Racing games have been around for about as long as gaming itself, and 3D racing games have come along way since Race Drivin' and Virtua Racing. Once of the first things I did after getting an Xbox 360 was download and try out the various racing demos available, and DiRT was the one that felt just right in terms of immersive graphics and realistic controls. When I bought the full game, I wasn't disappointed.
I remember playing the first Gran Turismo on PSOne and being impressed by how much control I had over powersliding. It was a big leap forward at the time, but even then I wished for car damage. Being able to bump into other cars without penalty broke the realism of the game (not to mention made it a good idea to "take a moment" after an aggressive gaming session before say, getting behind the wheel of a real car!)
DiRT finds the right balance between arcade and simulation, as well as offers a variety of great off-road environments. The multiple difficulty levels can be adjusted before each race—allowing you to play at your level, yet offering the carrot of more prize money (the better to purchase new vehicles with) urging you to improve. The car damage is great fun and you will often find yourself limping towards the finish line as you learn the courses.
There are a variety of events in various weather conditions. Rally, Dune Buggies, Trucks, Big Rigs all handle very differently and all are fun to drive. Picking the right car or truck that handles right for your style of play becomes important pretty quickly. Powersliding is fun once you get the hang of it and key to winning later races.
The graphics approach realism, even if the frame rate takes a hit in some events. When the game gets going, you really feel you are driving a car way too fast in less than optimal driving conditions. The sound in DiRT is fantastic, from the varied car and environmental sounds to "the narrator" in career mode who encourages you, win or lose. The user interface is very stylish, offering various stats (such as longest time spent on two wheels) while loading up the next race. Load times can be a little long though.
I do have a few complaints. The online mode is limited to timed Rally races, and in general, the Rally events seemed more difficult than other races. I often had to dial the difficulty down a notch to be able to complete with the AI.
DiRT offers nearly everything I was looking for in a racing game. While not as high concept as the Burnout series, I highly recommend it. As an early 360 title, it offers great (and cheap) thrills.
2011 ben langberg, all rights reserved.