DIRT 5

DIRT 5 offers a new path for the DIRT series and treads it brilliantly. The core numbered titles have always been slightly more arcade, but this takes it to a whole other level and is fantastic because of this move. This is an incredibly approachable and varied racing game that takes you on a tour of several racing styles in far-flung places across the globe. With every new console generation comes a new generation of racing games, DIRT 5 is that game. It looks fantastic, it's incredibly fun and it's polished to a great level and is arguably the best game to come out of Codemasters.

Dirt 5 is a real showcase of what the next-generation can do. It's also the best chapter of the series, with a brand new campaign and a lot of content.

If you’re already a fan of the Dirt franchise, there’s little to take issue with here – jump right in. If you’re a racing fan who’s new to the series, though, I can definitely say Dirt 5 is worth a look.

Dirt 5 represents a complete about-face for the main Dirt series, shedding virtually all semblance of simulation in favour of an unabashed, arcade-inspired racing experience that draws from just about every influence you can name except its direct predecessor. It’s not especially deep, and there isn’t as much variety in the career mode as it claims, but it’s fast, frantic, and extremely handsome, and the wild and wacky stunt track editor truly has its hooks in me.

Dirt 5 returns the series to its arcade roots by delivering a streamlined racing experience packed with thrilling competition and beautiful environments.

Dirt 5 immediately feels like a classic off-road romp of explosive proportions. Customisation options fizzled too soon for my taste, but this is still a solid title for any arcade-sim race fan.

DiRT 5 has decided to go straight for the arcade gameplay and makes no secret of it. It's fun at every level, and even if it's not to everyone's taste, it works quite well. If the title proves to be rather unoriginal, weirdly unbalanced on several levels and a little too easy, the variety of environments and types of races, combined with a beautifully dynamic weather and a quality soundtrack, make us forgive its flaws.

Dirt 5 maintains the tradition of being a solid racing title. The campaign is quite deep thanks to the various events and tracks you can choose from, while the inclusion of local multiplayer for just about every mode gives it a huge advantage over almost every other non-kart racing game on the PC platform. The title requires some pretty beefy hardware and other software to make the game shine, and there are still a few things that need patching, but as a whole, arcade racing fans who aren't looking for a bevy of top-of-the-line sports cars will get a kick out of Dirt 5.

From ice races to climbing on steep slopes and rallycross through gravel and mud to gymkhana stunt events, there is something for every taste. And if I don't feel like going to a certain event, I just skip it. You are by no means forced to go along with everything, and that's a good thing.

With beautiful visuals, excellent controls, and a ton of content, Dirt 5 has a lot to offer players, especially with how lenient and easy-going the game's structure is.

A series of playsets to Forza Horizon's big open toybox. A fun and flashy arcade racer that's easy to pick up and play, but much, much harder to put down again.

Dirt 5 is that one friend you love to go out drinking with. It’s brash, bold, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s got a bunch of awesome tracks and a dynamic weather system that works really well, and then the playgrounds mode injects much-needed longevity into a game that might become stale after 20-30 hours or so. However, if you’re looking for a racing experience where detail, precision, and tinkering is important then Dirt 5 isn’t for you. But if it's fun you're after, you’ll have a blast.

If the Forza Horizon games are the festival of speed, then surely DiRT 5 is the festival of fun.

The big disappointment comes from the lack of inventiveness of the title, whether in the course of the career or in the articulation of the modes of play. The body of DiRT is rather nice this year, but the engine needs a supplement.

DiRT 5 looks good, but feels way too dull to really trigger our love of arcade racing, specially with a lousy AI and multiplayer races that all end up in a demolition derby round. At least, Playground mode saves the day and brings a welcome dose of pure fun into the mix.

This is a review of the PC version, but in reality, Dirt 5 makes a good buy for people with shiny new consoles, having those people see the visual tease of what could be possible with the new hardware. Yet somehow, Dirt 5 finds its gameplay feeling at home in a 90s arcade machine, thanks to the flat handling. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but a change that fans will need to adjust to. Just please, don’t let me have to do any more Sprint events in the downloadable content that is planned in the future.

Overall, when the game runs it runs great, but you'll be let down more often than not. And it's a real shame because it is a very enjoyable game to play... again though, when it works. I'm sure the developers will patch it a few times before it gets fixed as the random freezing and crashes is what causes the most problems, especially when playing online. But I will be keeping up to date in the comments if it becomes more playable without a mass of bugs and glitches.

Dirt 5 adopts the arcade sensibilities of the series' past, but its frenetic action is dampened somewhat by an uninspired handling model.

DIRT 5 takes the series back to a more arcade style but the career lacks variety, the vehicle handling is often sluggish, and the basic multiplayer setup is a discouragement. Without a rally mode, the only strong feature is the ability to make and share tracks, but that is not enough to stave off some technical issues.

Dirt 5 is a fiesta of mediocrity, from its disappointing career mode and boring time trials to DOA multiplayer.

Dirt 5 drives in a completely opposite direction to Dirt Rally 2.0. The driving model is disappointingly simple, and the career is just plain boring. At least there are many cars to choose from and hours to spend in the track editor. And the best thing about this game? Its weather effects are simply breath-taking.

Arcade offroad racing of the like we’ve played four times previously.

Dirt 5 is a dead end. Its driving model is unnecessarily simple and career is reprehensibly austere and boring. On the other hand, famous series’ weather is absolutely thrilling, which sets the atmospheric standard for all future racing games. [Issue#310]