Expert Expectations – Colin McRae: DiRT 2
Filed Under (Games) by Dan on 28-11-2008
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Racing games. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I’m one of those people who loves them. But only if they are done right. There is nothing more annoying than a racing game that portrays beautiful cars travelling at high speed without any illusion of speed! Or the beautifully rendered car handles more like a racing yacht than a vehicle!
DiRTy Details
Codemasters released the first version of DiRT over a year ago and manauged to surprise everyone. They actually made a few mistakes with the game, but over all they came up with a well rounded winner.
One of the down sides of DiRT was the fact that it had a pretty arcadish feel to it. That seriously impacted my experience negatively at first, but once I was able to take a breath and get over it I found a beautiful looking game with a lot of simple fun behind it.
Another thing that DiRT fell short on, as a lot of reviewers agreed, was the lack of a good multiplayer component. Quite frankly I’m not sure why you would even attempt to release a competitive racing game with out a solid multiplayer component! But Codemasters did exactly that and ended up getting a lot of negative attention as a result. Silly programmers…
So what about DiRT 2?
DiRT2 Muddiness
Codemasters is bragging that they have beefed up the graphical engine from DiRT, which incidentally wasn’t one of DiRT’s weak areas at all.
Secondly there is supposed to be a beefed up physics engine. Can’t complain about that! DiRT had a pretty good physics engine but at times it just didn’t feel right. Here’s hoping they can put more than a bandage on that bleeding wound.
They’ve also stated that they are looking at an improved online gaming component, so maybe they learned something from the scathing reviews on the last go-round.
Additionally there will be the normal round of new cars and tracks for everyone… As anyone would reasonably expect.
The official word from Codemasters is located here: Clickity-Click
Stay tuned for more information on DiRT2… It’s definitely something we’ll keep in our scope.
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My all time favorite racing game(s) has to be Burnout. I love the fact that destruction and road rage aren’t just OK, it’s encouraged and rewarded
Re: cartoonish vs realistic look – for the hardcore gamer, if done right the cartoony version could be ok but the engine or the game play needs to make up for it in a significant manner elsewhere in order for you to suspend that much belief and immerse yourself.
I’m in for a good driving game as much as the next guy. Although, I’ve been finding the physics in the newer games to be more of a hinderance than a help…reality be damned if it means being able to drive an Aston Martin like an Audi, rather than a Sherman Tank
As for destruction and opponent elimination, try Flatout: Ultimate Carnage. If that doesn’t get your blood pumping for vehicle manliness, then you deserve to be behind that desk you’re sitting at 
Flatout is great… no doubt about it. Has been since it’s itteration. I wonder if they are making a new one yet? Hmm.
The damage model in DiRT was excellent. I’m assuming that the one in DiRT 2 will be just as spectacular.
Cheers,
Dan