![]() Unlike past games, rally stages are different events themselves and not one overall race. Now this being a Colin McRae game, I’m going to give the Rally event type its due, partly because of its unfair step-brotherly treatment, but mostly because it’s still the most fun event type in the game. ![]() Every now and then, a pro driver will issue a Throwdown – a one-on-one race with big cash, big XP, and respect at stake. Against the clock, you have Rally, Trailblazer – a basic time trial, and Gate Crasher – time trials where you must drive through on-track objects to extend time and stop the clock from counting down to zero. These include Rally Cross and Landrush – lapped races around short tracks, Raid – long distance point-to-point races, and Last Man Standing – lapped races where at regular intervals, the last car in the pack is eliminated till only one remains. In the former, you take on 7 AI competitors in various disciplines. But beyond that, it’s nice to just be able to put a number to all the time and effort you’ve put into the career mode.Įvent types are plenty in DiRT 2, but they can be broadly broken down into two categories – races against the AI and races against the clock. You also earn lots of other freebies as you level up, like bonus cash, bonus cars, liveries, and in-car embellishments. The leveling system is pretty addictive and many events, locations and X Games shows are locked to higher levels, so leveling up is a key element. Each event earns you cash and XP cash lets you buy new vehicles, while XP levels you up. Events are broken up into three levels – rookie, pro, and all-star, with only the rookie events open to you at the start. It’s presented brilliantly, with each of the 100 events visible to you together without having to dig through layers of sub menus to find the race you want to enter. The DiRT Tour is your career mode, with 100 events to last you several hours. Loading screens too are chock-full of information everything from career statistics, info on the upcoming race, and status on in-game missions and Trophies/Achievements is thrown at you to keep you occupied while the race loads up. You can step outside the trailer for a look at your rides and access game options. The 3D menu is set in your tour bus/trailer, with different parts of the trailer representing menu options. The menu system and loading screens in the first DiRT game were ground-breaking and they continue to impress in DiRT 2. Brands like Pirelli and Sparco make way for the likes of DC and Flip.Ĭodies are masters of presentation. The more youthful, urban approach to the series is also clearly evident in the sponsoring brands that you will come across. The game also boasts the X Games extreme sports franchise license, and you will participate in three X Games competitions in the DiRT Tour career mode. Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra, both better known for their accomplishments on two wheels, also join the cast, taking turns to play your guide through DiRT2. The showboating, lazy-sounding Ken Block headlines a list of pros, who will race against you in DiRT 2. ![]() The new approach is also very evident from the game’s presentation. ![]() You can either mope around and rue the fact that the Colin McRae Rally franchise as we knew it is dead (it is there’s no two ways about it), or you can try and enjoy DiRT2 for what it is – a fun pick-up-and-play off-road racing game with diverse environments, a handful of vehicle classes and numerous race types. Codemasters have given precedence to the sizeable X Games loving American audience over the rally fans, and as a result, the Colin McRae series is no longer about rally, but rather an off-road racing assortment.Īs someone who loved the old Colin McRae games and even the first DiRT game, I was initially disappointed by the way rally has been abandoned in DiRT 2, but I was quickly won over by how much fun the game is despite it. MotorStorm: Arctic Edge on the PSP has done it brilliantly and Forza Motorsport 3 seems to be all about it, but Colin McRae: DiRT 2 takes the cake by going so far to attract the casual gamer, that it’s now unrecognisable from the pre-DiRT Colin McRae games many of us have enjoyed for years. ![]() Accessibility seems to be the flavour of the season for racing games. ![]()
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