PixlBit

The predecessor to Dirt 2 came out in 2007, and sadly, Colin McRae, the acclaimed rally driver and the name attached to the Dirt series, died in a helicopter crash around the time of the original's release. Dirt 2, or Colin McRae: Dirt 2 as it is called in Europe, is a veiled love letter to the late driver as the game centers around getting to the Colin McRae Tribute Cup. On the way to the cup, you journey through a fantastic mixture of arcade and simulation racing in this top-line rally racing video game.

You play as a rookie driver who is going on a world tour as he tries to make himself world-renowned. Luckily, you've got friends in high places as you're given a car and entry into some races. In every race there are notable rally racing stars such as Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra who egg you on and encourage you as you race against them. Eventually, if you prove your mettle in racing, they'll become your friends and will team up with you in certain races.

The user interface is enthralling. When it boots up, the game places you right in the middle of your touring RV, where you can access single-player, multiplayer, and more. It really immerses you into the racing world.

Speaking of the world, you travel all over it in different places ranging from Baja, California to Tokyo. There are a few tracks per locale, and they get subtly changed for every race. In total, you can compete in 100 different races spread across eight different race types. The different race types help the game not get stale as you'll be crashing gates, trying to win circuit races, going through intense rally point-to-point races, and avoiding being the odd man out in Last Man Standing. There are 35 different cars to choose from, most of which you have to purchase with your winnings, but only a limited amount of cars work with the different race types. This can get confusing, especially when you have to upgrade each car to different grades to compete in different races.

One new mechanic, which was a holdover from the Dirt offshoot Grid, is the ability to rewind the last few seconds of a race. This takes the piss out of frustration as you can take away any missteps you make, although you have a limited amount of Flashbacks to use depending on your difficulty.

Dirt 2 does a fantastic job of rewarding you continuously. You gain levels quickly, earn different cosmetic choices in almost every race you compete in, and unlock more locales and races as you gain levels. Yes, you might just win a new paint job or a pointless toy for your dashboard, but it's still great to have that constant gratification. You also have different achievements/trophies to strive for and different in-game goals that reward you with more experience. Also, you have optional weekly online tournaments to strive for that are integrated with the single-player game.

In addition to the tournaments, there's a hearty online multiplayer mode in which every event type is playable with up to eight players. There is minimal lag to the experience, and it's a blast to race with friends and randoms alike.

The game is graphically remarkable as each locale is different and the cars look gorgeous. The small effects, such as the reflecting sun, are fantastic. Another highlight is the physics engine, in which everything reacts just as you'd expect it to. The soundtrack also impresses and fits the experience perfectly.

Dirt 2 is one of the finest racing games I have ever played, mainly because it merges the two main types of racing games (arcade and simulation) into one amazing experience. It features a huge single-player experience with tons of variety, and a solid, fully-featured online multiplayer mode. It is a must-have for any racing game fan.