Time To Get DiRTY!

Ho, Ho, Ho,

Welcome back readers and I hope you’ve all had an awesome weekend! It’s just five sleeps until Christmas!

I’m back today with some news for all of you racing fans! This isn’t just any old news though, this is news about an extra special game called DiRT 3; and if the original DiRT and DiRT 2 is anything to go by, then this game is going to be pretty immense! 

Let me just give you a bit of background into this game if you’re not already familiar. DiRT is a series coming off the back of the Colin McRae racing simulators which were first introduced in April 2000; despite the main name change, it was still branded as a McRae game. Even though DiRT was a step down in realism compared to the original McRae titles, it made up for it by giving you what can only be described as a truly intense and enthralling racing experience. When DiRT was first launched back in June 2007, it was a massive breath of fresh air for the racing genre. The game was a perfect balance between an arcade style racer and a realistic, racing simulator – it had no problems getting the approval from both casual and hardcore race fans. But it wasn’t just that which was so impressive – it was the amount of thought and attention to detail that publisher and developer Codemasters had put into the title. Everything from the game’s slick menus down to the beautiful visuals out on the track were nothing less than impressive and well thought out. Colin McRae was sadly involved in a helicopter accident in September 2007, just months after the game’s release. Colin sadly passed away.

Two years later, DiRT 2 was released in September 2009, Ken Block being the new face of the game. It was still branded under McRae’s name, in memory of one of the greatest drivers who ever lived, and Colin’s “if in doubt, flat out!” attitude was definitely the main theme and feel of the game. Yet again, Codemasters did not disappoint racing fans whatsoever. Not a bad word could be said about the game; it greatly improved upon the massive success of DiRT without a doubt. Amazingly, Codemasters managed to make this game look even more beautiful and well designed than the first release – they’re quite simply geniuses, because not only did they manage to create another stunning game, but they also succeeded in improving the games frame rate, making the fast paced racing more intense and fluid. As you’re bombing it down a rough and rocky road, you can’t help but grip your pad tighter than usual because of the way this game feels and presents itself – if DiRT 3 is another big improvement on its predecessor, then armour plate your pad boys and girls, because you will most likely snap it in half!

So Codemasters have returned with their third entry into the DiRT franchise, and let me just tell you, it looks impressive, have a look for yourself below:

If you’re a big fan of rally (one car racing, against the clock) then you’re going to be excited for DiRT 3. The Codemasters team have said that the game will contain majority rally stages, rumoured to be around 60% of the career mode, as well as all of the modes that are already a part of the game. In this release, they have vouched to tweak the handling of the cars for the better, making it more realistic by actually going out themselves to Rally Schools and various tracks and taking some of the game’s featured cars out for a spin to get a good idea of how the cars handle in real life. By doing this, it is said that it will allow Codemasters to make the cars feel heavier, in which case I presume it will mean that gamers will have to be a lot more tactical when driving, using the ruts and other features on the roads to their advantage when cornering. Whilst a lot of DiRT fans are worried that Codemasters may destroy the balance of the game, I have complete faith in them – they put in too much effort into their work to fail. Also, to my knowledge, they haven’t actually given a specific release date as of yet, just that its release will be within the second quarter of 2011. I get the impression they’re the kind of team that won’t release a game unless it’s actually ready to be distributed. I would be more than willing to wait until past a game’s initial deadline date anyway, if it were to mean that I was going to eventually be playing a perfect game; something that a lot of developers need to take note of.

DiRT 3 boasts all new locations, cars and even a new game mode. There will be a lot more tracks in this release, with the addition of Norway, Finland and Kenya, being host to the more brutal and traditional rally stages. On these new tracks you will be able to race in new cars! The only cars I am 100% sure of being available in this game are the Mini Cooper, Lancia Delta Integrale and Ken Block’s new Ford Fiesta! Although, there are more cars due to be released along with the game. 

The last thing I would like to note is the all new game mode that’s featured in DiRT 3. It’s a sport called Gymkhana, made famous by Ken Block. I did a little research on this sport and watched a couple of Youtube videos, it’s pretty awesome stuff! The only way I can describe Gymkhana to you, without you actually seeing it, is that it looks like Dancing on Ice. It’s basically cars racing against each other around a track, doing doughnuts around cranes, bollards, crates, barrels and anything that is on offer. Words do not do it any justice, it’s hard to describe, so see it for your-self below! It’s definitely worth a watch.

On that note, I will leave you to your own devices! Thanks for reading and be sure to check back again soon for more updates in the gaming world! For the DiRT 3 fans, I will put out more news regarding the progress of the game when I can, so stay tuned! Remember, if you have any views or opinions you would like to share with me, then post a comment below!

Thanks again for reading and I’ll have another post up for you gamers soon!

TTFN, 

Jayhmmz     (‘’’)(O.o)(‘’’)