DiRT Rally 2.0 Review

Multiplayer:

I can’t imagine the multiplayer will be the main draw for many people when it comes to Dirt Rally 2.0, but it is on offer. If this is something of interest, I expect most people will go to the RallyCross mode so you can play against other human beings live, rather than just a time-trial. And to be honest, with the daily and weekly challenges, these secondary online modes are probably best experienced in your own time. There’s plenty of challenge here, and rewards available depending on how well you finish. If you do have limited internet, it should be noticed that (before launch at least), an online connection was required to access all of the career mode, and not just the online challenges.

Presentation:

Dirt Rally 2.0, for me, has the best implementation of HDR in any title yet. As you bomb into a forest you’ll find the view gets dark and moody to the point you’ll almost be tempted to turn on your headlights, before bursting out into glorious sun again. The copses and woods of the New England levels display glorious colour in the autumn leaves, whilst the Spanish levels almost look like different environments when they go between glorious Mediterranean sun and move to dreary, rainy grey skies. The weather effects are particularly impressive, with rain-drops billowing against your windscreen in a really realistic way. You’ll also notice that the road surface can deform, with tracks dug into the mud, dirt or sand. Oh, and the cars look pretty good too!

The same approach has been taken to the sound. The engine notes are spot on, and sound completely different depending on which camera angle you drive from, with excellent positional audio. There’s no music, but that’s fine in such a game, and to be honest, you need to concentrate when your co-driver is chucking out instructions left, right and centre. The pace notes are the best I can recall in a rally game, and can also be customized to how you want them really well.

Conclusion:

I can’t really recommend Dirt Rally 2.0 highly enough. The handling model is just simply sublime, and the differences in traction, grip and acceleration across different surfaces and weathers is simply astonishing. The attention to detail is just meticulous, from the hand-crafted tracks to the overall presentation. There’s nothing flashy about 2.0, but I quite like the way it just quietly, un-assumedly exudes confidence and quality at every turn.

I can’t see this not being on my personal top 5 at the end of the year, even though it’s only February.