This is more of a consistent issue on the 360 version, though the PC version is highly taxing even on high-end hardware, so you're likely to run into some performance problems unless you're running a top of the line machine. The frame rate is a little choppy during single-car rallies, but once you get a group of other cars racing with you, the game practically turns into stop-motion animation, especially if all the other cars happen to be bunched up with you. Performance is not always up to snuff, especially in races with multiple cars on the track. All the while, dirt, mud, or gravel will kick up against and often stick to your car, making the game's namesake seem entirely appropriate.Īs amazing as the game looks, all that detail comes at a bit of a price. And if you feel like tearing up these tracks, you can bust through fences, barriers, bushes, and anything else not held to the ground with concrete. Driving around desert mountains in the washed-out haze of late day is an amazing sight to behold, for sure. The game also uses lighting to fantastic effect, not just to emphasize how shiny and reflective the cars are, but to give each track an individual atmosphere. From the rain-slick tarmac tracks of Japan and the dusty backroads of Italy to the muddy, gravelly countryside of the UK, DiRT nails every environment wonderfully. Tracks are equally beautiful and destructible. Damage modeling is one of the most impressive aspects of the game you can lose bumpers or doors, break glass, tear up the paintjob, and roll your ride into a crushed, deformed mess. To begin with, the cars are beautifully rendered, highly detailed models that are as fantastic to look at as they are to destroy. This game is a technical achievement in car design, track design, and damage modeling. There have been plenty of driving games of late that have been visually impressive, but very few live up to the visual fidelity displayed by DiRT.

Let's just address that elephant in the room right off. DiRT veers a good bit further into arcade territory than earlier games in the series, but it is still a blast to drive, and absolutely stunning to look at. That's not to say that rally fans will be disappointed with the game.

DiRT has more in common with Digital Illusions' Rallisport Challenge series than the Colin McRae games of old, putting a greater emphasis on a variety of off-road racing disciplines, as opposed to sticking hard and fast to traditional rally racing. Fans of Codemasters' Colin McRae rally racing series are in for a surprise with the publisher's newest title, DiRT.

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