Mag spills DiRT 3 details

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 2 August, 2010

"Biggest rally game ever made."

The recently-revealed Codemasters racer DiRT 3, due out on the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 next year, will have "snow and ice, dynamic weather, YouTube uploads, fierce rides and epic tracks, splitscreen support, party modes, an open-world playground and more real-life sponsors and stars than ever," according to the latest issue of Edge magazine.

In the mag, which landed on Eurogamer's desk this morning, chief game designer Matt Horsman says DiRT 3 "is the biggest rally game ever made".

A new career mode emphasises working and racing as a team, and starts you off as a "privateer" racing cars from the 90s.

There's a mix of modern and classic cars, with the odd legend like the Morris Cooper dropped in just for fun.

There are super buggies and RAID trucks, too. All the vehicles are more detailed than before, we're told.

100 routes are promised, stretching from Norway, Aspen and Monte Carlo to the plains of Africa.

You can trim your replays and upload them to YouTube. There's a combo system that analyses how close your car is to obstacles before working out your score.

Codies has ditched DiRT 2's divisive festival-themed menus and replaced them with a "more stylised" front end. The UK publisher/developer reckons it's got the balance of appealing to US and European fans "bang on" in terms of voice-over and narrative.

And, of course, there are party modes, namely: Transporter, Goldrush, Outbreak and Cat 'n' Mouse.

DiRT 3 was unveiled this morning with a trailer.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (37) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eraysor #1 2 years ago

    Hopefully this one won't have the garish "RADICAL DUDE!!!!" branding as the previous one, because other than that the last one was perfect.

  • Haloboy #2 2 years ago

    "snow and ice, dynamic weather, YouTube uploads, fierce rides and epic tracks, splitscreen support, party modes, an open-world playground and more real-life sponsors and stars than ever,"

    I'm actually too afraid to get as excited as I want to be.

  • mfnick #3 2 years ago

    Biggest rally game ever made

    So you're actually making a rally game this time unlike the other 2?

  • BigDaddy82 #4 2 years ago

    Can and Mouse? Cat and Mouse surely EG

  • NimbusTLD #5 2 years ago

    I am getting really excited about this game! I hadn't enjoyed a driving game in so long before I played DiRT 2.

    There was no release date mentioned, I presume it will be released holiday season 2011?

  • LHH #6 2 years ago

    So there will be rallying in this one?

  • Stroller4 #7 2 years ago

    /\ this /\

    I only bought the first one and loved it excpet for all the non rally sections where the extra racing formats (except the hill- climbs) detraced from the experience and never felt as well modelled as the core rallying.
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 12:25

  • LOLLERS #8 2 years ago

    What game was it that had Pikes Peak again, Dirt1?

  • Lunastra78 #9 2 years ago

    Shave my back and call me an elf, but I'd rather have a new GRID game.

  • Haloboy #10 2 years ago

    @ Lollers

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=G8faW6AUvS8

  • metalangel #11 2 years ago

    So in 'appealing to Europeans again' what have they done? Do you get a choice between Johnny Knoxville and Dizzee Rascal as your coach or something? And surely they can't ditch the whole X-games thing, that's what made SHiT 2 so great!

    "Rotate the right stick to roll your fist, click the left bumper to hoot"

    For rallying: WRC
    For offroad silliness in different vehicles: MX vs ATV

    EDIT: Watching that Pike's Peak video brings a little tear to my eye... terrifying, relentless, hardcore. And not a soul patch or pyrotechnic in sight.
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 12:59

  • Mackero #12 2 years ago

    "..For rallying: WRC.."

    Since when? None of the previous WRC games were any good - Colin McRae games and Richard Burns were much better.

    I'll wait til I've played the new WRC demo, before I state whether it improves upon DiRT2's Rally - which is currently the best Rally experience availible on either Xbox 360 or Playstation PS3


    "..For offroad silliness in different vehicles: MX vs ATV .."

    Never heard of Pure? or on older consoles ATV:Fury ?

  • DAN.E.B #13 2 years ago

    It had a big ad during the Xgames so expect the same again next time.......Dudes!
    will wait and see how WRC turns out.

  • Caimbeul #14 2 years ago

    Still looking good.

  • MrSpadge #15 2 years ago

    Dirt 2 was a lot of fun; it's about the only game I've got some serious usage out of using eyefinity and three screens, and it was a free game with my graphics card, so I can't complain, but obviously I'm going to. The Americanisation and banalisation of a, frankly not very complicated concept, and by a British software studio too, is really very upsetting at times; truly angering even at moments, for example how in the hell are my competitors speaking to me mid race, and why? Why is Ken Block asking me how my day is going or why is everyone so quiet? I think if we look at this years WRC standings we can see that he should be spending much more time silent and concentrating instead of flapping his big chops about....and don't get me started on Katie Justice....for crying out loud, it makes a mockery of the concept of rally.

    However, the engine was really nice, and it was, screen smashing triteness aside, often good fun. Here's hoping we get a proper rally game, with no X in sight.

    Fingers crossed we don't get X-F-1 in September either.

    Oh Codies. Why hast thou forsaken us?


    edit: "and, eventually, a car drifting underneath a lorry that explodes. " ... oh no... no... no. no. no... oh no...
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 13:52

  • Raznilof #16 2 years ago

    Odd logo, there's a "the sims" diamond and the three looks like it belongs in a title aimed at those smiling-lifestyle-families.

    Didn't like Dirt as the handling felt like you where driving the chassis of a car bolted onto a single large round ball.

    Did they fix that in the second?

  • dsmx #17 2 years ago

    Will it actually be a rally game or are they going for the almost no rallying and lots of different styles of offroad racing?

  • linksdad #18 2 years ago

    I've really enjoyed this series so far.

    Also I can exclusively reveal the next in the series will be called DiRT 4 and will be even bigger than 3 and have additional features and modes. It will also have the largest selection of cars of any rally game eva!

    Edit: There arent 'alf some miserable gits marking these comments.
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 15:16

  • clearblue #19 2 years ago

    Hurrah. For all the complaints about DiRT2 (americana mania, no proper weather etc), its still a fantastically fun game.

  • Darren #20 2 years ago

    DiRT was very good and DiRT 2 was even better and insanely addictive despite the less pleasing buggy events and lack of content. By all accounts, it sounds like DiRT 3 is going the best in the series and I'm pleased that snow/ice and dynamic weather are finally going to be making a long-overdue appearance. Will it be the game to finally topple RalliSport Challenge 2 as my all-time favourite rally game? I hope so!

  • Mkwone #21 2 years ago

    The UK publisher/developer reckons it's got the balance of appealing to US and European fans "bang on" in terms of voice-over and narrative.

    They've got Hugh Laurie doing the voice acting?

  • linea #22 2 years ago

    While I think DiRT 2 is enormously enjoyable, I still get a little wistful as I imagine what Codemasters could do if they knuckled down and made an actual rallying sim.

    Still, take it for what it is eh. Personally I don't really mind the 'AWESOME DUDE' stuff too much except inasmuch as it makes for an unnecessarily slow menu navigation experience.

  • NorUraeus #23 2 years ago

    To little actual rallying and to much x-games rubbish has ruined this series for me. Bought the first 2 ones, not going to make the same mistake again.

  • metalangel #24 2 years ago

    @Mackero: Yes, I think the WRC games on PS2 were really good, better than DiRT (which is barely a rally game any more). And yes, I have heard of Pure. But MX vs ATV Reflex does the MX bikes, the ATVs, the trucks, the buggies... but without then trying to do rallying as well, and it all the better for it.

  • androidave #25 2 years ago

    I don't know how they can call DIRT a rally game tbh.. its more like motorstorm than anything else, and the cringeworthy americaness put me off the demo completely :( bring back the days of cm rally or V-rally.. proper rally games rather than this childish x-games american rubbish.

  • BigDaddy82 #26 2 years ago

    The Dirt series has never pretended to be 'all' about rally, some people still don't get that, it's an off road racing game

  • Feanor #27 2 years ago

    The UK publisher/developer reckons it's got the balance of appealing to US and European fans "bang on" in terms of voice-over and narrative.

    Hi, Poochie. You look like you've got something to say. Do you?

  • peterfll #28 2 years ago

    I just like Dirt2 for what it is (a great game) rather than what it is not. So I look forward to Dirt3.

  • TeaFiend #29 2 years ago

    Being upset that Dirt is not as rally as the CMR series is like being upset that the modern Prince of Persia games are not 2D.

  • mkreku #30 2 years ago

    They had me at "snow".

  • DAN.E.B #31 2 years ago

    @BigDaddy82

    "Biggest rally game ever made."

  • BigDaddy82 #32 2 years ago

    @dan:solo

    Indeed it may be the biggest rally game ever made. And the biggest Rallycross game. And the biggest Gymkhana game...etc

  • SilentNinja92 #33 2 years ago

    I bought Dirt 2 and it is pretty fun. I find the menu a little annoying to use but its decent for a racing game.

    tbh though I wont get this, racing games in general this gen just arnt impressing me like they did last gen, its all getting a little old hat.

  • woodyrulesok #34 2 years ago

    "fierce rides"
    I'm already concerned about this game.

    Didn't Juha Kankkunen once describe his 205 T16 as a fierce ride? Oh wait, NO HE DIDN'T.
    Edited by 1 at 03/08/10 @ 09:32

  • gribb #35 2 years ago

    I like my racing games to be bland and have no character whatsoever.

  • glaeken #36 2 years ago

    It's kind of odd this being Eurogamer having someone use American names for things. I mean what is a Morris Cooper exactly?

  • Delicieuxz #37 2 years ago

    Why is there this myth being perpetuated that people in the US prefer the ridiculous ADD style of DiRT2? None of the people I know here do. Maybe CodeM has only surveyed 7 year old players on this side of the ocean.

    Most people here in North America find that immature bs to be repulsive as well. I can't bring myself to play DiRT2 because of it, and my friends also never want to play it because they can't stand that stuff. Viewing online forums quickly reveals that people in the US generally are embarrassed by that cheap attitude garbage they put into DiRT2. So, really, why is that design stupidity being related to the US when it is only accepted by a niche market and doesn't reflect the larger audience preference?