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Colin McRae DiRT 2 - Special Two Page Hands-On Preview

Formats:
PS3, PSP, X360, Wii, DS & PC
RRP from: £24.99
Pre-order from £17.99
Released: 11 September

Download the original Colin McRae DiRT for under £10 here >>

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Preview by Dan Curley

Rally king Colin McRae may be ripping up heaven’s clouds instead of mud after his tragic helicopter death two years ago, but his family have happily allowed Codemasters, the company that’s spent 10 years making games in his name, to keep using it in his memory. Respect.

We were recently invited down to a press event for DiRT 2 and allowed to have a bash. The original DiRT game, released just over two years ago, took the traditional (and slightly boring) Colin McRae Rally concept, turned it on its head and stuck a rocket up its bum.

Gone was the dullness of listening to someone say, “Left… left… right… left again…” until you fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a tree. In came DiRT, an ostentatious fireworks display of a game: more extreme sports with big stunts and cool drivers, rather than just watching a car get muddy in the rain. It was an Americanised revamp, a brassy high-production super bowl final of a game. It was top, and DiRT 2 is about to make things even topper still.

It’s a game with more options than a Japanese restaurant menu and more cars to drive than Detroit produces in a year. With loads of venues to razz around in places as varied as Battersea power station and a Malaysian jungle, the game’s crammed with a vast array of circuits, point-to-point tracks, solo challenges, eight-car argy-bargy races and extreme sport events.

There’s also a whole stack of online modes, served by a dedicated community, making this possibly the most comprehensive racing game we’ve ever encountered – and offering a stupendous amount of bang for your buck. (Continues on page two)

Click here to read part two of the Colin McRae DiRT 2 preview>>

Download the original Colin McRae DiRT for under £10 here >>
View the Colin McRae DiRT 2 screenshot gallery here >>