Dirt 2 - worth it for $20?

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WabeWalker

Supreme [H]ardness
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Dirt 2 (which is on sale at Steam this weekend for 50% off) would've been a day one for me - but the demo left me cold.

I thought it was basically Dirt 1 all over again, which wouldn't necessarily have been a bad thing, except I found out that in Dirt 2 there would be even fewer rally races than there were in the original game, which itself had too few rally races for my liking. Also, the Dirt engine, whatever it is, seems to suffer from having a kind of filter over top of it, which makes the game look extremely fuzzy - it's just not a sharp looking game.

But I have to say, I actually did finish the original game - rare for me.

Thoughts or opinions? Did anybody here think that this game just plain sucked?

Also, to start up a second discussion here - aren't these Steam sales possibly going to destroy retail? I mean, it's only been a little over a month since Dirt 2 was released, and already it's basically in the digital bargain-bin. I like it that I can get a deal like this, but I also like being able to walk into the store on release day and buy a boxed copy. If these sales continue then it's going to become just plain silly to buy anything on release day, meaning that nobody is going to buy from the stores anymore, meaning that eventually the stores will just stop selling this product since they can't compete.

Thoughts or opinions on that?
 
There's a ton of races if that's what you're concerned about. But like most other racing games out there they'll recycles tracks (or parts of tracks) just to give more races. It's an enjoyable game overall. I definitely found it very fun. The graphics are probably the best I've seen in a racing game to date.
 
Intel_Hydralisk said:
There's a ton of races if that's what you're concerned about. But like most other racing games out there they'll recycles tracks (or parts of tracks) just to give more races. It's an enjoyable game overall. I definitely found it very fun. The graphics are probably the best I've seen in a racing game to date.
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Then you need to buy Shift.
 
If Shift is better than Dirt2, then I think I'll pass. Shift was a big disappointment for me, although I only played the demo. That was enough for me. I don't know how anyone could remotely say it was realistic.
 
htpc_user said:
If Shift is better than Dirt2, then I think I'll pass. Shift was a big disappointment for me, although I only played the demo. That was enough for me. I don't know how anyone could remotely say it was realistic.
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Shift is at its very best when all the assists are turned off, and when you're racing with Tier One Cars (basically, the types of cars we drive to work) at stock settings. I've spent hours racing at Luguna Seca alone - it's a sublime experience.

Realistic? Shift wasn't meant to be a simulation. But it's not an arcade-fest either. With the assists turned off, and realism cranked up, if you crash into the wall then that's it, you're out.
 
Intel_Hydralisk said:
My brother has shift. He's running on a GTX 260 + 3.2 ghz C2D. Still maxed the settings and I found it meh. I liked GRID more than shift.
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I haven't played too much of Shift yet, but the only part of the game that bothers me is that it lacks the rewind feature of Dirt and GRID.

As for Dirt 2, I think if you're a racing fan then you'll enjoy it. $20 is a good price for it.
 
I'd buy it for 20, it's the best racing game I've played last year and I finished the 1st one and enjoyed it but I think the whole package of 2 is all around better than the 1st.
 
Great, just what my wallet needed. This was the one title I didn't buy last year. I was thinking just the other night, that about the only game Steam could offer me right now for a weekend deal would be Dirt 2 or The Saboteur.

Oh well, I'd much rather spend $20 on what is, for all intents and purposes, a brand new game (is a game that's just one month old now considered to be old?), than, say, go to a movie, or buy a new blu ray disc. Games are great value for the money, especially when they're half off only one month after release.
 
I'd say it's worth 20 bucks but i also think the first was miles better than Dirt2. Also, the guy who programmed the menu system in Dirt2 should be thrown into a afghan prison.
 
Worth the $20 fee to get this game. Absolutely amazing game and racing online rocks.
 
ScYcS said:
I'd say it's worth 20 bucks but i also think the first was miles better than Dirt2. Also, the guy who programmed the menu system in Dirt2 should be thrown into a afghan prison.
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I thought that from playing the demo - the menu is too cute for its own good. It's like watching a blu-ray or DVD movie. You have to sit through all these cutesy little menu pop-up animations when all you really want to do is start the damned movie.
 
I bought me a copy now i just need some dx11 video cards hurry up nvidia.

Dirt 2 19.99 USD

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Subtotal 19.99 USD
Tax 0.00 USD
Shipping 0.00 USD

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Total 19.99 USD
 
htpc_user said:
If Shift is better than Dirt2, then I think I'll pass. Shift was a big disappointment for me, although I only played the demo. That was enough for me. I don't know how anyone could remotely say it was realistic.
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Stick with the demo then...they should have named it Need for Speed: Shit

In the past month, I've been through Dirt 2, Burnout Paradise, and NFS: Shift. Hands-down NFS: Shift is the worst of the bunch. It actually gets worse as you progress through the game.
 
Dirt2 is definately worth $20.
I received it as a gift from my wife for Christmas and I think she paid $39.99 for it.
I'm 88% through it. I'm at Level 62 I think. I've really enjoyed it.
I liked Dirt 1 and still have it installed and played it recently.
Some of the tracks seemed longer in Dirt1 but both are quite good.
Unlocking the Colin McRae video tribute in Dirt2 was a surprise for me and was really cool.
That old red Ford of his is one of my favorites in the game- so is the new CMR4 car.

I am still playing Shift too and I think that game is excellent. I'm not going to get into the sim vs arcade thing. Just saying Dirt2 is a lot of fun as is Shift [imo] and you will surely like it, especially for $20
 
I bought it, and now that's pretty much the last game that Steam can offer me.

I bought my Core i7 in March of last year, and had a lot of catching up to do, but now, with the purchase of Dirt 2, I'm pretty much caught up. Now I'll be waiting on the new titles and will be buying them as they get released to market.

Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2, Bad Company 2, Assassin's Creed 2, are all up next. A lot of 2's there.

Gawd... I bought about 50 titles last year. A new one each weekend. Too bad every year couldn't be like that.
 
Mike211 said:
I bought me a copy now i just need some dx11 video cards hurry up nvidia.

Dirt 2 19.99 USD

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Subtotal 19.99 USD
Tax 0.00 USD
Shipping 0.00 USD

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Total 19.99 USD
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That's exactly what I was thinking. Bring on Fermat or Fermi or whatever the hell it's called already.

I need me a DX 11 card.

I'd buy the 5870, but I already have a GTX 275, and I doubt that it would be worth the upgrade. I hope that the new Nvidia card will be the fastest single GPU solution on the market when it releases. I wouldn't mind picking one up in May of this year, since it was in May of last year that I bought my GTX 275.
 
I just got in from work and my download has now commenced! - ah the joys of a new Steam download in progress! Is there anything that's more heart-warming than that!
 
ScYcS said:
I'd say it's worth 20 bucks but i also think the first was miles better than Dirt2. Also, the guy who programmed the menu system in Dirt2 should be thrown into a afghan prison.
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I woulnd't say miles better but I did think Dirt 1 was a bit better. Or it was at least more impressive for the time, I haven't actually played 1 recently to directly compare them.
 
htpc_user said:
If Shift is better than Dirt2, then I think I'll pass. Shift was a big disappointment for me, although I only played the demo. That was enough for me. I don't know how anyone could remotely say it was realistic.
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Dirt 2 IS a better game than Shift, I just personally prefer the car sim style that Shift offers. I'm not a big rally guy myself, but I concede that Dirt 2's graphics/sound/presentation is worlds better than Shift's.

If you like rally games I highly recommend Dirt 2.
 
Anyone have any comments on the multiplayer? Also, what are the modes for multiplayer? I read somewhere that you could do Co-Op (whatever that is supposed to mean in a racing game)...
 
They call it team racing. I think it just groups the points you earn for the race towards your group score.

Kinda like driver's championship and Manufacturer's championship for F1/WRC
 
I got about 50% of the way through the game and havent played it since, about 3 weeks ago. It gets very repetitive, there are tons of races to do but the actual track selection is limited. You end up replaying the same courses over and over again.
 
I can see how track-repetitiveness could be annoying - that said, Dirt 2 seems to be more fun than Dirt in that the game itself is more optimized (it feels a lot smoother) and that the tracks themselves are a lot longer and more interesting.

Me, I say that Dirt 2 is worth it for $20. Maybe not for $40 though. So there are just a few hours left on the sale. Some of you guys might want to consider this one.

(Also, this afternoon, being Sunday, I went online and had no problem connecting into a ranked game. The tracks just kept on changing, and you could stay or leave at your own desire. The races feel much different online because of course real people are much more 'aggressive' than the A.I. drivers, if you understand my meaning.)
 
twest17 said:
I got about 50% of the way through the game and havent played it since, about 3 weeks ago. It gets very repetitive, there are tons of races to do but the actual track selection is limited. You end up replaying the same courses over and over again.
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I have to emphasize this point -- even though I enjoyed Dirt 2, I'm really surprised there are as few tracks as there are, and the only real variety appears to be *slight* track changes or reverse routes. Disappointing.
 
quadnad said:
I have to emphasize this point -- even though I enjoyed Dirt 2, I'm really surprised there are as few tracks as there are, and the only real variety appears to be *slight* track changes or reverse routes. Disappointing.
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And I can't emphasize enough how realistic the tracks are in Shift! The guys who worked on Shift did a marvelous job here. These are easily the best track recreations I've ever seen in a racer.

For the life of me I can't figure out why so many people seem to hate Shift so much (are they judging it based on the demo? - I hated the demo too). It's true that Shift is not a full-on simulation - but the Need For Speed series was never meant to be that.

It's not a simulation and yet it's not an arcade-fest either. It's middle ground. Turn off all the assists and it's an insanely fun game. I also would have to argue that it's the best looking racer as well.
 
WabeWalker said:
And I can't emphasize enough how realistic the tracks are in Shift! The guys who worked on Shift did a marvelous job here. These are easily the best track recreations I've ever seen in a racer.

For the life of me I can't figure out why so many people seem to hate Shift so much (are they judging it based on the demo? - I hated the demo too). It's true that Shift is not a full-on simulation - but the Need For Speed series was never meant to be that.

It's not a simulation and yet it's not an arcade-fest either. It's middle ground. Turn off all the assists and it's an insanely fun game. I also would have to argue that it's the best looking racer as well.
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Shift was meant to be Need for Speed's response to GRID due to a string of bad NFS games overshadowed by GRID.
 
Just played an online match.

I was about to win the race (my first), when what happened - some damned guy ran me off the track, and I ended up in last place. I took his name down, and was so angry that in the next race I just didn't even care about competing in it - all I wanted to do was run XX_I_AM_THE_GREATEST_XX off the track, which I did, thank you very much.

Things degenerated pretty quickly from that point onwards. All races became mostly smash-and-derby contests. I suspect that this is one of the reasons so many of these races, when you join them, seem to be... what's the word I'm looking for here... physical. i.e. you're entering a race in which blood-feuds are still resolving themselves. Gamers aren't 'racing' one another, per say, but, rather, are trying to reclaim their honors from previous races.

Ah, the joys of internet gaming. Makes you feel like you're 16 years old again.
 
Bought this game on Sun. Now i remember why i avoid Codemasters & most "European" type racing games.

The menu system is horrible. You cant even adjust your controller in a main menu, you have to start the race & then set it. Unless i am missing it, the winnings & such are not in dollars. If they give you the option to change from kph to mph, why not currency? In mp, the cars ghost on occassion where you can drive through them. i havent figured out why/what causes that. i think everyone online drives from rear car like a typical arcade racer, so no way to control the realism.

its decent for $20, but it really makes me miss the products from Papyrus. The good racing games have gone from a simulation to now the NFS no use for brakes & drift thru every corner style of coin-op.
 
K1llaB said:
Bought this game on Sun. Now i remember why i avoid Codemasters & most "European" type racing games.

The menu system is horrible. You cant even adjust your controller in a main menu, you have to start the race & then set it. Unless i am missing it, the winnings & such are not in dollars. If they give you the option to change from kph to mph, why not currency? In mp, the cars ghost on occassion where you can drive through them. i havent figured out why/what causes that. i think everyone online drives from rear car like a typical arcade racer, so no way to control the realism.

its decent for $20, but it really makes me miss the products from Papyrus. The good racing games have gone from a simulation to now the NFS no use for brakes & drift thru every corner style of coin-op.
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The options menu is outside of the trailer - to the right. Just step out through the door, and then look to the right. You'll see: Options.
 
iracing is the only way to go if u want competitive clean online racing.


shift is fun...but u get those idiots online wrecking into you at corner entrances because they have no clue what the brakes are.
 
K1llaB said:
Bought this game on Sun. Now i remember why i avoid Codemasters & most "European" type racing games.

The menu system is horrible. You cant even adjust your controller in a main menu, you have to start the race & then set it. Unless i am missing it, the winnings & such are not in dollars. If they give you the option to change from kph to mph, why not currency? In mp, the cars ghost on occassion where you can drive through them. i havent figured out why/what causes that. i think everyone online drives from rear car like a typical arcade racer, so no way to control the realism.

its decent for $20, but it really makes me miss the products from Papyrus. The good racing games have gone from a simulation to now the NFS no use for brakes & drift thru every corner style of coin-op.
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I don't understand how you find Dirt 2 european in any way (unless you're arguing about the sport itself, which is a bit of a non-starter) -- in fact, I think it's far more americanized than any of the previous colin mcrae titles, given its X-Games/MTV type treatment...also, although I haven't played in a little while, I seem to remember the currency in dollars. Regardless, I find that such a strange complaint.
 
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My problem with the Shift demo was that on one track I bounced off walls and cars and still won the race easily. The other track I was constantly wrecking and running off the track, and I would've finished worse than last if that was possible, LOL. How about a middle ground? I would play Need for Speed III any day over that. That's all I want, NFS III with updated cars and graphics. Is that too much to ask? I could jump in without even knowing the track and have a chance at competing.

On a side note, anyone ever play Sega Rally Revo? That was pure junk, too. I've never seen a racing game where it was impossible to steer the car.
 
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