DIRT - xbox 360

DIRT REVIEW:

Title: DiRT
Developer: Codemasters
Category: Racing

NOTE: DiRT has an enjoyable mix of arcade and simulation driving, but it is not the same as Forza. DiRT is basically the Xbox 360 version of the PS3's MotorStorm + more.

*Racing variety: Experience a wide variety of off-road and rally disciplines: Rally, Hill Climb, Rally RAID, Rally Cross, the CORR desert series, and more.
*Real racing: Stay in control or watch as your car dramatically crashes into a barrier and barrel-rolls, crushing every panel and spewing debris across the track.
*Realistic tracks: The photorealistic tracks are painstakingly recreated from real-world location photography and satellite data.
*Authentic cars: Incredibly detailed models of 46 licensed vehicles bring the action to life.
*Online competition: Online play delivers intense multiplayer competition.

I have really enjoyed DiRT so far. What initially attracted me was actually the whole set-up of the menus. It is incredibly well designed and a blast to just scroll through. Don't know what I'm talking about? Download the demo in the XBL Marketplace. Another thing you'll notice is that there is a narrator that will talk to you through the entire game, giving you driving tips, help on the menus, and soon enough you'll really value his opinion.

Singleplayer : Your offline career in DiRT is broken down into eleven separate "tiers," with each successive tier offering fewer events but far greater, and often lengthier, challenges. Each tier represents different disciplines, so you may drive a classic point-to-point challenge in sandy terrain on one race, and a grueling hill climb in the mud the next. You will also be able to view your stats through an option called "Shakedown" where you can see a detailed rundown of your career so far in DiRT. For example: Average Speed, Longest Jump, Longest Time on Two Wheels, Most Podiums. In DiRT, damaging your car will definitely affect you your driving. Doors will fall off, wheels will fall out of allignment, and your car can become a pile of junk after several crashes, so try to keep ON the road! Some people may be concerned that you'll be driving some lame car for most of the game. Not true! You aren't stuck with a single car for too long. After you win a few races you'll have enough cash to purchase a new one and even a few stylish features for it as well.
Multiplayer: DiRT can support an amazing 2-100 people in a single match at a time. However, like in a real Rally race, you don't drive next to your opponents. Each racer gets their own identical separate track to themselves where they still race against others, but just in a "different dimension" of sorts. At the top right you will still see what place you're in, but it's based on where you're at on the track and what your time is. Multiplayer is the only dissapointment in DiRT. After each race is over, everyone takes a vote for what track they want to race on next but you don't even get the option to pick the car you want. There are no lobbies that you can scroll through to see what rooms are playing the track that you like, you are randomly dumped into a room...hopefully you get lucky and find a track that you like. I haven't tried racing with a friend yet, so I'm not sure if you can invite friends to your game...I'll post the answer later once I figure it out.
It's very strange, I've been looking through some reviews for DiRT on different websites and have noticed that some people absolutely HATE this game. The majority of reviewers give this game about an 8.5/10 but a select few give it a mere 2/10. You may be one of those people, but please, if you aren't sure about the game yet or haven't even tried it, try out the demo before posting your response, you won't regret it!

Singleplayer: 4.5/5
The enjoyable, lengthy career mode is a lot of fun to go through. With each race you gain points, which unlocks new tiers to race on. This goes on for a while, but I'm happy to say that it doesn't get repetitive.
Multiplayer: 3/5
I really hoped for more. When I saw the 2-100 players supported in multiplayer I thought it would be an amazing experience. But not being able to even SEE your opponents is dissapointing.
Graphics: 4.5/5
The graphics are amazing in DiRT, there is incredible detail in everything you see. From the dented bumper on your car to the dirty dirt on the ground, you'll enjoy the beautiful effects of DiRT.
Sound: 4/5
Codemasters did a tremendous job on the different sounds you hear in-game. I was surprised to hear rocks ricocheting against the bottom of my car as I was driving along a dirt road. The music is pretty awesome too and seems to sync with what you're doing.
OVERALL:4/5 (not an average)
An amazing racer offline, but would have been much better if it had a nice multiplayer to back it up.

Review by VeryGoodSauce

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