DIRT RALLY 2.0
Hands up – who’s buying it for the rallycross bits? Er...
This game’s difficulty is going to prove an insurmountable barrier for some – arguably most – players, but that’s okay. Pandering to the lowest common denominator is normally a recipe for trash, whereas Dirt Rally 2.0 is a classy, intelligent, ultra-rewarding racer for those who subscribe to its philosophy: to finish first, first you have to finish. Other games let you find the limits without consequence; here you always need to drive with the bigger picture in mind. When repairs cost both time and money, one stupid decision can scupper an entire championship, especially since there’s no ‘rewind’ button and retries are rationed.
If that sounds frustrating and dull, it’s actually exactly the opposite. The team development mechanism works beautifully, and spending cash on developing your co-driver’s car recovery skills pays dividends when you accidentally do an impression of an upended woodlouse. But similarly you might smash up your car so badly you need to sell your beloved Stratos just to get your main vehicle in reasonable condition for the start of the next rally. This makes for an edgeof-your-seat experience at every turn, and not just metaphorically. You may well catch yourself physically leaning your body and turning the DualShock 4 like a noob as you drift perilously close to a trackside verge. This is the sign of a game that’s truly connecting with you, and it’s a joy to play.
HAZY LIGHT MAYBE
The visuals have a little more old-school Codemasters flair compared to its photorealismheavy predecessor, which will no doubt have the more vocal parts of the fanbase up in arms. But going back to the first Dirt Rally for a comparison shows just how far the graphical quality has been pushed for this sequel. Impossibly dense environmental geometry is beautifully filtered, dusted with special effects, and delivered at 60fps even on a standard PS4.
Little gameplay tweaks are welcome. For example, fences are now harder to break completely, keeping you nearer the track instead of leaving you to flounder in a field every few corners. The game also feels ever so slightly easier to control. It helps, of course, that the initial championship makes you play with a slow, classic car for a long while, getting you used to how the game works. But that also means when you reach the Clubman tier and set off in a Lancia Delta HF Integrale, it feels like greased lightning. Play in bumper cam view in a high-speed car and it’s eye-wideningly thrilling, especially when you literally take off over a big jump. While Dirt Rally 2.0 is very, very serious for most of the time, it can still be plain old fun.
“PLAY IN BUMPER CAM VIEW IN A HIGH-SPEED CAR AND IT’S EYE-WIDENINGLY THRILLING.”
It plays better with a standard pad this time, too. You need to use the handbrake a lot, which feels like cheating when there’s so much technique in proper rally drifting, but it does the job to get the back end out. However, a wheel and pedals setup is far more realistic, and recommended if you have the means.
SURFACE DETAIL
There’s (apparently) a surface deformation system that makes the track drive differently at the end of a rally compared to the start, but most people will need it pointed out to them. The track surfaces simply feel like they look, and are always taxing to drive on.
Considering the game is an officially licensed product of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, complete with eight real-world tracks, the rallycross elements are given surprisingly little fanfare. Well, it’s surprising until you play them. With repetitive qualifiers, awkward ‘skid then stick’ handling, and unexciting ‘joker’ laps once per race, only the superb visuals make them worth your time. They’re playable, yes, but Dirt 2’s races are still demonstrably better, and pretty much every other serious, modern racing sim offers a more enjoyable circuit experience. No, the game is all about the rallying content. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a better rallying game this generation, and the sprawling, curated tracks alone make it worth the upgrade. If you like a ‘caution: don’t cut’ with your corners, this is unquestionably the game for you.
VERDICT
The return of designed, not generated, tracks is massively welcome, and the visual upgrade is superb. A masterclass in consequence-tempered driving, this is simply the best rally sim yet. Justin Towell