Dirt 2 Delivers Big Time

Powered by a third generation revved-up gaming engine, featuring some of the most diverse rally locations and showcasing some of the best visuals I’ve seen, may I be so bold as to give Dirt 2 a 10 out of 10? Yes, I may. And I will. The only aspect missing from this game is the dirt and grit from actually being on the course.

Dirt 2 delivers on all levels.

However, Dirt 2′s beautiful menu system and interface along with its equally amazing real-life rallying features will impress you and possibly have you taking a shower to clean the sweat and grim off you from the near crash, close corner, pin-point driving skills necessary to navigate yourself around the world to become a rally champ.

The mix of gameplay and replay footage is second-to-none.

Kicking off in Career Mode, Dirt 2 starts you off like most, a beginner. The best part of the game is racing against the top racers in the sport like Ken Block. Here’s why he’s one of the best.

As you race, you earn experience points and the more points you earn, the more you increase your driving level. Of course, with this system comes the ability to unlock new races and prizes. Some are alright and some are funny like the dice you can hang from your mirror. But I don’t play this game for this. I play it because I don’t have the cash to beef up my Hugo for the pure likeness to the sport.

Say you’re new to the whole rally racing thing and you’re not that great at off-road hairpin turns or speeding down a hill at 100 MPH. Let’s go a bit further with this one. Say you forget the laws of physics.

Say you realize (after you’ve hit the wall and damaged your $200,000 car beyond repair) that when you are coming upon a 90-degree lefthand turn you need to at least slow down.

You forget that the proper procedure is to hit breaks, ease off them, get close to inside corner, let off gas, hit e-break and power through. By the by, it’s a blast watching the nose of your car slide by oversized-tires, barrels and other cars, but I digress.

If you found yourself saying “yes, that’s me,” then you will want to use Flashback, a very handy feature to erase the last few seconds of your inability to remember the laws that Newton provided you years ago. Essentially, it rewinds to a point and time where you will be able to slow down and save your expensive ride.

Other features such as hang-time and overtaking are rewarded with bonus experience points.

If you’re not a Career Mode-type gamer then you’ll want to hit up the online portion of the game. Head-to-head is a complete blast. My brother and I have already fought over this via the headset multiple times. Yes, I’m still the best. I hope he doesn’t read this.

Screen shot from VideoGamer.com

The Bottom Line
Dirt 2 delivers on all levels. They said it would feature “a roster of contemporary off-road events” and it does. They said it would “take players to the most diverse and challenging real-world environments” and it did. They said it would feature “aggressive multi-car and intense solo races” and it does.

Stop what you’re doing and go buy this game. Run. Or simply order from Amazon.

Screen shot from IGN.com