Ok, so I'm not a big fan of driving games, as I prefer the old FPS style. However, I'm still open to other genres. So I came across a few reviews and comments about DIRT. I thought, "hmm this sounds pretty good". So I went off to my usual supplier of games (ebay) and found DIRT for a very reasonable price. So here is what I think of it:
Installation was on a Dell XPS quad core with dual Invidia Geforce 9800GT graphic cards, 3 gig of memory, Windows 7.
Installation was no problem. Same old same old for installing most games.
Upon starting the game up, you are immediatly blown away by the demo of a rally car going up a dirt track on the side of a mountain, which turns into a buggy race and then into a rally in the rain and mud. In a word FANTASTIC. I still like to just sit there and watch it run for a few times. Most games you just want to get the intro over and done with. Not so DIRT.
At first you think, "Oh yeah, another rendered intro, I wonder what the game is really like". I'm happy to say that the game is just the same. Really excellent graphics. On my machine I can push everything up to max and still have no problems with the old frames per second. On lesser specced machines, there could be a problem, but you can cut down on a few of the fancy options which should help things.
For most driving games, the controls are really the important thing. Initially I opted for only the keyboard, as I didn't want to spend money on getting a controller that I would only use a few times. But while you can get pretty good at using the keyboard, it does have a steep learning curve and is by no means the easiest way to control your cars. So while I would have loved to have purchased a driving wheel, I still couldn't justify the purchase considering I don't usually play driving games. So while I looked at the Xbox 360 gamepad for the PC, I ended up going for the Logitech dual action gamepad. This does the job but I think the 360 controller would probably be better to actually use. For me the Logitech is a bit uncomfortable to use, but the discomfort is not so great that it effects the game play (at least not too much).
You can customize the controls i.e. change what keys do what, which is pretty standard for all games. For the Logitech, you can install the software that comes with it, and you start this up before you start the program up. You can create different profiles in the software for a variety of games. You can then either start the game from the software, or else start the game in the usual way. Pinnacle Game Profiler is very similar in lots of ways, but is more powerful in that through their software you can set your gamepad up to control normal windows operations. However, the Pinnacle software you have to buy. So Logitech was my choice.
Initially I had problems with getting the Logitech to work correctly in DIRT. I had set up the controls in the Logitech software ok, but when I wanted to control the cars, I could only get full lock left or full lock right or straight ahead, as well as full power or no power/ brake etc. With analog joysticks, I should have been able to apply a little power, or turn only a little bit. However, no matter what I tried, I couldn't get it to work. On looking on the internet, I found others with the same problem and thought it was how DIRT's implementation of the controls was the actual fault.
Let me say that with the controller like it was, trying to do the rallys where there are narrow roads and lots of curves is at best frustrating and at worst, a candidate for throwing the whole lot out the window!! The circuits aren't too bad. Some of the other rallys aren't too bad and I got some reasonable times at them.
However, things still weren't as they should be. Eventually I tried the Pinnacle software as I hoped something might click. But to no avail. However, when I was in DIRT in the customize screen, this time I actually selected a direction to change and then moved the joystick in the vain hope that this might register, and IT DID. It selected, "Y-axis". So I did this for the others, then went ito the Logitech software and selected the action for each joystick as being the X or Y axis option and I now have proper analog controls. Yippee. Might I just add, that this makes a HUGE difference. Not as good as a wheel, but so much better than it was before. Probably lots of others didn't have this problem as they would have cottoned on to it straight away, but I can be a bit sloooooow sometimes. But now it works and if you were having the same problems, well now you don't :)
Overall, game play is really good. Maybe the simulation puritans might have some comlaints but for me, I just love it. Being able to select the level at which you compete is really the secret. Select Rookie, and with only a modicum of practice you can start winning races. However even on rookie, some of the rallys that have lots of curves and on narrows roads can be a challenge to win.
The game allows you to select a variety of rally styles and vehicles and then to race them as either a single race or as part of a career challenge. The career option has you getting podium places in order to win points and money. When you have enough, other races are unlocked for you to compete in. You can also select the degree of difficulty in each of these races, with the harder the race, the more money you can win. With the money you win, you can buy new cars etc. The new cars have to be bought in order to be able to compete in certain races. You can even race things like trucks, however this didn't really appeal to me. They are just slow lumbering beasts that I tried a few times and then tried to avoid them.
One negetive side to the game, is that there is no training area. You can before a race setup your vehicle by adjusting a variety of options such as wheel camber, suspension, gears etc, and then you can practice with the new setup before commiting to a race. However for me, the game was really crying out for a training option. This I would envision as being something like a basic track where you could learn power slides and hand brake turns etc. It would include things like a tutor who would tell you/ show you how to do something then you would have a go. There could be things like markers showing you the line to take through a corner and when to apply the brakes and when to apply the power etc. For people who have no real idea of how to rally drive, this would have been such a useful thing. For me, I have a basic idea of how to rally drive, but just to have a short track where you could go around and around trying various things would have been great.
The races themselves are more often than not more like a dodgem competition to begin with as all the cars jostle for position. You also always start near the back, which can be a bit unfair at times. But mostly they are a great hoot and in the higher levels, once you are in front, trying to keep the lead can be a real challenge. At the rookie level, once you have the lead and so long as you don't do anything too silly, then you should win the race.
As you race and you hit the enevitable other vehicle or a tree or fence or something else that always seems to spring in front of you ;) your vehicle will start loosing bits and pieces. A door might even fly open and swing around for a while before closing again. The damage to the vehicles is really excellent.
The reaction of vehicles to corners, bumps, mud, wet roads etc is to my mind very good. Mind you, I haven't had a car game for a long time, so others who may use racing games a lot might disagree, but to someone like me, I am very impressed with it.
Of course the graphics overall are just super. Not just the vehicles, but also the detail in the scenery is really good. Trouble is you usually don't have time to look around you as you are racing. Just trying to keep the car on the hard stuff can be enough to do at times.
The sound in the program is also very good. Even the music is quite catchy. Some music in games become annoying very quickly, but in DIRT this doesn't seem to be the case. Mind you, I always like to have the music turned way down and the effects maxed out. So this might be why as well.
So out of a rating of 10 I would have to give DIRT an 8. If it had a practice/learning option, then I think it would have been at least a 9.
I would thoroughly recommend this game to anyone. Even if, like me you haven't had a driving game for years, then give DIRT a go, you might be pleasently surprised. I've already been playing this game constantly for a few weeks, and I think I'll be playing it for quite a while to come. It's just so much fun to play.
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