Dirt is the latest racing game for the Xbox 360, developed by Codemasters, and it is full of tense moments hanging out on the edge of losing control. Of course, with a name like Dirt, the game focuses on off-road action, but there are many tracks for those who prefer their knees skinned with asphalt.
The career mode starts off with the typical tier lineup of short races. You score enough points in one tier and you progress to the next. Depending on your performance, you get cash to upgrade and buy more powerful vehicles. During the first tier, Dirt flings several different modes your way to give you a taste of what it offers, from mus, pack racing, pavement, and even lets you drive a few big rigs. There is also a Championship mode for traditional rally fans, which lets you set up full rallies, complete with repair segments between stages.
The car lineup focuses on real life rally cars dirt buggies, and other four-wheeled mud-catchers rather than exotic expensive vehicles like Ferraris.
Before you even start a race, you know this isn’t any ordinary game. The opening select menus are full-on 3d resembling the interface from “Minority Report” or “The Matrix”. In addition to being virtually whiplashed between the menu options, you are also presented with your current race stats (which can be almost as painful as the multiple crashes you’ll witness). US Pro-racer and X-games gold medallist Travis Pastrana also provides driving tips while the game continues to load.
This is a good time to make sure you have a friend with you, because once the race starts, you’ll need him to pick your jaw up off the floor. Dirt’s graphics are extremely realistic and eye-poppingly, jaw-droppingly, smack yo’ mamma good. The game features lush trackside vegetation, realistic reflections (which dull as your car gets dusty) and realistic landscapes. The car models are stunningly detailed, including the interior views, which actually change and crumple to reflect the car’s damage, and probably the best I’ve ever seen.
There is lots of detail here too. There’s alot of dust and must flying around to satisfy the off-roader, and you’ll even notice blades of grass bending in the car’s wake. The speed blur is well done, and the warm lighting really sets the atmosphere of the area.
There are lots of courses here, too. There are British forests, dustry Australian and Spanish tracks, Japanese lakes and mountains, and many other picturesque locales. It’s tempting to go off-course and explore what’s down that ravine, see what lay beyond the horizon, or visit the inhabitants of that inviting hill-town… there’s just alot of detailed scenery that adds up to extremely realistic visuals.
Once you complete a race, you get the expected after-race cockpit camera as your racing avatar either celebrates or hangs his head. As expected from a racing game you can watch replays of your performance and view stats. It is neat to watch (and crigne) to see your car from different angles as the windshields are smashed, the car slides off a dusty cliff, or is otherwise mangled into a useless pile of carbon. Or you can inspect your vehicle’s damage as the computer takes control of your vehicle and continues to drive the track.
The audio is absolutely supurb. The between-race music is an improvement over some of the “butt rawk” you’ll find in other racing games, and the subtle environmental noises are rendered very well, and realistically change between in-car or outside views. The engine notes are extremely well done as well, and are rather accurate for each type of vehicle.
You will crash, and you will crash frequently. But the handling is designed to almost lose control as you slip on the gravel. It is very satisfying to recover from a brutal wipeout or slide through a fast corner. Traditional racing fans (PGR or NFS players) may find it a little difficult at first, but the physics aren’ as impossible for Forza fans, who expect a realistic simulation. You can change the difficulty to fit your expertise level, though, so every fan of driving games can enjoy the new sliding experience.
Headlines can be deceiving. Dirt has 100-player Xbox Live races. Before you get too excited, let me explain the catch. You can only play rallies or hill climbs, which are played with only one car on the track at a time. You can be playing with 99 other Xbox Live gamers at the same time, but you cannot see each other. Instead you monitor each other’s progress in the rankings ticker and race-completion meter on the left of your screen.
You’ll definately feel the tension as you realize that the better players are zooming past you, but it’s not the same as being able to bump into your closest rival. You can still smack-talk with your invisible nemesi over your headset, though.
Conclusion
The game is almost perfect, and the only real issue is the unusual multiplayer mode. The car physics are appropriate, and designed to provide satisfying and tense gameplay for any racing ran. The attention to detail is exceptional, from how your car looks in the mud to sound design. Dirt may not have the largest lineup of cars, but if you are after geat racing gameplay then it’s one of the best available on the 360.
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