Colin McRae: DiRT 2

The original _Dirt_ is one of my favourite driving games of all time; it’s incredible sense of speed, the precision driving required and it’s general realism made it an enjoyable title that kept me glued to my 360 for at least a couple of months. Although I enjoyed all the different race types available in the game, it was definitely the straight up rally mode that captivated me, with narrow roads and tight corners I always felt close to disaster; in short, it was an invigorating experience. But it did have its problems, the most prominent being its unforgiving nature; if you had one bad crash, that was it, time to restart the race. As well as a distinct lack of proper online play there was considerable room for improvement in a sequel.

A few weeks ago, after logging into Xbox Live, I was shocked to find that a playable demo of _Dirt 2_ had become available. After getting over the initial shock, I prepared myself for what was to be a momentous occasion. I waited and anxiously watched as the download moved ever closer to being complete. Then it was done, I was playing the game and I was instantly scared; something wasn’t quite right! Although the multiple car racing appeared to be fine, the rally section on offer provided a car with such loose handling that I could barely keep it in a straight line. I immediately stopped playing, helping to hell that Codemasters hasn’t ruined my beloved _Colin McRae: Dirt_.

They haven’t, not only is _Dirt 2_ just as good as the original, it improves it in nearly all aspects. While the original concentrated mostly on the technical rallying side of things, with a few other disciplines mixed in for good measure, _Dirt 2_ offers an extremely diverse selection of race categories; ranging from buggy races over large open tracks to trailblazer events spanning miles upon miles of narrow, technical roads, there really is something for everyone. More importantly the game still retains the sense of speed and exhilaration found in its predecessor; without this _Dirt 2_ would have been a complete failure of a sequel.

The game’s style and the way in which your progress through the game are unrecognisable when compared to the original. The clean cut menus have been replaced with a first person view of what’s effectively the interior of a motorhome. From here you can access your _Dirt_ career, multiplayer and even step outside into a racing festival, which looks very similar no matter where you are in the world. From here you can check out your rides as well as access the game’s options. Although all of this doesn’t sound very exciting, for a menu system it really is. It shows that menus don’t have to be dull and boring methods of getting to the fun parts but can be interactive and enjoyable pieces of entertainment themselves; this is something that Codemasters is really leading the way in, first with _Dirt_, then _Grid_ and now _Dirt 2_.

You progress to new events by gaining experience which causes you, as a driver, to level up. At numerous levels new locations on the map, in the back of your motorhome, open up and, at later stages, so do tournaments and world championships. Each location has multiple events which, as mentioned before, include every aspect of four-wheeled off-road racing. You also win cash for completing an event which can be used to buy new vehicles, as well as kitting them out for different types of races. Overall there’s a lot of gameplay to be had here, all of which is enjoyable; not one of the different types of events did I find dull or uninteresting, they all kept me hooked for however long they last.

As previously mentioned the original _Dirt_ was pretty brutal when it came to difficulty, although you could easily change the skill level of your AI opponents, one devastating crash would ruin your race. _Dirt 2_ has an ingenious new feature that solves this perfectly. Flashbacks, ripped from Codemasters other racing franchise _Grid_, allow you to rewind time by a certain amount before that dreaded moment of impact. The customisable difficulty of each event means that you can make the game as hard or as easy as you like by changing the number of flashbacks allowed per a race; the harder it is, the more money awarded on completion.

Not only is the gameplay top-knotch but _Dirt 2_ has to be one of the best looking games I have ever seen, it truly is verging on photorealistic. With excellently modelled cockpit views (the only way to play) as well as superb environmental modelling and texture detail, _Dirt 2_ really immerses you in the experience of driving a high speed car. The water technology used in the game is also some of the best I’ve seen; after going through a puddle, the water and general crap that’s thrown up onto the windscreen makes it impossible to see the road ahead until the wipers switch on. It’s this attention to detail that makes _Dirt 2_ stand out in a sea of generic racing titles.

_Dirt 2’s_ deal sealer is its comprehensive multiplayer component; the huge omission from the original game has thankfully been rectified. Being able to compete in any of the racing disciplines, online against a maximum of 7 other people, really adds another layer to this already great package. It was crazy for the original not to have these features but now the sequel even offers a separate online career, allowing you to level up in a similar manner to the solo career. The whole thing runs smooth and looks just as good as it does offline, a great achievement.

The only real negative, and the thing I was worried about most while playing the demo, is the franchise’s move away from realism to a more arcade experience. _Dirt_ accurately mimicked real rally racing with car tuning between stages and car repair that was time dependent (you had to prioritise what you wanted to repair most). This has all been removed and may be a disappointment to some, depending on what sort of game you wanted _Dirt 2_ to be.

What the game may lack in realism it makes up for in every other aspect, resulting in an off-road driving experience like nothing else. Codemasters are truly at the top of their game, leaving the likes of _Motorstorm_ in the dust. While some driving games can become rather dull, _Dirt 2_ continually puts you on the edge of your seat, offering extremely fast-paced and enjoyable gameplay. With its impressive career and online component, this is a must own for any racing fan.