Combine two measures of gin, one measure of dry vermouth and a splash of lime cordial, and the result is a delicious Dry Martini. Combine two measures of off-road motorsport, one measure of X-Games and a splash of Glastonbury and you create something equally pleasurable, but far more intoxicating: Colin McRae: DiRT 2. Borrowing a festival feel commonly associated with the lifestyle and culture of extreme sports, Codemasters’ sequel to the original DiRT takes players on an adrenaline-fuelled rally World Tour, and delivers possibly the most immersive next-generation racing experience since Race Driver: GRiD.

Boasting more than 100 events spread across nine varied locations, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into from the moment you start your engine. Races and competitions are divided into eight distinct disciplines, from technically-demanding sprints along the treacherous rainforest roads of Malaysia, to multi-car circuit races under the overcast, firework-lit skies of London. You’ll be pitted against some of today’s biggest and best names in rally, and there’s much to be done before you become the new kid on Ken’s Block.

Operating from a rundown RV you start off, unsurprisingly, with a limited budget and very little professional reputation. Restricted to Rookie Division events, your aim is to build enough experience to qualify for Professional, All-Star and World Tour championships, and ultimately claim the title of King of Rally. You’ll even earn the odd invitation to compete in the prestigious X-Games tournaments, if you can prove yourself to the opposition.

Progression in DiRT 2 revolves around a ‘levelling-up’ system parallel to that of Call of Duty’s online multiplayer. Experience points (or XP) are awarded based on race performance and the completion of milestones, such as overtaking drivers, travelling certain distances, or barrel-rolling your car. Achieving enough XP will allow you to rank-up, which in-turn unlocks new races and boosts your bank balance. Additionally, the game will generously throw-in welcome (though essentially useless) goodies as you advance, such as chassis liveries, dashboard doo-dahs, windscreen adornments and novelty horn types. It’s a nice touch; you’re made to feel like every mile driven achieves something.

Presentation-wise, DiRT 2 is simply gorgeous. As you’re treated to an outbreak of brilliant colours, strobe lighting, pyrotechnics, real-time reflections and damage modelling, you’ll notice that each car and course is significantly more detailed than those in GRiD. You’ll be impressed by the menu interface also. Initiating a race involves physically walking through your memento-cluttered RV to a table-top tour map and picking up an event invite. Next, you step outside into the crowds to select your car. Confirming your vehicle choice then stimulates a seamless transfer to the loading screen, which is cleverly disguised as an opportunity to present career-related statistics in a flurry of fluorescent paper clippings scattered across your map. It’s marvellously slick.

The game’s visual finesse is nicely complimented a by an appropriately loud soundtrack mixed by Kerrang! Radio’s very own Christian Stephenson, featuring hits from The Prodigy, White Lies, Ladyhawke and more that will keep you head-banging as you bounce around the contours of each course – which, at first, you will.

Codemasters’ cars feel unusually light – floaty, even, and take a bit of getting used to. Steering feels awkward and twitchy, and the slightest imprecision often causes horrendous oversteer that sends you plummeting down the side of a mountain. But with perseverance and practice comes mastery, and you’ll soon be gliding through gravel-laden hairpins and muddy S-bends with the grace of Jayne Torvill. Should a momentary lapse in concentration happen to send you off-course, those familiar with GRiD will be pleased to learn that the Flashback makes a welcome return. Depending on difficulty setting, players have a maximum of 5 Flashbacks at their disposal whereby they can rewind time and rectify their mistakes. After all, sometimes in gaming you need a little forgiveness.

Understandably, true racers may prefer not to use this feature, and so we would advise you take advantage of the fact you can now tinker with each car’s specification. To Codemasters’ credit, their third generation EGO physics engine is far superior to its previous incarnation; gear ratios, downforce, suspension, ride height, differential and brake bias can now be adjusted to suit driving styles and conditions, and you can genuinely feel how changes made impact on your vehicle’s speed, acceleration and manoeuvrability. Furthermore, should you favour one or two rides in particular, you can purchase conversation packs that can, for example, convert Rally car classes to make them eligible for Trailblazer events.

While all of the above points are valid, few titles nowadays are worth their salt unless they incorporate an enjoyable, long-lasting online component. In this regard, DiRT 2 fairs exceptionally well, boasting a comprehensive and thoroughly addictive competitive and co-operative multiplayer element. Whether you want to dominate the leaderboards of the Pro Tour, or just mix it up in a private Jam session with seven others, there’s hours of fun to be had acquiring XP, completing online missions and earning trophies – aside from trouncing your mates, obviously.

However, hardcore fans of the Colin McRae titles of old might be a little disappointed with this game. Only 20% of Career Mode comprises actual rally driving. To some degree, DiRT 2 is a lot like MotorStorm – minus the death-defying leaps of faith and nitro boosts, of course. In an attempt to appeal to a wider, more international audience, Codemasters have had to abandon some elements of traditional rally. If you’re looking to partake in a number of timed hillclimbs through rainy Scotland driving a 1994 Toyota Celica, you’re out of luck.

The Americanised X-Games theme won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but even so DiRT 2 is 2009’s racer to own. The visuals are extraordinary, the atmospherics are electric, the gameplay is gratifyingly deep, and the racing – in all respects – is never anything but magnificent.

9/10

Filed under: C, Games, Review