A lot to handle
Of course, all this visual splendour would be for nought, if the handling wasn’t up to scratch, but the game delivers here too; serving up thrills and spills a plenty. Perhaps most notable is the tangible change in grip when driving over different kinds of terrain – often in the same lap. The standard dirt surface will see you drifting around all but the tightest of corners at speed, hitting actual tarmac suddenly adds much welcomed grip into the equation, while slaloming through the snow requires dexterity, accuracy and luck in equal measure.
Gimme a brake
For instance, the Aspen stages are, as you’d expect, slick with slush, ice and snow banks. Hitting any kind of speed feels suitably reckless, with stopping times dramatically increased as the car slides unrestricted on the icy surface. Factor in the constant and blinding spray of churned up snow from the car in front and you start to get a feel for the franticness of Dirt 3 – a much wilder ride than say that of Gran Turismo 5.
Attach a steering wheel and the experience is improved still further, transforming again into an even more thrilling undertaking as the wheel bucks and fights against you – well if you’re the lucky owner of a force feedback wheel of course. My Logitech Driving Force GT was just the job, the in-game options even providing the ability to set steering and braking dead zones for full customisation.
A Ford ability
One downside to the steering, which bucks like a wild bull, is that you’ll find yourself sliding off course, smashing into trees or else plunging off ridges with alarming regularity – particularly if you’re brave enough to turn the steering aids off. Thankfully, the ‘Flashback’ system allows the previous several seconds to be rewound so that, with any luck, you’ll be able to resume from a point where said disaster is avoidable. If you don’t use your allotted five however, you’ll gain extra reputation points, so it’s worth getting out of the habit of depending on them.
Next page: Beating the competition
COMMENTS
It's all very nice
But somehow it's still not Stunt Car Racer.
Must go and see if my old A500 still works...
Wither Colin and Richard...
Is there a proper rally simulator at all anymore? Without Gymkhana and buggies?
But indeed
I actually don't mind the Drift and Gymkhana events - Dirt stopped being a rally title years ago (I still have a Rally Championship installed for proper rallying, which now works brilliantly with the Logitech G25) - but the fact that you *have* to do the Gymkhana to advance from tier one racing is a pretty poor show.
I quite like the off-road racing aspect and am enjoying the game, but couldn't be bothered with the gymkhana stuff and while you can get enough points to avoid drift and gymkhana events in the seasons, you can't get out of that initial yawn-inducing school and event to get past first tier without doing the DiRTy "gymkhana" deed.
TBH, I'd prefer Dirt2 with updated graphics to this latest offering. It's fun, but so far I preferred its predecessor. In spite of being a stuffy middle class Brit, I don't mind a bit of fun every now and then and that's what these games offer. Then I can go back to the Welsh forests and wreck some poor unsuspecting virtual 106 or Escort or something in Rally Championship.
PC version
The core of the game is very good, exciting, entertaining and challenging.
The use of Windows live and needing to install Windows live id as service and have it running, the long load times and patronising commentary almost destroys what in essence is a very good game.
After playing for an hour with about 40% of that hour in loading screens, I am not particularly inspired to load the game again. I got some grief on my plate at the moment and I am not a happy bunny, I know this is affecting my patience. I will try the game again when my mood improves, perhaps my patience with the game will improve too. But at the moment the pleasure is not worth the pain.
This is my opinion and such things are subjective, but the use of Windows live in any game immediately annoys me and takes at least 30% off any rating.
Good game BUT
First off I am a huge Rally fan in the real wold as well as the electronic and have owned pretty much every rally game ever made.
This is a good game much better than the last Dirt because of the better rally content, game play and physics are nice and balanced and overall it is a definate move forwards however and this is a really BIG however the "Drift Showcase and Gymkhana" are totally out of place in the main game. I can accept that there are people out there who want to do these kind of events but to include both in what is essentially a rally game is annoying to say the least. They both need to be optional to the main game rather than form part of it. Make it a optional / bonus content.
Hopefully there will be yet another Dirt in which they will go back to the routes of the game and stop with all the "American" Yeah Ha and Chav rubbish and stick to the proper racing formats and any additonal content be exactly that additional content for those who actually want content like that.
