Dirt 2 - Playstation 3

Quick Note: If you want more realism... up the difficulty. Completing Rally stages on "Savage" and above difficulty will require you to master true rally moves.Visuals: 10/10It really does look incredible. I'm playing on a 46" 1080P LCD (although the game is only 720P) and the game is just amazing to behold. The in-cockpit view is awesome... although not very usable. I usually use the the view where you can see the hood of your vehicle and that's it (like a camera sitting just outside the windshield on the hood). Each car is lovingly crafted and the in-game environmental effects are awesome. Nothing is "overdone" though... like the subtle lens flare from the sun... nothing sticks out like "ooh look at what we did". The whole visual style flows very well.Sound: 10/10The driving sounds are great. Hooked up to my surround sound system I find myself using the sound to my advantage to hear opponents coming up from behind. Each vehicle makes a distinctly different sound and even the different drivers use their vehicles differently and if you pay attention you can know who is on your tail just by listening to the way their vehicle sounds!The music is great to. I suppose it helps that I actually listen to most of the bands that provided the in-game music... but I think most people will be pleased. I really like how when you are outside of your trailer you can hear a band playing on some nearby stage... then you go into your trailer and the music gets somewhat muted sounding very realistic. Next - you choose a stage to play and the music comes to the forefront while the loading screen does its thing. Just one example of some of the attention to detail.Interface: 9/10The out-of-race interface is great... the whole concept of being behind the scenes at a race event comes across very well. The racing interface is good as well... just enough information so that you know what's going on without clogging up the screen. Why the 9/10 then? Because it can take a while for the different menus to load... which can be aggravating at times.Controls: 10/10I've only played with a PlayStation 3 Logitech Driving Force GT Racing Wheel so I can't comment on using a controller. Playing with the wheel is _awesome_. I've been playing racing sims and arcade racers for YEARS with wheels... so I have a lot to compare to (including the original Colin McRae rally games on my computer). What I can tell you is that Dirt 2 has some of the best force-feedback effects I've ever experienced in a racing game. Each car feels different... and so does each surface. Also, you get a different feel whether you are power-sliding or drifiting over smooth or rough terrain.The different cars respond differently just as they should... and of course the different surfaces impact that as well. I've heard some people say that the cars "pivot too much from the center instead of from the rear".... these people have obviously never driven all-wheel-drive vehicles at speed down gravel roads. If they had... they would know that that Dirt2 faithfully recreates the feeling. I think these people are comparing the all-wheel-drive vehicles of Dirt2 with rear-wheel-drive vehicles in games like Forza / Gran Turismo. The one rear-wheel drive vehicle in the game is the buggy... and the backend certainly kicks out like a rear-wheel-drive vehicle should.With my racing wheel the gas / break pedals function exceptionally well. Feathering the gas out of a corner couldn't be easier. Similarly, getting on the break at just the right moment to throw the weight of the car forward and dig the front wheels in and unstick the rears for the beginning of a "Scandinavian Flick" works just as well.Gameplay: 9/10Speaking of the "Scandinavian Flick"... some people have derided this game as not being an "Authentic Rally Game". This couldn't be further from the truth. Sure there are a lot of other types of racing going on in Dirt 2... but in both "Rally" events and "Trailblazer" events (which are basically rally events without a co-driver and the cars have amped up speed and handling) the physics engine really shows you just how brutally unforgiving it can be. If you up the difficulty of the game to "Savage" or above... you'll need to get intimately familiar with the "Scandinavian Flick" to make your way efficiently through the point-to-point events. Everything is there, from using an inside shoulder to get a little bit of extra drag on the front inside tire to the aforementioned weight transfer to the front tires using a bit of the break pedal. There isn't a single maneuver from the original two Colin McRae rally games that you can't pull off in Dirt 2.That said... Dirt 2 is supposed to appeal to a wider audience... and it does excel at that. If you use a lesser difficulty mode you won't have any trouble "getting through" the rally events if you're not that interested in mastering perfect rally racing technique. Also... the damage model is quite a bit more forgiving than a true sim would be... which can cut down on the frustration factor for casual gamers.One other huge plus that this game has going for it: size. There are a TON of events to complete. At certain points it is almost daunting to behold the huge map full of events... and they just keep coming. Further, you can do time-trials (complete with downloading ghosts of the world-records from the internet and uploading your results for all to see). Yes, some of the tracks do get a bit repetitive... but in general the different locations are well varied and provide a ton of gaming for your dollar.So why the 9/10? Because sometimes the smash-em-up racing can get frustrating. If you are playing on "Savage" mode or higher the Raid and Land Rush game modes can be nearly impossible at the All-Star level (or maybe it's just me). It only takes one small collision to send you flying... but:To combat this problem Dirt 2 has the "Flashback". This is where you literally rewind the replay tape to before the point where you messed up... and then start racing from that point again! This is a godsend for obsessive types like myself who simply must get first in every race. In other games I'll have to start the entire race over if I mess up one turn... in Dirt 2 I get a few opportunities to undo a dumb mistake. For me.... this really adds to the overall "fun" factor of the game... for instance it lets you take a few chances going at breakneck speeds down a windy road on a cliff that you might not otherwise take...Multiplayer: ?I don't know yet! I've been so engrossed in the single-player portion of the game I haven't even played multiplayer yet. Well... I have participated in one of their weekly tournaments: this week you have to see how fast you can get through one of the China rally events... it's pretty cool how it automatically uses runs you do in the single-player events toward the weekly online tournament (if they apply).Other:I really like how they included all of the real life personalities into the game. To be rubbing fenders with Travis Pastrana or fighting it out with Ken Block is awesome. Yes, the little radio chatter can get repetitive and annoying at times. If it really bothers you just turn it off in the options screen.This game is really well put together. Every single corner of the game has been put under a microscope and has come out shining. When you are playing you can tell that a LOT of effort has been poured into making an unbelievably fun game.

...this game is simply flawless.The Graphics, the interface, THE COCKPIT! The game is loads of fun and once you're hooked, it's hard to let it go. It offers a varied choice of difficulties and more than 30 options for racing cars, not to mention the tons of tracks and game modes to explore. The controls are easy to grasp and fully customizable for your own gaming experience.If you're a fan of both race games and rally games, this is the game for you.I dunno why Sony keeps on insisting on online gameplay to substitute the fun of offline competition when they're nothing alike and a totally different ballpark. But well. suffice to say that, in this game's case, you won't even miss it! And if you feel like competing with some real live people, the multiplayer mode is very stable and good for both noobies and seasoned veterans alike.

Game is boring, well after the first couple of hours - if I wrote this review after first hour I would give it an 7 out of 10 because it is fun, but - well I bought this new for $50 (having the original, and Grid - which is better) and sold it just a week later. I agree the graphics are good, not amazing. Same tracks over and over, about the cheesiest commentary I have heard in a long time. Very little customization, ohhh look new stickers, sorry liveries. Very little difference in the way vehicles handle in the same class. No real tweaking options. No sense of community, same damn trailer you return to - you will get real tired of the pan from crowd to trailer over and over, and over, the few snippets of voice acting was awful - didn't feel any sense of community or growth in the game. Game is very arcade like, no necessarily a bad thing, but don't fall in to the realism trap. Sound, well the vehicles all sound alike.To quote others:"I really feel like it is yet another step to dumb down the whole experience, as it makes the game feel very linear with limited choices of cars and races."Someone actually wrote "Lots of unlockable goodies for completing and winning events. (New liveries, new horns, windshield and dashboard accessories)" - oh I really got a hulla doll? And a funny sounding horn, come on. I said where am I progressing to? What rewards?I know I will get probably get torn apart because others loved this game. Was just sharing my two cents. And I did enjoy the others in the series, especially Grid.