Colin McRae: DiRT 2 Review

With recent racers GRID and DiRT, Codemasters have managed to show us two things. One; they have a penchant for irregular upper case letting. And two; they've shown us they really know how to craft a decent racing title. Grid, arguably, has become one of the most popular circuit racers, whilst Colin McRae DiRT took us back into rallying. Does their second iteration in this series sparkle, or is it just dirty?

The first thing you'll note when you boot up this game is its style. From the slick menus navigating around a tour bus to the gorgeous graphics, this game just shines. Every effort has gone into this game to make it the best looking and stylish racer out - and it does well to stand out. The soundtrack of the game is never overbearing; meaning that the songs that are played at the festivals your tour bus is parked at do enough to interest you, even though they're more background noise. As you load a race, the music begins to blare out as you're offered a variety of stats based upon your current racing, and the upcoming track. Then the music is silent. It becomes just you, the car and the dirt.

And this is, in essence, the philosophy for the entire game. You begin the game with a Colin McRae special vehicle, which is yours to have and to hold - as well as smash around racetracks. You use this vehicle to enter the first race and, upon completing, nets you money and XP with which to level up. As you level up, you unlock more and more races in more and more places, as well as improving your rank from one of three available (thus providing you with even more races). It's simple enough. No pretentious storyline about being an undercover rally driver seeking to outwit the rally underworld - it's pure and simple, race to win and become the best.

As you earn money, you can purchase more cars. These range from Rally cars to big trucks and off-road buggies. There's a healthy dose of vehicles here, and each has their own stats on performance in Speed, Acceleration and Drivability. The differences between the vehicles and their stats don't seem drastic, so there'll never be an out and out super-specced car that you'll receive towards the end of the game. They are all reasonably equal, so it's up to the player to pick and choose the vehicles they want. You will need to buy new vehicles for events where particular types are required, and eventually you'll build up quite a collection.

There is also a certain degree of vehicle tuning to be done, both a simplistic approach as well as a more advanced option too. Regardless, the choices of customisation aren't vast, so don't expect Gran Turismo level of fine-tuning. That said, you are given enough to make a difference. Stiffening up the suspension will mean you're less bouncy on your landings, but will also make bumps more of a hazard. You'll be fine playing the game without ever tweaking your vehicles, but there is that option if you're the kind of person who enjoys customising for the race ahead.

You'll get a variety of race types in DiRT2's Tour Mode; from the expected Rally events, to races in different vehicles. The races differ too; Domination mode where the last racer is eliminated after a set period, lap-based tracks and long distance point-to-point races. There's enough variety in the game that means you'll never run out of differences races, or different vehicles, to take on. These can be based on single race events, points based competitions on multiple races in the same race type or the X-Games events which incorporate three different types of races.

This does mean, however, that it largely becomes a hybrid off-road racing game, rather than a rally game. The rally sections are my particular favourite part of the game, though it seems there is a larger emphasis on races than the rallying that made the Colin McRae name. That said, none of the race types are boring and there's enough variety to keep you interested. It almost makes you feel that Codemasters made a generalised off-road game to get people interested, rather than focusing on a truly epic rally racer - of which gamers have been sorely lacking for years.

As for the tracks themselves, you're given nine different countries to race around. From the dusty Baja, California, the stony tracks of Croatia or the mud-filled Malaysia - some with a few tracks in each area. You're treated to a wide spectrum of places and locales and, most importantly in this game, different surface types. Unlike ever before, the difference is most notable. It's really possible to feel the tracks, to have to differ your racing as you switch from surface to surface. City based tracks like Battersea, London or Shibuya, Japan will see you making use of the patches of tarmac that have appeared from beneath the dirt to gain control of your car after a little over-steer. Similarly, switching from region to region has you handling your car differently, from drifting around the dusty Baja to pacing along the fairly clay-based Utah track. It's this sense of knowing your vehicles grip on different surface types that really makes this game stand out.

There is one fault with the game that does get kind of frustrating. More than any other, the racing genre can cause anger when you're unable to get into first position. DiRT2 is no exception. What really rattles the cage, however, is the sickeningly sweet chatter that your rival racers provide. Rarely will your competitors show anger or upset at your winning. In fact, they'll be pleased that you're in the first position. Should you smash into their car (on purpose or otherwise), and you will be asked if you're okay. One particularly aggravating moment found me swaying and drifting trying to find an opportunity to overtake second and first place, only to have Dave Mirra have a lovely chat about the race, their driving skill and generally how nice the world was. Sickening and frustrating!

That said, it's not a real complaint and it's hard to fault DiRT2. Codemasters have managed another top-notch racer and it's looking like they're quickly becoming King of the Racer. If you were hoping for an entirely rally based game, you're likely to be disappointed, but for an off-road racing game - with rally elements - this is by far the best one out there now.