It may not be top notch looks-wise, but Dirt 5 is so much fun to play, you will be looking for excuses to take a break.
Dirt 5
Rally racing simulations are a particularly hard bunch to crack. The level of precision driving required to play those games takes ages to learn. With Dirt 5 this is not a problem. Instead of a hardcore simulation, Codemasters have given us an entertaining and easy-to-drive arcade game. Honestly, this game is so much fun to play, I found myself drawn to it every time I needed a break, even after I finished playing the game for this review.
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Graphically, this game is not up there with say, Gran Turismo or even Forza Horizon, but it doesn't in any way look bad. Everything from the tracks to the cars and their interiors are beautiful. I particularly loved the weather effects in the game-snow and rain just look amazing. The game also looks pretty similar on both previous and current-gen consoles. I didn't notice much of a difference in performance or look.
The OST for this game has a few fun tracks thrown in. What I didn't like much was the overlaying commentary. Most of the jokes fell flat, and I played the game with commentators on mute.
The thing that stands out the most in Dirt 5 is the handling of the car. It just feels so good and fluid. No matter what car you are driving through whatever type of race track, the car handles exactly as you would imagine it would. For example, a fast car driving on a thin sheet of ice handles just as badly as you would expect it to. Spend a little time driving around that track and then restart the race. Chances are, you would have already picked up how to instinctively drive on the track and win. The driving mechanism is that intuitive. This applies to everything in the game, except the Gymkhana levels. I couldn't for the life of me finish those at the number one position. Fortunately, the campaign mode has alternative levels to finish if you want to progress despite skipping races.
The included race tracks and gameplay modes offer lots of variety and vehicles. That said, the modes are hard to tell apart. While that doesn't translate into boring, I don't see myself replaying the entire campaign again. I also love the inclusion of local splitscreen; not enough racing games have this feature any more.
On the other hand, the user-built tracks are a whole other beast. I enjoyed exploring all the different types of tracks that the community has built. Some are more complicated than others, but they offer a lot of variety. It felt a lot like the Trackmania community-built tracks,.
Dirt 5 may not be the most amazing car simulation game out there, but it is one of the most fun ones you will play. It is just hard enough to be challenging but at no point will it get you frustrated. Except for those Gymkhana levels, fortunately, you can skip them in the campaign mode. Not to mention the local splitscreen-nothing better than racing with someone else. If you like racing games, this one is a good investment with tons of replayability thanks to the user made tracks.
Dirt 5
Rating: 4.5/5
Developers: Codemasters
Publishers: Codemasters
Platform: PC, PS4, XBO, PS5, XBS
Price: PC Rs 909;
Consoles Rs 3,999
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