Codemasters have had great success with the Colin McRae Rally series, which has pretty much turned into the de facto standard rally game whenever it’s released — kinda like Madden is for football. Dirt 2 is the successor to the great, but technically flawed Dirt (known in Europe as Colin McRae rally: Dirt), and where the original was flawed and lacked attention, the sequel fills all the gaps. Even though the game moves a bit from the “simulation” into the “arcade” ballpark, Dirt 2 is still the best rally game out there today, and even with a weak competition, the developers still pushed themselves to deliver a great game.

In Dirt 2, you play as a rookie race driver who’s competing with pros (all from the real world Rally Series), and the campaign follows you through tons of races and competitions. It even starts fairly emotionally, as you’re given your first car, which is none other than the Subaru Impreza that the late Colin McRae drove. READ ON »