The main single-player area is accessed through the map on the counter in the RV (which receives a few disparaging comments). You pick a race from the Dirt Tour section and race. Some of the events are based on level, and you level by accruing points during the races. There are the actual races, but you can rack up bonus experience by performing certain elements while racing.
It all sounds easy and it actually is. The difficulty levels will up the challenge ante and the game has the standard control sets often associated with off-road racing. You can alter your view of the course, there is the heads-up map display that shows competitors’ location during the race, you have the hand brake and the foot brake as well as the accelerator, and that’s basically all you need to know. The rest is the driving.
In single player there are the time challenges, head-to-head matchups (called Throwdowns – the point here is if you beat the challenge you make friends with the other driver and that can open up other races) and a variety of multi-car events. The career mode is really the heart and soul of this game, and the dev team made it not only accessible, but easy to jump into and play. You start at the low end of the racing spectrum and gain points as you move through and place (as well as dollars that can be spent on upgrades).
The first vehicles in your garage are given to you for the sake of competing and include a Subaru Impreza rally car and a 4-wheeler. Like most other racers, each car has attributes that include top speed, acceleration and drivability. The courses are all over the world, and can place you on tight city-style tracks in daylight or at night, or they might have you careening on gravel around a mountain with a co-pilot calling out the degrees of each upcoming turn. There are 100 races in this game (which you unlock as you progress from amateur status to pro to all-star) and the rewards for doing well flow often. In this regard, Dirt 2 wants you to enjoy the experience and though many rewards are merely aesthetic, they still bring certain flair to the experience.
When it comes to the racing itself, the AI seems pretty tight with the computer opponents and they are not above nudging you out of the way, putting you into a wall. If you cut them off, or nudge back, you may get a loud ‘watch it’ in protest, but it is still all about crossing the finish line first.
All of this, of course, is pretty standard for a top-end racer, which Dirt 2 certainly is. But Dirt 2 has a graphical quality that is superb, and the interaction between your ride and the course is pivotal in driving home the rally car off-road feel of the game. You will have to learn, and quickly, how to slide around corners, how to judiciously employ the accelerator to power out of corners and when to brake and when to simply lay off the gas. Dirt 2 is very smart in that regard. Mashing down on the accelerator is just an invitation to get up close and personal with a wall.
Dirt 2 also employs a rewind technique (similar to Grid) in which you can rewind a few seconds of racing and start from there, ostensibly avoiding a race-ending crash, or at least a mistake that cost you a front-running position. With six difficulty levels, this is a game that should have a broad challenge and appeal. It certainly is a nice bit of eye candy with quite a number of racing modes. Multiplayer (online was not available for testing) will feature up to seven racers.
There is a whole lot to like about this game, and it certainly ranks as an impressive off-road rally-style racer – even though pure rally fans may be disappointed by the lack of tried-and-truly rally races (such as those offered in the Colin McRae series), but the variety has something for everyone and that makes this a solid game.
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