"i drive every day.
i drive way too much.
i hate driving.
a game about driving sounds like the dumbest idea i've ever heard."
That is what I say sometimes when I see a computer game about driving. Sometimes I say other things, but that's usually pretty much it.
Dirt 2 is currently $13 dollars. Coincidentally, I was looking for something to spend $13 on this weekend and that was the only thing I saw. At the very least, I could make fun of it on the internet. That was until Dave Mirra became my buddy.
I was driving on a dirt road in Dirt 2 one day and Dave Mirra was like, "hey, you're pretty good."
I was like, "yeah, i know. i drive like, all the time."
then he was like, "want to drive cars with me?"
I was like, "it's not letting me say no"
It was just then that I realized I really like this game.
Flashback:
When I was just a small boy, my dad bought me a steering wheel and pedal set for the funputer. It was to play Road and Track's "Need for Speed". It was wonderful. It looked like this.
That was when i didn't drive cars. So a driving game was a pretty good idea for a guy like me.
Then one day, I got a real car and all the fun was over.
Flashforward:
It was easy to pass on Dirt 2 on release if you didn't spend $400 bucks to ride in the DX11 wagon. Especially considering it doesn't run in DX10, leaving the ever-stable option, DX9. Here's the thing about that: even on DX9 things look great. Even on my lonely little 9800gtx+, things move very smoothly with the settings jacked.
Visuals aside, it could look like shit and it is still a fun game with a good amount of content. Just enough jumps and wrecks for the, "i'm so tired of turning," crowd. A rewind option for the "i restart every time i wreck," crowd. Enough vehicle options and tweaks for the "gear ratio really matters to me," crowd. And enough shirtless, british co-drivers named Jack for the "fahn_patrick," crowd.
The game mechanics are smooth and real, albeit nowhere near the "sim" part of the genre; Thus, small rocks and bushes are forgiving while different surfaces still affect feel and grab. Apparently, care was taken in ensuring driving different types of cars is actually a completely different experience. Rewards and achievements are gratifying enough to keep you playing. Menu is designed for console, but is designed well and works fine with a keyboard.
Bonus feature: A list of names so that driver speech is directed at you. These racing people will call you by your first name, unless you're nader. sorry nader.
I've put a good amount of time into the game this weekend and it's looking like I'm going to put in more. I will surely play a bunch more when i finally buy a DX11 card. The multiplayer works well, even if it does utilize the slow child of pc gaming, Games for Windows Live. Matchmaking is easy (one of the few positives of GFWL) and multiplayer races prove action-packed and unpredictable with cars flyin' all over the goddamn place.
If you have any interest in racing games at all, you will enjoy this.
i hate driving.
a game about driving sounds like the dumbest idea i've ever heard."
That is what I say sometimes when I see a computer game about driving. Sometimes I say other things, but that's usually pretty much it.
Dirt 2 is currently $13 dollars. Coincidentally, I was looking for something to spend $13 on this weekend and that was the only thing I saw. At the very least, I could make fun of it on the internet. That was until Dave Mirra became my buddy.
I was driving on a dirt road in Dirt 2 one day and Dave Mirra was like, "hey, you're pretty good."
I was like, "yeah, i know. i drive like, all the time."
then he was like, "want to drive cars with me?"
I was like, "it's not letting me say no"
It was just then that I realized I really like this game.
Flashback:
When I was just a small boy, my dad bought me a steering wheel and pedal set for the funputer. It was to play Road and Track's "Need for Speed". It was wonderful. It looked like this.
That was when i didn't drive cars. So a driving game was a pretty good idea for a guy like me.
Then one day, I got a real car and all the fun was over.Flashforward:
It was easy to pass on Dirt 2 on release if you didn't spend $400 bucks to ride in the DX11 wagon. Especially considering it doesn't run in DX10, leaving the ever-stable option, DX9. Here's the thing about that: even on DX9 things look great. Even on my lonely little 9800gtx+, things move very smoothly with the settings jacked.
Visuals aside, it could look like shit and it is still a fun game with a good amount of content. Just enough jumps and wrecks for the, "i'm so tired of turning," crowd. A rewind option for the "i restart every time i wreck," crowd. Enough vehicle options and tweaks for the "gear ratio really matters to me," crowd. And enough shirtless, british co-drivers named Jack for the "fahn_patrick," crowd.
The game mechanics are smooth and real, albeit nowhere near the "sim" part of the genre; Thus, small rocks and bushes are forgiving while different surfaces still affect feel and grab. Apparently, care was taken in ensuring driving different types of cars is actually a completely different experience. Rewards and achievements are gratifying enough to keep you playing. Menu is designed for console, but is designed well and works fine with a keyboard.
Bonus feature: A list of names so that driver speech is directed at you. These racing people will call you by your first name, unless you're nader. sorry nader.
I've put a good amount of time into the game this weekend and it's looking like I'm going to put in more. I will surely play a bunch more when i finally buy a DX11 card. The multiplayer works well, even if it does utilize the slow child of pc gaming, Games for Windows Live. Matchmaking is easy (one of the few positives of GFWL) and multiplayer races prove action-packed and unpredictable with cars flyin' all over the goddamn place.
If you have any interest in racing games at all, you will enjoy this.
