Developer Codemasters first released its first rally simulator Colin McRae Rally or CMR in 1998, which received a lot of positive reviews for its realism. The game features 14 cars and eight tracks in New Zealand, Greece, Monaco and Australia. In 2000, a new version of Colin McRae Rally 2.0 was released, in which graphics, cars and tracks were updated. A new arcade mode has also been added. Colin McRae Rally 3 was released in 2002, followed by Colin McRae Rally 04 in 2003. Codemasters did not stop there, the CMR franchise was replenished with nine more games.
The new part of DiRT 5 is still in development. The official release on October 9 is still a long way off, but Codemasters have already provided us with a demo version of DiRT 5. And we decided to share our impressions with the readers.
The demo version of the game is limited in functionality, but there are four different tracks available: Henningswehr (Norway), Xiaomo Run (China), Tijuca Forest (Brazil) and East Mitten remnant in Arizona. A suitable car should be selected depending on the chosen route.
Except for the sprint in Arizona, only the “Jupiter Hawk 410” was available. Since we are facing a total of eleven opponents, many of them choose the same vehicles.
On the Xiaomo Run track, eight have chosen the Laffite / G-Tec X-Road and three Volkswagen Race Touareg 3. However, in the full game, rivals will have a larger selection of cars. In any case, the winner is determined not so much by the car model as by the driving skills. We have been playing the CMR series since the first games, so we have a lot of experience.
When you are driving, only one thing is important: how convenient is it to drive a car on the track? If the controls are inconvenient, then the game can hardly be considered successful. In the demo version, the Codemasters developers have already implemented the full driving dynamics of DiRT 5, the car behaves very realistically.
In collisions with opponents’ cars and objects of the environment, subtle details have not yet been added, but in general, a lot of the final game has already been implemented. Driving the Jupiter Hawk 410 is not always easy, here you sometimes have to rely on instincts to stay on track. In the DiRT 5 demo, dust is already visible on the car body, but the damage in a rear collision, for example, has not yet been realized.
The demo version has already added different weather conditions on the track. Depending on the type of track, you will have to pass it in bright sunlight or on a thin snow cover. There is a change of day and night. However, if the route was started in the afternoon on a sunny day, this does not mean at all that it will go like this. The weather changes dynamically, which brings variety. You won’t be bored.
DiRT 5 is easy to play on the keyboard, which hardcore PC fans will surely prefer, but for beginners it is probably easier to use a gamepad. In addition, you can choose a camera perspective, multiple cockpit views, or a third-person view. The final version will add a split screen mode for up to four players. It will also be available in the solo campaign.
Career mode is completely absent from the demo, but a number of celebrities are expected to appear in the final game of DiRT 5. The opponent will be voiced by Nolan North (Assassin’s Creed), and the mentor will be Troy Baker (The Last of Us).
In total, the career will be divided into five chapters. In them, the gamer will have to go through various events, but there will be a choice between several. Successful completion does not play a significant role. Of course, it is best to come to the finish line first, but the main thing is participation.
In addition to individual races, gamers in DiRT 5 will have to complete tasks from twenty sponsors. New campaign details will be revealed in August, Codemasters reported.
We were able to get acquainted only with the demo version of DiRT 5, but already from it it is clear that the new part of the franchise will become even more beautiful in terms of graphics. The sound design can also be attributed to the advantages, it perfectly complements the overall atmosphere of the game. The demo version still looks more like arcade racing than a realistic car simulator, but the developers will certainly change the balance before the final version of the game is released in October 2020.
The demo version clearly shows the potential for dynamic change of day and night, as well as weather conditions. Driving style will have to be changed right on the track due to reduced visibility and other circumstances. Let’s see how all this will look in the final version of the game.
The demo version of DiRT 5 only opened the veil of secrecy over the upcoming game, so expectations from the final version are very high. There are already signs that we will have a new game hit in October 2020, DiRT 5 is quite capable of becoming a new classic.
