| Article Index |
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| DiRT 2 |
| Review (Cont.) |
| All Pages |
Furthermore, DiRT 2 sports a larger variety of environments along with new hazards. Racing through Malaysian jungles or the Alps is a great change of pace from the primarily desert-based courses of the original. The new environments are complemented by the addition of new hazards such as mud and water. These hazards often create significant changes to players' strategies by incorporating them as both friend and foe in their approach.
In fact, the only drawback to the rally is the change in the co-driver's verbal cues. In an attempt to remove jargon, the cues have been all translated into layman's terms. Ironically by doing so, the flood of cues becomes distracting and harder to remember in the moment.
DiRT 2 is a heartbreaking experience because it teases players with what could have been. During the moments where the car is flying down the track to the finish, it's easy to forget that the game is mired by all of the issues mentioned above. The series now stresses traditional races in which positioning is key. No longer does the game relish testing player's mastery of the driver versus the road in point-to-point races.
I would be very interested to know the details of the development cycle along with how much input Colin McRae provided for his series before his death (days before the release of the first DiRT). I could understand the change from a practical standpoint if the original didn't sell well, but it sold over a half million copies in the first week!
What used to be the series' meat and potatoes has now become the side dish to these other modes -- and it shows. There is next to no vehicle variety and rally makes up a fifth of the game at the most. For off-road racing fans this may be just what they've been looking for, but for rally fans, there's just too little core content with tons of baggage tacked on. The glimmer of what could have been an excellent game -- being sacrificed for the corporate brand of extreme -- is incredibly maddening. While the original used style to enhance substance, DiRT 2 is simply a dog whose bark is louder than its bite.
If you haven't played the original, pick that up instead. For those with prior experience in this series, approach this title with the same caution as you would a 'crest into left 1'.
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