''Dirt Rally 2.0'' (stylised as ''DiRT Rally 2.0'') is a

racing simulation Simulated racing or racing simulation, commonly known as simply sim racing, are the collective terms for racing game software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire ...

video game developed and published by

Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts. Founded by brothers Richard and David Darling in Octo ...

for

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

, and

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

. It was released on 26 February 2019. A version for

Amazon Luna Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming platform developed and operated by Amazon. Luna was announced on September 24, 2020, with early access available to subscribers by invitation beginning on October 20, 2020. In its early access state, Amazon Luna ...

followed on 3 June 2021. It is a successor to the 2015 video game ''

Dirt Rally ''Dirt Rally'' (stylised as ''DiRT Rally'') is a racing simulation video game developed and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows. A Steam Early Access version of the game was released on 27 April 2015, and the full version was released ...

'' and emphasises realistic driving physics.

Gameplay

''Dirt Rally 2.0'' is focused on

rallying Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...

and rallycross. Players compete in timed stage events on tarmac and off-road terrain in varying weather conditions. The game features stages in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Codemasters also announced plans to expand the game through the release of

downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...

, and released stages in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. These stages are remastered versions of the stages included in the original ''Dirt Rally''. There is also a rallycross mode with World RallyCross Supercars (including the lineup of the 2018 season) and eight circuits from the

FIA World Rallycross Championship The FIA World Rallycross Championship (official abbreviation is World RX) is a rallycross series organised by the FIA in conjunction with series promoter Rallycross Promoter GmbH (founded by Red Bull and KW25). From the inaugural season in 2014 ...

. ''Dirt Rally 2.0'' lets players choose between a total of fifty cars, including the aforementioned World Rallycross Supercars, historic rally cars from the 1960s through the 1980s, Groups A, B and R rally cars, and modern rally cars from the 1990s to the late 2010s. This was later expanded to thirteen locations through

. Every car can have its setup adjusted before a race. The game also features a new weather modelling system where changes in the weather affect the relative level of grip and require players to take a more nuanced approach to driving. The weather also affects visibility in stages. The surface of the stages is also subject to degradation; as more cars pass over a stage, more than 100 layers ensure that the road surface will start to shift and break up, affecting grip levels. The gameplay therefore demands maximum concentration, especially as some stages can take more than ten minutes to complete. There is no rewind function and damages not only have a visual but also mechanical effect, with it being possible to sustain "terminal damage", which automatically ends whatever race the car is in as a DNF. The "My Team" mode introduced in ''

Dirt 4 ''Dirt 4'' (stylised as ''DiRT 4'') is a simcade racing video game developed by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June 2017, and for macOS and Linux in March 2019 by Feral Interactive. A sequel, ''Dirt 5'', was r ...

'' is expanded upon, requiring players to hire specialist engineers to maintain the car. However, other elements such as customising liveries, signing sponsors and expanding team facilities were removed. Damage sustained during a rally carries over from event to event. Players are also able to make a wider range of strategic choices, such as tyre compounds; softer tyres offer more grip but wear out faster, while harder tyres are more durable but produce slower stage times. Codemasters later introduced a more comprehensive tutorial for setting up the car to make the process more accessible for newcomers, amateurs and players who have been deterred from exploring setup options in the past. The release of downloadable content follows a fortnightly schedule, and includes the return of rally locations from the first game, as well as cars such as the

Škoda Fabia The Škoda Fabia is a supermini car produced by Czech manufacturer Škoda Auto since 1999. It is the successor of the Škoda Felicia, which was discontinued in 2001. The Fabia was available in hatchback, estate (named Fabia Combi) and saloon ( ...

and

BMW M1 The BMW M1 (model code E26) is a mid-engined sports car produced by German automotive manufacturer BMW from 1978 until 1981. In the late 1970s, Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini entered into an agreement with BMW to build a production ...

. The final DLC package is titled "Colin McRae: Flat Out". It features a new location in

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...

in Scotland, cars driven by

Colin McRae Colin Steele McRae, (5 August 1968 – 15 September 2007) was a Scottish rally driver. He was the 1991 and 1992 British Rally Champion, and in 1995 became the first British driver and the youngest person to win the World Rally Championship ...

and a scenario mode where players re-enact moments from McRae's career.

Development

''Dirt Rally 2.0'' is the first game in the series to be developed by

after game director Paul Coleman's departure from the company in early 2018. Rally drivers Ryan Champion and Jon Armstrong served as consultants throughout the game's development with occasional help from

Oliver Solberg Oliver Solberg (born 23 September 2001) is a Sweden, Swedish-Norway, Norwegian rally (sports), rally driver. He is the son of the 2003 World Rally Championship, 2003 List of World Rally Championship Drivers' champions, World Rally Champion, Pett ...

, while veteran co-driver

Phil Mills Phil Mills (born 30 August 1963) is a Welsh rally racing co-driver. He was winner of the 2003 World Rally Championship (WRC), as co-driver to Petter Solberg. Mills was born in Trefeglwys, Powys. He has a place in the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame, ...

lent his voice as the game's English-speaking co-driver.

Neil Cole Neil Cole (born 1 March 1972) is an English television presenter, comedian, radio broadcaster and actor. Early life Cole was born in Bristol in 1972, and attended King Edward Grammar School in Chelmsford. He studied English and French Liter ...

is the English-speaking voice of the rallycross spotter. As with other Codemasters racing games, audio was meticulously recorded from inside and out of each car in the game, capturing isolated tracks of intake, exhaust, turbo/superchargers, transmission, and cabin noise.

Reception

''Dirt Rally 2.0'' received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

Awards

References

External links