Dirt 2 has to ride through some rough terrain to reach destination fun!
As you step into your rally car, it'll feel unusually light to begin with; the slightest touch of the control stick left or right will see the vehicle spin off. This pays homage to the more arcade, more general appeal Codemasters have taken the game in, something which veterans of the series will most likely frown upon. Although some of the heavier vehicles feel more realistic, it will take most a significant time to master.
Once the handling has been mastered, though, appreciation for the game can be set in motion; drifting, hairpins and huge jumps will fly past satisfyingly. However, there is always a reminder of the weightless handling as you will still often find yourself planted into a tree or rock, wondering how on Earth it occurred. It is almost as Codemasters identified this, as they have implemented a new time-travelling mechanism, which allows you to rewind before an unfortunate incident. It works surprisingly well, as you only have a limited number of uses per race, so it keeps races feeling exciting.
Starting with career mode, named Dirt Tour, there is the usual mix of events from the original dirt along with a couple of new ones, from rallying, off road racing to tight city circuits. There is a large number of locations, so giving the game variation, and an even larger number of events. However, it is somewhat a method of rinse and repeat. This is because there is only a couple of different tracks per location, so you'll find yourself repeating these more than you would otherwise like.
The online is the main other component of the game. You can compete in all the events as the Tour mode and, unlike the first Dirt, you can actually race with them physically. This makes for exciting and sometimes offers more fun than the main career. What's disappointingly lacking, however, is the lack of split-screen multiplayer, something which is becoming more and more a trend this generation.
The jaw-dropping visuals add to the experience, as does the realistic crash model and the fully fleshed interior perspective. The impressive presentation stretches to the spectacular looking menus, but this leads to slow navigation and can become tedious just getting to the next race.
Although it takes time to get into, Dirt 2 offers unparalleled off-road fun. The lack of local multi-player is disappointing, as is repetition of the Tour mode's events. But if you look past these, then you'll have an enjoyable ride.