Codemasters are known to be one of the best developers when it comes to racing games. With a portfolio including AAA franchises such as Race Driver and Colin McRae Rally, most of their games are in general well received by the critic. Unfortunately their latest creations tend to lose some of their former simulation aspect in the detriment of a more casual approach. DiRT 2 makes no exception. I was expecting a true masterpiece, a game that could truly bring the WRC Championship and its affiliate racing events with all the official licenses in the virtual world. Instead I was hit by a huge portion of Americanism. You have to compete against X-Games and "MTV icons" such as Ken Block, Travis Pastrana, Tanner Foust, etc in 8 believable locations around the Globe in different events, lots of them being held on closed circuits. If you can pass over these details you will get a good portion of adrenaline and most important a consistent multiplayer mode.  

In order to create a more personal connection between the game and the player, your opponents are also your teammates giving you advices along the races but reacting believably to your driving by screaming or commenting while you hit their vehicles. Still, all these voice acting becomes annoying after a while because of the repetitive references to their personas. Good thing is that the A.I. is smart and plays believably giving you the feeling that it really fights for a podium finish without cheating. On closed circuits the opponents play aggressive pushing you over if you are standing in their way, but they also cause big crashes from where you might get the chance to win the race.

I think DiRT 2 has one of the best off-road racing environments covering a wide variety of landscapes from the rocky mountains of Utah to the swampy surfaces of Malaysia. With the help of an improved physics engine, you will feel every surface transition from gravel to tarmac and muddy terrain. There is a continuous battle for traction and balanced control. There is a tremendous difference from what DiRT had to offer in terms of physics and what its sequel offers at this moment. Answering the fans requests, Codemasters re-established the slide effect caused by weight transition and therefore the vehicles recovered their rally handling. Every hair-pin and 90 degree curve needs an attentive approach in order to position the vehicle at the best possible angle to exit it. But everything was implemented so intuitive that any player can get used to this elaborate handling immediately.