Colin McRae DiRT demo

[ne0star]

Apparently the demo is on live now. I'm at work, can anyone confirm? Is it any good?

[Crimson Day]

can confirm its up, not downloaded it yet though not my cup of tea

[DavidHolliss]

See the Market Place Discussion thread for some initial impressions (mainly from another forum) will leave this here as a First Play type thread.

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=57000&page=40

[Dezm0nd]

Not been intoi rally games apart from RC2 on the Xbox. This the closest i've seen since RC2 to be honest. really nice to play, great presentation (apart from that voice over bloke)

graphics are better than forza 2 IMO. looks superb. but I wont be buying it, just not in the mood for racers anymore

[andrewfee]

Pics for those of you at work or unable to play it:

http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/thumbs/DSCF4299.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4299.jpg)

http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4300.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4300.jpg) http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4301.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4301.jpg)
http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4304.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4304.jpg) http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4306.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4306.jpg)
http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4307.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4307.jpg) http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4308.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4308.jpg)
http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4310.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4310.jpg) http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4311.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4311.jpg)
http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4312.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4312.jpg) http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4313.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4313.jpg)
http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4316.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4316.jpg) http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4317.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4317.jpg)
http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4320.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4320.jpg) http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4322.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4322.jpg)
http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4323.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4323.jpg) http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/tiny/DSCF4325.jpg (http://sr-388.net/images/gaming/360/dirt/DSCF4325.jpg)

Unfortunately you can't move the camera around in 3rd person, there are no replays, and I can't freeze-frame with VGA on my TV, so the shots aren't perhaps the most interesting around.

[Bleeders]

Thanks mate.

I dunno about anyone else, but I'm impressed with the detail on the scratched up Impreza! :o

[powkisser]

does the demo work with the M$ FF wheel

[andrewfee]

Thanks mate.

I dunno about anyone else, but I'm impressed with the detail on the scratched up Impreza! :o
It is very good, yeah. Just finished typing up some impressions:

Visually, the game is absolutely stunning in places. Quite possibly the best grass I've seen in a next-gen game so far, with the only possible exception being Oblivion really. The trackside in the Forza demo looks completely flat in comparison.

The HDR is nice too, if a bit over-blown in places. Going under a bridge is over-exaggerated, but not to the same extent PGR3 was. The lighting in the game has quite a subdued look to it, even though there are plenty of sections where the clouds/sky is blown out.

Damage is nice, paint/reflections on the cars look really good, in-car views are very well done. (two to choose from)

Audio is nice, but doesn't seem to be anything special, though I liked how you can hear loose panels bumping around etc.

I love the way the cars pick up dirt, and the tyres dull as you're going around the track. I did notice that if your engine is leaving black smoke, and you're kicking up dust, the two don't like interacting and start flickering pretty badly.

The buggy doesn't quite seem to be on the track though, if you drive it in third person. I suspect that the normal mapping, or whatever effect they're using for the tyre marks is causing it, as it gives the impression of depth, but as it's just a texture effect, the tyres don't actually dip down into it. (I believe Motorstorm used normal mapping and generated some physics data to have the wheels react to them)

Handling and physics seem decent, but don't quite feel right to me. Cars are able to roll over which is cool, but I wasn't able to get one to stay on its roof. Sense of speed isn't quite there either.

Has the typical Codemasters reset after going off the track 2" problem in places though, which is disappointing.

Framerate is atrocious, with the game tearing all over the place and constantly dropping frames. I would hope that's just because it's a demo and not a final product though.

Seems quite good, especially if you're a rally fan, but I think I'll pass on it.

[Yoshimax]

Been assured this is from an early build.

Those screenies are amazing - The NOEGAF guy reckons this is a better looker than Motorstorm.

Can't wait to get home & give it a blast :D

[John Beaulieu]

slowest download ever - 25 mins in and at 3% :(

[HaHaUK]

Been stuck at 50% with me for a few hours now :s

[Mardigan8]

Been choking for a good Rally game since Rallisport 2 (It was the first game I ever played on live, bit of nostalgia there, hehe) and hoping this delivers. Screenshots look very impressive and will be giving it a whirl tonight to see how it feels.

Is the lack of 3rd person camera movement and replay just because it is a demo build??

[DavidHolliss]

Hope so.

So can't wait to try this tonight.

Visually, the game is absolutely stunning in places. Quite possibly the best grass I've seen in a next-gen game so far, with the only possible exception being Oblivion really.

No comment on this paragraph Yoshimax ? :D

[Bleeders]

Time for an avatar change, Yoshi! :)

[Yoshimax]

I'll get that sorted out stat :D

Grass quality is definately becoming an indicator of future performance for games these days !!

[dvdmike]

Is everyone getting the framerate drops im seeing

[Yoshimax]

Framerate is atrocious, with the game tearing all over the place and constantly dropping frames. I would hope that's just because it's a demo and not a final product though.

Been assured this is from an early build.

RTFP's :rolleyes:

[Yoshimax]

Also, seems opinions differ :

Holy cow! This is one very good looking game. I noticed that on the CORR race the game gets a little framey, but otherwise things are smooth. Very slick menus. Definitely some cool physics at play with the railings, walls, etc.

This game is probably the best looking racing game I've played this gen, and I've owned both a PS3 and 360. I only wish the online let you race against real life people on the same track.

It's way better looking than Motorstorm IMO (reviewed both), especially because DiRT really has nailed the lighting and color palette so everything looks photo-realistic. I know Motorstorm is supposed to be a bit more cartoony/colorful perhaps, but doesn't compare to DiRT at all. And that's not even considering the awesome vegatation in DiRT, whereas Motorstorm has none...

Horses for courses I guess

[dvdmike]

Imoh motorstorm looks better and is more fun, but after more play this has beaten forza to my money

[Spatial101]

Well this is one fine looking game - very nice to look at in fact. In fact a bit too nice since I wasn't keeping my eyes on the track and only every managed to go 0.22 miles maximum before crashing >_<

Speaking of which I'm liking the loading / stats page and the menu flow, that's a very nice touch.

Nice realistic use of sound too and lovely damage to show of my careless driving.

As I'm not a big driving games fan this is more my style than Forza 2, but the lack of a full on multiplayer is what is holding me back picking this up. I know I'd get bored of singleplayer quite quickly and without some conventional PvP racing I couldn't see this holding my attention.

Still if it can be had cheap enough and there's not much else around I'd be tempted to pick it up.


Is the lack of 3rd person camera movement and replay just because it is a demo build??

There's a replay option in the after race menu but it's greyed out in the demo. Not sure about the camera thing though.

[dvdmike]

love the sqeaky dashboard sound when you turn too hard in

[prinnysquad]

Well, this is hyper-gash. 54% after almost 3 hours. That'll serve me right for Forza downloading in an hour.

[DUKENUKEM2UK]

Looks great but been stuck on 29% for last two hours

[Yoshimax]

My mate says he's stuck at 10%.

Gonna phone the Mrs and get her to kick it off !!!

[John Beaulieu]

31% in a couple of hours - shockingly slow

[yosai]

Was going to ask about the speeds. 6% in a hour, oh well... at least it's free. :)

[andrewfee]

I'm surprised people are having problems downloading - I started mine about an hour or so after I heard it went up, turned off the 360 and it was done by the time I was done with what I was doing and wanted to play it.

[DavidHolliss]

Dread to think what the download time will be like at 6pm, every sod will be on the case :(

[Concept]

Just wow. This demo oozes polish, even right down to the menus. They're different kinds of racing games, and I actually was impressed by the Forza 2 demo, but Dirt feels the kind of next-gen I was hoping for in my racing. Polished to f**k in almost every department.

[yosai]

...

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b327/yosai/DSC00931Medium.jpg

:lol:

[Yoshimax]

Just kicked mine off - 5% in less than a minute.

What sort of connections are you lot using and have you got shitloads of torrents going ?

@Yosai - The clue why is in the Y button function.

[yosai]

^ ?

Theres over 5 Gig of free space on the drive.

[Yoshimax]

Well like I said I just kicked it off so the problem must lie your end !!!

[MikeF]

Mega slow here too 15% after 90 mins or so

[charlesr]

Had 24% and when I next came back to it, it had 9% :o

[Yoshimax]

Shit - I've switched me 360 off whilst it's downloading - I'll go check it shortly.

[charlesr]

Don't do it man. If you switch it on again, it disconnects and reconnects. If you had a quick speed before, just leave it, until the light stops blinking.

[Yoshimax]

Oh no too late :( Stuck at 12%

[Concept]

Are replays disabled for anyone else? I've read people talking about them on Gaf, unless it's nonsense.

[Yoshimax]

Hope so.

So can't wait to try this tonight.



No comment on this paragraph Yoshimax ? :D

The grass is so good apparently it gets its own write up :

When you drive on the grass you can see it bend as it folds down underneath your car. Look behind you and you'll see the grass remain compressed as you drive away. It's not that there's never been nice grass in games before, it's the sheer amount of it that's impressive. The grass is so thick it forms a gorgeous furry texture that covers the banks.

Compare this to the usual flat green texture with the odd stick off solid grass you see in other racers - PGR 3 and Gran Turismo HD included - and you can see why this is special. :mellow:

[andrewfee]

Are replays disabled for anyone else? I've read people talking about them on Gaf, unless it's nonsense.
Apparently Microsoft don't let demos write to the hard drive, which is why the replays had to be disabled. The PC demo does have replays.

[Yoshimax]

Apparently Microsoft don't let demos write to the hard drive, which is why the replays had to be disabled. The PC demo does have replays.

Crackdown makes it a requisite that you have a HDD to play it co-op which the demo was so that can't be right ???

As I mentioned before it's an early build so they probably hadn't been implemented yet.

[Malc]

...

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b327/yosai/DSC00931Medium.jpg

:lol:

thats what i got aswell.

I wonder why?:ph34r:

[prinnysquad]

Me too. Twice. over 5 gig free on HD. Skank.

[Yoshimax]

Flashed firmware ?

Just checked mine again and IT HAD REMOVED ITSELF FROM THE DOWNLOAD LIST.

WTF is going on with this one ?

[Crimson Day]

Flashed firmware ?

Just checked mine again and IT HAD REMOVED ITSELF FROM THE DOWNLOAD LIST.

WTF is going on with this one ?

ditto :(

[Keith]

Yep, mine's done the same thing. Reckon I'll just leave it for tonight.

I was looking forward to seeing that grass though.

[Yoshimax]

It just did it again and when I went to dload again it reset to 1%.

Sitting at 4 now - gonna try playing Xevious & GH2 whilst I wait but I reckon it's a bad idea :(

[DavidHolliss]

One hour in and at the dizzy heights of 4%

[Marmite]

This is shit. My donwload stopped once and is going again now but completely stuck at 21%. It started off really quick then just came crashing to a halt. Miserable.

[Yoshimax]

Mine's going slowly but surely now - stuck on xevious & zuma to pass the time but in the back of my mind I'm just thinking "how much has it done now ?" :(

[melenko]

52%... this has been going since about 2 >.<

[dvdmike]

I got it at 10:30 and it only took 30 mins whats going on on live these days ?

[Yoshimax]

On the back of the Halo3 debacle I find this a bit bollocks - Free or not.

17% :(

[wush]

What's the deal with slow downloads on Live anyway? Should be max speeds 24/7 no matter how many people are downloading because

A) It's Microsoft

B) If they don't have the network capacity then they should buy more. What do our subscription fees actually pay for if not network capacity? It's not like they provide any dedicated game servers.

[DavidHolliss]

12% for me, must be those pesky Americans getting up and downloading it before breakfast.

[Yoshimax]

What's the deal with slow downloads on Live anyway? Should be max speeds 24/7 no matter how many people are downloading because

A) It's Microsoft

B) If they don't have the network capacity then they should buy more. What do our subscription fees actually pay for if not network capacity? It's not like they provide any dedicated game servers.

Something's up their end I'd say - The Halo3 beta was 911 mb-ish and I got that in no more than 15 minutes - And there's no way this is getting hit as hard.

Not a single person on my FL playing this just now but plenty "AWAY" or sat at the dash !!!

[buzz711]

two hours and only 33% downloaded. This is the slooooooowest live download i have ever had

[HaHaUK]

This is an outrage. Lets all boycott Live for a few days!

[Yoshimax]

This is an outrage. Lets all boycott Live for a few days!

:D I don't think I could manage !

21% :(

(and to think I originally was at 12% at 5:50 :()

[John Beaulieu]

been downloading this since midday - and its still not even 50%. working tomorrow so no chance of checking it out till at least saturday :(

its all good though - these demos are just the icing on the cake after all

[Concept]

It came down really fast for me and I'm only on a 2mb line. Are you sure it's not an ISP-centric issue? I recall Major Nelson mentioned that content on Live is cached locally... the only thing is I'm sure it wouldn't be hitting the amount of people on here and elsewhere if that was just the case.

[Ish]

Just had a quick blast on it. Amazing 3d grass...

Two tracks I've blasted round are nice enough. Lots of detail but a bit of overkill on the lighting I think - lots of blow out.

Very arcadey feel to it (no bad thing imo) but the cars feel a bit too light to me.

Menu dude is seriously annoying.

[DavidHolliss]

12% for me, must be those pesky Americans getting up and downloading it before breakfast.

30 minutes later and up to 25% now, starting to move quite swiftly (I only have a 2mb line).

No-one on my friends list is playing this yet and the 360 is making the front room like an oven :lol:

[John Beaulieu]

20mb line here and its still coming down in a trickle (Forza2 and Halo3 demos were both downloaded in about 10 mins)

[John Parry]

12% for me, must be those pesky Americans getting up and downloading it before breakfast.
It's fairly safe to say that about four people on the whole continent will bother to download a rally game.:)

This had better be good after waiting so long!!!:(

[Yoshimax]

Just over 30% - Deffo seems to be getting faster.

This thread's gonna need smacked into shape with the mod-hammer once this bandit gets itself together...... :D 7 pages of Download updates.

[MikeF]

managed to get to 33% so far after 3 hours

[melenko]

It cancelled the download itself!! >.<

[MarioMark]

I don't know what everyone is complaining about. Mine's going dead fast! It's been downloading since 2pm and it's already on 53%! :lol:

[dvdmike]

I feel like I should go play it now Im guilty I have it and its not getting used

[atrus]

Wonder why MS don't switch to a BitTorrent protocol for demo downloads instead of HTTP. Mine is 50% through after 4 hours.....

[Astra]

must be better now or something cos mines downloading fast as fook

12% in around a minute

[DavidHolliss]

Five and half hours for 55%. It's like being back on dial-up :(

[Astra]

spoke to soon, stuck at 39% now.... got there damn fast tho

[in5ane]

Damn, I really really wanted to play this. Started downloading, put on a movie, just finished and checked now and it's still only 40% :( ... at least it looks like a more global problem than just me.

[Yoshimax]

I've left mine dloading in low power mode whilst I watched lost - still blinking and I'm afraid to switch it on after the earlier incident :(

[John Parry]

5 hours and still about 30%!!!:curse:

I've had to switch it off now as it was getting worryingly hot...

[mr_sockochris]

I started at 1pm and apart from stopping for a few hours of Halo 3 it's been downloading non-stop. It's nearly 2am and it's stuck on 92% :confused:

[Akira]

slowest download,EVER!

[DavidHolliss]

Was up to 59% when I went to bed, get up this morning and back to 42% - be lucky to be playing this tonight at this rate.

[charlesr]

heheh, me too. 51% :o

Will we ever tire of these amazing % updates ;)

[Shakey_Jake33]

I left it on overnight and it got to 37%.

I think I'll wait until this clears up before my 360 dies.

[MartyG]

Left mine in low power mode overnight and it had finished this morning, so I gave it a go.

I thought it was okay, but nothing really grabbed me about it. The handling seems to lack precision with the analogue stick, making holding slides a little awkward. I liked the crossover stage, and the hill climb wasn't bad, but with Forza 2 coming along at roughly the same time, I'm canceling the pre-order and will pick it up when it inevitably drops in price.

[Marmite]

Well i left mine on overnight as well and woke up to a finshed download this morning - finally!

Anyway, had a go on each car with the 3 tracks they seem to be associated with. First impressions are quite good. Handling and car physics seem to be decent enough, although the braking seems overly harsh as a dab on the brakes and the thing seems to come to an immediate halt. I agree that holdaing slides is a little awkward - perhaps this will be tweaked for final release.

Graphics looked really nice and shiny, and the damage model looks pretty immense. Frame rate looked slightly dodge on the buggy level with all the other cars around, although that might have just been my early morning eyes!

[Yoshimax]

Left mine on low power overnight and when I got up it had switched itself off - kicking off again revealed 55% and it finished in an hour.

I like it - I can see where the RSC comparisons are coming from.

The front end is amazing - so clean (at least in HD) and I love all the stats whilst loading - I think I can see where the achievements are going to be set ;)

Also, after CharlesR rant, he'll be pleased to note that clicking RESTART after a race is an instantaneous restart - no loading whatsoever :)

Saw some frame drops - Seems to mainly occur using the in-car view where you can see the dash - I use bumper cam where it was silky :)

Also, noticed a big sign on the front screen stating "not representative of final build" so I'd expect improvements :)

Wasn't big on the buggies but they were fun over the jumps - The hill-climb was absolutely brilliant though :)

[charlesr]

I'm very much undecided over this. I'm a HUGE RC2 fan (as in, I liked it, not that I'm 18st or something) and after comments that this was similar, I was ready to pre-order. Having now played it, I can see where the comparisons are coming from, but I'm just not feeling it. The aim seems to be to allow recovery from errors a la RC2, but just doesn't pull it off right. The cross over was especially dismal, with far too much grip and a really weird view of the track - difficult to spot the turn in points. The hillclimb was much more rewarding, but the course was so dull, with almost no scary stuff on the straights. Accelerate, brake, turn, slide, repeat. Where's the omg I'm going to die and I'm going in a straight line style stuff? Bizarrely I enjoyed the buggy stuff, which I expected to be far too floaty like MXvsATV on the Xbox. Can't say I'm ready to purchase this now though. :( (Oh and the fps is too low and there's no 3D grass and I can't be Ken in it. ;) )

[Yoshimax]

there's no 3D grass and I can't be Ken in it.

Don't make me get the phone camera out again :ph34r:

I think we're falling into this trap again of judging the full game on the demo and we've all seen how these things can be turned around. This one in particular clearly states on the front screen "Not representative of final build" and I have it on good authority the build is months old now.

[MarioMark]

Oh and the fps is too low and there's no 3D grass and I can't be Ken in it. ;) )

Don't mean to start another FPS discussion but how can this not be 60 FPS? The ones on PS2 were ffs! Games are taking a step back latley. :rolleyes:

[merf]

after for me the disappointment of Forza 2 this is great.

took me a few goes for the handling to start to click, especially on the crossover track.

as others have said the hillclimbing is great and i liked the buggies as well.

i have a 50" plasma and not noticed any real framerate probs or tearing, but it is very sunny this morning so maybe it'll be more noticable later in the dark !

gonna go pre-order but x360 or ps3 ? reckon the ps3 will have the edge graphically but the pad is cack whereas the 360 is perfect, the triggers are spot on for throttle controlled sliding.

[Shakey_Jake33]

Finally got the thing downloaded.

Visually this has my jaw on the flooe, really the first racer I've seen that approaches PGR3 levels in my eyes

Plays well too, speaking as someone who doesn't 'do' racers that aren't arcady to the core. I hope the new Sega Rally plays nothing like this of course (I bring that up because Sega Racing Studio is made from a lot of ex-Colin Mcrae staff), but all the same...

[Ciaran]

gonna go pre-order but x360 or ps3 ? reckon the ps3 will have the edge graphically but the pad is cack whereas the 360 is perfect, the triggers are spot on for throttle controlled sliding.

PS3 one has been delayed and TBH so far PS3 multiplatform games have been pretty bad.

[Yoshimax]

reckon the ps3 will have the edge graphically but the pad is cack whereas the 360 is perfect, the triggers are spot on for throttle controlled sliding.

This is REALLY starting to piss me off :curse:

You're in an xbox360 marketplace thread - wanna discuss the graphics ? No problem - Want to make stupid assertions that the PS3 one will be graphically better ? Head to the headlines thread and do it there.

On what exactly are you basing this assumption ? The fact that so far every game which has been multiformat has performed better on 360 ? The fact they're struggling with PS3 architecture and can't get it ready on time ?

Don't you wonder why there's no PS3 demo on PSN ?

Jesus.

[Ciaran]

Very disappointed with how this performs with the official wheel. For the hill climbs it feels just right but the buggys its nearly impossible to control. Every bump you hit feels like its trying to pull your arms off which sends you straight off the road as soon as you land. I couldn't complete a lap with the wheel but as soon as I switched to the pad I was straight into first.

Anyone else tried this with the wheel?

[Yoshimax]

Nope but I may just go get one tonight - PGR3 updated so it works with it as well right ?

[charlesr]

Don't mean to start another FPS discussion but how can this not be 60 FPS? The ones on PS2 were ffs! Games are taking a step back latley. :rolleyes:

Ah shite, don't know if you were being serious or not. I certainly wasn't. I have NO IDEA if it's running at 60fps or not. Sorry. When I next fire it up, I could check though.

[cavalcade]

This is REALLY starting to piss me off :curse:

Jesus.

To be fair, I think he was sort of saying it in passing....

Anyway, the demo. Pretty good I thought. Graphics nice, no really horrendous tearing or framerate issues here. Nice grass. Handling unobtrusive. Lovely menus. Nice shadowing, especially on the in-car view. Yeah. I liked it. It's Colin McRae in HD, how can it go wrong?

[HaHaUK]

Well this has set a record, almost 22 hours until it downloaded. :ph34r:

[Brats]

Anyone else tried this with the wheel?

I thought it was much better with the wheel than the pad. Much more involving. Here's a mate of mine playing the demo with the wheel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj1ZdnXYkDE&mode=related&search=

[Brats]

Here's one of him on the crossover track, which gives a better idea of the wheel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKK6k9Dtw7M&mode=user&search=

[MarioMark]

I thought it was much better with the wheel than the pad. Much more involving. Here's a mate of mine playing the demo with the wheel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj1ZdnXYkDE&mode=related&search=

Does it use the force feedback well? I can't view that movie at work.

Cheers.

[merf]

[quote=cavalcade;1106635]To be fair, I think he was sort of saying it in passing....

yeah I was, didn't really intend it as a flame or to get anybody excited, just mulling whether or not to pre-order on one format or another as I quite liked the demo.

some people are over sensitive it seems.

[Brats]

Does it use the force feedback well? I can't view that movie at work.

Cheers.

Imo it does.

[andrewfee]

Don't make me get the phone camera out again :ph34r:

I think we're falling into this trap again of judging the full game on the demo and we've all seen how these things can be turned around. This one in particular clearly states on the front screen "Not representative of final build" and I have it on good authority the build is months old now.
The problem is that all demos come with that disclaimer. Of course things are going to have changed, but it's got to be at least somewhat representative of the game, otherwise what's the point of a demo? If a demo for a game is bad, I'm not likely to pick up the game based on that.

If the demo came with that disclaimer, but also said something along the lines of "but we won't release it until the framerate is locked to 30" that'd be fine, but there have been plenty of games released with poorly performing demos that were just as bad in the final release, or they may have been improved, but still didn't have a solid framerate.

I would expect the final game to be locked to 30, as a locked framerate is essential for a racing game, but then I would have also expected a new McRae game, hell any new Codemasters racing game, to be running at 60. As it is, the framerate in the demo is bad enough to make me avoid the final game if it runs the same as it does now.

Nope but I may just go get one tonight - PGR3 updated so it works with it as well right ?
I'm pretty sure a force feedback enabled version of PGR3 comes bundled with the wheel.

[Yoshimax]

I thought it was much better with the wheel than the pad. Much more involving. Here's a mate of mine playing the demo with the wheel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj1ZdnXYkDE&mode=related&search=

That's it then - the wheel's getting bought.

[Yoshimax]

yeah I was, didn't really intend it as a flame or to get anybody excited, just mulling whether or not to pre-order on one format or another as I quite liked the demo.

some people are over sensitive it seems.

Fair enough - I think I've read like 4 threads with those kind of comments and yours was last - my apologies :hmm:

[capcom_suicide]

Impressed.

The game works fantastically well with the wheel, and IMHO is far more accessable than Forza2.

Grpahically this seems to be the closest I've seen to a "Target render". At 1080i, the walls and mud and plants just seem so damn good. On par with Motorstorm on my PS3.

This game looks to be a good rally game, and for wheel owners, judging by the demo, an interesting proposition.

As a point of interest, i'd say it has the most over engineered & flashy menu system I've yet seen on a console game, but hat's off, it works! You know how cheap B films have crap credits? Well this game has a menu system of "Hollywood blockbuster" proportions.

Anyway despite all that, I still find it hard to connect with this type of game, but that's just a taste thing.

[in5ane]

The best thing about this game is the awesome menus, and the seamless transition to gameplay (albeit with loading time).

It looks good (in car view is fantastic), but doesn't feel as smooth or solid as something like Motorstorm.

Also, I don't know what the term is, but there is a lot of where it draws one thing in two close places (like a telegraph pole) as they speed by. I thought next-gen systems with progressive output could do away with this annoyance.

[MJ]

I would try it if it would download.

[Yoshimax]

That's it then - the wheel's getting bought.

Nice - 2 x wii games and LP:SE traded and got wheel for £33 - Given it comes with a copy of PGR3 (FF enabled) I've sold the other for a tenner.

£23 - niiiice :)

[Ciaran]

I thought it was much better with the wheel than the pad. Much more involving. Here's a mate of mine playing the demo with the wheel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj1ZdnXYkDE&mode=related&search=

I'd agree that its more involving but it just felt like too much of a disadvantage in the buggies. In a about 10 tries I didn't once get around the track with spinning out after a jump and end up at the back of the pack.


Maybe I'm just shit :hmm:

[John Parry]

It's downloading a lot better now, 20% added in about 5 minutes!:w00t:


This'll hopefully keep me busy until the official WRC games is released lol. Come on Rushy, announce it will you;)!! The "Coming Soon - Rally Car" tag on your site is just too much for me!!!:s

[bignige]

That's it then - the wheel's getting bought.

Hold off for a bit...

Microsoft to cut price of Official wireless wheel at Forza launch

With Microsoft Game Studios' Forza Motorsport 2 hitting shelves next week Microsoft is slashing the price of the Xbox 360 Racing Wheel by $20 from $150 to $130. In addition, June 1 will see the start of the Forza Motorsport 2 Race Weekend, an online event will include Live contests and gameplay sessions with developers plus a leaderboard tournament. No word on a price cut in other regions though.

News Source:http://kotaku.com/gaming/price-drop/forza-2-hits-next-week-wheel-gets-price-drop-263612.php

[Concept]

As a point of interest, i'd say it has the most over engineered & flashy menu system I've yet seen on a console game, but hat's off, it works! You know how cheap B films have crap credits? Well this game has a menu system of "Hollywood blockbuster" proportions.

Anyway despite all that, I still find it hard to connect with this type of game, but that's just a taste thing.

I'm wondering if they've re-employed tDR (I know they worked on an earlier Colin McRae game). The three chief criticisms I'd have of the demo are that as Ish pointed out the 'rad dude' Amercian voiceover is annoying and the rumble feedback isn't subtle enough to gauge proper traction. The use of bloom is also overdone in places.

It's a definite buy though on evidence of that demo, which is a nice surprise as it wasn't near my radar beforehand.

[Yoshimax]

Liking the wheel :) Just had a blast on this with Mardigan and it took a wee adjustment at first (constantly swimming about the track and over the edge) - He took to it like a fish to water and I can see times tumbling rapidly the more I try it.

Off to check out Forza2 & PGR3 now :D

Nige - Too late ya bast.

[John Parry]

:thumb:I quite enjoyed that!!!

I know it's really early but I do have some issues with it:
I'm hoping this demo is from an arcade mode as the car feels locked to tracks far too much for my liking.

What's with the American idiot and his Ridge Racer type comments???:confused:

Colin McRae? Why not use a driver who's actually won something since The Safari Rally in 2002?

Maybe I'm just being fussy about as it's such an early demo but as big fan of the earlier games and also of real life rallying, I was expecting more from CodeMasters really!:cry:

I did quite enjoy it and it looked really good though and I'm a fan of arcade racers so I imagine I'll pick it up sometime anyway!:)

[DavidHolliss]

Really liking the demo, on all 3 fronts, so need a decent rally game, it's been a bloody long time since RSC2.

PS. Downloaded the remaining 40% is about 20 minutes this evening.

[Yoshimax]

I'm hoping this demo is from an arcade mode as the car feels locked to tracks far too much for my liking.

I put this down to the fact you can only pick from mong and slightly less mong difficulty levels which look like they relate to car performance/damage levels/physics realism etc - I'd imagine the harder ones will be much less forgiving ?

What's with the American idiot and his Ridge Racer type comments???:confused:

I'd hazard it's them trying to make the game appeal to the Yanks ? It's only on the menus I didn't hear any ingame.

Colin McRae? Why not use a driver who's actually won something since The Safari Rally in 2002?

They've always been called Colin Mcrae ? I presume that was a marketing decision based on the fact it's a well established and recognised brand - I couldn't name a single current rally driver.

The fact that you can't have manual gears, there's no co-pilot instructions (I'd have loved that as I hate trying to look at the mini-map) and the replays are absent tell me this must be a fairly old build.

[John Parry]

Yeah, hopefully they'll sort it out by launch!:)

I imagine the demo was from quite some time ago but it was still fun. I hope they don't move it too far into "arcade land" though.

As to the Colin Mcrae title, I imagine that to most Rally fans it seems about as relevant as Tony Hawk being used to promote boarding games in his 40s lol.:scared:

[Malc]

loving this so far, i managed to get round Bark River in 01.06.58 which is quite impressive for me.:)

[Jebus]

Started the demo at 0830 and it finished at 1230 (disgrace)...worth it, best racing game on the 360. This, for me is a million miles better than Forza :) I think I'll be investing in this :)

[DavidHolliss]

Add your times here

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=74848

PS. You can see your "best's" in the pause menu, love all the stats in the pause menu infact :)

[Yoshimax]

I imagine the demo was from quite some time ago

3 month old =)

[Kotatsu Neko]

Weird everyone had trouble downloading this thing. Took me almost 24 hours to get it all finished, and it aborted several times when I first started it downloading. Given that we pay for Live, the quality of the downloads has always been terrible, but now it's truly abysmal.

Once I got into the game I realised I shouldn't have bothered. It's very pretty from a still, with lovely lighting and colour balance, but when it moves... urgh. Nasty, nasty spluttery 30fps frame rate with frame drops and tears from time to time.

Doesn't feel right to play either, at least not to me. Why is it no rally game has every managed to feel as right as SEGA Rally? RS2 is the closest yet, but still not quite there. DIRT is miles away.

I have little confidence the new Sega UK developed Sega Rally will be any better sadly, as it's being put together by ex Codemasters guys.

[ChrisField]

I had high hopes for this after reading the comments on here, but having just played each of the tracks/cars, I feel pretty much how Kotatsu Neko does.

I thought the presentation on the start menus (apart from cheesy voice over) was fantastic, but once in the game I didn't enjoy it. I felt the that the cars felt too light, and I didnt feel like the car and track were connected. Kinda reminded me of FIFA of old. As for the dirt buggy... total rubbish compared to the likes of Motorstorm - just no atmosphere there. Very clinical.

That said, I've never liked any of the Colin Mcrae games, so nothing new there.

Oh, regarding the downloading... took me about 1hr or so to get this... (8mbit connection, started around 8pm, finished around 9pm)

[Sane]

It does have 3D grass though :lol:.

[Jebus]

Weird everyone had trouble downloading this thing. Took me almost 24 hours to get it all finished, and it aborted several times when I first started it downloading. Given that we pay for Live, the quality of the downloads has always been terrible, but now it's truly abysmal.


If I'm completely honest it took nearly 24 hours for me too, although I said I started it at 0830, that was actually my third RESTART of the download, the previously two times were the day before, when it failed after shutting into low-power.

I have to agree with you Kotatsu, we pay for this service and that kinda download speed isn't really acceptable, not when you have Sony offering their "live" service for free and my experience of the download speeds have been the absolute opposite of LIVE at the moment.

Anyway, I think I may be getting this game. I'd be lying if I said the graphics didn't blow me away but the gameplay is more my kinda thing than Forza, purely because I've always been really rubbish at games like Gran Tourismo and PGR etc. I guess I prefer more arcade based racers like this and Ridge Racer. I noticed the achievements mention career mode so there may be some depth at least to this game :)

I really don't understand the people complaining about the frame rate? It seems fine to me, it plays smooth for me :s I will say though, Motorstorm absolutely pisses all over this game, if you want a rally-type game, that's the best there is.

[Shakey_Jake33]

Anyway, I think I may be getting this game. I'd be lying if I said the graphics didn't blow me away but the gameplay is more my kinda thing than Forza, purely because I've always been really rubbish at games like Gran Tourismo and PGR etc. I guess I prefer more arcade based racers like this and Ridge Racer.
My feelings as well. This seemed to be a bit of a happy medium, sitting nicely between Sega Rally, and all those racers I cannot control like Forza etc.

I certainly don't want the new Sega Rally to be anything like this, but I do come away from this smiling.

[Jebus]

Yeah agreed, "happy medium" is a nice way to put it! I am honestly baffled at the complaints of how it runs though...

Special mention should go to the menu's actually, stunning.

[Team Andromeda]

The demo is f-ing brilliant and I urge everyone out there to get the MS wheel, this is the best game to make use of FF I've ever seen outside the Arcade , go to the options and turn the setting right up when using the wheel,and it will give your arms a better work out than going to the gym :)

Only downers are the rubbish Burnout style voice over , and the 30 fps , which after playing Forza II is a massive comedown and so very Noticeable. If this was 60 fps it would have been near perfection

[Yoshimax]

You'd rather they cut back on the graphical fidelity and upped the fps then ?

As I already said the build is 1/4 of a year old.

[Yoshimax]

I have little confidence the new Sega UK developed Sega Rally will be any better sadly, as it's being put together by ex Codemasters guys.

That's why we love ya ;) Down on things before you've even seen a video running :s

I mean - What do those guys know eh it's not like they ever made a rally game before.

[razu]

I really don't understand the people complaining about the frame rate? It seems fine to me, it plays smooth for me :s

I thought that, but I was playing in bumper-cam. Cycled through to the far chase-cam and the frames started dropping all over my lounge floor! I hope this is done on purpose to encourage more people to use bumper-cam :)

[Yoshimax]

Yeah me too.

TA are you saying you'd prefer them to cut the graphical fidelity back to enable 60fps ? I think they've found a pretty sweet spot.

As for the complaints about the handling - would we rather have another Richard Burns Rally ? (so fng accurate nobody can actually play it ?) or do you think from a company perspective that making an "everyman" rally game you'd sell more copies ? ;)

Only view I had drops with was the in-car with the dash displayed - bumper cam for the win especially once you've got the co-pilot shouting corners at you !

[Team Andromeda]

Yeah me too.

TA are you saying you'd prefer them to cut the graphical fidelity back to enable 60fps ? I think they've found a pretty sweet spot.



No I'm just saying the 30 fps is very Noticeable , and after playing Forza II its takes a little while to adjust . But its not enough to put me off the game or anything like that . I think the demo alone is ace , and can’t wait for the final game

[John Parry]

I did actually enjoy Richard Burns Rally!!!:scared:

I know that I'm in a minority though:hmm:. I do like my driving games to take a lot of effort to play...or I like them to be pure arcade and this does seem to have gone very much for the middle ground to try and please everybody rather than taking any risks.

As to the demo being 3 months old, to be honest it seems that anywhere between 3 months and 6 months is standard for demos in the industry. At least they've had nearly 6 months before release to get some excitement in there.

Come on Rushy, let's get WRC back on the track!!!:thumb:

[Kotatsu Neko]

You'd rather they cut back on the graphical fidelity and upped the fps then ?

As I already said the build is 1/4 of a year old.

They shouldn't have to cut it back. Dirt looks pretty due to it's colour palette and bloom effects; the actual geometry is pretty simple (particularly in the environments). So it should run 60fps as it is...

[PeteJ]

I thought it played well, looked great and ran smoothly! I read all the comments on here before playing and I was expecting some stuttery, tearing mess. Nope. I'd be happy if the final game ran like this to be honest, I didn't see any drops, even in the buggy stage.

I thought the menu was over-produced but I guess it did look nice. The stats on the loading was a nice touch but it is there to hide a very long loading time. The voiceover was a touch that was not needed.

The graphics were very solid, can't say they blew me away and it doesn't help that you can't move the camera about when in 3rd person (not that I can drive in 3rd person!) to admire the cars. Lack of replay is a shame too. I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for with this 3D grass, looked exactly the same as grass in other games to me! Loved the lighting though, particularly on the buggy stage, the back of the buggy looked ace.

I'll be picking this one up for sure.

[Yoshimax]

The stats on the loading was a nice touch but it is there to hide a very long loading time.

I'll take the load with stats and instantaneous restarts over a load every time I need to restart the track anyday.

See here :

Play 1080 snowboarding (N64 or GC) and when you need to restart the race because you messed up, you press start and then restart and it gives you the 3,2,1. All good.

Forza1: gah. Messed up there. Ok, well, I'll restart. Start, restart. Loading. eh hang on. Loading? I only just loaded a second ago. What's wrong with cache?

Forza2: surely this will be fixed now? Nope. I'm sitting on the start line, but to restart from here, I still need to load something. Bah.

Blacksite Area51 demo: 2 minutes of gameplay in a very small arena. Can't be that much going on? But restarting isn't instant. In fact it takes an age.

Tragic.

It's the one area that I feel should have remained constant with advances in technology. Instead it has steadily got worse since we moved away from solid state. Oh well. Rant over.

Please assure me there are lots of games that are able to restart instantlyish on the next gen hardware.

[Commander Marklar]

I thought it was much better with the wheel than the pad. Much more involving. Here's a mate of mine playing the demo with the wheel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj1ZdnXYkDE&mode=related&search=


Ace, ta.

I can't believe some comments (not specifically from 'ere) regarding feedback and control related to the control pad. Get a wheel! :thumb:

[Nembot]

After the 4th attempt I`ve finally managed to download this demo!

I`ve gone through phases in my life where I`ve enjoyed certain types of games at certain times but my driving period was back in the days of Ridge Racer and Daytona USA so, I wasn`t sure if I`d like Dirt but I thought it deserved a go.

I`ll have to say eventhough I`m very shit I really like this game. I thought that the little intro movie at the begining looked great and the game itself isn`t too shabby either. Whether the "does not represent finished game" message means anything or not, I might give this game a look when the full version comes out.

[Malc]

Can't wait for this to come, only 3 weeks. But with forza 2 coming a week before i won't have time to get stuck into one or the other. :(

[merf]

i've revisted Motorstorm this morning and have to say whilst its graphically superior to this the off road buggy section on Mcrae handles far better and feels much more responsive.

i've never bonded with the handling model in Motorstorm and this is vastly superior.

roll on the release date

[Bleeders]

I'm enjoying this, I found the handling a little floaty at first, but with perserverance, I've gotten the hang of it and revisited it on numerous occasions.

Bring on the 15th June!

[Yoshimax]

Too many games this month ! Seriously it's getting ridiculous.

[bignige]

I'm preferring Motorstorm to this. Dirt looks good, but MS looks better & handles loads better.

[Bleeders]

I agree, Shadowrun, Darkness, Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3), WarTech and of course, Forza 2.

[Mardigan8]

Its like a manager having his entire squad fit and playing well at the same time :) its a good kind of headache, hehe. What do you we play??

After playing this on Yoshis steering wheel and 40" HDTV my mind was made up, essential purchase. Even playing it on my more modest pad and 32" Widescreen its still a no brainer, it looks gorgeous, handles nicely and is will be even better when it arrives.

As good a reason as any to buy the 360 wheel and I may just do that if the funds are in place.

[charlesr]

Is this still pivoting in the middle? The way the car slides out on the hillclimb seems weird to me. Like it's not swinging, but just twisting.

[Yoshimax]

I don't get that impression and realistically I'd be surprised if they'd use that kind of physics model in this day and age - You get that impression in the buggies ? I certainly don't.

Again, with the wheel uphill this is a tremendous buzz - I can't wait to try out some more hill-climb tracks.

[charlesr]

Think I'm just being retarded. In the replay it looks fine. And on the behind car view. Something feels odd though, although coming from RC2 to this it's not surprising really.

[Yoshimax]

What replay ? You got the full thing ?

[charlesr]

Yeah, haven't you? They have them in GAME*.

*(I meant the intro thingy which I presume uses the game engine, not the replay.)

[Yoshimax]

It uses the game assets and physics models which were exported and sent to a 3rd party CG-House - but fair to say it's rendered a bit higher res :)

[Malc]

I find when racing the outside camera seems to lock to the front wheels which i don't like, yet the in car ones or on the bonet feel lovely!:)
(Especially there is no head movement in in car cameras)

[John Parry]

Is this still pivoting in the middle? The way the car slides out on the hillclimb seems weird to me. Like it's not swinging, but just twisting.
I did get get that feeling too but I'd not realised what it was until you mentioned it:)! It did seem to be standard for the older games though and you don't notice it in the 1st person view...which is stunning in this game.

[Uli]

fabulous demo! in contrast to Forza 2 this shows speed, style, looks and sound. hopefully Dirt will be the next RallySport Challenge!

the buggy control needs some getting used to, otherwise i really like this game and seriously consider a purchase. :)

[charlesr]

I did get get that feeling too but I'd not realised what it was until you mentioned it:)! It did seem to be standard for the older games though and you don't notice it in the 1st person view...which is stunning in this game.
Nah, I was imagining it. Playing in the chase cam you can clearly see it swings properly.

[Crisp_Rapper]

my housemate sandy is playing this on my 360. he loves his driving games realistic or otherwise and says this is pap. i shall go by his judgement.

[Commander Marklar]

The only thing I find a little odd is there seems to be some influence from the computer on the handling on the levels selectable in the demo, beginner and amateur off the top of my head. There's kind of the same thing in earlier games too but there's a definite 'let go of the stick and the car will centre itself' kind of thing going on, exaggerated beyond the regular 'car wants to go forward when you put your foot on the gas' kind of thing if anyone is still following this... ;) I hope there's a little more control on expert/pro or whatever the other difficulty levels are.

The voice-over guy could be annoying but there's just the right amount in the demo so it doesn't grate. Maybe a few more particle-style affects, could just be the demo tracks but in the distance where the detail is naturally toned down a bit, it just looks a little basic rather than use some effect or provide some animation or something to liven things up a bit. WRC does it quite well, as an immediate comparison. But it's hardly detrimental to the game, just some I noticed with the increase in resolution. In standard def it's all hidden away under the blur of scan-lines ;)

So far so good though, it's certainly got a nice arcade feel to it*, instant in your face action and just enough "omg I'm going to die" to keep you on your toes (unlike something like RSC2, bore-fest </flame>). Good good, back to the demo.


* ('cos it is, I've not really thought of CMR as a 'sim' 'cos they don't play like it -- it's all insta-death action)

[charlesr]

there's a definite 'let go of the stick and the car will centre itself' kind of thing going on, exaggerated beyond the regular 'car wants to go forward when you put your foot on the gas' kind of thing if anyone is still following this... ;)
I think I'm following. SOMETHING felt pretty wrong to me, especially on the hillclimb and crossover. Perhaps you are right and it will go away on the harder difficulty levels.

[Leon Ahoy!]

my housemate sandy is playing this on my 360. he loves his driving games realistic or otherwise and says this is pap. i shall go by his judgement.

I found it to be extremelly dull, and lacking any technical thrills. I'm quite shocked at how weak it looks. It's a rare thing to see a truely impressive 360 game, and this another that disappoints, sadly. :(

I was playing it with a friend, and for a laugh, I loaded-up Rallisport 1&2. I found both games to be more enjoyable- in both the gameplay and technical departments.

It's a shame that DICE won't be making a Rallisport3. I'd bet big money on that being absolutely brilliant if it got made.

[Leon Ahoy!]

No I'm just saying the 30 fps is very Noticeable , and after playing Forza II its takes a little while to adjust . But its not enough to put me off the game or anything like that . I think the demo alone is ace , and can’t wait for the final game

This game doesn't seem to be running at 30fps. It feels much worse. I was thinking my brain had gone wrong as I played it; the motion seemed very strange.

PGR 2&3 are 30fps, and I learnt to accept that, but some games that run at 30fps, don't feel right at all. Dirt is one of them.

There is something severely wrong with this demo build. I hope the final version is far better.

[Yoshimax]

Was round my mates last playing playing with the buggies - Sitting about 5 foot away from the LCD with the view set to the internal with the viewable arms and it was fantastic - I hated them before but it was great fun like that - really need that mode online for 8 player simult :)

[Commander Marklar]

I think I'm following. SOMETHING felt pretty wrong to me, especially on the hillclimb and crossover. Perhaps you are right and it will go away on the harder difficulty levels.

More noticeable on the external cameras than internal views. It felt wrong playing at first until I saw the car react on the external view. Check it out, you'll see what I mean. I sort of 'fixed' it in my head to try and just let the car 'auto-correct' and go the way it wanted. It was almost like there's an aid that's counter-steering for you once you get loose traction. But like I say, I couldn't work out if it was over-compensating for the joystick returning to centre position or some other influence. I haven't got the wheel setup just now to see if it's the same.

[spinpug666]

I've been playing Forza2 with the wheel since last friday and find it fantastic to play with it.
DiRT on the other hand i can't get used to the car handling at all, feels like i'm floating on ice even when using Evos' etc. Didn't even bother trying the buggys'.
Gave up on it last night, and i was so looking forward to this as i loved the first 2 psone games :(

[DavidHolliss]

By what I've read, with defualt settings the wheel and DiRT aren't exactly a match made in heaven, but there are someone's suggested settings in the DiRT first play thread here and more on Codemasters own forums.

[saturn-gamer]

I found out that the gameplay is broken, its not analog. You can only press the stick far, and not lightly. This is weird, as CMR1 on the PS1 felt like perfection compared to V-Rally etc. The framerate is somewhat 30ish with constant drops.

When I had played the pretty awful looking Forza demo, I was leaning towards DIRT. But now I have Forza full game and its incredible, maybe they are not really comparable but Forza owns the shit out of this. Also, the online mode of DIRT will be time trial only.

I agree that DICE should step up and make RS3. Although EA might block that since they own DICE and RS didn't sell well.

[Yoshimax]

I found out that the gameplay is broken, its not analog. You can only press the stick far, and not lightly.

Playing with a FF wheel I can assure you it's most definately analogue steering - I can pick this up better via pad after playing with the wheel actually (SO much easier with the pad).

Both Dirt and F2 suffer the same phenomenon - The full game is exponentially better than the demo.