Could this be the ultimate rally game?
DiRT Rally is the latest in the DiRT series from Codemasters. I’ve played past entries all the way back to the original and after extensive playing, have arrived at my verdict for the newest entry…
Let me begin by stating that this game is not for rookies. The learning curve will eat you up and spit you out if you aren’t prepared, even the tutorial race is brutal in it’s design. The amount of tracks and cars to choose from is impressive, while it doesn’t have the WRC license…it doesn’t really need it. It feels as unpredictable and immersed as the old Colin McRae (R.I.P.) Rally games. It’s definitely the direction the series needed to go after the likes of DiRT Showdown, which I enjoyed…but it wasn’t a pure rally experience like this.
Visually, the game is damn good to watch. Of course, you won’t spend your time focusing on how good the game looks…you’ll be merely focusing on your driving instructions to avoid crashes, over-cutting or undercutting corners and so on. It’s not for the faint of heart, this is rally driving at it’s most brutal. I’ve been playing it for a while now and I’m still really bad at it, but then I’ve always been more of a Mario Kart driver…
In total there are 39 iconic cars to choose from and six rallies with over 70 stages to endure. There’s a lot to get your teeth into here, you can’t fault it on it’s content. But it can definitely be overwhelming at times, especially if you are new to rally games…in which case, this is one hard entry to begin with.
The Verdict
DiRT Rally is one of the most realistic, yet brutally difficult rally games I’ve ever come across. The learning curve is incredibly steep, that will put off newcomers…but veterans will feel right at home here. The DiRT series has finally returned to it’s roots and is all the better for it.