DiRT

Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: Codemasters
Release Date: June 19, 2007
Systems: Xbox 360 (reviewed), Windows, PS3
ESRB Rating: E (for Everyone)
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Mud without the water. And with cars.

0:01 Classical music is not a good fit for the intro. Good thing it quickly transitions into ... generic hard rock? If you can't use "My Favorite Game," why bother?
0:02 “This demo is not representative of final game quality.” That gets me excited for the hour to come.
0:03 This is the most elaborate menu screen I've ever seen. Flat panels float against a stark off-white background. Everything flies around with a smooth whoosh. It's like something out of Minority Report.
0:04 “Pick your car, go race, it's that simple.” Did we really need to get a celebrity voice actor to say that? Also: What's with the moaning lady sound effect and the techno background music?
0:05 A variety of gameplay stats fly by during the loading screen. Funny to see them all at zero before my first race.
0:06 So my very first race in a game called DiRT is full of ... you guessed it ... grass and asphalt. Seriously. Also, my opponent isn't even on the same track as me? Now that's excitement!
0:07 I lose by seven seconds in Rookie difficulty. I am shamed. This can not stand.
0:10 I win this time by a good four seconds. The key seems to be not crashing into walls. Who knew?
0:12 I jumped 64.59 feet? When?
0:13 My second race is a hill climb. Again I'm all alone on the track. It's like racing without the race. At least there's dirt this time.
0:13 I fall off a cliff and into some bushes. Within a second I'm good as new. For a game that strives for realism in cars and tracks, this is just lame.
0:15 I fall off again, but this time I try to struggle back up. I get caught on the rocks for five seconds. Only after I let myself fall do I get reset. Here's a great life lesson for you: if you make a mistake, don't try to correct it... just exacerbate it until some magical force bails you out.
0:18 Longest distance without crashing: 0.35 miles. That's true in real life too.
0:20 Things are going pretty well, then I take a turn too tightly and destroy the entire front half of my car. It is literally totaled. Two seconds later, I'm driving off again in a fully functional car. Wow.
0:22 I love the way my ultra-damaged car looks, but the engine sounds like it's falling apart every time I shift gears. Very annoying.
0:26 Wow. I go up on two wheels, do a 360 flip, and careen over a cliff, landing nose first 20 feet down. 'Tis but a flesh wound! I go on racing a second later and win by a second or so. “Yes, you won! Enjoy that champagne. Ah... all that champagne.” Is my ear-man a lush?
0:28 The game quits me out of the demo without me even asking. What if I want to play more, huh? Are they afraid I'll have too much fun if I keep playing?
0:31 Now this is more like it. The CORR dune buggy race has other cars. On the first turn I get knocked onto the grass, only to come careening back to sideswipe the very same car in an orgy of destruction. YEEHAW!
0:34 Try the CORR race again on Amateur difficulty. This time terminal damage and mechanical damage are on, whatever that means.
0:35 I love these stats. Apparently I traveled 21 feet on two wheels in the last race. Who knew?
0:36 I love how the camera doesn't stay still behind you. It kind of leans into turns and jerks around on the bumps. Very engaging.
0:38 I just figured out how to switch camera views. The in-car views are a lot harder, but a lot cooler to look at. The sense of speed from the front bumper view is amazing.
0:42 This game seems to be treading a fine line between arcade racer and simulation. It pulls it off pretty well, actually.
0:46 The engine whine is so nice... when it stops. Luckily I can turn it off in the options.
0:56 I finally win in Amateur difficulty. “I'm excited, sponsors are ecstatic, you must be feeling pretty good." At least I'm included in there somewhere.

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Maybe.
Why? It's a decent enough racing game, but Motorstorm is more exciting, generally.

This review based on a demo version found on the Official Xbox Magazine's August '07 demo disc.