Adrenalin packed beauty
The obvious is that Dirt is an amazing graphical experience. I have never seen a more beautiful racing game, neither on Xbox360 or PC. Ok, there is a little too much use of bloom effects, but it is never irritating. The drawing distance is incredible, the textures are really detailed, the car models are astonishing, partical effects are everywhere as it should be in a rally game. The lighting gives it a realism that should be copied from now on in every racing game. Compared to Forza 2, Dirt is a real next-gen experience. On the downside, there are quite a few hick-ups in the frame rate on the Xbox360 and if you don’t have a monster PC, you will see frame-drops more than you would like. But should this be a negative? No, because nobody will have remarks about low frame rates when playing the upcoming Crysis, because you know you can expect this if you don’t have the technology that meets the requirements.
The gameplay is somehow different than you would expect. It’s more arcade-like than simulation and the handling of the cars is special in the way that we aren’t used to. But once you get the hang of it, it’s a joy to play because it requires a lot of quick reflexes which keeps you on the edge of your seats during an entire stage. The sense of speed is incredible and is going to provide you with a lot of adrenalin rushes. Another big reason to check this game out, is the damage modelling. I have never seen anything like it. If it’s not a big tree or a big rock or wall you are crashing into, everything in the environment will bend or break. The cars can be destroyed in an extremely detailed way, with windshields cracking and eventually being shattered, bits and pieces of your car that can bend or simply be torn off. I call this the Crysis-moments of the game.
Together with the different race types, a lot of different tracks and cars, a beautiful designed pyramid structure which lets you into the game even when you are not a veteran racer, the gameplay is some of the best I have experienced and is more exciting than the sometimes dull gameplay in Forza 2.
Ok, there isn’t any real multiplayer in this game, but should every game be about multiplayer? In conclusion, if you are looking for an adrenalin packed racer with the best graphics out there, Dirt is the game you should be playing.