Colin MCrae's DIRT - a cracking ride (Colin McRae: DIRT (PS3))

Member Name: agewills

Product:	Colin McRae: DIRT (PS3)
Date:	05/11/09 (6 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: beautiful, varied, long, captures the elements of WRC and rallying really well

Disadvantages: Very hard in places

I've never been a fan of driving games. They always did my head in because i couldn't get the hang of it and i could never come first. Even in Grand Theft Auto, on the missions where you had to race, i hated them and avoided them if i could. BUT since i've had my PS3 i've downloaded about 10 different driving game demos (motorstorm, Dirt, F1, Burnout Paradise, Need for speed pro street etc). Out of them all, two appealed most. Dirt and Motorstorm. Two very different games. Motorstorm is mostly set in the desert in the USA, with a huge variety of vehicles (trucks, bikes, large rigs, buggies, cars etc), a banging sound-track and forgiving game-play (if you go off the track or destroy your vehicle you just get a brand new one placed back on the track). Dirt on the other hand is primaririly a rally driving game. Its fast, rough and unforgiving (there's terminal damage which will lead to you losing the race.) In the end i opted for DIRT.

DIRT is beautiful.
Not just graphically, but gameplay too. There's variety, which is important. You get rally races where you are racing against the clock on a straight tracks (no laps), "Hill climbs" where you have to race uphill or death defying roads, Rally-Cross, where you race another car on a track that crosses over, he starts one side, you the other and its kind of figure of 8. You can't over take, only pass him. Then there are full on races with loads of vehicles fighting for first.

The locations are varied, worldwide. Deserts, dirt roads, wet roads in England, mountain roads in Italy.
At the end of a race, if you are online, your time is compared with other players worldwide and you can compare your best time with the world best.


There are different views/camera's. You can see behind the car, inside, on the bonnet, etc etc. Its cool.

Car damage is quality. Cars get dirty, scuffed broken, terminally damaged.

Work through career mode and you earn money with which you can unlock all sorts of vehicles and "Liveries" (paint jobs).
There are loads of different game modes including an online multiplayer, BUT otherwise its only 1 player, which sucks as there is no split-screen action to have with mates

The Co-driver is awesome calling out turns, (e.g. left 1, right 5 over bumps) the numbers correspond to the tightness of the turn. The lower the number the harder the turn. On some levels where the co-pilot isnt there, its hard and you miss him. Trying to drive while looking at the map aint easy...

DIRT really captures the elements of WRC and Rallying well. Its impressive and immersive. DIRT2 seems to be more commercial and less forgiving, so illl continue to sing the praises of the original game.


in the end, given i dont like driving games as much as First Person Shooters. I'd give this baby. 4/5.

It would get a 5 if there were multiplayer modes.

Summary: A worthy outing