Colin McCrae: Dirt 2
The revered Mr McRae might have gone to the never-ending rally circuit in the sky – but his virtual legacy lives on in a title that for old time McRae-ers like me, pushes all the right.. er.. footpedals.
In Dirt 2, the die-hard realism of the series has been given an upgrade with an extreme sports flavour and the kind of cars/trucks you’re more likely to see ripping around a dessert rather than a rally track. The scenery is some of the prettiest the series has seen from dense, tropical Malaysia to the parched badlands of Morroco, London’s Battersea Power Station and the Shibuya district in Tokyo. In the countryside it’s the lurid sky and the crumbling rock beneath your tyres that screams of realism and in the city stages (my favourite is the London rally-cross challenge) the crowd and environmental effects like dramatic lighting, fireworks and confetti give Dirt 2 a vigour missing from some of the series’s more sim-orientated titles.
Posthumously Peachy
Also new is the visual sophistication of the menus and race prep screens, which feel blockbuster-good thanks to chunky graphics and MTV styling.
There is much in Dirt 2 which will feel new to McCrae old-skoolers but the visceral feel of the physics is still there and the thrill-ride DNA that Codemasters do better than most. The Impreza also makes an appearance in trailblazer guise.
If you’re not a rally purist this game is a head rush and a worthy experiment with what I consider to be the best off-road franchise out there.
Jason talks more about games and gadgets on his own blog. Check him out at: www.jasonbradbury.com
