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DiRT: Colin McRae Off-Road

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9.2 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 32 critic reviews
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Based on 10 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Codemasters

Developer: Codemasters

Genre(s): Racing, Driving

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: September 11, 2007

Summary

(Formerly known as "Colin McRae Rally 2007" or "CMR '07") After a two-year break for the series, Codemasters Studios' designers have created a reinvigorated McRae experience. The new Colin McRae title goes beyond the series' point-to-point rallying to deliver the most diverse selection of extreme off-road competitions. Sensational gravel, mud and dirt racing events from the world over include perilous Hill Climb and collision-packed Rally Cross events. International rallying competitions are also featured, with official cars on tracks based on real roads and locations around the globe. The title also expands on beat-the-clock racing and includes events with multiple cars on track to satisfy anyone who wants to push their on-the-edge driving just that bit further. [Codemasters]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Colin McRae Rally 04 Colin McRae Rally 2.0 Colin McRae Rally 2005 Colin McRae Rally 3

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Games Master UK

The best rally game money can buy and one of this year's best racers. [Dec 2007, p.83]

Play UK

It touches on moments of sheer brilliance and is one of the best racing experiences irrespective of platform. But its adherence to realism is also sometimes its biggest enemy. [Issue#158, p.86]

PSM3 Magazine UK

Excellent graphics, sound and handling make this a great choice for newbies and purists alike. [Oct 2007, p.64]

Game Almighty

Nothing short of spectacular.

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Game Chronicles

It’s not that DiRT isn’t an amazing game, because it is, but more because rally racing just doesn’t appeal to as many people as street racing or exotic car racing.

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NZGamer

DiRT is one of the prettiest and most accessible racing games you’ll ever lay hands on.

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Da Gameboyz

DiRT is a great game and stands as arguably the best racer on the PS3 to date.

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GameSpot

As a graphical showpiece, DiRT is an unbridled success. It also happens to be an entirely enjoyable rally racer.

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TotalPlayStation

It not only piles on an extensive list of race types in addition to the rally courses Codemasters has become famous for, but heaps on new kinds of vehicles and manages to pull it off with some of the best presentation I've ever seen in a racing game.

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PSM Magazine

Beyond that, it is pure dirt racing womderment that serious sim fans will relish in and more casual players will want to push themselves to become more skilled at. [Dec 2007, p.85]

Jolt Online Gaming UK

For fans of rallying, who have been spoiled for choice in previous years, this is the first really good rally simulation on a next-gen system and as such is pretty much a must-have.

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PSX Extreme

DiRT is plenty deep, and has a bevy of race modes, tons of tracks, good replay value, in addition to some pretty solid car customization. Not all is super, though; as the online experience is lacking, the visuals have some sore spots here and there, and gamers will have to dig a bit in order to obtain the cars they really want to roll around with.

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IGN

If only every aspect of DiRT matched the graphics and presentation, Codemasters would have a must-buy racer on its hands. DiRT still hasn't fixed Colin McRae's longtime use of a central pivot for turning and the racing feels floaty at times.

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GameShark

It’s gorgeous, fun, and is easily one of the very best racing games available for the console.

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Gaming Age

All in all, this is the game that just might finally put the name Codemasters into gamer's minds that haven't enjoyed their past successes like Colin and Pro Race Driver. DiRT isn't too simish or arcady but finds that nice blend that goes down smooth everytime.

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Cheat Code Central

Buy DiRT for the single-player mode. Buy it for the excellent graphics, amazing camera angles, destructive environments, and damage modeling. Buy it because it's a fun arcade racing game. Don't buy it for any other reasons, and you won't be disappointed.

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Worth Playing

DiRT is the best racing game on the PS3 thus far.

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GameTap

Dirt is an excellent counterpoint to the shallower, more arcade-y MotorStorm, offering serious racing fans a full-bodied game replete with HD-gen graphics, physics, sound, and a great depth of off-road racing types.

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Game Informer

Despite its limited focus, Dirt’s single-minded pursuit of racing serves the game well and creates a strong foundation for the future. I guess I can’t blame it for tuning out the rest of the world while it whips around dusty tracks at scary speeds. As we know, getting dialed into the zone is everything.

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GameDaily

The cars lack weight and the multiplayer mode needs more content, but overall, players should enjoy this attractive and intense racing experience.

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Playstation Official Magazine UK

Easily one of the greatest racers on PS3 to date, both in terms of addictiveness and broad, crowd-pleasing appeal. [Oct 2007, p.98]

GameSpy

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of DiRT is the poorly implemented multiplayer portion of the game. Instead of allowing you to try some of the head-to-head events that are included in the single-player game, like the Rally Raids or CORR events, you're limited to single-car hill climbs and rally events against times being uploaded by other players in your session.

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DailyGame

The graphics are clearer and the framerate is steadier on the PlayStation 3, and the approachable gameplay is intact from the Xbox 360 version. It sure would've been fun to actually play against some real, live gamers online, though.

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GameZone

It’s packed with replay value, solid objectives, a stellar vehicle lineup, and dozens of individual races. The faux multiplayer mode brings the game down a half-point, but overall, you won’t find a better next-gen rally racer.

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Eurogamer

Sure, some of Codies tactics in 'going mainstream' are a tad irksome, but in the main the game succeeds by not only being exceptionally good fun to play, but being unquestionably one of the finest looking racing games on the market too.

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GamePro

DiRT is by no means for everyone. Most racing games are difficult at first, but you eventually master them. In DiRT, you are always on the verge of totaling your car. There's never a moment to screw around, because you will crash.

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VideoGamer

A solid and often spectacular effort from Codemasters. The core racing is thrilling yet accessible and the amount of content on offer will keep players enthralled for some time.

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AceGamez

Online issues aside, Colin McRae: DiRT is a fantastic driving game in so many ways.

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1UP

Slightly flawed in some spots -- its Career mode, for example, is a pyramid of increasingly challenging events rather than a glimpse into a racer's life -- DiRT is nevertheless a big, beautiful game that goes places previous McRaes have not. It's quite simply one of the finest driving-centric titles to hit the still-new PS3 world.

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TheSixthAxis

The Neon-powered rally sim finally gets its airing on its original platform (reportedly with a little bit of help from Sony) to become the definitive version despite its lengthy delay: DiRT is a great game with masses of options and modes, with stunning presentation, sharp sound effects and mostly impressive graphics throughout. For petrolheads it's a must-have.

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Play.tm

Overall, this title has bucket loads of quality and a game structure that should keep you happily driving for many hours. It is a shame that multiplayer didn't make it in somewhere (even in online, it's all time trials).

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Boomtown

If only Codemasters had at least given us the option of something a bit more slippy then this might have been one of the best driving games released this year.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dave G. gave it a9:
Awesome graphics and variety of vehicles and events. The cars feel a little bit floaty but once you get the handling down it feels right. My only complaints are I would have wanted more of a reward for beating the game on expert and the career mode could have been more personalized. Also I would have liked to customize my cars. I though I would not like another rally game after playing Rally Sport Challenge 1 and 2 on original Xbox, but Dirt is a very good replacement and it runs perfectly with no issues at all on my PS3.

Abhijeet gave it a10:
I've tried a few racing games before this one but came away unsatisfied for one reason or the other. This is *the* racing game for the PS3 I've been waiting for. The events have amazing variety, both in discipline as well as circuits. The game looks gorgeous on my HD television. The learning curve is not too steep and you get better and buy better cars that further improve your performance as you go along. I'm only 20% of the way through after about three and a quarter hours of racing. This game should keep me occupied for a couple of weeks. A couple of minor quibbles. Some of the events are just boring, especially when trying to drive a massive truck or a buggy through a long dusty desert track. Racing the trucks through the desert is especially painful, since they're massive, slow and tend to tip over. The best events are with the more conventional cars, especially the 4WD cars that handle amazingly well. The second thing I don't like is the loading time, maybe I've been spoiled by the super quick loading times of games on the Wii.

Christopher S. gave it a6:
Perhaps my expectations were unrealistically high but I have to say this game has left me cold. The handling is unresponsive and the framerate, though steady, is sluggish. Graphically things look pretty good but improvement is needed. This "next-gent" console gaming is still in its infancy and hopefully things will improve.

Steve gave it a10:
This game is excellent apart from one thing. There's not enough of it. Some great tracks are missing & not enough 4x4 rally cars.

Woodok gave it a10:
....beautiful...

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DiRT: Colin McRae Off-Road

Game Info

Summary

Also On Metacritic

What The Critics Said

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