The Five: DiRT 2

2/26/2009 8:48 PM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 1

The Skinny: Codemasters is currently working on DiRT 2, the sequel to 2007's surprise hit racing game. With its namesake Colin McRae gone (the game will be called Colin McRae's DiRT 2 everywhere but in the U.S.; McCrae was a Scottish rally driver who died in September 2007), what can race fans expect from the game when it comes out this September on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, DS and PC?

1. DiRT 2 is, well, still DiRT-y. "Like the first game, DiRT 2 is a realistic rally racing game that lets you race in some of the most extreme, exotic locations around the world," says Codemasters producer Adam Askew. Besides existing events in Croatia, the game also includes ones in Los Angeles that were made up for the game.

2. Someone on the team likes Pink Floyd. Or so we assume from the fact that, among the 10 worldwide locations you race in the game, one is set in London's Battersea Power Station, where the prog-rock band shot the cover to its 1977 album "Animals." Neither Askew nor anyone else on the team would confirm the inclusion of a floating pink pig in the game, or an Achievement and/or Trophy titled "Pigs on the Wing 1."

3. DiRT 2 has a really big EGO. The engine running the game is called "The EGO Engine." Though, oddly, it's also the engine that runs Codemasters' upcoming first-person military shooter Operation: Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising. "The EGO Engine goes quite deep," says Codemasters producer Adam Askew, "so you can make a racing game and a shooting game with it. Our studio and the Flashpoint studio are also in the same building, so there's a lot of sharing, especially between the programmers. But no, there is no shooting in our game."

4. Despite his absence, McRae is still a big part of the game. "You can't play as him in the game," says Askew, "but there is Colin McRae-specific content in the game because we really wanted to make it a fitting tribute to him. Our team is still integrating improvements [to the way the cars handle] that he talked to them about years ago."

5. As you'd expect, you'll be able to race your friends. "The original DiRT was our first foray into online," Askew says, "and I think we're over-delivering with DiRT 2. We've got competitive online racing for all disciplines, including our long rally races, which have staggered starts and have you racing against the clock."

The Crispy Forecast: It's still early, but this looks like it's shaping up to be a good one for fans of DiRT. And prog-rock.

This preview is based on a developer interview and demo of the game at a media event.