As much as Codemasters would like us to believe it, the DiRT series has never been about truly emulating the sport of rally driving. Sure there are all the cars and locations you’d expect with routes barely having enough room to scrape a single hatchback through, but there’s none of the drama of making sure your ride is fixed up properly for the next stage, or the cold sweat which accumulates as you concentrate on making your apexes properly over a mammoth thirty-minute stage or avoiding that one piece of track which can send your four-wheeled feat of modern engineering careering off into the undergrowth.
Racing games true to the art of rally have gone the way of the dodo the past decade, much like the receding popularity of the World Rally Championship itself and you know what? We don’t miss it at all. DiRT 3 takes what rally represents to the masses and streamlines it into a cohesive enjoyable package which not only celebrates the discipline’s past but also gives a strong indication of the future as well.
The previous game in the series centred around the sport’s emerging popularity in America, and despite losing the trailer interface, carnival atmosphere and some of the less notable stars, the series’ third entry has taken a much more understated turn. The X Games is still a major component of the career mode, this time supported by the Winter and Summer events, but there’s more of a historic feel to the overall experience with rally’s greatest cars from the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties eligible for selection in the game’s Trailblazer events.
Renault 5s, MG Metros, Lancia Deltas and Mini Coopers all make an appearance, as well as the beefier Toyota Celicas and Ford Escort Cosworths. This is one of the best assortment of cars we’ve had the honour of driving since Simbin’s GT Legends. There are modern choices too, including cars which originate from the modern-day WRC championship, but honestly the classics steal the show.
The career mode is split into four seasons and includes the return of the circuit based, full-body contact events; Rallycross and Landrush. There isn’t much to add regarding these modes as they are very much the same as they were in the previous game, but they still prove to be really enjoyable and a refreshing palette cleanser from the point A to B stuff. The introduction of different weather conditions helps to vary up the events as well, but we’ll get to that in a moment.
Aside from DiRT 3′s return to a traditional rally focus, Codemasters has also been bigging up the inclusion of Gymkhana; time-based competitive stunt driving which involves sliding, dizzying 360 donuts, smashing through polystyrene boards and performing jumps. When first announced we were unsure whether the adoption of this flashy new racing discipline had any place in a rally title, but after gradually learning the ropes we began to really enjoy it. There are three variants involved, the first functions a lot like score attack where you need to get the most points possible by pulling off any scoring move you wish, whereas the second and third variants are all about performing specific tricks in the quickest time possible; either in a specific order or free-form.
It takes awhile to get your head around the tactile responses required to get your car in the positions needed, but once you do it’s a really enjoyable experience, a kin to a Tony Hawk game or that memorable tutorial segment in the original Driver. The developers have made a considerable effort to ensure Gymkhana is accessible to even the most lacklustre rookie, even adding a specific driving aid to the mode which smooths out steering and helps to position the car better, depending on what trick you’re trying to pull off.
The only problem is that success in this discipline often involves multiple attempts, due to the need to see where all the big point opportunities are in any given arena. It would have been nice if there was a mini-map or perhaps a detailed layout of the area to evaluate before you drive out, but after a few run-throughs the optimum route can usually be found. Other than that minor complaint, this mode is really a triumph and it’s a testament to just how good DiRT 3′s handling model is that it can accommodate so many different racing disciplines with little effort.
Players are able to drive however they want around each of the game’s nuanced courses, be it a tight measured line or the renowned Scandinavian flick, and for the most part handling feels slightly more responsive than DiRT 2.
The introduction of weather is also a major new addition and as expected it makes a significant impact. Snow stages are a regular fixture of the career and their inclusion leads to more slipping and sliding, without giving that oh so familiar ice-rink feel. During the Rallycross and LandRush events the effect of the conditions are felt even more, as competing racers kick up lots of the white stuff which seriously impacts your view. It’s a great effect which effectively translates just how crazy real-life ‘ice-drivers’ really are. Rain also makes an appearance, with mud creating a similar effect, but as expected it isn’t as impactful. Running into puddles will create a nice splash effect on your windscreen and as expected thanks to the improved EGO engine, the visuals look very impressive.
Each car and environment is beautifully detailed and racing in Kenya feels entirely different to competing in scenic Monaco or dreary Michigan. It’s worth pointing out that the LA Coliseum, home of the Summer X Games, has gone through a refresh as well with couple of new interesting track layouts. Codemasters’ Racing Studio could have easily left extreme sport’s mecca alone and just reused assets from DiRT 2, but they went the extra mile and built on what they produced before in a really good way.
Aesthetically the game has also gone through a big transformation, with menu design which follows a folding triangle structure which brought us back to being in the school playground, but thankfully none of the elaborate visuals resulted in the us being called smelly. The new cleaner interface is easier to use and lacks the elaborate transitions which annoyed many gamers in DiRT 2. Rather than give that professional rally flavour in the menu, the developers have hired three voice actors to communicate how well the players are doing in the career. Your agent, personal assistant and mechanic will constantly keep you abreast of what to do next, how to get better at certain events and how excited you should be to compete in a DC Shoes, NSX energy drink or another corporate branded event.
Obviously advertisements are heavily integrated into motor-racing as it is, but the constant mentions of the game’s advertising partners gets a little annoying at times. The calibre of the voice acting doesn’t help with that aspect either. Our agent Christian, told us our performances were "off the hook" so often we felt compelled to reach into the monitor and kick him in the throat. Well, that is if he has a face to assault anyway, as far as the career is concerned he’s just a disembodied voice urging you to take part in brand X events.
Those complaints aside, the career mode is well put together and the different smattering of events means that you will rarely, if ever, feel like you’re just racing to unlock more championships or liveries. In DiRT 3 you will earn XP for competing in races and completing bonus objectives such as meeting a specific time, or not damaging your car. As you level up you’ll gain reputation and unlock the potential to race for new teams, with the professional rally circuit one of the last unlocks earned. It’s a good way of dishing out content in a methodical manner and the bonus objectives offer good drivers something else to aim for when they’re ahead of the pack.
The only other issue we found was that the damage model seems to have been dialled back when compared to previous DiRT games, with players less likely to total their car or break suspension when they clip a wall or drive into competitors. It’s still a far-cry from Hot Pursuit’s wall-riding or anything like that, but it certainly feels a little bit off at times. It’s the only minor blemish on an otherwise flawless in-car experience, but it does lead to some head scratching when you watch your race back via replay. There are visual and ‘realistic’ damage options, but the opposite end of the scale doesn’t go far enough for us.
Unfortunately due to the nature of the Games for Windows Live build we sampled, we couldn’t partake in any multiplayer races or upload our race clips onto YouTube, as our talkative career handlers kept suggesting, but from what we witnessed the online features had been integrated into the experience well.
The DiRT series has never been known for its simulation aspirations and DiRT 3 does nothing to change that, however that isn’t to say it isn’t a fantastic arcade racer in its own right. Codemasters’ Racing Studio has packed so many different disciplines into this package and delivered them all with a great sense of style that emphasises the drama of rally and it’s almost impossible not to get swept up with it.
On the PC it’s even more astounding, with a fully optimised frame-rate and DirectX 11 support which delivers visuals that are some of the best ever seen in a racer. DiRT 3 does have its foibles and those complaints about the second game being too American will undoubtedly be made about this entry as well, but those making such noise are missing the point. DiRT 3 is a brilliant racer and it deserves to be enjoyed by as many people as possible.
Verdict: 88%
If you’d like to see more of DiRT 3 check out our Picasa album which contains over 600 images of the arcade racer in action – linked on the right.
Tags: DiRT 3
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