DiRT Rally 2.0 Review
Reviewed on March 8th, 2019
In 2015, Codemasters released debatably one of the greatest rally racing video games of all time: DiRT Rally. An unabashedly brutal experience, DiRT Rally demanded patience, time, and skill from every single one of its players. Some were put off by its difficulty, but many embraced the challenge and found one of the most rewarding racing games of this generation underneath the punishing exterior. Now, after the mixed reception of the more casual friendly DiRT 4, it’s time to once again don our racing gear and get ready for the sequel that we’ve all been waiting for. DiRT Rally 2.0 once again throws players behind the wheel of a rally car and makes them learn through trial and error. Make no mistake, if you're here expecting to throw on all the assists, mash down the R2 button, and thrash your way to victory, you’ve got another thing coming. But, for those of us interested in a deep rally simulator focused on realism, there’s a lot to like about DiRT Rally 2.0.
Gameplay
Physics & Handling
For years now, Codemasters have been at the forefront of the racing game genre, and the plethora of experience behind the British studio shows immediately upon starting a stage in DiRT Rally 2.0. One of the best aspects of this title lies in the feel of loose driving surfaces. Every section of every stage feels like a thrill ride that may cause you to park your pristine rally vehicle into the side of a tree. Physics-wise, while not perfect, DiRT Rally 2.0 is still a mostly realistic affair. The state of mind that a player reaches when blitzing down a narrow mountain road perfectly executing every turn is not one that many other racing games can provide, but during my experience with DiRT Rally 2.0, I was reaching these perfect moments of pure bliss more often than I could even remember from the game's predecessor. Indeed, when looking back at the original DiRT Rally, the physics and handling of each vehicle and surface type are vastly improved here. A front-wheel-drive Mini Cooper S feels completely different from an all-wheel-drive Audi Quattro, but by the same token that Audi feels completely different from a MG Metro 6R4 which inhabits the same vehicle class. Now, I mentioned that the game isn’t perfect, and what I mean by that is that the game is nearly perfect until you hit the tarmac. It was a problem in the original, and that problem still exists here as well. Granted, the floaty feeling with the car’s driving has been mitigated, but there’s no doubt that some fine-tuning is still in order. This is particularly noticeable in the Spanish stages, which consist of mostly tarmac.
Force Feedback
Force feedback feels serviceable, once you play around with the settings that is. Out of the box, the force feedback is hardly noticeable, but once you turn down all those friction values and turn up the suspension and collision, the experience is greatly improved. I still came away wishing for more in this department though, as my time playing the game on a Logitech G29 was less remarkable than with some other titles as far as feel in the wheel goes. Hopefully, Codemasters can address these gripes in a future update.
Conclusion
I don’t mean to be overly negative, though, because this game mostly hits it out of the park. Not to mention the difference that track and tire surface degradation, as well the various weather settings, make. The bottom line is simple: the cars in DiRT Rally 2.0 feel phenomenal where it matters, but some slight tweaking is still needed.
Presentation
Visuals
Another area where DiRT Rally 2.0 outshines its predecessor is in its presentation. The visuals in this game are absolutely stunning, for the most part. There’s a certain level of detail in the tracks, both in terms of the overall layout and the environment around them. What’s on display here is comparable to the likes of the fantasy tracks in Gran Turismo Sport. Even when the scenery around you is flashing by in an instant, you can tell that a large amount of passion went into its creation. The only issue presentation-wise that I can point out would be the lack of detail when the camera zooms out away from the rally stage. It’s really quite jarring when you're watching a replay of your race and see a large and virtually empty space around the track. It’s barely noticeable in actual gameplay but still deserves a mention. As for the vehicles, the interior models in this game are some of the best I’ve seen. The only gripes I have here relate to the textures displayed in your rearview mirror, which are of much lower resolution, at least on the PS4 version. Shadows aren’t perfect here either, with a blocky look sometimes rearing its ugly head. Overall though, the visuals prove to be yet again another major step forward. It’s too bad then that a photo mode has yet to be brought into the game, meaning that you won’t be able to capture that perfect moment outside of a replay just yet.
Damage
Damage-wise, each car is dynamic with dirt flying up on the windshield and a bump on the side potentially cracking your window glass. There is also a “hardcore” damage mode, which comes closer to portraying the gruesome reality of rally. The damage model is great, although sometimes it can be inconsistent. Licensing could play a role in this, but sometimes you will crash your car straight into a tree at near one hundred miles an hour, and then still be able to drive away after a minute long tire repair. However, so long as you drive reasonably, the damage model more than serves the purpose.
Rainy Weather & Night Visuals
As far as the weather is concerned, rain splashes on the windshield in a detailed manner that stands above most other driving titles. While not as detailed as Driveclub, it's really close. The rain also completely changes the tracks, not only making them much harder to navigate through but also changing their overall appearance with water pouring from the sky and sitting in various puddles scattered around the route. Nighttime really brings out the best of the game. I can say without a doubt that navigating through pitch black darkness in the middle of a Polish forest without any headlights was one of the most simultaneously fun and horrifying experiences I can remember any racing game ever providing.
Sound Design
Sound design in this game is very immersive, with each car taking on its own identity through the sound that the engine produces. Your co-driver this time around is a man with a dry voice and a British accent. You can set when you want him to give you calls for turns based on your own personal preference. As far as my experience with him goes, it was mostly positive. If it’s any indication, I wanted to reach over and slam his face through his clipboard much less than in other titles, thanks in no small part to him not making any smart remarks when you mess up.
UI Design & Music
Menu design is simple and effective, but certainly nothing out of the ordinary. As for the music in this game, the tracks are similar in style to those found in the original game. I personally preferred the music we had before, but I’m sure the new menu music will grow on me as time passes.
Conclusion
Overall, this game doesn’t have the flashy presentation of many arcade titles on the market, instead going for a more cut and dry tone that fits the nature of a hardcore simulator very well. My general takeaway was that DiRT Rally 2.0 excels on the track and does what’s needed off of it.
Content
Content Overview
As far as content goes, not only can you compete in both a rally and rallycross campaign, but you can also race through the decades or take on real-world FIA Rallycross drivers in modes that add even more longevity to the game. Online functionality has also seen improvement, with various community events available on a daily and weekly basis. There’s also a lobby system that works just fine and the ability to create your own rally out of the game’s various vehicles and locations. This doesn’t work in the same way that “Your Stage” did in DiRT 4 though; instead your given all of the pre-built stages in the game to choose from. As for the locations themselves, stages are spread out all over the world. Your DiRT Rally 2.0 journey will take you from Poland to New England, with a total of six different rally backdrops and eight different rallycross locations. Each of these areas are then broken up into various stages. The vehicle list here is expansive as well, with ten different classes of rally cars and four classes dedicated to rallycross machines. The list spans various decades with everything from an Alpine Renault to a Ford Mustang, although it should be noted that post-launch DLC has already been announced that will add new cars to the game. Overall though, the list here certainly doesn’t disappoint. Now, one area of vast improvement in this game lies in the rallycross sections. It’s hard to think that some of the most intense moments in DiRT Rally 2.0 come from the rallycross races, but the fast and hard to maintain nature of the rallycross vehicles and the narrow and technical nature of the tracks make this entire branch of motorsport a great complement to the rally stages that can also stand on their own. It's clear that all of the attention that Codemasters has put into rallycross has paid off, with the officially licensed drivers and tracks adding to an already exhilarating and enjoyable mode that improves the overall package. One area where the game could use some improvement though is the rally campaign mode. It feels like Codemasters just threw a bunch of events together in a random order. You can still manage your crew, tune your vehicle, buy new cars, that sort of thing. The whole affair feels a bit barebones to be honest, although this is certainly not a new problem for the DiRT Rally series.
Negatives
The Negatives
Now, all of the praise I’ve given this game doesn’t come without some negatives. I’ve already mentioned a few of them, but the game also has one other major issue. I’ve been comparing this game to its predecessor quite a lot here, often saying that DiRT Rally 2.0 is better at what it chooses to do. There lies the biggest problem that this game faces. While the original, at least in my opinion, didn’t have a particularly strong campaign, it did offer some more variety than DiRT Rally 2.0 brings to the table. Gone are the snowy mountains of Sweden, which were personally my favorite portions of the first DiRT Rally. Instead, this time around the color palette consists of more of a greenish brown composure. Another thing that the game lacks is the hill-climb mode, which has been completely removed. Finally, as of now, there is no VR support within DiRT Rally 2.0. Codemasters has already announced its plans to bring Oculus Rift support to the game this summer, but for now, the omission is noticeable. DiRT Rally was a thrilling experience in VR, and one can only imagine the immersive terror of DiRT Rally 2.0 adapted to that form of the medium. It should also be noted that a constant online connection is required to play DiRT Rally 2.0, which is a disappointment that can become frustrating when server issues arise.
Difficulty
Another potential problem with this game is the simulative design of it, which is intentional but also alienating. If you're used to the offerings of DIRT 4 or maybe haven’t even played a rally game before, this game will be immensely difficult. The only advice I can give to new players is to stick through it. Everyone crashes, no matter how much of the game they play. Don’t be a perfectionist. It’s near impossible to be perfect during every stage of DiRT Rally 2.0. Instead, try to minimize your risk at all times, run your own race, and learn the fundamentals of off road driving. If you follow these steps, it's only a matter of time before you can ace the AI nearly every time. Just don’t put the game down because it’s challenging. Instead, try to overcome the obstacles before you and you will grow to love your time spent with this game. This isn’t something I would knock against DiRT Rally 2.0 though, as it is intended to be a simulator at all levels, meaning that the best way to learn here is to throw yourself off the deep end and get out of your comfort zone.
Verdict
Now that sounds like a lot of gripping but again I want to stress that I really enjoyed this game. As a rally simulator, DiRT Rally 2.0 does everything it needs to do and it does it very well. This is a great game with a few issues that hold it back. The omissions of hill-climb events, snowy stages, and VR support (for now) will be a sore spot for some. However, what Codemasters has crafted with DiRT Rally 2.0 is easily their finest rally title yet. What’s in the game now is incredible, and hopefully, some of the small issues that do exist will be remedied through future updates. If you’re in the market for a realistic rally simulator, then DiRT Rally 2.0 looks like your best option. As a result, I’m giving DiRT Rally 2.0 an 8.7 out of 10.