Review
Played on: Xbox Series X
Released: 2020
Released: 2020
Introduction
The Dirt franchise from Codemasters has been popular since it's beginnings in 2007, albeit it has become confusing to follow. The thing to remember is that the main Dirt series, of which Dirt 5 is the newest instalment, is an accessible and arcade styled approach to off-road racing. While Dirt Rally is the hardcore and realistic rally experience series. However, confusingly Dirt 4 was more realism shifted in style. Luckily, Dirt 5 sees the series going back to the style of Dirt 2, as a pure arcade off-road racer.
Both visually and artistically, Dirt 5 seems inspired by Codemasters' own OnRush, which I reviewed here. Not surprisingly, it's based on that same impressive game engine and visual design. The focus on extreme weather sees a welcome return and is a clear nod to OnRush. Heavy usage of vibrant and strong contrast colours alike.
Let's take a look at Dirt 5 finding it's way back to arcade rally.
Race winnings earns you cash for new cars, sadly I never found the cars having much difference in handling though. As such, the default car is often good enough for a win. A little more realism into the handling would've been welcome.
The main structure is simple, and once you have reached the end of the branching tree of events, you're very much done. Having far from the long lifespan of massive racers like the Forza Horizon titles.
There are some special events, where you face one-to-one with certain race drivers, but this shows no progress and thus feels meaningless. An arcade mode lets you choose track and car type by yourself, tweaking the weather to your liking. Multiplayer is of course probably a popular choice, although I have not tested this for the review.
Perhaps Dirt 5's weakest point is it's depth when considering the driving physics, while aiming at an accessible way for most players to enjoy a rough race in muddy terrain and harsh weather, it all feels very alike and shallow over time. Sure, there are a lot of car classes to choose from and the controls are precise and responsive, but everything handles pretty much the same.
Simply put, you choose the car that visually strikes you the most and and don't worry about the specs. Sadly, various types of road surfaces just all feel too similar and the challenge of handling them falls a bit flat.
Don't get me wrong, there's a ton of visual feedback in road surface and effects thrown around like dirt and mud, although weirdly rain goes through bridges and roofs. But it becomes apparent that the variation in tracks, weather and surfaces is about the visual variety, not actually bringing a unique challenge of driving and mastering them.
So, it's fault is not the lack of content or visual feedback, it's about how the game handles and challenges your driving abilities.
It's pretty for sure, especially when the combination of nature, weather and lighting all hit a sweet spot of reflections, colourful sunsets and mud thrown around. I like the sheer variation they utilise, with fast changing weather and daytime cycle, to create visual diversity and lovely lighting to eack racetrack, even within one single race. However, I wouldn't call it revolutionary visually.
On the Xbox Series X version, I tested, there are a few different graphics settings to choose from. One for the most stable framerate, go for this one, another for prettier visuals, with drops in the framerate and lastly a 120fps mode. The latter was a bit rough visually to my eyes, dropping a lot of effects and resolution. That said, it's really neat they included a 120fps mode, it's the first racer I've played at this framerate!
Overall, it's nice visual package that captures the nature surrounding the racetracks and lighting nicely, with some bland misses here and there too.
Music selection sounds modern and cool, with transitions between parts of a song to match loading screens, menus and races. Default the game uses what is calls 3D audio for the music, thus capturing the feeling of the music being played at the festival venues alongside the racetrack, choosing 2D will just play the music evenly wherever you race, the typical background music you're used to. Use 3D if you have a surround setup, otherwise use 2D.
Both visually and artistically, Dirt 5 seems inspired by Codemasters' own OnRush, which I reviewed here. Not surprisingly, it's based on that same impressive game engine and visual design. The focus on extreme weather sees a welcome return and is a clear nod to OnRush. Heavy usage of vibrant and strong contrast colours alike.
Let's take a look at Dirt 5 finding it's way back to arcade rally.
Premise
The campaign is set around a tour event, here you recieve stars for completed races, unlocking further into a progress tree. Race types and circuits, in various world locations, are set for each event. Forcing the player to try all race and car types. You can partially avoid some, if you struggle with certain events, but it's a fun way to keep it fresh.Race winnings earns you cash for new cars, sadly I never found the cars having much difference in handling though. As such, the default car is often good enough for a win. A little more realism into the handling would've been welcome.
The main structure is simple, and once you have reached the end of the branching tree of events, you're very much done. Having far from the long lifespan of massive racers like the Forza Horizon titles.
There are some special events, where you face one-to-one with certain race drivers, but this shows no progress and thus feels meaningless. An arcade mode lets you choose track and car type by yourself, tweaking the weather to your liking. Multiplayer is of course probably a popular choice, although I have not tested this for the review.
Gameplay and features
It's quite obvious this is an arcade affair from the get go. It's about throwing your noisy, off-road vehicle sideways into mud, gravel and dust. Desperately keeping it on the road and speeding ahead. A fun way to race and a nostalgic feeling for an older gamer like me, bringing back memories of timeless classics like Sega Rally.Perhaps Dirt 5's weakest point is it's depth when considering the driving physics, while aiming at an accessible way for most players to enjoy a rough race in muddy terrain and harsh weather, it all feels very alike and shallow over time. Sure, there are a lot of car classes to choose from and the controls are precise and responsive, but everything handles pretty much the same.
Simply put, you choose the car that visually strikes you the most and and don't worry about the specs. Sadly, various types of road surfaces just all feel too similar and the challenge of handling them falls a bit flat.
Don't get me wrong, there's a ton of visual feedback in road surface and effects thrown around like dirt and mud, although weirdly rain goes through bridges and roofs. But it becomes apparent that the variation in tracks, weather and surfaces is about the visual variety, not actually bringing a unique challenge of driving and mastering them.
So, it's fault is not the lack of content or visual feedback, it's about how the game handles and challenges your driving abilities.
Video
Dirt 5 is more impressive to see in motion compared to pictures, positioning itself as the first true, new generation, racer. A position that perhaps sets a visual bar higher in expectation than it deserves.It's pretty for sure, especially when the combination of nature, weather and lighting all hit a sweet spot of reflections, colourful sunsets and mud thrown around. I like the sheer variation they utilise, with fast changing weather and daytime cycle, to create visual diversity and lovely lighting to eack racetrack, even within one single race. However, I wouldn't call it revolutionary visually.
On the Xbox Series X version, I tested, there are a few different graphics settings to choose from. One for the most stable framerate, go for this one, another for prettier visuals, with drops in the framerate and lastly a 120fps mode. The latter was a bit rough visually to my eyes, dropping a lot of effects and resolution. That said, it's really neat they included a 120fps mode, it's the first racer I've played at this framerate!
Overall, it's nice visual package that captures the nature surrounding the racetracks and lighting nicely, with some bland misses here and there too.
Audio
As usual, Codemasters have made the cars rich and varied in their sounds. Turbos whistle, exhaust pipes crackle on gear shifts and mud surfaces make satisfying slushy noises. It's made to sound a little exaggerated, going hand in hand with it's over-the-top races and colourful visuals, coming off in a satisfying audiovisual way.Music selection sounds modern and cool, with transitions between parts of a song to match loading screens, menus and races. Default the game uses what is calls 3D audio for the music, thus capturing the feeling of the music being played at the festival venues alongside the racetrack, choosing 2D will just play the music evenly wherever you race, the typical background music you're used to. Use 3D if you have a surround setup, otherwise use 2D.
Summary
Hopefully, the main Dirt series has found its style in this release, focusing on an arcade approach and keeping the realism to the Dirt Rally series. That doesn't mean, though, that it can't have more depth and skills required to pushing players into learning and tackling the off-road surfaces.My last impression is two sided, I can complain that it isn't pushing player skills in any way, with none of the surfaces and cars feeling distinctly different. On the other hand, I had a ton of fun throwing high powered cars around off-road. It's an easy to pick up racer and it looks great. Take from that, what suits you own preferences.
