31.12.2011

I jointly bought this with my 11 year-old son, and we both love it. We had previously enjoyed Forza Motorsport 3 and this is a similar offering in terms of driving.The simulations seem very good to us, although we are not hardcore gamers and mainly drive in the fully automatic easiest mode. In this mode it is a bit too easy to win so you can start turning off the assists until it gets hard enough to be real fun.If you are an occasional gamer who drives with assists, the "gymkhana" style events will really challenge you. The main driving assists are turned off in these events, so you are forced to drive for real (although you can still get some assistance).This is great because it forces you to play the game properly instead of leaving everything on auto. But some of the events are really hard (especially the sprints where you have to hit a number of tricks in 50 seconds or less). You can end up completing everything else including the gymkhana events, but not being able to complete the sprints. Then it's hours of trying over and over again just to scrape a bronze and complete the series. Maybe I just need to practice more.The game can be completed relatively quickly, culminating in the grand final super series, after which you get some fireworks and get to see the credits. I did it in about 200 races although you could do it in less if you move to each final as soon as it's unlocked. There are also the smaller single-format competitions, for example just rallying or just motor cross, but with the occasional dreaded gymkhana sprint stuck in for no reason other than to make it hard to complete.When you've "finished" the game you'll still find you've only got about 1/3 of the achievements, so there is lots of going back and "filling in" to try to get them all. This also encourages you to go onto Xbox live and play with other people, which I'm only just doing now.One great feature is the Battersea compound, with a freely explorable game area where you can drive around, and complete challenges. This is a great place to mess about and practice car control between races, and is a favourite with my younger 8-year old son.Generally, the damage is well represented and sometimes amusing, and the weather and surface variations are nicely done, as is the night time headlight illumination. The music is good although with a limited number of tunes, it gets a bit repetitive. The style and layout of the game menus (mainly triangles) is very good.My only gripes are :1) Some of the challenges are just really excessively and frustratingly difficult, but that's maybe because I'm an old fogey2) In the circuit racing formats (e.g. Motor Cross), the other AI cars have pretty basic behaviour. For example they will drive straight into you to stay on the racing line. The AIs in Forza 3 are much more intelligent. This is annoying as sometimes the challenge is to finish without damage, and then they all just ram you.3) To complete all the achievements you need to buy a lot of add-on content. If you buy it all, it more than doubles the cost of the game. I would buy the extra tracks (Monte Carlo, Japan) but not bother with the extra car packs, as you get great cars in the basic game.4) You can hit the highest driver reputation level (30) way before the game ends, meaning you're earning reputation points for nothing at the end.5) Like all Xbox driving games, if you don't have a steering wheel controller, you might struggle. But it can be done with practice.6) Some of the writing is so small that you will struggle if you don't have a reasonable telly and an HDMI connection.Overall, recommended.

29.5.2011

After the heavy focus on American Motorsports in the previous game.. Dirt 3 keeps it real and brings back the spirit of Rally and keeps the Colin Mcrae ethos.. 'When in doubt.. flat out"You can tell Codemasters have made a concious effort to shift this game more aching to the original Dirt title.. from the music, the menu's to the large collection of Rally related events.The Dirt tour consists of four seasons... each containing a variety of race-types including Rally, Rally Cross, Trailblazer, Head2Head and the new event: Gymkhana. Landrush takes a back-seat this time however. There is a level up-system in the form of reputation.Every race you compete in gives you rep points and Racing company's will approach you depending on your reputation and offer you a chance to drive for them and gives you access to more cars. As you progress through the tour it becomes more challenging and several events give you the option to choose cars from different era's such as the 70's and 80's. There are lots of different cars but to be honest there is very little difference in performance and handling of the cars. Some however are more noticeable than others.Gymkhana really makes this game! Its Freestyle and creative which involves using your skills to drift, spin and circle around obstacles. Its great fun and it can be a real challenge to get the platinum medals. The idea is to string moves together to get the points racking up. This game mode has kept me hooked for hours so far. There is a free-play area for this game-type as well to practise and hone in on your skills - In addition there is a list of "missions" for you to keep yourself busy with such as "Spin around the digger twice" or "Drift under the trucks".The great thing about the dirt series.. anyone can play it. You can make it as hard or easy as you like. In Dirt 3 at the start of every race you can tweak a variety of car assists and A.I difficulty without sacrificing any rewards you get in the game. So you can make it hardcore.. no drive assists make the A.I brutal and fix to the cockpit view or you can whack all the assists on and casually play it for fun and enjoy the atmosphere and environments !The graphics are superb and the addition of whether effects is a great bonus. Rain and snow splash onto the game camera and adds extra dimensions to the locations and it can really effect your handling. The only gripe is some of the lesser known cars have poorer textures but really you don't notice it when your actually driving. The whole game is a visual treat!I've been unable to cover the multiplayer side of the game due to the PSN issues but I've heard good things about it. Capture the flag and the zombie tag modes look especially fun !A few downsides to this fantastic title is the loading screens between each race are a tad on the longside. In Dirt 2 during the loading screens it would display random stats of your driving career to keep you distracted but oddly Dirt 3 doesn't provide this. So the loading screens become more apparent. Also a number of in-game voices give you advice and keep you up to date with events but its a bit pointless and doesn't provide much to the game.Overall this is a fantastic addition to the Dirt series and keeps it real by bringing Rally into the spotlight once again. At the same time its innovative enough to mark its name with the addition of Gymkhana. While in previous titles it could become repetitive this game provides so much variety its hard to get bored with it!

9.6.2011

Codemasters don't make life easy for themeselves. Producing amazing titles like Race Driver: GRID and the DiRT series only raises the bar higher each and every time. DiRT 3 definetly surpasses it's predesessors; but only just.First off, whereas Dirt 2 was heavily critised for being too "Americanised" and having a "gnarly dude" kind of attitude, Dirt 3 is quick to counter that from the off. The focus instead is a lot darker, murkier and grittier with Rally being staged on the plains of Kenya and through the forests of Finland. There are still events (such as Rally Cross and Gymkhana) that are held in large sprawling stadiums and Dirt 3 I think has found a good balance between the two.Also,the 2nd entry was critised with having too little Rally content for an actual Rally game with disiplines like LandRush and Raid. This time out these disiplines take more of a backseat and yet it still feels like they are overused. Don't get me wrong variety is brilliant but I felt that I wasn't racing in these events because I wanted to but more because I had to.The Rally content has been increased and this is a very good thing. With the ability to drive today's WRC cars (Ford's and Citreon's) to classic rally cars like the Audi Quattro and the Mini Cooper, there is a lot to enjoy here.One thing Dirt 3 has definetly achieved (and brilliantly) is the "just one more go" factor in it's Gymkhana events. The inclusion of these events has been a big selling point for the game, and rightly so, as they are brilliantly fun. For those of you who don't know, the Gymkhana events require players to master skills such as Drifting, pulling Donuts and catching Air in order to string together combo scores (almost like a Tony Hawk kind of skating thing but in a car)It is hugely addictive, thrilling and rewarding.Dirt 3's highlight is the free-roam Gymkhana practice playground around Battersea Power Station. Here you hone your skills by racing through pipes and over jumps and so on. As I mentioned earlier the "just one more go" factor is perfectlu nailed and it is most evident in this feature. It's surprising how much you want to unlock that one misson or objective and how satisfying it is to find all the hidden packages dottted around and so on.Visually, Dirt 3 is a lot grimmer and darker than No. 2 and whether that is an improvement is up for debate. There is however no doubting that the weather effects are stunning (such as the heavy rain and snow)One con I'd like to draw attention to is the car/liverey system. As you earn reputation and unlock liveries it's all very well BUT these liveries are for one car in each class. Not every car as thought. Wanna race the Ford Fiesta in that new BP Ulimate livery? Tough, you can only do it in four or five, not the 20+ the game includes. Got an offer from Falken Tire Racing? That means you'll HAVE to drive the Subaru, not the Mitsubishi like you wanted. It's a little thing but it's a let down none-the-less.Lastly, I'd like to whinge about the in-game menu's. BORING. I mean WOW, you'll be seeing a lot of triangles in this game they are everywhere.Overall there is a lot to love about Dirt 3. It's gripping, thrilling, great in length (the Dirt Tour Career Mode is more than enough to keep you occupied)It's fun and balanced and varied. It has it's little niggles that annoy but they can be overlooked by the sheer entertainment it brings.

25.5.2011

So I'll start by saying I was a massive fan of Dirt 2. Unlike almost every other racing game I have played, it didn't become unplayable as you rose through the ranks and the cars got faster. The tracks didn't become so difficult to navigate you couldn't enjoy them, and the AI remained fair and balanced throughout. Dirt 2 is one of only two games I have achieved a Platinum trophy on. I loved it through and through.So my hopes for Dirt 3 were huge. I wanted more of everything and to have everything finessed to perfection. Codies have such pedigree with games I was almost drooling with anticipation!Enter Dirt 3, then, after what seems like an eternity of waiting.I plug in my DFGT wheel and steady myself...GRAPHICS: They're nothing short of astounding. Not just because they look pretty - and my goodness they look pretty - but because everything that should collapse when you drive into it collapses. Water flows and splashed like real water, snow like real snow. The cars take damage so realistically it puts all other racers to shame and the whole look of the game is just sublime. I have to mention the lighting in this game too, as they've turned everything down to a more realistic level, giving each track its own personality. The overcast skies of Finland and the burning red sunsets of Kenya. It's almost enough to put you off as you barrel down a narrow, winding road at 120mph.HANDLING: So I played Dirt 2 to death, I've learned a lot. I crank Dirt 3 up to Advanced where all assists are off and the AI has one thing on its mind... winning. I tried this in other racers (notably NFS: Shift) and laughed at how poorly the cars handled and how aggressive the AI became. No so in Dirt 3. These are professional rally cars and they handle wonderfully with or without assists. The assists are there if you need them, but they're not there to fix poor handling issues. The cars in Dirt 3 are fast, agile and above all predictable. My first race I came last. Second attempt, last again. Then sixth. Then fourth. Then after some effort, first place. Each time I felt I wasn't turning early enough, or late enough, or I didn't approach the corner properly, braked too hard or too late - basically it was my fault I wasn't finishing in first place, not the car's. As I practised I better understood the weight of the car, how it reacted when I threw it into reverse lock, accelerating out of trouble. It's absolutely wonderfull straight out of the box. I haven't needed to changed the wheel options at all.PRESENTATION: I loved Dirt 2's presentation so I'm a little sad to see a menu system more like GRID than Dirt 2. Still, it has all the bells and whistles and is very easy to navigate. Back are the nicknames and first names (if you have a common name it will call you by name "Hello Matt"). The voice acting is a little dry, but it's nice to have and keeps everything flowing together nicely.Right, that's enough. There's so much more I could say about this game, but these are the important things for me. Handling and looks. It scores a solid 10/10 for both from me. I can't wait to get back behind the wheel.

25.7.2011

For me Dirt 1 was excellent but Dirt 2 was a step backwards now Dirt 3 has taken a big leap forwards in the right direction.Rallying:This is what I like most about Dirt 3 is it actually has more rallying than the last two games. Similar to the rallying in the previous games but theirs more tracks and some are in the snow or at night time.Dirt Tour:This is where you go to do the game and unlock everything. It's a bit annoying having those two commentators talking to you all the time and begging you to upload your lap onto Youtube. I also dislike the whole menu system it's cool at first but seeing the same thing fly about time after time gets annoying.Anyway onto the Dirt Tour basically you do all type of events and work your way up the career ladder to become the best driver in the world.As you move onto the next level the races get harder and harder. The things I disliked about the Dirt Tour is those Ken Block stunt thing smashing gates and doing spins not really my thing but some people will love doing the stunts and stuff.Graphics & Handling:This game is beautifully made with great graphics and detail every single track and car have been carefully made to fit the real thing. The car handling is also realistic however no real change from the previous games but that doesn't matter because they have it spot on anyway.Multiplayer:Improvements have been made here. I can get into games quicker than the previous one. Just like Dirt 2 you earn XP and level up online as well. I am in a clan and every week we meet up on Dirt 3 to race it's great fun however we noticed you can only get 8 people into the lobby this isn't great for big clans or a large bunch of friends to meet up online. Another great thing added to Dirt 3 is games. One is called 'Outbreak' basically someone is randomly infected and you have to hit every single car and infect them all. Their are a few other type of games and there all fun.Good:Graphics and Detail.More rallying.Improvements to multiplayer.More tracks.Snow and night time added.Updated cars.Bad:Over done menu system.Annoying commentators on dirt tour.Some cars that came with the game in Dirt 1 and 2 you have to buy off the PSN store to get them in Dirt 3.Only 8 people in one lobby online.Lap record ghosts are obviously been hacked I downloaded a lap record ghost I could see the car and they stopped then disappeared then reappear near the finish and their time is 20 seconds or something quicker than the guy who has the real quickest more realistic record lap. I wish Codemasters would delete these times.Overall:I love it how they have added more tracks and concentrated on bringing rallying back to where it should be with night time added and snow tracks as well. A great game with excellent graphics and detail with online more to offer than ever before.

21.6.2011

Just a short review iv decided to do, partly because i cant believe some of the rubbish iv read written about this game.Some reviewers seem VERY upset that this is NOT a Colin McRae Rally game and have given it scores of 1 or 2 out of 5 because of this. I can only assume that these people can not read, as the title of the game is in large letters(and a number) on the front. If anyone has bought this wanting a 100% point to point Rally game then they clearly havn't thought about it very much and are now blaming the game.Dirt 3 is a collection of several different off-road styles-Rally X- where you are racing on the same track and at the same time as 7 other cars.Rally- Point to point races where the best time wins.Trailblazer- Point to point races in more powerful vehicles on faster,

3.8.2011

I was always an fps kinda guy, but recently I have found them to be repetitive and slightly boring. I picked this up as a kind of filler on the half chance of it being decent. Really fun game. Thoroughly enjoyed every moment.Sound:The sound in the game is fantastic from the sound of the engine to the gravel or snow beneath the wheels.Gameplay:I'd recommend not starting on the easiest difficulty as it does pretty much all the work for you. Set it up and see how you go and as you get better increase the difficulty. The ai seem decent enough. One thing that annoyed me was the guy sitting next to you giving directions. Every so often I'd get an "easy left" call out only to find a hairpin right.However, this was easily fixed with the rewind feature which is pretty cool. There's really something for everyone in the game. From gymkhana to rally to trailblazer. What makes this game so fun is the fact that you can drive the same course 4 or 5 times and not get sick of it at all. The difference between driving on dry gravel and driving on snow is huge. Much easier to spin out on snow. The rain effects in the game are beautiful, it really does make you want to slow down.Graphics:While the crowd at the races are ugly to look at the cars, weather and different terrain are all beautiful. The sunset during one of the Kenyan rallies was personally my favourite. Everything in the game looks fantastic especially the flurries created when racing through the snow that make you drive kind of blind.Multiplayer:I haven't played much multiplayer as of yet. There is a progressive ranking system along with all the different modes from single player. There is also a hardcore mode for people who like to race with no assists (this is really helpful as in core mode you can set assists to whatever you want which I found annoying.) *Having no assists does not mean you will be racing manually*. As well as all the single player modes like rally and trailblazer, multiplayer also offers some not so serious modes like a capture the flag based game.Verdict:This I think is one of those you either love it or hate it games. Don't think that because your an fps or rpg fan you wont like this. If your not sure give it a rent. What I will say is that while it is a fantastic game I do have a few gripes with the developers. Some of my favourite cars had to be purchased off xbl. There are quite a few cars and tracks that are only available through purchase which, at first, I though "oh ok its not too bad" but now looking at it its kind of annoying. I spent 480 points I think it was on the mud and guts car pack which only had 5 cars in it. I wouldn't have minded spending a few more points on a whole new event but all in all a very worthwhile and fun game.

23.6.2011

Dirt 3 isn't revolutionary in any way, but it is a fantastically fun and drop dead gorgeous game.Let me start with the graphics, they are just simply beautiful. This game really needs to be played on a 1080p setup, preferably on an LED. There is a certain artistic style with Codemasters games that sets it apart from the rest of the pack and it works very well indeed. There are a quite a few and highly varied weather effects to choose from: Morning sun, Evening sun, Wet, Rainy, Snow and Night. Each of the weather types look stunning.Next is gameplay. Now Dirt 3 is an interesting game. It isn't a sim like Forza and GT5 by any means, but neither is it arcady like NFS. It sits pretty much bang in the middle.

21.7.2011

I am a big rally game fan and have followed the DiRT series from the start and I can say, this is by far the best in every way.The graphics are mind blowing in Full HD, that accompanied with the superb sounds of the game make it an absolute pleasure to play. Even navigating the menus is a delight!The "DiRT Tour" which is the main part of the game is nice and long, featuring an assortment of events including; Rally, Trail Blazer, Land Rush, Gymkhana, Rally X and Head2Head.In this game they have really pushed the new Gymkhana mode, which has blown up in recent years due to Ken Block (Search YouTube for Ken Block Gymkhana, what it is basically is Free-Ride mode in which you are in a car park with various obstacles smash,

15.7.2011

After having previously owned dirt 2 I did't think they could do more other than new tracks and cars. But dirt 3's online has so many hilarious games.Cat n Mouse - where you are a team with others and one car is a mini and the others are rally cars like an audi quattro which are much quicker. And the idea is that whose ever mini crosses the line first, that team win. Very fun and very tactical as me and my m8 have a right laugh deciding on tactics.Also outbreak - where one car is infected as the rest have to run away and not get hit around an arena. All you have to do is not get hit and if you do you just join the infected car chasing the rest.

24.5.2011

After playing Dirt 2 for 30+ hours i was really looking forward to dirt 3. There wasn't much hype so i wasn't sure what to make of it but after receiving it yesterday and having played it now for 4 hours i am very impressed. First to start off with the gameplay:GAMEPLAY: 9.5/10The handling of the cars are solid and alot better than other titles this year e.g. shift 2. The variety of events, from rally to Gymkhana, are a lot of fun. I am very pleased that it has focused alot on the rally events as that was after all the place where Colin Mcrae became a household name. From dirt tracks to snow tracks the game is consistent in handling and the overall fun of each type of event.

24.5.2011

After playing dirt 2 for 30+ hours i was really looking forward to dirt 3. There wasn't much hype so i wasn't sure what to make of it but after receiving it yesterday and having played it now for 4 hours i am very impressed. First to start off with the gameplay:GAMEPLAY: 9.5/10The handling of the cars are solid and alot better than other titles this year e.g. shift 2. The variety of events, from rally to Gymkhana, are a lot of fun. I am very pleased that it has focused alot on the rally events as that was after all the place where Colin Mcrae became a household name. From dirt tracks to snow tracks the game is consistent in handling and the overall fun of each type of event.

17.8.2011

I have played recent games before Dirt 3 such as Gran Turismo 5 and Shift 2 and found them not to be as good as they hyped up. Gran Turismo 5 had incredible detail but was very boring at times and repetitive whilst Shift 2 had a great collection of cars (huge fan of FIA GT1 and GT3) but too aggressive and the handling was quite annoying at times. However, I think Dirt 3 is one of the best racing games this year.Positives+ Excellent choice of cars and tracks. Something for everyone and much better choice than Dirt 2 (especially the cars!).+ Menu is modern and sleek.+ Graphics are really good.+ Sound of the cars are spot on, much better than Gran Turismo 5.

11.6.2011

Firstly, I'd like to point out that this game is NOT for simulator enthusiasts.Now I'll get into the review;Although I have only owned this game for a few hours, I am enjoying immensely. Its engaging yet challenging at the same time, putting your damage to full instead of visual only can end your race with one small mistake.There's a good variation of camera angles, the cockpit camera is challenging at most.Online.This game is incredibly fun online, besides the normal modes featured in pro tour mode, like rally etc. there's also a few more enjoyable ones in the Jam Session mode;Outbreak - One car starts off as the infected in Battersea Power Station,

31.5.2011

Ive always found the Dirt games to be filled with, un wanted race formulas like the dakar runs and stuff like that, and not having much of the real stuff like rallying. But having played the game for a while, its been great fun!! The rallying and Rally cross are superb, i traded in WRC 2010 (handling okay but very sterile and career long winded gfx very poor) for this , although Dirt hasn't the licenses it makes up for it in handling and intense edge of your seat feeling, of rallying. The other modes landrush is basically stadium truck racing which is pretty intense too. Theres also the odd drift event and the Gymkhana events. I cant see the gymhkana events being any more annoying then the drift events in shift!!

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