DiRT 3 Video Review - Video Game Writers

Written by Jason Evangelho | Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Platforms:	Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Publisher(s):	Codemasters
Developer(s):	Codemasters
Genre(s):	Racing (Action Sports)
Release Date:	May 24, 2011
ESRB Rating:	T
Buy It/Rent It/Skip It?:	Buy It

Dirt 3 is terrifying. I settled on this adjective after engaging in a mind-numbingly fast Trailblazer event that found me hurtling down Norway?s snowy Hafjell Descent in a Rhys Millen Racing PM580, at speeds in excess of 140MPH. One wrong jerk of the steering wheel and I?d slide into a snow embankment and flip end-over-end into oblivion. For 145 exhilarating seconds, I was barely in control of the 2000 pound racing beast underneath me, and I couldn?t get enough of it.

*All footage in this review was obtained personally, using the built-in YouTube functionality.

The above vertical slice of DiRT 3 doesn?t just depict an isolated race; rather it encapsulates the entire experience. For the third entry in Codemasters? off-road racer, the developers have perfected that dangerous but seductive feeling of barely being in control; navigating the treacherous roads on gut instinct, careful tuning, and lightning reflexes. They?ve also rediscovered their first love: point-to-point rally racing, evidenced by more than double the amount of rally events here than in DiRT 2.

Get Sideways, Get Serious

The festival RVs, party atmosphere, and neon lights from DiRT 2 are gone. Replacing them is an unmistakable focus on professional rally racing, pitting you as the underdog in a 4-season bid to rise to the top, standing tall among the ranks of current innovators like Ken Block and legendary drivers like Colin McRae. You won?t be purchasing parts or vehicles to add to your garage, and you won?t be collecting useless trinkets for your dashboard. Your currency is your reputation. All that matters in DiRT 3 is the road beneath you, and how quickly you can negotiate it.

It stands to reason, then, that DiRT 3?s Tour Mode is a no-nonsense journey through the spills and thrills of traditional rally racing and a nice assortment of other disciplines like Rallycross competitions, head to head sprints, and uphill truck-based Landrush events. You?ll even race buggies and, yes, do some bobsledding, before tricking out in the wonderful Gymkhana events.

Inside the sleek and triangle-obsessed menus are four seasons of racing to unlock, plus an intense World Tour endgame and a laid-back Gymkhana practice lot in the DC Shoes compound. All told there are upwards of 100 events and a staggering 100+ routes. You unlock each one by earning driver points based on your placement in each competition. Even if the podium eludes you on most events, you?ll still earn just enough to progress through the seasons, and the game?s addictive nature compels you to shave precious seconds off previous events.

To further drive home the game?s emphasis on racing over collecting and tuning, the only pre-race configurations occur in the staging area, on the track itself. Here, you?re shown the ratio of gravel or dirt to tarmac, and given the option to adjust settings like gear ratio, downforce, suspension, and brake bias. More importantly, the changes to handling are felt on the course. In a nod to approachability, you can also turn on assists like a racing line, stability control, and throttle management (feathering the throttle is crucial, especially on snow and gravel). If you?d prefer to skip tuning altogether, setting your difficulty to casual or intermediate finds the game adjusting your vehicle based on the course and its environment.

On the other hand, hardcore racers who prefer the simulation side are welcomed with open arms. Advanced settings let you turn on full damage, remove any assists, and raise the awareness and aggression of AI drivers. Jump into the online ?Pro Tour? mode and select ?Hardcore? and you?ll be forced into cockpit view with no assists, full damage, and no heads-up display.

However you decide to challenge yourself, the AI won?t be pushed aside easily. When discussing the AI it makes more sense to discuss what it won?t do. Your competitors won?t hold grudges like in Shift 2 Unleashed, nor will they religiously stick to a racing line ala Gran Turismo. The developers have also intentionally limited the amount of spray and dust their tires will kick up, simply to keep the playability high. Nor will they exhibit ?rubber-banding AI? to unnaturally catch up to you when you?re in the lead. In fact, on a few occasions I noticed the lead driver taking a wide corner a bit too sharply, resulting in a nasty wipeout. They also won?t let you win without a fight; but much like human drivers, they won?t be perfect.

Dirty, Snowy Bliss

This series has always excelled at simulating the physics and subtleties of track surfaces, and again the developers have struck gold. Unlike the snow in Gran Turismo 5, for example, I feel like it?s something I?m interacting with in DiRT 3. It feels crunchy and spongy, unpredictable; rather than just static and slippery. I feel the wheels treading differently depending on how thick the snow cover is, and I feel the slosh of the embankment when I accidentally slam up against it.

Mistakes do happen, so GRiD?s rewind feature makes an enhanced return here, offering up to five ?do-overs? regardless of your difficulty level. If you hit the e-brake a moment too soon during that hairpin left, the rewind feature lets you run back the clock using multiple camera angles, in order to pick the precise point at which to right your wrong. Some racing aficionados call this cheating; I call it giving players the option of having fun with their $60 purchase, and learning from their mistakes. You?ll be penalized with significantly reduced reputation points at the end of the race, though, so it isn?t without consequence.

DiRT 3 also diligently tracks your habits and successes, always encouraging instead of scolding. At the staging area before events, our coach would say things like ?Head to head events really seem to bring out your winning spirit? or ?Last time you came to Norway you had a tough time passing the pack, here are some tips.?

Gymkhana?

So what about Gymkhana, the bombastic motorsport which encourages expression through donuts, drifting, and other outrageous tricks? Managing your throttle, steering, and braking deftly enough to pull off these sensitive maneuvers takes patient practice, and the tutorial (narrated by Gymkhana star Ken Block) is enthusiastic but not helpful. Once you?re clear of the learning curve, however, Gymkhana becomes a challenging and almost whimsical competition which calls to mind the glory days of the Tony Hawk?s Pro Skater franchise. You?re given a set amount of time to negotiate a course replete with obstacles to drift through, spin around, and smash into. Stringing these moves together with variety, and without crashing into barriers and walls is what allows the points to skyrocket. Basically, you?re showboating to gain the affections of the crowd. There are only a handful of Gymkhana events for players who may not warm up to it. However, those who desire more than what?s offered through the events will find a massive practice lot (with dozens of objectives) to further feed their addiction.

I could prattle on about the damage modeling, physics engine, tuning, or that trippy green filter that gets applied to the pre-race menus, but the important thing is that the fun factor in DiRT 3 is through the roof. Courses are rendered realistically, and while the emphasis is on rally, there is so much variety to the environments and racing disciplines that it will please anyone who calls themselves a racing fan.

Getting Dirty with Friends

Then there?s multiplayer, which has just enough depth to nearly warrant its own review. The online options you?d expect are all here; up to 8 players can engage in ranked or unranked sessions of every discipline available in the single player tour, thankfully complete with options to discourage those unruly players who would rather plow into you than race. Codemasters have also, finally implemented split-screen options for local couch play.

Split screen multiplayer finally joins the DiRT franchise

It?s when you fire up the Party Mode in multiplayer, you realize the Codemasters were inspired to tip multiplayer racing on its head. ?Invasion? sets 8 players loose smashing through killer cardboard robots in a effort to save the world. ?Outbreak? is the weakest of the bunch, but will appeal to players eager to discover what playing Halo?s zombie mode would be like with high-speed supercars. Head and shoulders above the rest is ?Transporter? which is a direct translation of Capture the Flag. A flag will randomly spawn on the course and you must pick it up, all the while avoiding every other opponent as they?re making a mad dash to stop you. If they smash into you, they steal the flag. Then, it?s a flat-out race to the capture area to score your point. We?ll dare say it?s as fun as the best sessions of N64 Mario Kart. It?s obnoxious, hilarious, and the most fun I?ve had in any multiplayer racing game.

[Editor's Note: Unfortunately DiRT 3's online multiplayer is impossible for PS3 owners until the Playstation Store returns, as Codemasters have implemented an Online Pass.]

The Bottom Line

You may be waiting for the inevitable criticisms, but they won?t be making an appearance. I confidently gave DiRT 2 a rare perfect score, and its sequel deserves nothing less. From the accessibility to the wildly distinct menus to the magnetic attraction you?ll have to every race, DiRT 3 is simply the most fun you can have with a racing game. If I had to hunt for a flaw, it would be the YouTube upload feature which is appreciated, but sadly limited to 30 second clips.

Not even the ambition of Gran Turismo 5 or the carefully engineered tension of Shift 2 Unleashed can compare to the sheer, beautiful bliss Codemasters? DiRT series offers. With DiRT 3, they have done something impossible in the racing genre: created a sequel that wildly improves on the successes of its predecessor, without rendering it obsolete. DiRT 2 remains a unique and must-play masterpiece, while DiRT 3 is unquestionably the best racing game to be released since?well?DiRT 2.

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About the Author

Jason Evangelho is VGW's founder and Big Boss. Jason is a longtime 'professional hobbyist,' indie music junkie, recovering catholic and video game enthusiast. His singular mission is to develop VideoGameWriters into a gaming site known for its intelligence, timeliness, originality and integrity. You can find his VGW blog at http://blogs.videogamewriters.com/jasonevangelho

Source: http://videogamewriters.com/review-dirt-3-11141

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