Pre-E3 2009: DiRT 2 Hands-on
The memory of Colin McRae lives on in this fuel-injected sequel.
UK, May 26, 2009 - The most impressive vehicle in DIRT 2 isn't the Mitsubushi EVO, as glorious as that car is to hurl around the empty husk of Battersea Power Station. Nor is it the Ford F150, a pick-up that's tooled to deal with the punishment of an off-road raid in California. Despite the polished muscle of its high horsepower stablemates, the most impressive vehicle in DIRT 2 is its humble RV.
Taking the virtual garage of GRID and running with the concept DIRT 2's off-track moments centre round an RV, which serves as the embodiment of the games extreme sports approach to the sport. Accompanying the player on their virtual world tour, the RV acts as a hub for each and every element of DIRT 2. Inside, posters on the wall act as portals for each of the game's events, serving as an entry point into DIRT 2's career mode. Here, experience points gained through in-game achievements can be used to progress to further events, while the cash earned for success in races can be used to upgrade cars and extend the player's garage.
Battersea Power Station provides one of the memorable backdrops in the game's racing calendar.
By the player's bed lies a heavily thumbed magazine and within its pages are a series of articles outlining online activity, letting the player know who has beat what record and where, while friend's achievements and antics pop up as scribbles on the posters. Littering the RV are also trinkets, collected as reward for completing career events, so there's a Prosperity Cat earned for success in East Asia while a dancing Hula Girl is presumably reward for an event in Hawaii. They can be transferred to the car's dashboard so they're visible in-game, as can 360 owner's Xbox Live avatars, which dangle by their feet from the rear-view mirror.
A small crowd gathered around the RV lets out a cheer as you step out, while licensed music plays from a tent in the near distance. Tents set up nearby house your current motor and there's a pervading atmosphere of being part of a genuine event, of partaking in a true festival of speed.
It's a sense of occasion that's carried on into the events themselves, most explicitly in the run through the deserted heart of Battersea Power Station. With its emphasis on spectacle, this is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown of the game's track selection and it's a distillation of DIRT 2's philosophy of bigger, better and more extreme. Huge crowds line the temporary track and it's still possible to hear the DJ play under the din of the engines. The Mitsubishi EVO 10 at our command tears past huge hoarding that flutter in the wind as it deals with the makeshift tracks numerous surfaces; mud, gravel, shallow water and even corrugated iron in one section that elevates the player.
It's a spectacle that's amplified by night, as the game's splendid lighting system takes hold. The bleak architecture of the power station is drowned out by a lurid dazzle of lights and projected logos. Such effects aren't restricted to the Battersea track alone; the Baja run in a Ford F150 features a breathtaking run parallel to the glittering Pacific, and Croatia's run through rock-strewn dusty roads in Subaru's World Rally contender takes place under the glow of a low-hanging evening sun.
One recurring criticism of the original DiRT was the over-light handling across its vehicle set, with the cars never feeling like they were truly engaging with the gravel, mud and tarmac of the game's tracks. That's been addressed with aplomb for the sequel, with the handling feeling assured across all three cars placed at our disposal. The F150 has a suitable heft and negotiating corners with the pick-up truck requires careful planning as its bulk skits across the loose gravel of the Baja track.
The handling is a lot more solid compared to the original DiRT.
The Subaru, which we sampled in our first hands-on, is somewhat more responsive – as it needs to be given the close confines of the Croatian track it's let loose on. Threading through the rocks and sheer drops of the course is a nerve-wracking affair as throttle, brake and steering all need invariable attention. Finally, the rallycross-spec Mitsubishi EVO is a car that requires a heavy boot on the throttle to kick the rear end out, with the resultant slide being controlled by steady pumps with the right finger.
Across all three vehicles, the sense of connection with the track has been significantly improved since the first game. Surface changes are handled supremely well with the transfer from loose gravel to tarmac communicated primarily through the handling and supplemented by good use of the force feedback.
There's still much more to see of DiRT 2 before the Autumn release comes around, but if its many parts are as well implemented as those we've seen to date then it's going to be an outstanding game, combining the polish and breadth of GRID with the glorious feel of the early Colin McRae titles – and either way, it's sure to have the best RV in gaming this year.
Screenshots
^Geen idee of deze oud zijn, maar heb eerlijk gezegd geen zin om het te controleren. |