14 DAY TRIAL // 
Arcade racing may be what the market has been looking for, especially since Need for Speed: Underground came out and made racing a casual, popular genre, but rally games have their undeniable spot in the racing franchise, as small as it may be. So, while fans don't have a lot of games to ease their addictions, it does mean that competition is very light for developers. In fact, except Codemasters, there isn't any other developer out there dedicated to the rally genre. And, even if Codemasters has started slipping from the brutal, hardcore rally racing-sim genre, at least it still provides the dirt tracks needed to fulfill our drive for pinpoint car handling. And DiRT 2 does that, but mixes a little something extra too.
Story
As a racing game, the story isn't really a big part of the game. While there are some elements that could be considered as a story, ignoring everything and just playing until you win won't really rob you of any of the game's experience. As always, you're a rookie driver that's looking to make it big, who just happens to get a break at a sponsor and a car, and of course you also just happen to have at least one friend that's already famous in the racing business. From here, it's up to you make your own story, as you can be a perfect star on the track and win every single race, or struggle through, achieving just enough to get you to the next event.
Gameplay
In DiRT 2, the driving experience is a truly wonderful one. While it's not enough to satisfy the true fanatics of rally games, it adds enough simulation elements to make it a serious title in the genre. If you've only dabbled in arcade racers and your experience is limited to a few Need for Speed games, then prepare for a shock and a hard lesson in physics, mainly in traction, friction, inertia and centrifugal force. Trying to tackle a turn at speeds of 140+ Mph is a sure way to get yourself a total wipe-out, but, since this isn't Need for Speed, you won't even have a chance to reach such blitz-speeds.
First of all, you rarely get to put some rubber on tarmac, and, when you do, it's only a brief and treacherous experience, as there's always a gravel turn at the end of it. Off-road is the name of the game, and you'll get a chance to drive through all sorts of gravel and brittle, low-traction lands. The landscapes themselves vary enough to keep things interesting, as you'll get anything from the dirt roads of small villages, the muddy paths from swamps and some far more bumpy and air-time-filled tracks around the hillsides, but don't expect the same journey from the start to the finish. Most tracks come in a variety of terrains, and what you see at the beginning won't be there for you by the end.
Before every race, you can customize the handling of your car as far as suspension, gearing, downforce, brakes or differentials go, and, if you think that a standard setup is enough to keep you competitive, then you'll quickly learn that you need to set up your car to fit your individual driving style. For me, the big thing I noticed was that a shorter gear ratio really helped out around tight turns, front brakes kept “my rear end” on the track, while a lower suspension and a big down force helped me catch up with my competition. I may have a harder time when it comes to a truly bumpy ride, but that's easily eliminated by slightly slowing down before a jump, and making up for it in pure acceleration.
The single, though rather large, disappointment of the game is just how little does actual rally racing account for the total gameplay. Less than a quarter of the title is spent in point-to-point racing, and that nostalgic feel from the older Colin McRae is simply not present. Most of your time, you'll be spending jumping hurdles in your huge trucks or going in circles on dirt tracks, but, while this may be a lot of fun, it's not a ratio that should be present in a rally game.
Concept The idea behind DiRT 2 is that people needed a brutal, dirty, aggressive rally game that could be played by everyone, not just the hardcore fanatics. To make the title appeal to both must have been a bit of a design nightmare, but the developers at Codemasters managed to find the two things that would satisfy both the casual and the serious gamers, put them both in one game and not have them cancel each other out. These two core elements of the game have managed to do more than just co-exist, namely they've wrapped themselves around each other and have succeeded in creating a very interesting and well-done hybrid.
DiRT 2 is a rally game that handles hard enough to not fall in line with the pure arcade racers, but, at the same time, it is fun enough so that everyone can have a blast behind the wheel and become hooked on the game. The title features several game modes, some more different than others, and, put together, they offer a complete driving experience.
The Rally Cross will have players pack-racking in tight-turn tracks, the Land Rush will let them drive some really big trucks on some of the most off-road racing circuits possible, while the Rally and Gate Crasher will focus on a precise and efficient driving style. If road rage is more like your thing, then there's plenty of aggression and brutality in the Last Man Standing and Raid modes, so, no matter what aspect you get your kick out of, DiRT 2 will have it for you.
Graphics
As far as looks go, the game is a beauty. The car's geometry, as well as the environments are very well shaped and, as weird as it sounds, they're only enhanced by the progressive damage a vehicle will take during a race. Cars take very detailed damage, and it's not just visual. Hit something too many times, or too hard, and it will get bent or torn apart, and we're not talking about the paint job or the rear-view mirrors. While it didn't take all that much work as I might make it sound, enough dedication on my part did allow me to see the inside of my radiator and the edges of the engine block, while still keeping the car limping along the side of the tracks. Tires come off, hoods get blown off and bumpers say goodbye only to meet them again where you left them on the next lap. The inside of the car is also very well detailed, and, if you want a challenge and can deal with the lesser filed of view, you're going to enjoy a unique experience.
The environment is just as destructible as the car, and, while it's shown off rather smugly during Gate Crashers, it is ridiculously fun on the tight bends of Croatia or in some other corners of the Earth, where there are other road-side obstacles. If we can call this a drawback, it would be that this ends up causing us to restart races more often than we should, and we end up wasting a lot of those useful flashbacks. You'll have so much fun watching your truck pile through the ruins of some monastery, that you'll forget to stop the game and rewind earlier on, when you can retake control of your car and brake in due time. You'll just stare in awe as you slow-mo through brick, and wood, and mortar, ending up with a bent and twisted junk of metal and a pile of dust and rubble.
Audio
The game emanates a very good audio vibe, with very well-defined sound effects, from the sound of paint being pealed off the bonnet, to gravel being torn from the ground by the wheels, and metal buckling against stone. The engines have a very pleasant sound to them, even if most of it is the high-pitched scream of the buggies and dune crawlers, and the sound of the clumped tailpipe when you shift gears is just soul-butter.
The tunes in the soundtrack are very well picked and go great with the general indie, punk-like atmosphere of the game. The tunes are catchy, have a good rhythm and you'll even get a chance to hear some amazing songs, like Elbow's Grounds for Divorce. The one thing that proved to be not so great was the audio commentary and the in-game lines of the characters. Opponents will talk to you and amongst themselves during a race, but their lines are very few, and in just a few races will you end up hearing the same thing for the hundredth time.
Multiplayer
To add to the days of fun the single player offers, the multiplayer comes with even more. There are two different type of matches, the Pro Tour and the Jam Session. The first has a very strict set of rules, regarding the event and the cars available for it, but the Jam Session is free for all, no bar policy, and lets any of the eight players choose whatever vehicle they want over any type of race. While the game advises that it may not be a good idea to do a Rally event in a truck, if one feels confident enough, one can go ahead and be a little crazy anyway.
Conclusion
While racing games don't have a lot of depth to them, with virtually no story behind them and a relatively simple concept, it doesn't mean that it's easy to develop one. Graphics are a big thing for the genre, but the one thing that really needs to be nailed in order for the title to be successful is the gameplay. While, in 90 percent of the cases, this refers to handling alone, there is also a great need for feeling to be explored and relayed. A racing game needs to have you on the corners of your seat, swaying in tune with the car at every turn and having your veins pulse with more adrenaline than blood.
DiRT 2 is a very fun title, incredibly so, even, one might say, but, by doing everything you kind of miss actually doing something. Jumping from different car and track times can be a little bit hard to adjust, and, if you're used to playing from an in-car camera, you'll need to pinch yourself every now and then just to remember that you're not in a truck, and a floor-and-go tactic won't do. Fun replaces and makes up a lot of the adrenaline at the same time, and, while it's without a doubt the focus point of the game, at times, it leaves you thinking that driving was made a secondary objective by Codemasters.
