This generation has seen no shortage of top-flight racers. The likes of Forza, Driveclub, Project CARS and Need for Speed have all revved their engines to the delight of speed freaks. But most Xbox One and PS4 racers have been restricted to standard tracks and roads, with rally racing left aside to bite the dust. That changes with Dirt Rally, which motors onto consoles after a triumphant debut on PC nearly a year ago. Codemasters has used the time wisely, tweaking, tuning and adding to the game to get it ready for a new joyride.
Game: Dirt Rally
Consoles: Xbox One (reviewed), PS4, PC
Publisher: Codemasters
Developer: Codemasters
Release Date: April 5
Rugged, shocks-destroying rambling is the theme of Dirt Rally‘s brand of rallycross track-burning. A bevy of crowded bottlenecks, hairpin turns and gravelly infields practically dare you to use your steering wheel as a weapon, ramming opponents off course to pick up precious car lengths, getting the edge as you burn rubber, asphalt and mud on the way to glory. Winning is just as much about handling cracked windshields and uneasy handling due to mechanical and tire damage as it is besting opponents off of turns into straightaways. Rally races in the game are wars of attrition, and winning ugly is the norm.
Those looking for easy going or hand-holding should steer away. Gone is the rewind function from past Dirt games, which let you reverse time to before when things went south, allowing you to restart without suffering the consequences of your mistakes. There is a handy reset function that plops you back on course if you get stuck or lost, as well as some handy verbal instructions shouted out by your crew leader to help you navigate the tougher parts of the track. If you succeed, it will be because of old-fashioned trial and error. You’ll learn the intricacies of your vehicles and demands of the tracks, then adjust accordingly, improving gradually until you suddenly find yourself master of the road.
Improvements to the base PC game abound, starting with New Classic Mini and Super 1600 series to beef up the career mode selections. The all-gravel Pikes Peak is there, daring you to leave tiny rocks in your wake as you clamber up dogged verticals. There are also 21 rally driving video guides to help you learn the trade, as well as classic liveries from Colin McRae games of the past (before the icon died, the series was named after him) and seven new vehicles.
Even if you never dare to take your game to the cutthroat world of online play, Dirt Rally will give you more than enough to see and do for weeks, if not months. An ornery, often daunting beast of a racer, it forces you to thrive or dive based on your own cleverness, agility and ability to adapt to the ever-changing, always-perilous untamed road. When you buy this game, you may be looking for a time killer but what you’re actually buying is an obsession.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E79ofEtVlBg
ORDER: Dirt Rally here
Dirt Rally Reviews Around The Web:
“Dirt Rally is a brilliant looking and incredible sounding racing sim that feels absolutely outstanding, but it won’t tolerate the timid.” –IGN
“Dirty Rally can be unforgiving, unrelenting, and seemingly as high in its demands as the infamous hill climb at Pikes Peak. But the journey is sublime.” –Game Informer
“This is as authentic a portrayal of rally as you’re likely to find, and proves to be not just a return to form for Codemasters, but its best game to date.” –GameSpot
Dirt Rally Screenshots
The publisher provided a review copy.
