Colin McRae: DiRT 2

DiRT 2 seemed a bit of a risky move when it was first announced. Much of this was down to the unfortunate and sudden death of Colin McRae only a year previously. It all felt a little strange to have another game bearing his name despite the great man no longer being alive. There was even more uncertainty once it was announced that DiRT 2 would have more of an extreme sports style slant. It would be offering an array of different race types besides the typical rallying form we've all known and loved since the days of Colin McRae Rally on the PC and PlayStation 1 in the late 1990s. Fortunately, it's all worked out extremely well with DiRT 2 being the most enjoyable racing game I've played all year.

For rally veterans, DiRT 2 will be a big shock to the system. Long gone are clinical, plain menus, instead the presentation is all based around a mobile trailer. It all ties in with the MTV/extreme sports style that DiRT 2 has undertaken but it works quite neatly after a brief period of adjustment. Events are depicted on a map which displays the various races that unlock throughout the game's career mode, with around 100 available by the end of the game. There are nine different areas available around the world ranging from the inner city tracks of London and Tokyo, to the sweeping canyons of Utah and the luscious paddy fields of China.

As soon as the game starts, it is apparent that DiRT 2 is all about instant gratification. Upon completing every other race, something new is unlocked. Whether it's new liveries or new races to select, there is always something new to do. This ensures that DiRT 2 never really gets tired or predictable. There's never an occasion where you are trapped into doing the same repetitive race event repeatedly, as fresh new types unlock just as frequently. This is a bit of a double edged sword however.

For pure rallying fans, there will be some disappointment here - namely that to get to the rallying events, you must also traverse the more arcade like Baja races which can be slightly irritating. However this is no huge hardship as at least races are always quick to complete, never taking longer than five or six minutes from start to finish. The race types are all pretty varied with the likes of Gatecrasher and Last Man Standing appearing alongside more conventional Rally and Rally Cross events. Gatecrasher is something more familiar to the console gamer than the PC gamer, whereby the player must drive through a set number of gates within the time limit. Last Man Standing is quite self explanatory, the mode forcing you to stay at the front of the pack at all times.

Although the Baja events feel ill conceived in a rally game, it's actually the domination events that I found most frustrating in the career mode, although ironically the most fun in multiplayer. The circuit in Domination is broken down into sectors making how you do in each sector more important than how well you drive in the lap. You score points for how well you do in each sector, making it important that you are consistent throughout the race, not just the person who sneaks the win at the end. It's somewhat infuriating on the higher AI difficulty levels but works very well online as it means players keep participating even when they're behind the pack. Most events only comprise of one or two races, but there is the addition of the X-Game series, a popular extreme sports competition in the USA which Colin McRae competed in in 2006. Each of these events consists of two knockout rounds before a final competition. The X-Games did feel a little gimmicky as ultimately the only advantage to the player is more experience and more money than a usual one off race, but they do provide variety as each of the events within the X-Games is different.

Visually DiRT 2 looks stunning depending on the PC specifications used. Codemasters have certainly excelled themselves for the most part when it comes to providing beautiful savannahs and forest scenes. It is a bit disappointing to see that there are no weather effects however; the water effects are also rather weak, too. It's a small feature but when the graphics look so striking, your eye can't help but notice the flat water which lets the side down slightly. It's also a sorely missed opportunity when there is no way of having your handling adversely affected by wind or heavy rain.

The handling in DiRT 2 has been improved since the previous DiRT game with cars feeling suitably heavy and unique. There are 35 cars available to unlock in the game, and although it won't rival the likes of Test Drive Unlimited or the Forza series, there are enough to ensure that each car feels individual to drive. Braking and drifting felt particularly responsive yet, in keeping with the middle ground that the game offers, it is also challenging enough to keep you on your toes at times. The braking felt well pitched with the need to plan ahead if a corner arises, but again not so much so that it hampered the experience. Surprisingly this was even the case when using the keyboard to control things, although obviously using a wheel or Xbox 360 controller is much preferable. As was the case with GRID, the flashback system has returned so if you make a mistake you can always rewind the action and re-do the last few seconds of the race.

On the lower difficulty levels, the AI opponents are far from challenging making races a breeze, but as you up the difficulty, the computer AI becomes increasingly aggressive and competitive. However, it was nice to see the AI wasn't flawless with there being numerous times during my career where I saw my opponent fly off the track and crash out of the race.

The multiplayer options on offer here are pretty comprehensive offering plenty of variety to the online gamer. There are solo events which focus on beating other players' times, such as Rally and Trailblazer, as well as team events like Rally Cross for more frantic racing. The jewel in the crown is the aforementioned Domination which made for terrific fun and a nice twist on the usual racing format. The community is currently bustling with activity and I can't see it changing any time soon considering the array of options available.

DiRT 2 is a hugely enjoyable and well rounded game. It might not be as sim-like in nature as some hardcore rally fans may have wanted, but what it does offer is thrilling and enjoyable racing. The variety of racing events is varied enough that you won't get bored any time soon, and the multiplayer functionality provides some great experiences. The extreme sports style vibe was a risky move but it's paid off well for Codemasters, making DiRT 2 an original proposition in a genre full of titles frequently playing it safe. A fitting tribute to Colin McRae indeed.