Dirt 3 Impressions!

[goh]

Now that I've got everything storted...

Initial impressions are positive. It's like a more refined,polished,tighter Dirt 2. Also more serious. It's not as big of a leap so the wow factor isn't particularly there but if you liked Dirt 2 you should like this,if you didn't because of the X-Games type attitude you'll probably like this.

Some more pics to share:





One in game without the replay letter boxing...



Then I figured out pressing back removed the controls/youtube thing...





They really don't do the game justice but it might be an image quality thing. ENB doesn't work with DX11 so I had to prtscn and paste them in GIMP and made them PNG's.

[VDusen04]

Thanks for all that, good sir. I would welcome more impressions as they come. I am planning on picking this thing up later this afternoon.

[bluengold34_OS]

Well after playing Dirt 2 as late as last night online(pc), I can honestly say that I am impressed so far overall. The control's seem tighter and a bit more responsive(not that Dirt 2 control scheme was bad) and the physics of the game seem spot on.

Graphically, the game is a stunner to me. I am playing on the PC, and the car models are rendered beautifully, and the environment is vibrant and organic. The snow kick-up in Aspen is awesome, and damage model seems to go a bit deeper than it's predecessor.

The one area that I am a bit disappointed with is the menu system. Although it's cleaner and more streamlined than other CM titles, it seems(initial impression) a bit harder to navigate this time around. This could also just be a simple case of being used to the old menu system Codies always offers, and time may tell a different story.

I enjoy the fact that in the "Dirt Tour" mode, you now feel like you have a team of assistants helping you through your career, as opposed to the likes of a Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, or Dave Mirra. Instead of random congratulatory jargon, you feel like what is being said, is direct result of what happened on the track. It's not a huge difference, but a welcomed one. I always found it odd that the group you just traded paint with, is the same group that congratulates after the win...............

I need to spend a lot more time with the title before I pump out my OS review, but in the few hours I have spent with Dirt 3, I can honestly say that I am really impressed so far. As GOH had mentioned previously, it's not a huge step forward in the series, but it's a positive step none the less.

[shon]

The game unlocked at 11pm Central on Steam so I stayed up way to late driving until the wee hours. The graphics are amazing and the damage model on the cars is the best of any racing game as you will see tires falling off and pieces of your car on the track from the last lap. In snow events you will see icicles forming on the bottom of your car. I think this is new, when you fly off the track it will go into slow motion and show more of the crash instead of instantly resetting you and it will show your impact speed which is a nice touch.

I'm playing on the PC at 1080P with everything maxed out and it runs smooth and looks wonderful. The sound is great as well, the only problem is that I have to crank up my receiver even though the settings in the game are at 100%, the overall volume is very low.

I play with a G27 Racing wheel and it supports every button so that is nice.
The car handling feels tighter this time around and you can feel the power of the different cars especially those used in Gymkhana so if you are heavy on the accelerator you will spin out like crazy.

The only thing I don't like is the voice over's in the menus as they are annoying, there are multiple people talking and each one of them is goofy. I'm not sure how that got through QA, I guess they are trying to reach new audiences but give me the option to turn them off.



Multiplayer

Even at 1 in the morning there were people to play against. I found a match with 5 other drivers and we played in the party modes that takes place in different arenas. We played capture the flag which had us crashing all over the place. We also played infection where one of the cars is infected and you have to drive around without being hit by an infected car. People were crashing and sliding everywhere in one match all five of us went off the side of a dock and crashed into the water.

[bluengold34_OS]

Just a little test video uploaded to YouTube straight from in-game.

[LionsFanNJ]

^ man that looks so awesome. Can't wait until i get off work tonight to throw it in the PS3 (alas, my crap PC's can't play it). The last DiRT i payed was 1 so this is going to be a big leap into this one.

[goh]

Quote: Originally Posted by bluengold34_OS

I enjoy the fact that in the "Dirt Tour" mode, you now feel like you have a team of assistants helping you through your career, as opposed to the likes of a Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, or Dave Mirra. Instead of random congratulatory jargon, you feel like what is being said, is direct result of what happened on the track.

It seems to actually carry over as well. I had a clean race the first time I did a track and the next time there he said something like "there wasn't a scratch on your car the last time you were here,this should be no problem" so it's not just after the race.

Nabbed a pic in the actual rain instead of just wet conditions:

[bluengold34_OS]

Beautiful pic Goh..............^^ The graphics truly are stunning. We just ran the Race 07(WTCC10) and while that is a really nice looking game itself, Dirt 3 makes it look almost ps2ish(almost)

[humaca80]

Which console should I pick this up on the PS3 or 360? Any suggestions?

[bluengold34_OS]

Quote: Originally Posted by humaca80

Which console should I pick this up on the PS3 or 360? Any suggestions?

I assume that PC is not an option here, and if that is the case......

I would go 360, because IMO, I think the 360 controller is far better suited for this game, then the DS3. I own a 360, a PS3, and a gaming computer.....and have no bias towards any system.