Rally racing games come in different sizes and shapes, but only some manage to keep the interests of the gamers and only a few offer the ultimate RALLY experience. It’s also a racing genre that isn’t for everyone. The constant pressure of finishing the track with only a handful of minutes will keep you on the edge of your seat. Fortunately for some persons, it’s because of this kind of urge, players keep doing their very best to set their score in stone and become a racing legend. DiRT Rally 2.0 will give you that urge and even more…

Codemasters is back to bring out the best driving experience possible and maintain the “realism” of RALLY racing. They’ve developed a couple of DiRT games, each improving on the previous one and this time, it’s no different. DiRT Rally 2.0 improves on its previous mistakes and offers you the best RALLY racing experience currently on the market. DiRT Rally has always been one of the best RALLY simulators on the market and you can instantly feel the “realism” when you’re driving your car on your first track. Every road is different, so every driving situation is different, and you’ll have to maintain your focus on the road and all the information your receiving from your instructor on the passenger seat to become a great pilot. RALLY is different from any other kind of racing game, you’ll have to consider everything to set the best time: the weather, the turns, the gravel, the environment, … and everything else. This is a game where you as a pilot can truly shine by showing off your driving skills on these tracks. How the car reacts to the track is very important and you’ll have to do something with this feedback if you want to succeed and if this feedback hasn’t been very well designed, you miss key information and with these RALLY racing games, the tiniest mistake can mess up your time immediately and you’ll have to start over. DiRT Rally 2.0 does this feedback justice, it feels fairly close to “reality”. You’ll feel where to brake a little more or put a bit more pedal to the metal. In other words, a bad time on a certain track will “probably” be your own fault. Going back to the track and respond to the feedback you’re getting is the only way to become better. Each track is unique, and you should treat it that way.

“Keeping your throttle under control is always the best way to drive.”

These types of games are also very different in the way you’re playing them. I played the game with a controller and even though the game gives you a lot of feedback, it’s still some getting used to. This feedback doesn’t make the game harder but it’s just more challenging. I can imagine that playing this game with an actual wheel, the game would feel even more realistic. With the wheel setup, you’ll have to feel when to counter certain turns because the wheel is a lot more “sensitive” than the controller. It’ll be a whole other game, especially when you’re driving a car that has backtracking. You can use your pedal a lot more to throttle than the buttons on your controller. Keeping your throttle under control is always the best way to drive.

DiRT Rally 2.0 has over 10 long tracks that have been spread out over 5 countries. Each track is divided into parts to make the tracks short but powerful. Each track can feel a bit different every time you play them because of the weather conditions. Rain will leave puddles onto the tracks and even the difference between night and day is noticeable. Other racers also leave their mark on the ground and create certain groves, some deeper than others. This will also have an impact on your driving. If you don’t find the number of tracks insufficient, there’s definitely no need to worry because Codemasters promised DLC content which also contains new tracks or beloved tracks from previous DiRT Rally games.

There’s also a career mode where you can choose a car to your liking and tackle the track head on. You can spend money to buy parts for your car, expand your team and even upgrade your team members to gain some more knowledge on the subject. There’s also a “light” career mode that offers the same experience, but you can choose the difficulty level of your opponents. It’s a bit weird that this option isn’t available in the main career mode. There’s also a way to compete with other players on certain tracks but this requires a constant connection if you want to have this privilege. I do hope they’ll fix some of their connection issues because it doesn’t seem to be that this network is stable.

“DiRT Rally 2.0 is a great experience that will be loved by all of the Rally fans.”

There’s also a good range of cars to choose from and this is presented in different Rally subdivisions like Historic Rally, Modern Rally, Crosskarts, Supercars, and others. All these cars are existing in this Rally discipline and fans will definitely have a hard time to choose the right type of Car.

Graphically speaking, the game does an amazing job when it comes to performance. The realistic vibe the developers have created runs with a decent 60 FPS and amazing lighting effects. The atmosphere within the game is amazing and believable, which makes DiRT Rally 2.0 stand out from previous Rally games. The great graphics in combination with a good sound design makes the game realistic. Especially when you hear your cars roar like a beast.

Conclusion:

DiRT Rally 2.0 is a great experience that will be loved by all of the Rally fans. Audio-visually speaking the game is very keen on the eyes and ears. Every little piece fits perfectly together and creates this “realistic” experience that makes the game stand out from all the other Rally games that are currently on the market. The game isn’t perfect when it comes to career design but other than that, it’s an enjoyable experience. If you’re a fan and you’re looking for a great Rally experience. Try this game out! If you’re having a wheel and pedals to take this game even further, this game is a no-brainer!

8/10

Tested on the PlayStation 4