The PSVR update to Dirt Rally not only serves to considerably refresh Codemasters consummate 2016 racer, but also give PSVR owners their next must-have purchase. Dirt Rally on PSVR is utterly essential.
Some stages will test your stomach, but in terms of intensity and immersion Dirt Rally shifts into the next gear with PlayStation VR. Like with Drive Club the VR experience is a clear enrichment of driving games.
This is one of the best pieces of VR content you could by for PSVR. First of all, it enables VR for the whole game, not just few missions like many others. Playing this game in VR improves your driving skills significantlly, because you sense the distance to the objects in a natural way. So, if you're into racing games and you have a PSVR this one is a must.
As for fading. Completed first two champs, it happened just a few times, so if you drive accurately it won't happens at all.
Funny how there's 3 guys, KaptinKeezy, Dogzlookup and DanTheMan444, who wrote on the same day the same negative criticism, giving the game a score of 0 or 1, coincidence? BTW, fading the screen when the car crashes, you could find it annoying if you wish, but personally I think it's not that bad, and definitely can not base judgement of the full game just on that, its simply unfair.
With that said, I consider Dirt Rally VR to be one of the best games ever.
Being a huge fan of the series since the original Colin McRae rally on PS1, I was very disappointed with Dirt Rally for PS4, it was just too hard of a rally simulator. It punished so hardly any mistake that took away all the fun from it, crashing constantly, making the experience very frustrating.
I had stored away the game until I got the VR glasses, and the VR ad on was reduced on the Playstore, so i decided to give it a go. My jaw dropped when I played the first circuit, suddenly it all made sense now! being able to see in 3D in front of me the uneven tracks of Greece made clear why you'd crash going slightly over the right speed. The VR experience is magnificient, it still a tough game, but now at least now it makes sense.
Sure the graphics are not great, but I'm sure that's what the VR HW is capable of at the moment, the handling and experience of rally driving is superb, and that's what matters to me.
Dirt Rally VR is the PS4's best driving/racing experience bar none.
The only downside is a hit to the fidelity of the graphics.
Everything else improves on an already stellar title.
Special Kudos goes to Codemasters for making the entire game available in VR as opposed to a limited "experience".
This game is amazing in VR!!! The first time you load into the driver's seat it will blow you away. The hill descent/ascent courses actually give you a sense of pitch as you're flying down the road, and the surrounding mountains give you a good sense of elevation. Stand-out moments happen when you can see a road ahead far off in the distance, and as you get closer you realize that is actually the track you're racing on, and usually then involves you flying up (or down) an incredibly dangerous gravel road with cliffs on both sides. The courses are great & exciting, and I enjoy the innovations like being able to hear cornering callouts through my PS4 controller.
MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED:
- shifting gears in manual mode with a PS4 controller is ridiculously slow. It's bad enough to ruin the whole game, seriously. It's not a big deal while shifting up, but when you have to quickly shift down (ie. after a crash, quick hairpin, etc.) it becomes impossible. It MUST be addressed in any future VR releases, as it completely unimmerses you from the experience, not to mention it totally botches your lap times. This issue basically takes all of the good that this game produces and craps all over it. You are left with 2 options: use automatic transmission (YAWN!), or do not crash period (yeah, ok...)
- gyro-motion steering controls for the PS4 controller (like Driveclub 2 VR) would be MUCH appreciated!!!!!! If the controllers are already designed to use it & since it works amazingly in Driveclub VR, why not just use it in Dirt?!?!?!?!?!?!
- install an option to toggle the crash cam on/off. Not only is it incredibly annoying having my screen turn black every time I crash, but some of us actually enjoy the sensation of flipping down the street 7 times and slamming into a tree WITHOUT our eyes closed.
****** If you guys at Codemasters are planning on making Dirt 4 VR compatible, please for the love of god address the 2 issues listed above! At this stage in the VR game, you guys are the ones making the VR units sell or not by showing the public that there is innovative progression taking place in the VR community. People would never invest in VR if word got around that it's just a bunch of buggy sub-quality games with PS2 graphics. The games have to actually work properly (*cough *cough manual shifting speed).
Game would be GREAT!!
But there is a weird effect of blacking out when you crash or even jump the car. And you can't remove it?
Seems like something they thought people would actually like ??? LOL it is really terrible and makes me very sick.
SummaryUnlike many of the VR updates that have been released for other pre-PSVR games, this one makes the entire game playable in virtual reality, not just a single mode.