DiRT Rally 2.0’s digital facsimile of rally racing is mighty close to a full simulation, superbly capturing the sense of speed, urgency, tension, excitement and dread that follows this racing genre. With that sense of realism comes palpable satisfaction for pulling off that perfect turn around a tricky corner, or clawing back seconds over multiple laps, but doing either of these is very difficult due to the realistic learning curve and physics. It’s a marvellous simulation, and now the DiRT 2.0 Game of the Year Edition throws a huge amount of additional content to enjoy, resulting in an even more immersive and enjoyable rally racer.
In our original review of DiRT Rally 2.0 we talk about our appreciation of how close to simulation it is and the difficulty this introduces. With the Game of the Year edition all those aspects remain, it’s still very punishing, but it’s also still incredibly immersive, and with the added content of over a year’s worth of DLC, that immersion has grown considerably.
When you’re behind the wheel, co-driver calling out the turns to your side, the mud, rain, grit and snow staining the windows, and the sight of the track revealing itself as you speed forwards; always threatening to disrupt your faultless lap, DiRT Rally 2.0 feels amazing. One mistake, however, can utterly destroy a race for you, and indeed this is part of the fun when you’re expecting a simulation, but for players looking for a more arcade experience, this is no for you.
With the inclusion of all the DLC content, DiRT Rally 2.0 Game of the Year Edition is packed full of content. It features seven new rally locations and five new Rallycross locations, offering up a great variety of surfaces and environments. There are also more than 25 new cars added across both disciplines, as well as a number of alternative liveries. Furthermore, DiRT Rally 2.0 Game of the Year Edition brings with it a 40 challenge mode celebrating the career of rally legend Colin McRae.
The Colin McRae: FLAT OUT DLC offers a variety of racing challenging, from simply finishing a stage and achieving a particular position to maintaining your position with a severely compromised, damaged vehicle. It’s a great celebration of Colin McRae’s career as well as a nostalgic experience for those with familiarity with it or even the older games in the DiRT series. It’s also a nice break from the intense career mode or Rallycross.
Indeed, the original release of DiRT Rally 2.0 was already a solid rally driving game, although one lacking some common environments, this version adds in those missing environments thanks to the Four Seasons DLC and enhances thing further with a brand new mode in Colin McRae: FLAT OUT as well as a bunch of new cars. It’s a more complete Rallying experience that’s absolutely ideal for fans of this racing discipline and simulators. You simply won’t find a more faithful, content rich and beautiful rally racing game on the market.