DIRT 2

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 6:41 pm

Kruza wrote:Hey, GB_Simo, the background music wasn't on while I was playing the DiRT 2 demo. So there may be an option to turn that off if you don't want to hear it.

Wasn't on while I was playing either, so I guess Codies chose to overlay that music on their YouTube video. Why, I know not.

I'm enjoying the Trailblazer event in the demo quite a lot, and the Baja race a tad less. The Mitsubishi Eclipse feels more convincing on dust and gravel than the cars in DiRT did, with the brakes acting less like a powerful on/off switch and the improved sliding and drifting Kruza mentioned. Perhaps the omission of a co-driver is a conscious thing for that game mode, since cars starting at 10 second intervals and overtaking mid-stage aren't parts of a regular rally format, though it means you might spend more time than you'd like looking at the map for the first few runs.

The Landrush race wasn't bad, but it didn't feel that different from DiRT to me. Something that bugged me about the last game was that sometimes I could try to accelerate out of a corner, bog down a bit and not get any feedback from the game as to why I wasn't picking up much speed. That still happens to me, the steering still feels a tiny bit vague and the radio chatter is like a joke between the 'name' drivers that nobody's let me in on. The demo track looks gorgeous, and the racing is still fun enough, but it's not perfect.

The in-game presentation is all a bit NFS Prostreet and it leaves me cold, but then I'm fairly sure Codies were thinking of the US market when they designed it, and it's still functional so I'll get over it. Otherwise, I think the demo is a solid and enjoyable effort, but the game this thread has really made me want to play isn't DiRT 2, but Rallisport Challenge 2...

Wilk5280 · Post by **Wilk5280** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:27 pm

Is RC2 backward compatible?

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:52 pm

Wilk5280 wrote:Is RC2 backward compatible?

Not that I know of, no. Been waiting for them to sort that for a while.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:20 am

The demo has been nothing but a blast for me. The truck race stuff will be tons of fun online and I can't wait for some zany full contact sessions with you all when the game comes out. The rally style point to point race is handled really well for online, with opposing cars that appear solid enough when way out at distance to provide that rabbit to chase, but they all but vanish into non-distracting wire-drawn ghosts when you are right near them. It's a great improvement over the 'gummy bear' cars of the old Xbox Colin McRae game's online mode.

I now realize that my inability to deal with the sliding in the last game had a lot less to do with my suckiness, and a lot more to do with the grip model. This game feels a lot more fun, and predictably unpredictable, if that makes any sense. I can't wait to try out more types of surfaces. Real rally stages could be great fun online. I'd like some pace notes, you know. But after a few runs on that Morocco track I was getting the hang of it, and it's been a real rush every time. There's a great balance between flying fast and confidently, and losing it just enough to end up in a tree or hitting a rock.

The steering is ultra twitchy with the controller. I've read nothing but great things about the wheel, but this game would be a lot better with some ability to adjust the controller sensitivity, a la Race Pro. That said, the twitchiness hasn't mattered at all with the truck races, and somehow it is less of a problem for me with the rally car from the bonnet cam, where I can avoid being distracted by the visual of the steering wheel sawing back and forth wildly. Also, it didn't take me long to realize that nuanced throttle control (i.e. not 'on - off' throttle use, which works fine with the trucks) keeps the twitchiness from ruining the drive.

Big improvements for me are first, the way the truck races don't always end up in big smash ups right off the line, the way they tended to in the first game, which made it hard to imagine that mode in MP in that game. I would restart those races maybe five or six times before getting through turn one and two, whereas this new version seems a lot better. Another improvement is the toned-down HDR lighting. It was way out of control in the last game, to the point where I had to crank my TV's brightness way, way up just to even out the HDR changes so I could see. Here, it's much more subtly done and the game just looks incredible. I love the almost pillowy feel some of the loose dirt has, and the water effects as you watch a truck in front go through a puddle, or when in the cockpit view, as you go through it yourself and the splash hits the windshield.

I'm really looking forward to this game, much more than I was before trying the demo. Can't wait for some fun MP sessions. I just hope there are plenty of CMR style rallies. Last game got a lot of attention for all the non-rally stuff crammed into it, but there was still a ton of regular rally content to be found. I hope the same is true here. With the new feel of the driving, the rally stuff should be killer fun.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 5:45 pm

anyone know if the full game will have controller vibration in it?
the demo feels kinda empty without it.

Wilk5280 · Post by **Wilk5280** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:54 pm

Any chance the Pikes Peak Hill Climb returns???????? [/crosses fingers]

EZSnappin · Post by **EZSnappin** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:23 pm

JackB1 wrote:anyone know if the full game will have controller vibration in it?
the demo feels kinda empty without it.

PS3 demo has vibration. It also is no longer on my machine.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 7:58 am

I haven't tried the demo yet because it reminds me of a "Need For Speed" game. I remember when the series stood for Colin McRae and rallying.

Wilk5280 · Post by **Wilk5280** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 9:02 am

I think we all remember that. However, that most likely didn't equate to sales so here we are... playing a videogame. You know what, it's actually quite fun.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 12:23 pm

judging from the demo........does this look to be an upgrade to the previous DiRT? For some reason, I thought that game was better and more challenging.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 12:45 pm

Judging from the demo, I think it will be a big step up from the last Dirt. It seems like a lot of the little things have been improved mightily, and the new grip model is much, much better, and will allow for a much more fun and satisfying off road experience. Also, oh look . . . I wrote a bunch of stuff earlier in the thread. . . .

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 3:29 pm

Zeppo wrote:Judging from the demo, I think it will be a big step up from the last Dirt. It seems like a lot of the little things have been improved mightily, and the new grip model is much, much better, and will allow for a much more fun and satisfying off road experience. Also, oh look . . . I wrote a bunch of stuff earlier in the thread. . . .

I don't know. I'm not really into racing trucks and buggies. I just want to race rally cars, but not with hardcore sim driving models.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 6:27 pm

JackB1 wrote:I don't know. I'm not really into racing trucks and buggies. I just want to race rally cars, but not with hardcore sim driving models.

A cursory glance at this thread, or indeed at the huge amount of promo video on the interweb, would suggest that DiRT 2 isn't the game you're looking for, Sir. Of course, it's necessary to wait for the full version to judge more fully how the game is balanced between pure rallying and all the other stuff.

Rallisport Challenge is back-compatible, mate, though there are framerate issues. So is Colin McRae 4, the highpoint of that series in my view. RC2 isn't, but apparently I still have my old XBox (something which, embarrassingly, I genuinely wasn't aware of) so I've just ordered a copy of that. There isn't a thing on the current generation of hardware that has what you're looking for.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:49 am

8.4 from IGN.

For the most part, Career Mode is well-executed, offering the right balance of challenge and a good variety in locations and tracks. But I must admit that I am one of the previously mentioned rally fans who expects a rally game to have, well, rally racing. Sadly, only about 20% of the events in Dirt 2 are pure time-trial rally races. There are a few other time-based races including Trailblazer (rally races without a co-driver) and Gate Crasher (hit gates to add time to your run) that use elements of rally, but if you just want pure rally racing, it's in short supply. There are no hill climb events either, though there is a track in China called "Hill Climb" that amounts to a half-minute of speeding up a twisting hillside

Dirt 2 is prettier than its predecessor, has more varied tracks and a functional multiplayer offering. What it doesn’t have is a focus on pure time-trial rally races, which is really what I expect from a rally game. The other disciplines are fun to dabble in, but I’m old school and want a bit more tradition from a racing game. Dirt 2 is a solid racing game with some really fun events and a slick menu system, but it could use a little less of the arcade action and a bit more of the sim. I think the vast majority of racing fans are going to love what Dirt 2 has to offer, but there will be a few who long for the days when a hill climb was considered the ultimate racing experience.

mixdj1 · Post by **mixdj1** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:58 am

I'm going the Gamefly route with this one as well. I am a huge WRC fan and the fact that only 20% of the game is traditional rally stages really stinks. I still think the multiplayer will be fun if the few races I ran with Zeppo, Teal, and Kruza are any indication but I don't want to invest $60 if DIRT 2 poker nights fizzle out after a month.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 2:22 pm

mixdj1 wrote:I'm going the Gamefly route with this one as well. I am a huge WRC fan and the fact that only 20% of the game is traditional rally stages really stinks. I still think the multiplayer will be fun if the few races I ran with Zeppo, Teal, and Kruza are any indication but I don't want to invest $60 if DIRT 2 poker nights fizzle out after a month.

Yeah, I'm thinking that, by the level of interest so far, I'll gf this one too. I'm interested to see how NFS:Shift turns out, as well. Not alot of genuine excitement over Dirt 2, vs. when Colin Mcrae Rally would release a new version...

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 3:52 pm

I've been playing a lot of DiRT lately and really having a blast. I LOVE the hillclimbs and the rally races. To me, Dirt has the PERFECT blend of arcade and sim for my tastes and I can dial in a challenging difficulty level for me. Only complaint is that there are sometimes inconsistent difficulties when going from one racing style to another.

Wish they left the DiRT formula alone and just beefed it up. Oh well.......
back to DiRT!!!!

Dirt2 may be a rental, but I am not expecting much after that review.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 4:46 pm

IGN UK gives this game a 9.0/10. Codies have not released a pure rally racer in years. I don't know why the IGN US reviewer seems so hung up on the whole rally issue. Both Dirt 1 and Dirt 2 are about a wide variety of vehicle types, and based on the Dirt 2 demo and my time with Dirt 1, they both do a good job of modeling this variety in a sim/arcade blend. I think Dirt 2 will be a very addictive game.

On a side note, the more I read about NFS Shift, the more I am taking it seriously. It seems like people who have actually played the game think it is excellent. The next couple months are going to be ridiculous on my gaming dollars.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 5:25 pm

More reviews: Gamesradar 9/10, GamePro 5/5, Game Trailers 9/10.

So many cool things being said in these reviews. Release day cannot get here fast enough.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:07 pm

toonarmy wrote:IGN UK gives this game a 9.0/10. Codies have not released a pure rally racer in years. I don't know why the IGN US reviewer seems so hung up on the whole rally issue. Both Dirt 1 and Dirt 2 are about a wide variety of vehicle types, and based on the Dirt 2 demo and my time with Dirt 1, they both do a good job of modeling this variety in a sim/arcade blend. I think Dirt 2 will be a very addictive game.

On a side note, the more I read about NFS Shift, the more I am taking it seriously. It seems like people who have actually played the game think it is excellent. The next couple months are going to be ridiculous on my gaming dollars.

I think part of the problem is Codies doing or undoing. If i'm not mistaken Dirt 1 was still being associated with Colin McRae although they decided not to use his name. The other problem is the name Dirt. Most gamers associate the word Dirt with rally racing since it was Codies who brought us the Colin McRae series.

For me it's not a big deal as I see Dirt 2 more of a NFS type game than a rally racer. If I need or want a pure rally fix, I still fire up Richard Burns Rally or Mobil 1 Rally for the PC.

I'm also looking forward to NFS: Shift as the guys behind the GTR series are behind this game. As PK said I have no doubt it will be watered down but hopefully not too much. Hopefully they'll give us something along the lines of Race Pro (360).

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:57 pm

Rodster wrote:
toonarmy wrote:IGN UK gives this game a 9.0/10. Codies have not released a pure rally racer in years. I don't know why the IGN US reviewer seems so hung up on the whole rally issue. Both Dirt 1 and Dirt 2 are about a wide variety of vehicle types, and based on the Dirt 2 demo and my time with Dirt 1, they both do a good job of modeling this variety in a sim/arcade blend. I think Dirt 2 will be a very addictive game.

On a side note, the more I read about NFS Shift, the more I am taking it seriously. It seems like people who have actually played the game think it is excellent. The next couple months are going to be ridiculous on my gaming dollars.
I think part of the problem is Codies doing or undoing. If i'm not mistaken Dirt 1 was still being associated with Colin McRae although they decided not to use his name. The other problem is the name Dirt. Most gamers associate the word Dirt with rally racing since it was Codies who brought us the Colin McRae series.

For me it's not a big deal as I see Dirt 2 more of a NFS type game than a rally racer. If I need or want a pure rally fix, I still fire up Richard Burns Rally or Mobil 1 Rally for the PC.

I'm also looking forward to NFS: Shift as the guys behind the GTR series are behind this game. As PK said I have no doubt it will be watered down but hopefully not too much. Hopefully they'll give us something along the lines of Race Pro (360).

Actually, the European version of Dirt 2 is called "Colin McRae: Dirt 2", so yeah, the name is still being associated with the game. None of the marketing I have seen has really tried to represent Dirt 2 as a WRC-style game, though. You are right that many people still associate Codies with rally racing.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 7:23 pm

I think Dirt 2 will turn out to be fun i'll just have to wait for the proverbial price drop. Lately these types of racers drop fast in price.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 4:41 am

Excellent article by Eurogamer on the Series Retrospective: Colin McRae Rally

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/serie ... ae-article

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:52 am

did anyone confirm that the full 360 game will have rumble?

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:17 pm

Rodster wrote:I think Dirt 2 will turn out to be fun i'll just have to wait for the proverbial price drop. Lately these types of racers drop fast in price.

I feel the same way. Tried the demo and liked it but didn't love it. Hard to spend $60 in that case.

The cockpit view, however, is breathtaking, especially through the water as Kruza pointed out.