Can DiRT still compete on the racecourse?
Besides last year’s DiRT Rally, there hasn’t been a proper DiRT game in years. It’s good to see the “4th” entry finally make an appearance, although can it improve upon the well received DiRT Rally and other racers like Forza and Gran Turismo?
DiRT 4 gives you all the bells and whistles that you are used to by now while upping its game in terms of realism. It doesn’t feel as arcade-like as past entries, which can be seen as either a good or bad thing depending on perspective. It has a full-fledged career mode as well as online support and handles extremely well.
There are a few things that hold it back however, some of the courses do look familiar and aren’t as varied as I would have liked, while the visuals also are a bit of a letdown. The cars look great and the physics engine is too, but the backgrounds…especially the trees and the crowds look dated in comparison.
I can’t claim to be the best at racing simulators…I’m more of a Mario Kart man myself. But even I enjoyed DiRT 4’s realism and the challenge will definitely appeal to more rally enthusiasts. The online supports up to 8 players and has a number of modes, while the newest feature for the main game is Your Track which procedurally generates tracks depending on what parameters the player inputs. The generated tracks are what also pop up during the career mode, which is why quite a lot of the tracks look familiar.
The Verdict
DiRT 4 may not reinvent the wheel when it comes to rally games, but it does a great job in improving upon them. It’s definitely the most realistic of the series to date and while the tracks aren’t as varied as I’d like, it’s still a superb racer and one that is worthy of your collection.