Dirt Rally 2.0, Pays Homage To Rally Legends
April 11, 2020Most gamers are spoilt for choice these days. There are plethora of titles released each year that cater to a wide variety of interests. But this isn’t true of rally fans. For years we have had to sit on the sidelines and watch in envy as fans of other gaming genres had the time of their lives.
Well that’s no longer the case. Dirt Rally 2.0, published by Codemasters does a remarkable job at capturing the essence of rallying. It builds upon the success of the original Dirt Rally game released in 2015 by offering several different competition modes.
In Career Mode, players get to experience the triumphs & disappointments associated with the world of rallying. Starting at the very bottom with underpowered vehicles, players have to compete and win various rally competitions to advance to upper echelons of the sport.
Photo Credit: Steam
However, Dirt Rally 2.0 takes it a step further, by providing players with a more immersive experience. There are several different driver characters of various ethnicities to choose from. The same applies to the rally crew, who can be hired and trained based on the available budget.
Those who like taking full control of a rally team including car setups for rally stages, will take to the game well. It provides a level of control usually associated with track racing sims. But if this doesn’t float your boat, there are several other rally modes that will be of interest to you.
This includes the actual FIA WRC Rallycross championship, Time Trials, Daily/Weekly Challenges, Free Roam and RallyCross. In addition to this, and available as an add-on, players can purchase the Colin McRae: Flat Out Pack, that features McRae’s Subaru Impreza S4 rally car and challenging scenarios from his career.
For fans of Colin McRae Rally 2.0 (2000, which was also released by Codemasters, Dirt Rally 2.0 is the closest you’ll get to a reincarnation of such rally games that lured us to the sport. Rally cars from several different eras of rallying, including the late 1990s and early 2000s belonging to drivers like Petter Solberg, Colin McRae are also in the game.
My favourite is Tommi Mäkinen’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI. The red and white livery, flared wheel arches and obnoxiously large front bumper and intercooler evokes pure nostalgia. Granted, it isn’t his exact car but it’s close enough. I’ve spent countless hours honing my rally driving skills, which is part of the fun.
In rallying, the accelerator pedal is your best friend. It’s needed for steering, because without enough power, regardless of which way the tires are pointed, a rally car will keep heading in a straight line. This runs counter to the way a car would behave on asphalt. Dirt Rally 2.0 is able to reproduce this convincingly, which is why it’s worth playing.
If you’re interested, it’s available to purchase on Steam. Console gaming users can play it as well. It’s available for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 at their respective stores. Check it out and let us know what you think of the world of rally gaming.
