be as mainstream as Gran Turismo or Need for Speed. It’s not that DiRT isn’t an amazing game, because it is, but more because rally racing just doesn’t appeal to as many people as street racing or exotic car racing.