Sleek presentation and 100 players online
The presentation style of Dirt is certainly worthy of a mention as the developers have designed a sleek, cutting edge 3D menu system that's simple to use, easy to navigate, yet manages to flow effortlessly. From jumping into an online ranked match to tweaking your car's settings in the performance area, each option is within a couple of button presses away. Furthermore, there are some nice touches, like statistics that appear on screen whilst waiting for a race to load, showing you how you've been progressing, such as how many miles you've driven, your average speed, the biggest jump you've accomplished or the longest slide that you’ve managed.
There are many other features which those familiar with the Colin McRae series will be accustomed with, such as the excellent replay feature, which allows you to analyse your performance or play back a spectacular crash. It's a shame that you can't send these races across Xbox live to friends, but Codemasters have included more control over the replays than before. There is now improved replay functionality with dynamic cameras and multiple angles allowing you to customise the replay to your wish. The replay feature in the McRae series has always been a stylish extra and thanks to the improved physics and graphics in Dirt, the replays are absorbing to watch.
Other noticeable features in Dirt include choosing to drive with a manual or automatic transmission as well as entering the car set up screen prior to each race. There aren't as many tuning options as you'll find in some racing sims, but there's enough there to be able to effect your vehicle's performance significantly, with over 30 options - from changing your gear ratios to tweaking the damper settings. Furthermore, for those who are new to racing games, you can click on each setting and listen to an explanation on how any changes affect the vehicle.
Click for larger image
Click for larger imageLast but not least, is the online mode, which allows up to 100 people to compete simultaneously on a rally or hill climb stage.Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to test out the online multiplayer, because there has yet to be anyone online to compete with, but I have tested out on a LAN with eight other players and do have some doubts about its success.
Whenever I play a racing game I want to compete against other human drivers over Xbox live; the Forza franchise demonstrates perfectly how this should be done. However, in Colin McRae: Dirt you race on the track alone competing for the best point to point times. This does give you the added pressure of knowing that there are dozens of drivers out there trying to beat your best lap, but it might not replace the feeling of actually jostling for position with your mates. Point-to-point racing is what rallying is all about, so those seeking an authentic rally experience will be able to compete with other racers without being bumped off the track every few seconds and as a result may not be put off with the lack of human company.
I can't deny that it will still be an exciting ride, because the cars handle so impeccably and the locations and tracks are a joy to drive around, but I'd still rather enjoy the experience with half a dozen mates. It's probably a bit unfair of me to predict how the multiplayer will feel at this stage, but whatever the case Dirt still has enormous replay value.