Publisher: Codemasters
Developer: Codemasters
System requirements: Core i7-920 Quad 2.67 GHz/Phenom II X4 905e CPU; Geforce 8800 GT/Radeon HD 4770 graphics card; 3 GB RAM; 10 GB hard disk space
Genre: Racing
Release date: Available now

I can still remember it; even though it happened way back at the beginning of my Dirt 2 play through. I was in Baja, and right after the start of the race there’s this big jump. I take it along with the rest of the pack, but as I’m cresting I notice a fellow racer turn in on his landing. Everything froze for a moment, like in an 80′s sitcom where the lead character’s narration takes over and tells you what’s “really goin’ on”. Well, in my case I’m screwed – that’s what’s “really goin’ on”. When time resumes again I’m already rounding my fourteenth barrel roll and I’ve taken the rest of the pack with me. Ah, sweet, sweet mechanical carnage. Where have you been?

So I rewound a few times in instant replay just to relive it over and over again from every angle in super slow motion. See, I only got a chance to play the demo of the first Dirt game, and aside from favorably reviewing Codemaster’s last four-wheeled offering, Grid, I’m still fairly green to their brand of racing. Thankfully, Dirt 2 isn’t too far removed from the asphalt flatness of Grid, so I adapted easily. The difference is that there are no sponsorships to broker or team management tasks to do this time around, which distills Dirt 2 into an experience that allows for more time on the track and less time mucking about with the mundane.

The meat of Dirt 2 is the career mode where players compete in a variety of races that include bumper-to-bumper circuits, point-to-point rallies across unforgiving terrain and oddball variations like “gate crasher” where you must knock down walls set up on the track to keep your timer from running out. This is a globe-trotting affair, so expect to do all of this fun stuff in locales like China, Malaysia, Croatia and even scenic Utah. Also included in career mode are world tours, one-on-one races, X-Games tournaments and even a tasteful homage to the late Colin McRae himself. Success in career mode gives you experience, money, unlockables, and can even foster relationships with your fellow racers, allowing them to race alongside you in team matches.

To say that Dirt 2 was merely a “pretty” game might get you smacked in certain circles. If you have the hardware to run it, you’d be hard pressed to find a racing game out there with better looking cars, more immersive environments or a better damage model. Parts fly off your ride in a collision, and epic crashes (which are rare, but welcome) produce polygonal works of art in motion that showcase the impressive particle and lighting effects. It’s arcadey, but realistic enough to make me buck and weave in my seat as if I was really there. I can recall one instance where I was in cockpit view and fell behind the pack on a dusty Utah straightaway. It was all going good until lens flare hit some flying soil being kicked up off the leader’s tires. I maintained well, but came out heading towards a giant rock and physically attempted to dodge it. My car didn’t, but I did.

So what’s the matter with Dirt 2, then? Very little, to tell you the truth. It’s polished throughout in terms of visuals and game play, plus the menus are creatively done like previous Codemasters’ offerings. Gamers with a racing wheel will definitely get the most out of it, but an Xbox 360 controller suited me just fine. I wouldn’t, however, suggest trying the keyboard unless you desire a self-inflected lesson in frustration. The accompanying music is modern-rock forgettable, but you won’t be listening to it except during the front-end. No matter, because during race time all you’ll want to hear are the hum of the engine, rocks hitting your undercarriage and the witty banter from your fellow racers as they pass you by.

So should you buy it? I’d say yes. Dirt 2 is simply a delight to see and a joy to play for anyone who’s even moderately into racing games. And that’s Codemasters’ big success here -they wanted to make a racing game everyone could get into, be they hardcore sim fans, Sunday drivers or everything in-between. It’s fast, it’s fun and it’s beautiful, so get out there and get dirty!

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Our Recommendation: