DiRT

[JP]

I'm not sure what codemaster's grand scheme is with this and Race Driver - the two seem to be merging into one loose product that ticks a whole load of boxes but doesn't particularly stand out on any of them.

I thought the same as you!! It has lost a lot of the previous character of the fantastic earlier games.

As I said in my first post here it really feels like EAs Dirt to me which is a shame.

I know that McRae used to work with them on the older games but I can't help but feel that he probably hasn't ever set eyes on this game.

Although McRae as a figurehead has been somewhat redundant due to...just not being very good for quite some time. I do have the terrible feeling that in the next couple of years we could well be playing something along the lines of Travis Pastrana's Freestyle DiRT type of thing!!

Did anybody else notice how the Colin McRae part of the title is a fraction of the size of the DiRT text? On the US version they've dropped McRae completely and it's just called DiRT:


It's safe to estimate that McRae's not going to be for much longer...which would be fine if it didn't also mean that we may well lose even more of what made the old games so interesting.

[merf]

having really bonded with Forza i'm finding this unplayable when i switch back over to it.

thinking i may have to leave it until I've had enough of Forza then give this a real go.

its not that i think its a bad game, its just very arcadey and i'm loving the handling model more in the other title.

[Ajay1986]

Im totally loving it now, i think your right about the Forza thing i had been playing alot of that and found this really hard to get to grips with at first.

Oh the most annoying thing ever happened earlier, i was just about to win a rally stage but went round the last bend to fast crashed into the final time barrier and this happened.

[PeteJ]

Ouch, nasty crash!

The Australia courses are so nasty. The second rally stage in the career mode is a nightmare...but sooooooo pretty to look at

[Concept]

Yeah, the outback stages really show up the problems with the game's handling.

I'm still really enjoying this though. It's less overwhelming as Forza, and it does encourage that 'have one more go' mentality.

[MikeF]

The 100 mile achievement isn't glitched for me, unlocked it last night mid stage. Have done about 125 miles though but I have done a few LIVE races and the GB rally.

This game certainley has the just 1 more go factor

[VR46]

Just finished career mode, few achievements to pick up in the next couple of days then there's just more online racing left. Caned the hell out of it though, done 195 races in under a week. Never thought I'd say it but I'm all rallied out.

Still stand by the opinion it's a very good (arcadey) rally game.

For those of you thought the handling in the demo was twitchy, you should try the 900bhp plus Hill Climb cars - I've never been so gentle with the joystick in my life.

[analog dog]

Just got this and I think it's really nice.
Brakes took a bit of getting used to but fiddled with the settings and got something resonable,the Japan rally was awesome,so fast!
Had an awesome smash head on into some armco and watched for 5 mins+ in slo-mo
Presentation is top-notch.
When is the new TOCA game coming?

[John Beaulieu]

I am loving the rally sections - not so much the other bits. Handling takes a lot of getting used to, this is very much a 'in the zone' game, drift out of the zone even a little and you end up wrapped around a tree. The sense of danger when flying down a little muddy path with trees on either side, or alongside a ditch etc is immense - just really wished that the handling was more instinctive

[Synthesthesia]

Has anyone had the chance to test the PAL version to check region free-ness?

[FatGit_UK]

Has anyone had the chance to test the PAL version to check region free-ness?

I've played the PAL copy in my Jap 360 with no probs if that helps

[Synthesthesia]

Cheers mate! Exactly the response i wanted, got a jap 360 myself

[cohen205]

Got this a few days ago, and i cant stay away from it.

I think its such a fun game and when you get to grips with the half arcade, half sim handling you can really speed through a rally.

The normal rally is my favourite, but i love the buggys. The handling feels different for all vehicles, even feeling different from the Impreza to the EVO.

Dont get me started on the replays - lets just say i think i have spent more time messing about with the replay's than actually racing.

Welcome back colin - I've missed ya (even though i havent even heard his voice yet, just that Travis blokey, but i'm not hung up on the americanisation of the game - as long as i'm having fun, who cares if some american bloke is saying 'i'm smooth, and your steady")

Sorry if this paragraph is a bit rushed, but im in work and trying to type this before the boss finds out what im doing!!!

[MikeF]

This is so much better than Forza for me, much prefer arcadey racers.

Completed upto the start of Tier 5 in career mode

I assume you have to complete the Euro rally before more rallies open up to do on their own?

[VR46]

Can't remember if they ever open up to do by themselves or you can only do them as part of the latter two rallies, don't think I ever checked.