DiRT 3 Review

By Martin Robinson Published 20 May, 2011

Good clean fun.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Codemasters has always brought the kitchen sink along with it for its racing endeavours. This is, after all, an outfit that in 2006's TOCA Race Driver 3 had players racing in a lawnmower one moment and an F1 car the next, all the while keeping the straightest of faces.

DiRT 3 continues the open-armed approach, embracing every element of off-road racing you'd care to think of. There are Land Rush events, pitting four-wheeled monsters against the Kenyan plains, nestling alongside rallycross races that cascade their way across Monaco's harbour, and wintry duels between a car and a bobsleigh in Norway's X-Games.

But DiRT 3's real achievement and its real charm don't come from its litany of ways to churn mud, gravel and tarmac. It's the inclusion of two separate elements that set it apart, and that help elevate it above its predecessors. There's a proud sense of heritage, both for Codemasters' rich past with the Colin McRae series and for the sport itself, that sits seamlessly alongside a spirit of innovation that the studio has quietly made its own in recent years.

The heritage is explicit in a car list that boasts of the Mini Cooper piloted by Paddy Hopkirk in the sixties as well as its distant German descendant that's at Kris Meeke's disposal in this year's WRC, as well as every other conceivable flavour in between.

It's even clearer in a track list that moves away from the more exotic destinations of the past two DiRT games and returns to the locations that rally can more traditionally call home - though that's not to say that it has quite lost the transatlantic twang the series has picked up this generation.

There's a sweet irony in the fact that Codemasters truly rediscovers its off-road roots deep in the American Midwest. Here, in the midst of DiRT 3's tour and in amongst Michigan's maple forests, is a point-to-point event in machinery so raw, brutal and terrifying that not even the co-driver can be convinced to come along for the ride.

1

Replays do a good job of showing off the improved EGO engine, and they can be uploaded to YouTube at the press of a button.

It's about driving solo with 900 horses under your right foot, each and every one of them seemingly hell-bent on throwing you into the scenery. It's about grazing tree trunks at speeds in excess of 120mph, reading the contours of the road and the trickle of the terrain, and about a pure and sublime driving experience that grabs your undivided attention for two very loud and very exciting minutes.

Such thrills aren't new to the DiRT games, but the focus on solo timed runs is. It's what the fans have been calling for, and Codemasters has done well to listen; the bulk of the game's single-player tour is about pitting a single car against the elements and a stopwatch, and many of DiRT 3's developments play to this.

The connection between track and driver, lost in DiRT and recaptured in DiRT 2, is here refined. Cars are responsive, pointy and very much on the nose, their aggressive turn-in seguing neatly into long and pendulous drifts.

There's none of the unruly momentum found in Gran Turismo 5's off-road events, though that's largely because DiRT 3 isn't a sim - and nor does it have pretensions of being one. Instead, it strikes a satisfying middle-ground that's increasingly Codemasters' own, offering a tactile and engaging model that sits well across all of the game's many disciplines.

The introduction of the elements is another welcome concession to the rally hardcore. A weather model brought across from last year's excellent F1 2010 throws up rain that can turn stages into mud baths, while heavy snowfall can force players to face Norway's stages near blind.

Throw in the cover of night and the challenge is amplified, as is the excitement. Driving in the dark also sheds light on the visual progress taken by DiRT 3; Codemasters' racing games have always been a handsome bunch, and this is no exception.

Rich lighting brings the locales alive, and it's at its best in the early-evening light that bathes many of the forest-bound stages. Shards of sun peer through the trees, catching flies that flit above the gravel and dancing across the well realised car models (and they're models that are again served by a damage system that's still unmatched in the genre). It's a pleasantly hazy aesthetic that's well matched to the autumnal palette of DiRT 3.

Away from the action, it's as slick as ever, although the re-introduction of a cool and minimal front-end comes at the expense of the welcome excesses of Codemasters' more recent games. In place of the virtual paddock that starred in both F1 2010 and DiRT 2 is a menu more in keeping with that seen in the original DiRT, and while it cuts down on the loading times that blighted those games, its absence is felt.

There's a levelling system that's fuelled by reputation points and in-game meta-achievements, though there's not quite the same persistent tug of progression that marked out GRID and DiRT 3's immediate predecessors. Events over the four seasons that make up the single-player DiRT Tour are neatly grouped and presented in stylish unfurling pyramids, becoming longer, harder and more demanding as you work towards the ultimate goal of the DC Superseries.

There's the thinnest of narrative threads - and in a hilarious extension of the all-inclusive ethos, the voiceovers are now delivered by an English woman, an over-enthusiastic American and a deadpan Australian in what sounds like the set-up to a joke whose punchline I don't have to hand. But having been showered in context by Codemasters' previous games, it falls comparatively flat.

2

DiRT 3's soundtrack is, typically for a Codemasters game, excellent, though it's confined to replays and menus.

The real pull, and the real innovation, is elsewhere. Gymkhana, a new and balletic form of motorsport that's tinged with a little extreme sports attitude, is sprinkled throughout the DiRT Tour in events that task players with freestyling their way around a confined arena, performing tricks to rack up points in a fashion not dissimilar to the early Tony Hawks games.

It's a novel addition that truly shines in the DC Compound, an automotive playground set in and around the shell of Battersea Power Station. Here the freestyling becomes more fluid, with the compound opening up as progression is made to reveal an expansive, open-ended arena that's rich with mini-missions. It proves captivating for hours on end, and suggests a new direction for driving games that others would do well to follow.

An online suite of rallycross and staggered point-to-point events caters for the multiplayer side, and it's bolstered by the addition of two-player split-screen that is sturdy while staying largely faithful to DiRT 3's glorious visuals. The DC Compound is home to some of the more outlandish multiplayer modes: there are four-wheeled takes on online staples such as Capture the Flag, and there's even room for a game of zombie-themed tag that's in keeping with the gaming trend that refuses to shuffle off and die. They're sideshows, admittedly, but they're sideshows that are agreeably bawdy and riotous.

And for the main event, Codemasters has succeeded in curating another superlative festival of driving. It's a package more inclusive than any of its predecessors, shot through with the quiet innovations that have defined the studio's more recent efforts. With its off-road events celebrating the series' past and Gymkhana presenting a potentially bright new future, it's another great racing game from an outfit that's proving itself to be a master of its craft.

9 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Martin.

About Martin Robinson

Martin is Eurogamer's features editor with responsibility for commissioning, editing and often writing our feature and preview content. He's also passionate about driving games.

Read more articles from Martin by visiting the Martin Robinson archive page.

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Comments (89) Latest comment 11 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • beastmaster #1 1 year ago

    A 9! Instabuy!

  • P1GEONPOO #2 1 year ago

    went to press 8 but slipped

  • Oli Verified Reviews Editor, Eurogamer.net #3 1 year ago

    \o/

    That's for Dirt 3, for our new features editor Martin's first article on EG, and for a major racing game review that's not by me. Woo!

  • Darren #4 1 year ago

    Mmmmmm... I'm excited! :D

    Hopefully, Cool Shop will still honour the PC DVD version I ordered a few weeks ago (it hasn't been cancelled yet which is encouraging!) as the game seems to be otherwise only available as more expensive digital download in the UK.

  • coastal #5 1 year ago

    Get in Codemasters! Well done.
    And a proper adult clean interface.

  • ZizouFC #6 1 year ago

    But.... that's not an 8!

  • thomaspower0 #7 1 year ago

    Pre loading on steam now. Have to wait till Tuesday, but I'm going to do everything to crack it. I wanna play!

  • KopparbergDave #8 1 year ago

    ".. it strikes a satisfying middle-ground that's increasingly Codemasters' own."

    Nope it does the age old 'not quite sim, more arcade', trying to find a middle ground between the hardcore players and the players who don't know what the brake button is for... and always ends up selling any sim players short and making the game pointless to them. Thanks Codies, could at least have two different handling models.. FFS, just buy the algorithms from the ancient, but still fantastic Richard Burns Rally.... it can't be that difficult to cater to two different sets of players..?

  • BigDaddy82 #9 1 year ago

    Awesome, day 1 purchase

  • spongebob #10 1 year ago

    New feature editor Martin made a mistake there. Score doesn't reflect the EG scoring policy of 8.

  • tachometer #11 1 year ago

    Why didn't they embargo this review until you couldn't cancel the pre-order I wonder?

  • mkreku #12 1 year ago

    If I squint really hard it looks like an 8..

  • loserb0i #13 1 year ago

    Better than the 8 for LA Noire? hell yeah, unfortunatley the charts wont see it like this =[

  • superted1974 #14 1 year ago

    Any news of a PS3 demo for us demo whores?
    Edited by superted1974 at 20/05/11 @ 14:19

  • peterfll #15 1 year ago

    LOVED loved LOVED Dirt 2, so this was always an essential purchase as I couldn't see how Codemasters could really screw it up. Have pre-ordered on Steam, but will have to wait to get back from holiday on the 28th to play it :(

  • Widge #16 1 year ago

    PS3 demo might want the store to be live first!

  • wizlon #17 1 year ago

    Loved Dirt 2 to bits so I'm very tempted to get this.

  • P1GEONPOO #18 1 year ago

    mark 2 escort yea yea yea

  • Quickstick4 #19 1 year ago

    Loved dirt2 - played it to bits late at night in my bunk in a LAN - pissed of everybody else in the mess, but hey the 5 of us couldn't help shouting at each other when we were smashed of the course!

  • BBIAJ #20 1 year ago

    @tachometer:

    ORLLY!?

    My pre-order from GAME is still just that, a pre-order, and therefore perfectly open to being cancelled.

  • TurboBailey #21 1 year ago

    Bought every single codemasters racing game since TOCA on the PS1.

    Also pre-ordered this.

    Nice review - sound like the series is going in the right direction!

  • Subdominator #22 1 year ago

    Loved Dirt, hated Dirt 2. I'm gonna rent this one first because I really don't like all that hype shit like Gymkhana, I want point A to B rally races with only me and the clock and nothing more. Dirt was the perfect rally game, they totally screwed it up in Dirt 2. Neg as much as you want but that's how I feel as a fan of the series since Colin McRae Rally 2.

  • jablonski #23 1 year ago

    They're only giving this a 9, so that they can give Witcher an 8 and not get any shit for it.

  • rojjer #24 1 year ago

    Wait what.. Have I read that right??? You're complaining that the slow-as-shit menu system has been removed and we've gone back to the slickness of Dirt 1? I'm sorry, but that's a good thing. I used to *hate* it in Dirt 2 where the whole view changes when I wanted to goto options, or when I select a race I've then got to watch as my 'driver' physically walks out of the fucking trailer and over to the race clipboard etc. etc.

    Pure racing and less menu glitz is really REALLY welcome imo.

  • Deadly_Spike #25 1 year ago

    Can't wait. My PS3 copy was sent by ShopTo at 9.30 this morning so will have it to play tomorrow with any luck. The Dirt games have always been my favourite. Racers and it looks to stay like that with this installment as well - Happy Days!!!!

  • andywilkie35 #26 1 year ago

    Fuck sake, trying not to buy anymore games...but Dirt was so good, and this sounds awesome.

    .......

    /preorders

  • mathare92 #27 1 year ago

    Oli and now, Martin. Just permanently hire Joao and you'll have all the expert racing game reviewers, EG.

  • SvennoJ #28 1 year ago

    What's the balance between traditional rally driving with co-driver and other events this time? Rally driving was way under represented in dirt 2. Are the stages a bit longer this time, ie not loading a point to point stage for half a minute to be done with it in under a minute?
    Anyway great news that the menu system is back to normal.

  • chrisola #29 1 year ago

    how does this run (any console) ? I remember DiRT ( i think) had a low FPS on the demo, which put me off. Hopefully it's slick, fast and smooth

  • StevilKnevil #30 1 year ago

    I'll have some of that thank you very much.
    My copy was shipped this morning (ShopTo) so fingers crossed for tomorrow!

  • arcam #31 1 year ago

    I am one of those rally noobs that, even after a year of playing Dirt 2, still doesn't know what "3 left, 100, over crest" actually means, but I've always loved Codies' racers.

    Still waiting for GRID 2, as I love a bit of tarmac, but I just put in my Dirt 3 order on Steam (this comes with a free giftable copy of Dirt 2 as well) :)
    Edited by arcam at 20/05/11 @ 15:05

  • roz123 #32 1 year ago

    Nice I enjoyed the last one and this has splitscreen on the PC. Good stuff.

  • joelstinton #33 1 year ago

    oh ffs EG. Instabuy. Good first review Martin! See sold me a game early i was going to wait till late summer to buy.

  • arcam #34 1 year ago

    this has splitscreen on the PC

    Wait, what!? That is fantastic news!

  • Eldritch #35 1 year ago

    I'd rather have Gymkata than Gymkhana: [link url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gTkUcXGF_Q
    ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gTkUcXGF_Q
    [/link]

  • Mr.DNA #36 1 year ago

    Away from the action, it's as slick as ever, although the re-introduction of a cool and minimal front-end comes at the expense of the welcome excesses of Codemasters' more recent games.

    Does that mean that this game is less XTREME than DiRT's last outing? If so then that is a good thing, surely?

  • UkHardcore23 #37 1 year ago

    What the hell? Where is the 8
    88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

  • PixelPirate #38 1 year ago

    too many good games out all at the same time.

    WHY DO PUBLISHERS DO THIS!

    cant afford to buy everything unfortunately. In a slower period, like the last few months ago this would have got picked up. As it stands its slipped down the "must buy" list, purely based on release timing :-(

  • MrChuckles #39 1 year ago

    My dad used to rally against Paddy Hopkirk in a mini... I was a bit of a disappointment by passing my driving test in my 30's.. ahem...

    Looking forwards to this though, i have a similar question to someone else though, how long are the stages, Dirt 2's rallying felt great, but the stages were too short and there were only about 5 in the whole game!

  • Deckard1 #40 1 year ago

    Read like an 8.

  • huckan #41 1 year ago

    Ah crap, going to have to buy this now I think

  • phil_75 #42 1 year ago

    IT IS AN 8!!! YAY!!!

    They have to put 1 extra for the advertising revenue!

    PS Does it still run at 20fps and with that lovely "vaseline on my screen" effect?

    And the "typically excellent soundtrack"? I hope its the same 1,2 or 3 songs everytime you're in the menu, I love repetativeness!

    Is there a mute or "strangle"button for the hyped up yanks?

  • Beano #43 1 year ago

    9?

    Did EG run out of 8s?

  • septimus #44 1 year ago

    Was going to skip this one thinking it is more of the same. Damn it, so many games to get through. :)

  • Tinrib72 #45 1 year ago

    Sounds perfect! Cant see this leaving the disc tray for a while. Will also have to piss the wife off by getting the wheel out again.

  • Tallon4 #46 1 year ago

    Glad the cars got more weight.
    Enjoyed DIRT 2 , but the cars were a bit to light imo.

    It's no CMR or RC 2 but looking forward to play this.

  • BillMurray #47 1 year ago

    Have the comment threads always been this bad or have I lost my ability to ignore all the trolling?

  • couloir #48 1 year ago

    slightly off topic but got to hand it to shopto... i ordered this at 4:30 and have just got an email saying it has shipped, impressive

  • TonyCB #49 1 year ago

    @BillMurray

    Agreed - maybe the comments sections are following the same path as the editorial team seem to be at the moment.....

  • Soton4084 #50 1 year ago

    It's good to hear that the Americanisation of the last game has been toned down in this new installment. Dirt 3 was under my radar somewhat, but after reading this review I will probably pick it up at some point.

  • geeza2020 #51 1 year ago

    since when did half the commenters on EG become score obsessed freaks?

  • BigDaddy82 #52 1 year ago

    @BillMurray

    They are indeed a negative lot on here, they don't seem to comment on the games they like, just the ones they don't.

  • darc #53 1 year ago

    OMG I want this game. The racers (good ones) come so fast and furious I can't even find time to play them. But this sounds perfect to me. I think I'm narrowing my addictions down to Motorstorm (3D), the Dirt Franchise, and maybe Forza. (GT5 just annoyed me, sadly.) I'm afraid to even get started with anything else!

    PS3 vs XBox360 Face-off please?

  • Pulsar_t #54 1 year ago

    Anyone has a MOMO to test this with? Codemasters' games are notorious for being Logitech-unfriendly.

  • Beano #55 1 year ago

    Any report of tearing and/or framerate issues?

  • Beano #56 1 year ago

    Tempted to get this game after this review - but the reviewer calls 2011 an excellent game which scares me. It was a buggy mess not worthy of the franchise. Maybe I should wait for more reviews...

  • vmanb #57 1 year ago

    @Beano. I tend to wait for player reviews on metacritic, gamespot,etc on games i'm not to sure about, usually get plenty within a week or so, if you can wait that long.

  • coolbritannia #58 1 year ago

    Came to see who called the new guy a jumped up prick. Looks like no one did?!

  • disappointed #59 1 year ago

    Looking forward to GRiD2

  • Osahi #60 1 year ago

    Usually I don't ever buy race games on release, but wait till they're Platinum. This one I had preorderd for a while though. Glad I don't have to cancel it (I LOVED Dirt 2)

  • bladdard #61 1 year ago

    Sounds good, loved Dirt 2 which I picked up cheap so I reckon this could be week one for me (as is LA Noire). Probably get Dirt for the Xbox and LA Noire for the Playstation, I don't need DF to state the bleedin' obvious on this occasion.

  • AgentBalti #62 1 year ago

    Deep fried BOLLOX!!! I thought this was going to tank after DiRT2 really failed to push my buttons. Now look...not even a 7, not even the obligatory 8, no a bleedin' NINE, EG!!! FFS...

    Brink, Lego Pirates, LA Noire...and now I have to get this! Four games I've barely touched. Darn you!!!

    But still, after I've calmed down, I'm glad that D3 is back on course and is back in the loving arms of rally and balls to the wall driving and none of this namby-pamby xtreeeeme shite. WIN.

  • joe90 #63 1 year ago

    I hope (not holding my breath) that it has the 4 player (one at a time) mode that CMRII had, that was an epic game. So many evening so many years ago, smoking drinking and at the end of the rally there could be as little as 4 seconds between us. Why did that remove that feature..

  • Inmediasress #64 1 year ago

    After all these Dirt 3 adverts I would have expected a 10/10. Oh well must keep up the cover. LOL
    Edited by Inmediasress at 20/05/11 @ 20:49

  • ZombieJFK #65 1 year ago

    Is it riddled with bugs that they're "promising to patch" like every other Codebastards game?

  • azic #66 1 year ago

    Oh yeahhh can't wait for this one! Get it on steam ppl and bleed Game dry, yes yes I know it's more expensive on steam but it's better than giving Money to game.

  • BigDaddy82 #67 1 year ago

    @Inmediasress

    That is a remarkably clever theory you have there, i'm not sure how you managed to piece it together but of course it makes sense now, any company advertising their game on a site for games must be paying that site for 9's or 10's! Now i see why, after all those Brink adverts, that got such a great sco...oh wait, no that only got an 8. Ok well LA Noire then, that was advertised all over this site, surely - oh...that got an 8. Hmm. Dont worry, together we'll crack this one!

  • zubnut #68 1 year ago

    If they've sorted the fuckwitted wallriding cheat/exploit on the rallycross tracks then I won't be playing much else for months to come. Can't wait for this.

  • DRUNK3N-_-DRAGON #69 1 year ago

    fuckin jesus! so the 9 button does work

  • Murton #70 1 year ago

    Looking good, lots of improvements in the right places. Just hope that this one makes the most important improvement of all over Dirt 2 which is varied and long lasting content. With about 20 vehicles and only 13 unique tracks Dirt 2 got very old very quickly, unfortunately the review gives no mention to how much content is on offer, which means I'll be waiting on player reviews to confirm that this game has enough to offer a casual racer like myself.

    For those making calls of EG advertising bias affecting the score, plenty of games have had ads on the front page and not gotten high scores, in fact most seem to get 7 or 8. I suspected from the outset that this would get a 9 as Dirt 2 did back in 2009 and this was clearly going to be as good if not better. Though last time I believe Codies and EG had come to some sort of arrangement whereby EG gets some exclusive interviews and previews and Dirt 2 gets a 9/10 regardless of reviewer opinion, happens quite often with a number of games and websites/magazines.
    Edited by Murton at 21/05/11 @ 06:46

  • Beano #71 1 year ago

    EG does not have a Codemasters bias because of advertising, but they are clearly overlooking the huge flaws in their games for some reason. F1 2010 is a good example.

  • DoKtoR #72 1 year ago

    @Oli: don't lie, you know you miss reviewing major racing games :p

  • DrStrangelove #73 1 year ago

    How can you say you liked the "menu" system of Dirt 2? What a horrible thing to say, that's just wrong. Really wrong. You should be ashamed of yourself.

  • BigDaddy82 #74 1 year ago

    @murton

    Eurogamer gave dirt 2 an 8 actually, might want to double check your facts next time

    Also why does everyone link dirt and f1 together, they're made by two different studios, I read that f1 was that studios first ever racing game...but this is by their racing studio which has been making them for years...i hope my copy comes today!
    Edited by BigDaddy82 at 21/05/11 @ 09:05

  • TruWari3r #75 1 year ago

    Me personally I heavily prefer the stylized design of the first Dirt and also GRID instead of the stupid trailer in Dirt 2. Not sure if the triangles will have the same effect.

    A 9 on eurogamer, sweet.

  • beatwolf #76 1 year ago

    very good review, well written and sounds like a 9.

  • Murton #77 1 year ago

    @big daddy

    /checks - I stand corrected, must have been thinking of a different website or possibly a different game. Should checked before that post really, but was posting before leaving for work and relied on my defective memory of the case rather than checking, apologies.

    Still on the fence with this one, I kinda want it just to play with as I really enjoyed Dirt 2 but I'm worried it may be one of those games where I play it almost non-stop for a week and then move on and I've been doing that far too often lately and it obviously has a major effect on the bank balance.

    EDIT: typos
    Edited by Murton at 22/05/11 @ 09:45

  • Miths #78 1 year ago

    @Pulsar_t
    "Anyone has a MOMO to test this with? Codemasters' games are notorious for being Logitech-unfriendly."

    Both PS3 and PC versions of DiRT 2 played very well on a Logitech G25 - great handling feel and pretty good force feedback - but I don't how it fared with older Logitech wheels.
    GRID felt dreadful with my G25, but so did it with a DualShock 3. Even by arcade racer standards, handling in that game was shockingly bad compared to DiRT 2.

    F1 2010 was a bit of a tricky beast. The handling felt pretty good again using my G25 on both PS3 and PC versions, but I had a hell of a hard time dialing in acceptable force feedback. I never managed it on the PS3 version (since in-game settings are all you get to play with), but I succeeded to some extent with the PC version through some unusual Logitech Profiler settings.

    I'm keeping my fingers crossed that DiRT 3 (I'm planning on going straight for the PC version this time) takes a cue from DiRT 3 in the wheel department.

  • ThePentatonic #79 1 year ago

    omg! a 9/10.

  • spunkythefunkymunkey #80 1 year ago

    Pre Loading off Steam right now, and I got a free copy of Dirt 2 as well to keep me rallying until Friday :-)

  • Caimbeul #81 1 year ago

    I see the cunts at Codemasters arent bothering with a retail (boxed) version for PC. Its digital distribution only. Wankers, just getting greedy because the likes of steam want to charge £30 for a racing game on PC. I can buy Deus Ex 3, Witcher 2 and loads of other big games for less. Wankers. As you can see i am pissed off now. Was going to buy on release but they can fuck off completely now. Dont force digital distribution down my throat!

  • BigDaddy82 #82 1 year ago

    @Caimbeul

    I see you are in this thread too. Maybe you should check next time before going crazy:

    http://www.game.co.uk/Games/PC-Games-and...

  • shinesevens #83 1 year ago

    Bought the Playsation 3 version last night and it works brilliantly with the Logitech Driving Force Pro GT. The game itself is brilliant. I just hope Sony get the redeem code thing sorted as I'm gagging to try this online with mates.

  • jebus #84 1 year ago

    @Caimbeul "I see the cunts at Codemasters arent bothering with a retail (boxed) version for PC. Its digital distribution only. Wankers, just getting greedy because the likes of steam want to charge £30 for a racing game on PC. I can buy Deus Ex 3, Witcher 2 and loads of other big games for less. Wankers. As you can see i am pissed off now. Was going to buy on release but they can fuck off completely now. Dont force digital distribution down my throat"

    Weird - my boxed PC copy isn't digital

  • suicida #85 1 year ago

    Been playing this since yesterday, handling is great, good graphics and sound. But WTF is this gymkhana bullshit and why can't I progress to the second year in career mode without doing it? I wanted a rally game not some "rad" X-Games bollox. Put this in a separate mode where I can completely ignore it please.

    Seriously pissed off. I was really enjoying it until now.

  • jaydeluxe #86 1 year ago

    The DIRT3 expanding MPU ad doesn't meet expanding ad specs as the close button is over the rollover expand area and as the expansion is initiated by rollover it should close with a rollout not a click. Standards these days.... etc. Game may still be worth buying though.

  • Bosthian #87 11 months ago

    Dirt 3 - 4/10 most.

    Boring game. Really bad rally (only four locations!!!) No actual fun in game. Very simple arcade.

    I started to wonder if Eurogamer is paid from Codemaster for such unrealistic reviews.

  • xrnzaaas #88 11 months ago

    I'm enjoying the game far less than Dirt 2. Gymkhana isn't my thing and the majority of rally special stages are way too short. I mean, c'mon, what's the fun of playing a rally game if a SS can be completed in less than 90 seconds?

  • Snooz #89 11 months ago

    I'm going to buy this, but I would love is Codemasters made a pure sim too...just go learn from Richard Burns Rally.