Of DiRT and Pavement

In the last few weeks I've been playing a metric crap load of racing games. It all started when I was talked into buying Forza 2. The reason I needed to be talked into this game at all is because I am absolutely horrid at simulation driving games. We aren't talking a little horrible either, we're talking "OMG stereotypical female driver! Get the hell off the road!". I'm impatient and I don't seem to grasp the concept that there are levels to gas and break that come before petal on the floor. Anyway, I bought Forza 2 on a recommendation because I am absolutely in love with cars and the game has over 300 of them. I have been playing the crap out of Forza 2 since I bought it and I'm having trouble stopping. I keep going back to the game even though I suck at it because it fulfills some absurd desire I have to tinker. I tinker with race setup, I tinker with paint jobs, I tinker with everything. The game itself is quite a hardcore simulation game and because of that it's very clean and clinical feeling. Hidden in that very hard exterior though is a wealth of information that makes the game really accessible to almost anyone. The car tuning is especially great because it explains what every adjustment will do and what effect it will have on the drivability of the vehicle. All of these little helpful hints actually serve to make me feel like I know what I'm doing when I make adjustments instead of making me feel like a dummy because I am unsure what a gear ratio adjustment will do for me. I still suck at driving in the game but that is another matter altogether.

Due to the warm, fuzzy feelings that Forza 2 has been giving me I picked up DiRT on a whim and I am not regretting my purchase of that game either. DiRT is a rally racer and because of that it is fundamentally different than Forza 2 but still a solid title with a lot of good qualities. First off the game is much more arcady and because of that I'm obviously better at it. The game really captures the dirty, grimy feel of rally racing without being too over the top. There are a bunch of car options and a good slew of different tracks and events to race in which has kept me from getting bored. All of these things are not what makes this title stand out to me, the damage model is where the game really shines. There is nothing quite so enjoyable as switching to cockpit view and sliding into a barrier only to have your windshield blow out in the process. You can rip the cars down to nothing but an engine and the roll-cage and it is so very realistic it almost makes me cry for the cars. I honestly can't remember the last time I've been this impressed with a damage model. I find myself spending more time seeing what I can break of my cars than I do actually, you know, trying to win races.

Now neither DiRT nor Forza 2 are picture perfect titles. Forza 2 is a damn hardcore simulation and it's pretty unforgiving in that way. The online mode in Forza 2 is superb but if you aren't into racing simulations or tinkering with paint jobs and settings you might want to go ahead and pass this one by. As for DiRT it's problems lie in a disappointing online mode (seriously it's just mutual time trial) and the cars all turn on a central pivot which can get really annoying after a while. I am hard pressed to choose between the two games myself but I would at least recommend hitting up Live and downloading the demos.