DiRT 2

It’s time to get behind the wheel of your rally car once more with the latest offering in the Colin McRae racing game series, DiRT 2. The creators of the title, Codemasters, have made a concerted effort to produce a game that doesn’t just appeal to hardcore rally nuts, but to anyone that has an interest in racing games. This is demonstrated in the career mode, where you’ll find that only about a fifth of it is made up by proper rally driving.

The career mode really is the focus of DiRT 2. You play an aspiring racing driver who, throughout the course of his career, is transformed from an outright rookie into a world-renowned champion. As you first start the game you’ll find yourself presented with a Subaru Impreza that was driven by the late Colin McRae himself. Take this car through the 30 different levels on offer, modifying as you go, or jump into one of the other 35 different machines as you progress. Either way you’ll find that your once slow and sedate vehicle will soon be transformed into a track-eating monster.

If you’re new to the genre never fear, there are six different difficulty levels to choose from, allowing you a gentle introduction to the game. You’ll find yourself earning slightly less cash and experience points with the easier difficulty levels, but other than that not much is different with regard to the gameplay. You’ll still work your way from amateur events through to the pro and all-star races.

No matter which difficulty level you go for it’s unlikely that you’ll find your opposition to be a complete walkover. Each race will feature a believable battle that’ll have you perched precariously on the very edge of your seat. That realism is combined with some accurate responses from the car; you will feel yourself starting to lose control of your car of choice as you teeter along the edge of a cliff. Unlike arcade racing games you’ll also soon become aware how valuable it is to use that brake button to accurately and quickly navigate the courses that you’re faced with.

Players of the previous game in this series will be pleased at the introduction of new functionality within the races themselves. For example, the Flashback feature that allows you to watch a replay of the last few seconds of the race and to resume play from any point within that sequence. You’ll be given five of these flashbacks per race; they’re a great way of saving a restart following a catastrophic accident.

You’ll also be able to heighten the amount of experience points that you earn through a race with the inclusion of missions. How skilled are you at travelling on two wheels or at overtaking other drivers? These are just a couple of the missions through which experience can be earned.

Bored of playing DiRT 2 alone? Jump online and play in head to head battles with up to seven other people from around the globe. You’ll be able to use any car available in the game in the online play, no matter if you’ve unlocked them through your single player career mode or not.

Absolutely stunning graphics, great and varied gameplay and a much improved online play all contribute to making DiRT 2 a great title. If you’re searching for a pure rally driving experience this might not be the game for you, you will find that the other racing modes do dominate proceedings. However, for a great racing game this title may be tough to beat.