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Dirt Rally

Taking The Hard Road To The Top

by Matthew Kato

Concept:

Codemasters puts out its first rally-only title in a long time

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Graphics:

The regular rally racing is gorgeous, but I encountered dropped frames during the multi-car rallycross

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Sound:

Listening to a car game usually gets old fast, but I don't think I'll ever get tired of the cacophony of an engine popping and crackling, the crunching gravel, and screeching tires

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Playability:

It handles well enough that you know your failures and success are yours alone

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Entertainment:

Dirt Rally isn't deep in every area, but the gameplay alone makes this my favorite rally game

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Replay:

Moderately High

It's easy to approach a rally game as if it's another racing title. Speed, fighting for control, and a strong competitive spirit rule both, but rally racing is a different breed. If the focus of regular racing is primarily the finish, then rally racing is a marathon where you die and are reborn a million times before you reach the end. Corners aren't the only place where you gain or lose time. Every second is an attempt to conquer a growing fear. Victory at the finish line – and knowing the dangers you pushed past to get there – is an exhale of relief as much as jubilation.

To tap into the moments that make rally racing so exhilarating, you need a game that isn't just about sliding around hairpin turns. Dirt Rally's superior car handling communicates the vibrancy and challenge, creating an unparalleled experience. Dirt Rally isn't alone in translating velocity, physics, weight transfer, traction, and other intangibles into a video game package. However, the way it taxes these elements every second you're on the course in a flurry of ever-changing demands is what elevates the genre.

For example, I get a little air coming over the crest of a hill, which is not a fist-pumping moment. Being that the crest itself is at a slight angle, I have to prepare my takeoff angle before I go airborne, and once I land I'm immediately trying to gather the car back up and get ready for the bend ahead. I'm on light gravel so I shouldn't expect too much of a slide or spin of the tires, but I also have to flirt with when and how much brake I apply versus maintaining speed. Throw in a rock on the outside of the already-narrow bend that will likely destroy my car if I'm not careful. This isn't some big setpiece in a boss battle of a track; it's just a typical sequence you have to deal with that feels wonderful in your hands.

The co-driver is good about calling out what lies ahead through a sometimes complicated lexicon (but when he says Don't cut for a corner, that's a clear directive). You cannot ignore any of it, nor listen to all of it. The sweet spot occurs when you get into that auto-pilot zone, internalizing the next 100 or so yards while also focusing on the danger at hand. This is gaming as tense and demanding as you've ever known it.

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Every stage tests you differently, as you race on the edge of control across varying surfaces in a range of environments such as snow, ice, tarmac and dirt and as you tackle a variety of weather types. As the car suffers attrition, you need to account for mechanical damage whilst your dedicated rally team tries to keep you competitive with time-limited repairs. Stages string together and each rally becomes a marathon-like test of concentration and skill as you trust in your co-driver, chasing that ever-elusive perfect run.

DiRT Rally also includes officially licensed World Rallycross content, allowing you to experience the breathless, high-speed thrills of some of the world's fastest off-road cars as you trade paint with other drivers at some of the series best-loved circuits, in both singleplayer and high-intensity multiplayer races.

• ICONIC RALLY CARS - Rally is about having the right tools, the right strategy and the right team. DiRT Rally has all of those. It boasts 39 of the most iconic and relevant cars from yesteryear through to modern day, representing the cars that the players want, and the ones that make the most sense for the surfaces they race on.
• SIX MASSIVE RALLIES WITH OVER 70 STAGES - Winding paths through forests, death defying drops off hillsides and narrow mountain paths are what this is all about, it's you and your car versus the road ahead. Head to the muddy paths of Wales, the dusty trails of Greece and the icy tarmac of Monte Carlo. Take on the legendary hillclimb of Pikes Peak, the snowy thrills of Sweden, and the epic scenery of Finland. DiRT Rally has the iconic locations to test your nerve and delight your senses.
• OFFICIAL FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CONTENT – Race at the Lydden Hill, Holjes and Hell tracks in six of the fastest off-road cars and take on your friends in high intensity, bumper-to-bumper multiplayer racing.
• UPGRADES, REPAIRS, SETUP AND TUNING - DiRT Rally delivers depth in areas beyond driving – elements such as repairs, upgrades, and setup & tuning add a rich and strategic dimension to your rally experience.
• CHALLENGING, UNCOMPROMISING HANDLING MODEL - To take off-road racing to a level of realism not reached before, Codemasters has completely rebuilt the physical simulation for DIRT Rally. To adequately capture how it feels to race across changing surfaces, the Codemasters team has created brand new models for differential, suspension, engine mapping and turbo modelling. Codemasters has also modelled the way in which loose surfaces collect under the wheels during lateral sliding, creating a completely new feel to sliding around corners. This new physical simulation conveys the character of the compelling selection of cars as well as conveying the nuances of the game's high fidelity racing surfaces.
• TEAM MANAGEMENT - Hire and fire your crew members each of whom which will have different skills, improving repair times for different parts of the car. Teach them new skills as they gain experience and work together as a team to improve your performance in events.
• RACENET LEAGUE SUPPORT - Get together with friends and run your very own racing league. Join or create unlimited leagues and run them how and when you want.
• DAILY, WEEKLY AND MONTHLY RACENET CHALLENGES - It's you versus the entire DiRT community in a series of one-day, week-long and month-long challenges to earn in-game credits to improve your car and team.