Dirt Rally (PS4)
By: Codemasters
RALLYING as a sport doesn't turn heads as much as its glamorous F1 cousin, the public presumably more content to observe busty pit girls than Ford Escorts bolting through dung.
Undeterred, Codemasters are dishing the dirt once again with another slice of filthy wheel-on-wheel action from the one-time Colin McRae stable that'll have series vets soiling their leathers. Sounding like a pro-porn demonstration, Dirt Rally is the latest in a series whose DNA goes back to 1998.
And while the franchise recently veered dangerously into American Gymkhana-style razzle-dazzle, the latest returns to its technical roots as players hoon their ride through international slop in a sim that demands judicious braking, sticking to driving lines and listening to your co-pilot.
Culling the Poochie-esque extreme stylings of old, Dirt Rally is a welcome return to the fundamentals of stage rallying. Free of American booyah, Dirt prefers to tear through the slop of rural Wales in an exhaust-popping Seat Ibiza. All manner of off-road malarkey is available, with fan favourites Rallycross and Hillclimb making an appearance in an unashamed simulation as you tear through terrain that's rougher than a rhino's rump.
The realism does mean a steep learning curve, and you'll struggle to keep a leash on your ride as it bombs through forestry. Cars react to every bump and grind, with the level of detail extending to the amount of drag caused by gravel bunching against the sidewall of each tyre.
But by far the greatest shake-up involves your co-driver. As the first game to feature proper pacenotes, you'll get your meat in the seat alongside a taskmaster who incessantly barks "crest" and numbers at you, getting all up in your business to prevent injury. And while what he's saying is undoubtedly wise, the monotonous repetition means you can tune out. Married readers will understand.
Coinage amassed by grinding through multi-session rallies can be splurged on upgrading your tepid rod to something hotter, with lashings of perfectly-modelled cars culled from six decades of rallying and 70 stages taking players from the bubbling tarmac of Monaco to the treacherous snow passes of Sweden.
Dirt Rally offers mud-caked perambulation at its finest, its stripped down gameplay perfect for the kind of purists who stuck with UTV's RPM for 23 bloody years. The Dark Souls of rally games, if you like getting punished and really dirty, this is the best fun you can have without paying by the hour.
