Colin McRae DiRT 2 is due for release on September 11th and at a venue in Londons Soho, the games publisher Codemasters invited members of the media to witness the latest game from their in-house racing studio and get some hands on time with the game and get a feel for what gamers can expect to see in early September.
DiRT 2 is powered by Codemasters EGO engine which is currently in its 3rd generation, and it's the same engine that powered Racedriver Grid only 12 months ago. With only a limited time to produce another title, the racing studio have certainly been hard at work and the results of this can only be described as stunning.
The first thing that you notice about the game is the menu system - gone are the boring static screens and the menus are all brought to life with that real carnival feel. There are people milling around, other drivers sitting and chatting with their race teams and both flags and banners rippling with the wind, from the games specifically designed wind engine. The menu system allows you to rotate around your teams pits, you can start a race, select a vehicle from your collection, check out the latest news and even change the games options, but in amongst all this there is one place that will be your home during your time with DiRT 2 and that is the RV or Motorhome.
Within this vehicle you can check the DiRT tour map, view the events you have competed in, check out tournaments and even set up your own races or time trials. Selecting a location that you haven't raced before on the World Map will allow you to watch a short introduction video on the television inside the RV, and this will explain the location to give you a feel for what lies ahead. Still inside the RV you can check out all your personal racing stats and compare them with your friends, as well as check your tour progress and look at the online leaderboards to see how you rank against the worlds best drivers. Then take a look at the Multiplayer wall to set up either an online or network race with either a Jam Session for the fun of it or go for the Pro Tour mode and get your serious racing head on. It has to be said that the inclusion of this home from home is really a great touch, and with the ability to add memorabilia from locations you visit as well as being able to access downloadable content when its available - it's a really great place to be.
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.
