Interface and Menu

I would like to comment upon the interface and the menu of the game. While other games have either a bad functional menu or a menu just there to make the links to the desired options, DIRT brings a brand new menu design with high functionality and originality. Some of you will consider myself crazy because I am writing about the menu of a racing game, but believe me this is something special. Every component from the menu is dynamic in a 3D environment. Even the loading screen is interesting by showing different personal stats like the total distance you have driven, the longest jump, the favorite car or track, number of won races, etc.

Simulation or Arcade?

Colin McRae rally racing series represented the compromise between simulation and arcade racing. And DIRT makes no exception. Along the years the series oscillated between a simulation approach and an arcade one, being difficult for everyone to declare if the series is a collection of simulation or arcade games. DIRT brings the balance to this debate having the best handling implementation from the whole series. Finally the cars have a smooth movement, though sometimes with a negative impact on the physics, (sometimes the car flows too much while in the air or when you have an accident), but the general impression is very good. The handling has the same digital feeling, while the cars in general seem to move much more realistic. I have to complain about the breaks physics. The cars break extremely fast, and have the tendency to drift while driving straight. At hairpins where you need to use the handbrake the car gets very hard into the drift, giving you the impression of rolling on a railway. Any car can be easily driven from the keyboard, gamepad or wheel. But I consider the gamepad being the best way to play the game. The control from the keyboard remains the same adding nothing new to the series, while the wheel control has the lack of precision like in the last three episodes. That's a pity because the two views from inside the car are really good and increase the realism.

Damage system and graphics

The damage system is one of the most important aspects of the Colin McRae series. From the first game, Codemasters realized one of the best and most realistic damage system, which was used and improved in Race Driver. But DIRT brings the next level of damage system introducing the foliage effect. Not only that you can lose different components of the car (bumpers, doors, wheels), break the glass, tear up the paint, but also see the waviness of the bodywork caused by the contact between the car and different objects.

The beauty of the damage system is also influenced by tracks design which is equally beautiful but most important, destructible. For the first time in the series every object, except walls, big trees, big rocks, can be tear apart or destroyed.

The game has a fantastic graphic specially created for a rally game. Dirt and mud will stick to your car or flow behind it. Special lighting reflections create an unique atmosphere for every track. Races that take place in desert mountains consist in powerful lighting effects to emphasize the heat effect, while races that take place in rainy locations have a cold and foggy lighting effect. But this amazing graphic has a price. You cannot taste it if you don't have a high-end system. Races with multiple cars have a low framerate and the same problem is present also in the XBOX 360 version.

Multiplayer yes or no?

The Colin McRae series never had a good multiplayer concept. Every game had some multiplayer attempts but none of them were extremely used by the players. Starting only with LAN support, the series had some success at LAN parties, but never gave the chance of the player to fight directly with the opponent only through a ghost car or live display of the time sectors. Unfortunately DIRT makes no exception. Even though they introduced an online mode, the multiplayer works almost in the same way as before. You have to create an account, and you will be thrown directly in a lobby from where you can vote from a list which track do you want to race. After every race, the list will refresh radomly with new tracks and cars. The problem is that you cannot choose what car you wish to drive. The cars are already chosen for the specific track, and every user will race the track with the same car. On a vertical bar, the live situation of the race will be displayed. Only two disciplines are available: rally and hillclimb. So no rallycross or CORR races in which you could challenge any gamer in a direct fight. The problem goes on also on the LAN support where you can race only on rally and hillclimb challenges.