The racing genre seems to have undergone a shift in focus as of late. While the likes of Gran Turismo and Microsoft's Forza 3 are battling it out for ultra-realism, there's a small group of developers trying to open up the playing field. Bizarre Creation's Blur has opted for weapons while Black Rock Studio's Split/Second felt an unpredictable environment is what was needed. As for Codemasters, it's treading a line between them all.
At its heart, DiRT 2 wants to be nothing more than an addictive racing experience. Allowing a huge degree of choice, it's exceptionally easy to either slam all the driving assists on and concentrate on just taking every corner without crashing or attempting to try your hand at mastering the art of realistic driving, which is where DiRT 2 really shines. Codemasters has catered incredibly well for both novices and experts though, with the latter presented with an astonishingly real representation. Whichever direction a driver takes, mind you, the tweaks the developer has introduced will pose a challenge regardless.
What were the genre’s greatest entries ever?
A breakdown of the best PS3 racing games according to Rantgaming.com. Games are rated based on replay value, graphics, gameplay, and controls
I'm not impressed with much in terms of racing this gen. Graphics have been really raised racently, and it wasn't by the "two kings" (GT and Forza) in racing. Shift 2 and the upcoming Project Cars are now DOMINATING racing games graphically, GT5 and Forza 4/H do not even compare. But physics and gameplay-wise, most everything's been "off" aside from a select few. My short list would be.
#1 GT5. It's still rocking everybody in terms of gameplay and variety. It's got every kind of 4 wheeled racing almost from Karts to F1 and everything in between. GT needs to step it up graphically now though. Forza is the LEAST of their worries there.
#2 Motorstorm Pacific Rift. Just the #1 most fun and intense arcade/off-road racer ever made or ever will be made. SOOOOOO much variety compared to the bare bones (but great) first game, and a way better racing game than the 3rd game which was more like Split-Second than MotorStorm in THIS Motorstorm Fan's opinion.
#3 F1 Championship Edition. This PS3 exclusive launch game is imho still the best F1 game this gen in terms of the racing.
#4 FerrariChallenge/SuperCar Challenge. Alot of people havn't heard about these, they got VERY little attention. They sucked because not alot of cars, but it's a fact that System 3 put into these PS3 exclusives (they were on Wii too, but they weren't as advanced) the most advanced, realistic physics to ever be in a console racer. The same physics they put into their PC sim. Good graphics for the time too. Very under-rated.
#5 Shift 2. This is only here because I think graphically, it's a sneak peek at the next level in racing sim graphics. Project Cars is improving on that. But Shift 2 has HORRIBLE physics and I disliked playing it. If Project Cars can get the physics more in line than Shift 2, and have enough of a garage to have the variety in the racing while keeping the online field fairly even like GT5 does, it will truly be the next level of racing sims, and something may actually pull me away from GT5, which nothing has based on gameplay.
Also: WipeOut HD- awesome game, awesome value, it's expansion makes it an even better value, top notch quality.
A surprisingly late release for this one, even for Apple Macintosh (MAC) gamers, the critically acclaimed Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is now available for Apple’s home computer and laptop systems. With fantastic locations, a wide array of events and superb car handling, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is promising to set a new standard for racing games on the MAC.
