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Fans of racing games will soon be spoilt for choice. Dirt 2 and Need for Speed: SHIFT are scheduled for an Aussie September release. Hot on their heels will be Forza 3, (a late October release), and Blur (sometime in November).
With so many to choose from, and landing at the same time of so many other high profile releases (Modern Warfare 2, anyone?) fans of the genre would do well to take some time to see what they promise, and what sets them apart.
Dirt 2
The first of the four racers wanting a slice of our wallets is Dirt 2. Originally a PC rally game, the Dirt series has evolved into a variety of rally type events. There is rally cross, standard rally, circuit races and even staggered start rally races.
Personally, I would have preferred a focus on the classic rally races. I found the circuit races a real chore in the original Dirt and only raced them to unlock more rallies.
Still, there are a number of new features that make this sequel stand out from the first Dirt. The graphics engine has been overhauled and looks fantastic. There is a real attention to detail in the terrain. I played the demo on the 360 and I haven’t seen a racing game on that platform that looks as good as this.
The cars seem to handle a bit better than the first Dirt. I need a bit more of a go on the demo, but my first impression is that they have improved the handling and feel. Doing handbrake turns around hairpin corners is noticeably harder.
The menu system has been overhauled. Gone is the pyramid menu structure of the original Dirt. In its place is the player’s RV with the different menus spread within and outside the RV. It is a bit more complicated than the pyramid structure, but having played the demo a few times, it has started to grow on me.
There are other nice touches as well. Water has been introduced for the first time. It makes racing that bit harder and interesting. I’ve already stacked my car into the wall a couple of times after losing visibility going through a water puddle. It just means you have to plan your exit from the water before you hit it. Rewind has been introduced as well and operates similarly to the rewind feature in GRID. (This is a Codemasters game, after all!) Fireworks pop as you cross the finish line and collectors of bobbleheads (Fallout 3 fans I am looking at you) can now add souvenir bobbleheads to their in game dashboard. You can even add a version of your avatar if you like.
Finally, multiplayer has been properly introduced. The original Dirt only allowed you to compare best times with other players. Dirt 2 has you racing against them in real time.
All in all, Dirt 2 is shaping up to be another great Codemasters release. From my few goes at the demo, it appears to pack enough features to make it more than Dirt 1.5.
If you like rally games, you have to give the demo a go. Xbox 360 users can add the demo to their download queue here. PS3 owners can grab it from the PS store.
Forza 3
Microsoft revealed Forza 3 at this years E3. Given the success of its predecessor, its announcement wasn’t a surprise. What was surprising was the sheer number and depth of new features. Even more surprising was that is has something that Gran Turismo 5 doesn’t have, or at least not yet - a release date!
The hype and expectation for Forza 3 is huge. Turn 10’s game director, Dan Greenawalt has pulled no punches by calling Forza 3 “the definitive racing game of this generation.” Strong words indeed, but I guess he has got a game to sell. Normally, I would just write this off as marketing propaganda, but looking at the weight of new features and improvements over Forza 2, maybe, just maybe, he might be right. (Let the GT v Forza 3 flamewars begin!)
The game boasts 100 tracks, 400 cars, vehicle damage (including rollovers), cockpit view in every car, highly detailed car interiors, rewind system, braking assist (as well as many other driver assist functions), auction house and paint customisation (now with up to 5,000 paint layers). To fit this content, the game ships on 2 discs.
Graphically, the game has been completely overhauled. Cars now have 10 times as many polygons compared to Forza 2, and the tracks and environments look a lot better as well. The game will continue run at 60 frames per second. Impressive, given that Forza 2 was released just over 2 years ago.
Aussie fans have are in high hopes that the game will include local cars and tracks. There is no definitive word yet, although this alleged screenshot of a Team Vodafone V8 Supercar has gotten a lot of people excited. There is also a rumour that Turn 10 will release some details about aussie content in the game on September 3. Fingers crossed.
I am a big Forza fan and cant wait for this next instalment. Due to hit our shores on October 23, Forza 3 is an Xbox360 exclusive.
Need for Speed: SHIFT
Ditching the arcade racer feel of previous Need for Speed instalments, the creators of SHIFT are focussed on providing a more authentic racer. This means no nitro, no boost, and certainly no more ‘cops and robbers’ game types.
A distinguishing feature over other ‘authentic’ racers will be some new camera effects. Driving at high speeds will induce blur and tunnel vision. Likewise, crashing will cause the camera to blur and cause the driver to become disorientated. Analogous, perhaps, to the effect of a flashbang in COD4.
SHIFT will include more than 60 cars and the ability to customise them.
The various previews I have read on the game have praised the attention to detail seen in the car damage models and environments.
A bit of a dark horse, this one. I hope they will release a demo so I can try it for myself.
Blur
Blur is definitely an arcade style racer. Nitro boosts, rockets, shields, EMP blasts anyone? Shortcuts and jumps are built into the tracks. This aint no Forza 3. More like a next generation Mario Kart with an edge.
Up to 20 cars compete on the track at the same time. There are up to 50 ‘near-realistic’ cars you can choose from – modified versions of real cars changed to suit the Blur environment.
The game is being developed by Bizzare, the makers of Project Gotham. So, instead of Kudos, Blur introduces fan points. You get fan points based on how you drive and you can spend them to add special powers and upgrades to your cars.
PS3 and Xbox 360 owners can look forward to Blur in November.
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