Really fun and in depth rally racing, runs super well and has a pretty nice learning curve and fun time trail mode.
I got covid right before Christmas in extremely inconvenient temporary accommodation. Really, couldn't have been a worse time and a worse place to get covid. This meant 10 days of gruelling self-isolation while watching all my friends return home for Christmas. It also meant that I only had my Macbook on hand to fulfill my gaming needs while fending off this particularly debilitating bout of Omicron. And if you've ever gamed on a Mac, you will know two things: 1) It's not a great experience and 2) The selection of games is very limited (especially if you have one of the new ARM macbooks)
Why does this matter? Well, Dirt Rally was one of those few games that I had in my library which performed well on Mac. And I want to be super hyperbolic and say that this game made me not want to off myself during self-isolation, but it did not, those feelings were indeed very persistent. But there's something exhilarating about playing this game, in cockpit mode and on a keyboard. Moreover, there was this contrast between the dynamism of Dirt Rally and my fatigued, diseased body that I think elevated my experience with this game. It was like taking a quick soul-stirring dip in an icy lake before returning to the warm depths of my bed, where I spent the majority of my isolation, consuming so many strepsils they doubled as my laxatives.
Is the game actually any good under normal, non-covid circumstances? I don't know. I am not a rally driver. But it is fun. It is an uncommon experience in gaming to make decisions based on split-second verbal (and not visual) instructions. Your co-driver has the birds-eye view of the track, you can't get anywhere without listening intently to his instructions. There is something really rewarding about that; taking a turn up a hill before you're even able to see the corner because your co-driver tells you to. There are a few tracks set in Wales with devilish puddles that will splash onto your windshield and make it nigh on impossible to discern what is left and right (at least in the cockpit view), I have never felt that much love for a video game character as I have my co-driver in those moments.
The game also lets you progress at your own pace. Your opponents will pick cars in the same class as you for each event, allowing you to stay with slower cars until you're comfortable with progressing to some of the faster and more unruly cars.
Why does this matter? Well, Dirt Rally was one of those few games that I had in my library which performed well on Mac. And I want to be super hyperbolic and say that this game made me not want to off myself during self-isolation, but it did not, those feelings were indeed very persistent. But there's something exhilarating about playing this game, in cockpit mode and on a keyboard. Moreover, there was this contrast between the dynamism of Dirt Rally and my fatigued, diseased body that I think elevated my experience with this game. It was like taking a quick soul-stirring dip in an icy lake before returning to the warm depths of my bed, where I spent the majority of my isolation, consuming so many strepsils they doubled as my laxatives.
Is the game actually any good under normal, non-covid circumstances? I don't know. I am not a rally driver. But it is fun. It is an uncommon experience in gaming to make decisions based on split-second verbal (and not visual) instructions. Your co-driver has the birds-eye view of the track, you can't get anywhere without listening intently to his instructions. There is something really rewarding about that; taking a turn up a hill before you're even able to see the corner because your co-driver tells you to. There are a few tracks set in Wales with devilish puddles that will splash onto your windshield and make it nigh on impossible to discern what is left and right (at least in the cockpit view), I have never felt that much love for a video game character as I have my co-driver in those moments.
The game also lets you progress at your own pace. Your opponents will pick cars in the same class as you for each event, allowing you to stay with slower cars until you're comfortable with progressing to some of the faster and more unruly cars.
Brutally difficult. Too much for me. But I recognize it for the incredible craftsmanship that it is.
My entry into the Dirt series and what peaked my interest in rallying, Dirt Rally is exactly what it says on the box. Rally in a decent list of different perilous locations and follow your navigators instructions.
Amazing game, very realistic and one has to like that.
I probably won't finish it but that's due to the successor being equally as good.
I probably won't finish it but that's due to the successor being equally as good.
Gameplay: 10
Graphics / Scenery: 8
Story: 5
Acting: Null
World: 7
Lore: Null
Immersion: 10
Graphics / Scenery: 8
Story: 5
Acting: Null
World: 7
Lore: Null
Immersion: 10
Controls great, but I suck.
hahaha weeeeeeeee
5/10
"A Hardcore Rally Racing Simulator That Is Fun But Punishing To Casual Players"
I would call myself more of a "casual" arcade racing game fan. I loved the old "Burnout" series, as well as a few of the newer titles in the "Forza Horizon" series, but never much got into any other racing games, let alone simulators. Since I received this title for free, I thought I would check it out and give my thoughts from a casual racing fans' perspective.
"DiRT Rally" doesn't give too much advice to new players, so I had to find a lot of YouTube videos in order to get a gauge on what exactly was happening during races. Rallying is essentially what most casual racing fans would know as a "time trial point-to-point" race, except you are given nearly no information about the track ahead of you. This seemed a bit unremarkable to me at first, but once playing I found it to be much more exhilarating than I previously believed. The main source of information is given by your co-driver, who shouts out notes about upcoming turns, jumps, dips, and hazards. It took some getting used to, but after some trial and error the experience was fast-paced and felt super dangerous!
The presentation is very good except for a small issue keeping the game in fullscreen upon startup. Other than that, the graphics are super nice, with water and dirt effects splattering the windshield upon dips into large puddles and after nasty crashes. Your car takes a beating if you aren't careful as well, and keeps any damages across the different stages, giving a very high risk to reckless driving. That is where I start to have a bit of a problem with the game.
This isn't necessarily a "negative" about the game, more so an unfortunate realization from my perspective and experiences with driving games. Yes, the game is realistic. Yes, the game is fast-paced, tense, and gives a sense that the developers wanted to create a physics-based driving simulator that doesn't hold your hand throughout. This all makes it fun to an extent. But the game is very difficult, which led to a lot of frustration on my part. While I found myself impressed by the ferocity of the cars engines, the detail of each track, and the customization aspects of car parts themselves, I felt a disconnect between myself and who the game was made for. This game is clearly made for racing simulator enthusiasts, not for any casual racer like myself. Thus, when it came down to design, sacrifices had to be made in order to make a truly fantastic game for one group, wherein the other group would feel frustrated and believe the game is inaccessible and borderline average. This was my case after a few hours, and while I definitely think this game has good qualities both on the surface and underneath, its just not very enjoyable for me.
Still, I couldn't just go and write a review where I didn't support the game somewhat and point out some of the quality work put into it. I would personally Not Recommend this game despite the presentation, gameplay, and polish being there to make any simulator fan happy, because I am a more laid-back racing fan looking for something less intense and difficult, and more streamlined for my casual enjoyment. I will most likely continue on to play other games, but it was interesting to get a peek into the world of racing simulators and get a sense as to why they are loved by their fanbase, even if it did not convince me to jump ship into a new sub-genre of gaming.
Final Verdict: 5/10 (Average)
I would call myself more of a "casual" arcade racing game fan. I loved the old "Burnout" series, as well as a few of the newer titles in the "Forza Horizon" series, but never much got into any other racing games, let alone simulators. Since I received this title for free, I thought I would check it out and give my thoughts from a casual racing fans' perspective.
"DiRT Rally" doesn't give too much advice to new players, so I had to find a lot of YouTube videos in order to get a gauge on what exactly was happening during races. Rallying is essentially what most casual racing fans would know as a "time trial point-to-point" race, except you are given nearly no information about the track ahead of you. This seemed a bit unremarkable to me at first, but once playing I found it to be much more exhilarating than I previously believed. The main source of information is given by your co-driver, who shouts out notes about upcoming turns, jumps, dips, and hazards. It took some getting used to, but after some trial and error the experience was fast-paced and felt super dangerous!
The presentation is very good except for a small issue keeping the game in fullscreen upon startup. Other than that, the graphics are super nice, with water and dirt effects splattering the windshield upon dips into large puddles and after nasty crashes. Your car takes a beating if you aren't careful as well, and keeps any damages across the different stages, giving a very high risk to reckless driving. That is where I start to have a bit of a problem with the game.
This isn't necessarily a "negative" about the game, more so an unfortunate realization from my perspective and experiences with driving games. Yes, the game is realistic. Yes, the game is fast-paced, tense, and gives a sense that the developers wanted to create a physics-based driving simulator that doesn't hold your hand throughout. This all makes it fun to an extent. But the game is very difficult, which led to a lot of frustration on my part. While I found myself impressed by the ferocity of the cars engines, the detail of each track, and the customization aspects of car parts themselves, I felt a disconnect between myself and who the game was made for. This game is clearly made for racing simulator enthusiasts, not for any casual racer like myself. Thus, when it came down to design, sacrifices had to be made in order to make a truly fantastic game for one group, wherein the other group would feel frustrated and believe the game is inaccessible and borderline average. This was my case after a few hours, and while I definitely think this game has good qualities both on the surface and underneath, its just not very enjoyable for me.
Still, I couldn't just go and write a review where I didn't support the game somewhat and point out some of the quality work put into it. I would personally Not Recommend this game despite the presentation, gameplay, and polish being there to make any simulator fan happy, because I am a more laid-back racing fan looking for something less intense and difficult, and more streamlined for my casual enjoyment. I will most likely continue on to play other games, but it was interesting to get a peek into the world of racing simulators and get a sense as to why they are loved by their fanbase, even if it did not convince me to jump ship into a new sub-genre of gaming.
Final Verdict: 5/10 (Average)
amazing, but physics kinda wack
The best racing game I've played. This game is brutally difficult, but nothing is more satisfying than taking a corner at a high speed drift and feel like you're going to lose control at any second but somehow you nailed it all for it to fall apart on the next corner.
When I'm ruining my friends' casual conversations about games by being a crushing bore, I often praise the 'Physicality' of certain games, usually attributed to their respective engines (RE Engine, Decima, Ego, Northlight).
When I say 'Physical', I'm referencing the look and feel of material and weight, the influence on player feedback to present a tangible space. Often it's in the little details - recently I was mesmerised by the way neon street light reflected upon the metal of Jill's handgun in R3Make.
Dirt Rally (as any good rally game should be) is extremely 'Physical', in its sense of weighted movement and resistant feedback, but also in the very literal sense of what it's doing to my body. I'm convinced this game is giving me cobblestone abs, shredded glutes, and Kenshiro finger strength as my body twists, contorts, and contracts harmoniously while wrestling my metal round meticulously rendered gauntlets of no remorse.
When I'm holding my breath, buttocks clenched, toes curled into the carpet to anchor my stiffening torso as I hammer the brakes a second late on a hidden hairpin, I'm THERE, MAN.
The presentation is spartan, the game is mechanically ruthless.
This is 100% pure rally simulation for masochists, and I love it.
When I say 'Physical', I'm referencing the look and feel of material and weight, the influence on player feedback to present a tangible space. Often it's in the little details - recently I was mesmerised by the way neon street light reflected upon the metal of Jill's handgun in R3Make.
Dirt Rally (as any good rally game should be) is extremely 'Physical', in its sense of weighted movement and resistant feedback, but also in the very literal sense of what it's doing to my body. I'm convinced this game is giving me cobblestone abs, shredded glutes, and Kenshiro finger strength as my body twists, contorts, and contracts harmoniously while wrestling my metal round meticulously rendered gauntlets of no remorse.
When I'm holding my breath, buttocks clenched, toes curled into the carpet to anchor my stiffening torso as I hammer the brakes a second late on a hidden hairpin, I'm THERE, MAN.
The presentation is spartan, the game is mechanically ruthless.
This is 100% pure rally simulation for masochists, and I love it.
possibly the only racing game harder than real life
use a wheel
use a wheel
It's hard to mess up a racing game.
Repetitive and hard to learn how to drive well. Still surprisingly enjoyable for what it is though.