Colin McRae Dirt 2

Colin McRae Dirt 2 - Review

We had been eagerly awaiting the arrival the latest Colin McRae rally racing game Dirt 2 and we can certainly say we have not been disappointed. This is a truly superb arcade rally racing game which oozes quality, speed and full on racing action.

In Dirt 2, the gameplay definitely provides a more arcade style racing game over the normal rally style racing games. Dirt 2 provides varying difficultly levels therefore making this racer very accessible and suitable for all skill levels. However don't think the game is going to be easy, your opponents will certainly provide a good challenge. A nice flashback feature allows you to replay parts of a race should you crash.

Career mode in Colin McRae Dirt 2 sees you travelling the globe visiting real-world locations, where you race in plenty of different types of races including rally, rally cross, raid and trailblazer.

Regardless of the type of vehicle you are driving the controls are always very responsive, the sense of speed is fantastic, and the handling is spot on. Some aspects of the car set up can be altered, this is not overly complex and any changes made are noticeable when you start driving.

The graphics in Dirt 2 are absolutely mouthwatering, with fantastic attention to detail. Considering how good the graphics are, its very impressive that the frame rate never appears to suffer. The replay feature is also superb and allows you to really appreciate the graphic quality.

The sound effects are very good with plenty of ambient sounds and the co-driver is excellent giving clear instructions on forthcoming corners and hazards to avoid, additionally the co-driver reacts very realistically when you hit something. There is also some decent music to listen to when you are not racing.

Dirt 2 also provides great online racing, allowing you to use all of the events, tracks and vehicles that appear in Dirt Tour. A good variety of modes are available for online racing, one of the most notable is 'Domination' which allows you to earn points for setting the fastest times in each of 4 sectors, plus points for finishing on the podium, so even if you mess up on one sector you can still win by doing well in the remaining sectors.

To summarise, Dirt 2 caters for all skill levels, has a superb career mode, stunning graphics and sound together great online racing.