DiRT 3

 PC
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 547 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 281 out of 547
  2. Mixed: 194 out of 547
  3. Negative: 72 out of 547

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  1. Mephic
    May 28, 2011
    10
    Honestly - If anyone says this game is less realistic/uglier/shorter than Dirt 1 or Dirt 2, he never played that game. Dirt 3 gave me a lot in the matter of car racing. 1) Rallies which are awesome and there is much more emphasis on them in this part. Off course, some of them are short, but that just encourages me to make videos from them and brag. Graphics - outstanding! This is the bestHonestly - If anyone says this game is less realistic/uglier/shorter than Dirt 1 or Dirt 2, he never played that game. Dirt 3 gave me a lot in the matter of car racing. 1) Rallies which are awesome and there is much more emphasis on them in this part. Off course, some of them are short, but that just encourages me to make videos from them and brag. Graphics - outstanding! This is the best looking PC racing game in the matter of environment effects and lightning. Some people say that graphics are not that good - well, I play this game at 1920x1080, DX 11, 8xCSAA, everything set to ultra or high (if it can't be set to ultra) -> game looks purely great. Handling: set your wheel how it should be set! Not only in game, but in profiler too. I did that and now it is much more realistic than Dirt 1/Dirt 2, You just have to know what You're doing with your hardware. Forget about pads and keyboards if You expect realism - don't be a hypocrite! Sounds of the engines could be a bit better, but for me that's the only flaw of the game. The variety of cars, tracks and locations is just about right for having months of fun. You can't tweak your car too much (there are only five settings) but they have huge impact on how the car is driven (that's the second thing people who demand realism should set right, you won't get a proper handling out of the box and that's actually good, cause it forces you to tweak). All in all this game is really amazing, I had no problems installing it, I don't see any bugs, I have 45 (constant and stable!) FPS when playing on settings which I already mentioned and value which is comfortable to play here is around 33-35 FPS. All of this make this game best optimized game ever plus a great and beautiful racer for all WRC fans, but also for people who love too see crazy drifting and barrell jumps. Everyone can find something for themselves here - I did too. You just have to keep looking and know how to set certain things. 9,5 out of 10 with hopes for 10/10 after some sound mod is made :)… Expand
  2. WillKill
    May 27, 2011
    9
    After playing Dirt 2 for over 70 hours both online and off, I was very excited for Dirt 3. I must say, I am not disappointed. Dirt 3's visuals are a step above its predecessor and its physics are also a great improvement. I played this game with a Logitech Drive Force GT with 540 degrees of rotation. Though the game just game out, it runs great and is very stable. There are still plenty ofAfter playing Dirt 2 for over 70 hours both online and off, I was very excited for Dirt 3. I must say, I am not disappointed. Dirt 3's visuals are a step above its predecessor and its physics are also a great improvement. I played this game with a Logitech Drive Force GT with 540 degrees of rotation. Though the game just game out, it runs great and is very stable. There are still plenty of annoying bugs which Codemasters will probably address (though they usually stop fixing things after a while like F1 2010's 7 month old pit issues). I do not like the new menu styling. The old walking around menus like that of Dirt 2 and F1 2010 were far more immersive. There is also less interaction between you and your AI couterparts apart from your boring teammates. It was fun talking to real American rally drivers in Dirt 2, but in Dirt 3, you really only talk to Ken Block (haters gonna hate).

    Criticisms aside, Dirt 3 is a step in the right direction. The tracks are not real ones, but Codemasters did a great job with the custom tracks they did make. Although, the tracks are quite wide which may be great for less skilled players, but hardcore WRC sim fans want slimmer and longer tracks (longer tracks run around 3:00). The physics are much better than Dirt 2. You can actually spin out and lock your brakes. However, it seems like the cars brake and grip the road too much compared to their realistic counterparts.

    Verdict: You liked Dirt 2, get Dirt 3. If you like rally, get Dirt 3. Do not expect it to be a sim, but it does have great physics and a lot of fun.    … Expand
  3. The_Ommadawn
    May 27, 2011
    5
    The Good stuff first ... Graphically the best racing game I've played. The cars also handle well and the game has lots of variety. I'm a fan of the new menu system and the soundtrack matches the game perfectly. Difficulty wise I found it spot on.

    The BAD ... I'm sick to death of companies releasing half finished/full of bugs games! I bought Dirt 3 as I LOVED Dirt 2, and Dirt 3 looks    The Good stuff first ... Graphically the best racing game I've played. The cars also handle well and the game has lots of variety. I'm a fan of the new menu system and the soundtrack matches the game perfectly. Difficulty wise I found it spot on.

    The BAD ... I'm sick to death of companies releasing half finished/full of bugs games! I bought Dirt 3 as I LOVED Dirt 2, and Dirt 3 looks amazing ... when it's not CRASHING!!!! Jesus how many times does this game have to crash mid race before I scream 'enough is enough'. Shame on you Codemasters. Also, the voice overs ... why does it have to be so street? and Gymkhana what a pile of steaming TURD! Gymkhana alone makes me hate and not want to play Dirt 3 again ... should have been left out completely ~~~~~~~~~~~ UPDATE Crashing issue was fixed with this GOOGLE find ... Delete the hardware_settings_config (From My Documents / My Games / Dirt 3 / Hardware Settings) and restarted the computer.    … Expand
  4. vortical
    May 27, 2011
    6
    Verdict: Beautiful but shallow. I really struggled with rating this game. If I had never played another codemasters racer it would have easily rated a 7 or 8. Unfortunately, I've seen what a spectacular job they did with Dirt2 and this game just doesn't measure up. It's not so much a single massive problem as it is lots of little things that add up to spoil what would otherwise be a greatVerdict: Beautiful but shallow. I really struggled with rating this game. If I had never played another codemasters racer it would have easily rated a 7 or 8. Unfortunately, I've seen what a spectacular job they did with Dirt2 and this game just doesn't measure up. It's not so much a single massive problem as it is lots of little things that add up to spoil what would otherwise be a great game. For starters, The interface has been completely overhauled. Rather than placing the various menus in a track side 'Trailer', Dirt3 uses a plain old text menu laced with strange triangle motiffs.More staright-forward certainly, nut it completely kills the sense of immersion the previous UI generated.
    Which brings me to perhaps my next major gripe, removal of the in race voices for the AIs. It sounds like such a minor thing, but having the AI drivers actually talking back and forth and reacting to what was happening in the race gave Dirt2 a completely different feel in single player. It felt more like racing with a bunch of friends rather than just grinding against some oblivious robot. It even had an affect on how I drove. In Dirt3 I can run another driver off a cliff with absolutely no consequences. In Dirt2, cut off an opponent or pull some other dangerous maneuver and the other drivers would tell you about it in no uncertain terms. Nothing like having Tanner Foust or Ken Block call you an a--hole (sort of) to make you think twice about being hyper-aggressive.

    Another major issue for me is the heavy emphasis on Rally. Don't get me wrong I love rally, be it a traditional point-to-point or scraping paint in Rally-X. There is however such a thing as to much of a good thing. Dirt2 did a great job of balancing out the formality of rally with plenty of truck/buggy based events that allowed you to let loose a little bit without having to worry about hitting a perfect apex to shave 0.002 seconds off your time. The trucks are still there, but they've been relegated to a single event type (landrush) with just a single available vehicle ( the 'landrush event truck'). You can choose your livery (sort off) by choosing a team but other than that no real choice. It's as if they grudgingly let you race them, but there's a nagging feeling that the game is telling you "Trucks? yeah we have those but wouldn't you much rather be over here perfecting your rally skills? See, look shiny classic rally cars from the 70's. That's right, forget about those dirty, smelly buggies and come over this way....".

    The final gripe I have is the way you progress through the single player career. You still get experience, but rather than the leveling system that gradually opens up more and more opportunities as you progress, this is pretty much a straight point-A to point-B. Also rather than earning cash as a reward for completeing a race has been removed. Instead, you simply get handed cars and liveries at certain set points. There's no real feeling of having accomplished anything; the car isn't really yours, some random corporate just lets you use it and expects to get it back in one piece when you're done. Even worse though is the way rep (the equivanent to exp in this game) is tied to the car you drive. You get more rep from completing the 'bonus' missions in a car that just unlocked than in your vehicle you've been racing from the beginning. Sometimes it can be a gap of several hundred points. In essence they are constantly trying to force you to drive a different vehicle rather that spending the time to master a single car you really like.

    To sum up. If you are a rally nut and the mountian dew fueled, Americanized X-sport theme of Dirt 2 set your teeth on edge, then Dirt 3 is probably a must buy. If you are like me however, and enjoyed Dirt2s blend crazy antics and challenging events then Dirt3 is going to feel somewhat unfullfilling.    … Expand
  5. JohnR
    May 27, 2011
    9
    Great graphics, sound, interface design, game play solo and multiplayer, and last but not least, the price is right. What's not to like? It's not a sim. Translation equals NOT BORING. It's fun!
  6. fl3shy
    May 26, 2011
    9
    If you actually read these comments, you'll find these players are complaining about very strange things. Not enough graphical upgrades? It's beautiful, don't kid yourself. Not enough simulation? Turn off the assists- it handles brilliantly. Too easy? There are 5 levels of difficulty, crank it up and tell me it's still too easy (I doubt it). This game is a lot of fun. The multiplayerIf you actually read these comments, you'll find these players are complaining about very strange things. Not enough graphical upgrades? It's beautiful, don't kid yourself. Not enough simulation? Turn off the assists- it handles brilliantly. Too easy? There are 5 levels of difficulty, crank it up and tell me it's still too easy (I doubt it). This game is a lot of fun. The multiplayer portion is fantastic and provides hours of enjoyment beyond the single player portion. The car models are fantastic, the music is fitting, the sound and graphics are excellent. If you're a fan of the previous Codemasters titles, you'll enjoy this game.… Expand
  7. TwoCans
    May 26, 2011
    9
    TL;DR: I'm completely baffled by anyone holding up Dirt2 as superior, either in graphics or gameplay. Dirt3 isn't dramatically better on either point but it is a step forward for both. If you enjoyed Dirt2 you should get your money's worth from Dirt3--though there do appear to be a few who manage to disagree.

    Graphics--the Good: It's the Dirt2 engine with environmental effects on top.    TL;DR: I'm completely baffled by anyone holding up Dirt2 as superior, either in graphics or gameplay. Dirt3 isn't dramatically better on either point but it is a step forward for both. If you enjoyed Dirt2 you should get your money's worth from Dirt3--though there do appear to be a few who manage to disagree.

    Graphics--the Good: It's the Dirt2 engine with environmental effects on top. There's a bit of polish all around--the cars look appreciably nicer, and the water is better--but nothing dramatic. Kudos to Codemasters on optimizations though--while everything looks nicer, I get the same frame rate I did in Dirt2.
    --The Bad: The overall color palette and set pieces are more subdued--compared to Shibuya or London in Dirt2, Finland's forests look bland and repetitive. Given that there are fewer locations there's less variety in the atmosphere that the added environmental effects don't entirely make up for--they lost a bit of the spice from the previous game.

    Content--the Good: All the racing types from Dirt2 are here, though Rally and Gymkhana have a bit more prominence than the other modes. Between driving in rain/snow having more cars to choose there's a goodly bit more variety in driving conditions.
    --the Bad: sure there's more spice in the driving options, but less areas to drive in.I don't mean the tracks--there's definitely more road to drive on--but they've been crammed into fewer locations. The menu navigation isn't nearly as neat as the trailer from Dirt2 but that's not a dealbreaker. Gameplay--the Good: with the difficulty set to advanced, the handling is almost identical to Dirt2. The myriad of driver assists they added made this game way more accessible--for kicks I had my grandpa play it on casual, and to my surprise he enjoyed it. The new weather conditions are a blast to drive in. Gymkhana plays out like Tony Hawk with cars and is a fun addition to the franchise. The flashback system no longer has a delay when activated which makes it much more fluid to use.
    --the Bad: I'm struggling to think of things they've made worse. Load times are as frequent and as long as in Dirt2--anyone making claims to the contrary has their rose-colored glasses on. Difficulty occasionally too random--I've seen the fastest CPU time fluctuate as much as 7s between playthroughs of the same track. If you're getting this expecting a simulation you might be disappointed, but as a fan of the Dirt series they've raised the bar in nearly every category.

    Dirt3 isn't a big upgrade, but they took kept the fun from the previous game and added some new modes, content, and weather twists. It doesn't have the wow factor for a perfect 10, but it's certainly got enough improvements to be worth my money.    … Expand
  8. ozgeek
    May 26, 2011
    4
    I am a hearing impaired gamer. I had pre-ordered Dirt 3 on Steam with the expectation that it would have subtitles/captions. I've sent them an email back when I bought Dirt 2. I am very disappointed that it was not heeded meaning that this game's storyline is omited for deaf players. there are millions of deaf people in this world more like hundred million or more! Your potentialI am a hearing impaired gamer. I had pre-ordered Dirt 3 on Steam with the expectation that it would have subtitles/captions. I've sent them an email back when I bought Dirt 2. I am very disappointed that it was not heeded meaning that this game's storyline is omited for deaf players. there are millions of deaf people in this world more like hundred million or more! Your potential customers! By omiting captions or other accessibility features, you show a complete disregard for disabled players.

    Gameplay wise, this is nothing more than a redressed version of Dirt 2. Excatly same racing styles.

    but graphics looks improved. So I give you a 8 for great graphics, fun gameplay but 0 for ingoring deaf players so I balanced it to 3. Sorry I rate any games that way if they don't include subtites for deaf people.    … Expand
  9. elmouseyo
    May 25, 2011
    6
    A little disappointing so far. I was hoping for an 'all bells and whistles' graphical upgrade from the stunning Dirt2 but it almost seems like this one is using lower resolution textures on the environments and vehicles. Certainly doesn't feel like a DX11 PC game - More like a DX9 console port (Smells of Crysis2) The new menu system has been overdone - seems to take a hundred steps to getA little disappointing so far. I was hoping for an 'all bells and whistles' graphical upgrade from the stunning Dirt2 but it almost seems like this one is using lower resolution textures on the environments and vehicles. Certainly doesn't feel like a DX11 PC game - More like a DX9 console port (Smells of Crysis2) The new menu system has been overdone - seems to take a hundred steps to get into the actual race (Bring back the Dirt2 trailer!) - The new voices are a little annoying too. Fingers crossed for a high res texture pack DLC!… Expand
  10. Tommo11
    May 25, 2011
    9
    Great game so far. love it. well worth the wait! Make sure your TV is set to game mode so the handling response is at its best. I noticed a big difference after changing this.
  11. Arkas000
    May 25, 2011
    4
    An arcade game for noob people. This is my opinion about Dirt 3.
    Gymkhana is an enervating discipline and the driving style in general remembers me "Sega Rally"..
    The textures are a little better than previous titles but the particles are very very atrocious. Few smoke effects and nothing else...no stones are moved, no snow "dirty" the cars, water is horrible (where are the fantastic water    An arcade game for noob people. This is my opinion about Dirt 3.
    Gymkhana is an enervating discipline and the driving style in general remembers me "Sega Rally"..
    The textures are a little better than previous titles but the particles are very very atrocious. Few smoke effects and nothing else...no stones are moved, no snow "dirty" the cars, water is horrible (where are the fantastic water effects of Dirt 2???). Anything else? yes...the game is so simple that could be played by a baby....
    I was very disappointed about Dirt 3. Codemaster, you can do better for PC players. We are losing you..    … Expand
  12. Darmvlinder
    May 25, 2011
    7
    The cars steer fine to my taste even though I do not know how it should be in real life. The graphics are on the same level with DiRT 2 and surpass aforementioned when viewing the new weather effects. Textures also seem sharper. The new menu system disappointed a bit in the beginning but after all, it's sleek yet simple and very easy to navigate. The voice acting, for that matter, is goodThe cars steer fine to my taste even though I do not know how it should be in real life. The graphics are on the same level with DiRT 2 and surpass aforementioned when viewing the new weather effects. Textures also seem sharper. The new menu system disappointed a bit in the beginning but after all, it's sleek yet simple and very easy to navigate. The voice acting, for that matter, is good enough. But there's nothing as annoying as Ken Block's voice.

    The game modes look fine to me, a nice great number of cars and tracks. Rally, rallycross, trailblazer and raid, they all play nice and easy. Gymkhana feels too arcade-ish, though.

    Luckily, the hipster soundtrack from DiRT 2 was replaced by a more mild electronic track list mixed with a nice compromise of the former sort of music. Nice enough to listen to.    … Expand
  13. PinkPanther
    May 25, 2011
    10
    Great Game! Finally the controls behave almost realistic and are very responsive. I almost feel like I'm in a real car. This is a major improvement over DiRT2 and makes DiRT3 the best rally game at this time for my taste!
    Also I like the streamlined menus which make navigation and continuing races much quicker than in DiRT2.
    And the music is pretty good too and together with the voice    Great Game! Finally the controls behave almost realistic and are very responsive. I almost feel like I'm in a real car. This is a major improvement over DiRT2 and makes DiRT3 the best rally game at this time for my taste!
    Also I like the streamlined menus which make navigation and continuing races much quicker than in DiRT2.
    And the music is pretty good too and together with the voice acting makes for a relaxed atmosphere, much different from the macho touch in DiRT2.    … Expand
  14. Silverblade
    May 25, 2011
    9
    "If you want to buy a good and challenging racing game this year i would suggest you to grab Shift 2 Unleashed." - If you're writing that at the end of a review, you should probably realise that racing games aren't for you. I agree with most of the other reviewers that it's a little easy; turning everything but ABS off and setting opponent skill to 5/6 still enables me to win most races"If you want to buy a good and challenging racing game this year i would suggest you to grab Shift 2 Unleashed." - If you're writing that at the end of a review, you should probably realise that racing games aren't for you. I agree with most of the other reviewers that it's a little easy; turning everything but ABS off and setting opponent skill to 5/6 still enables me to win most races without much of a fight, but it's still a fun game. The physics make handling a little twitchier than DiRT 2, but for an 'arcade' game they're very well rounded, unlike those in the aforementioned Shift 2 which are appalling (if you want 'simulation', go play Gran Turismo 5, not Shift 2). The one thing i don't understand is why they've narrowed down the locales so much. I really miss the old, true rally games that had events in around ten different countries. The main thing that impresses me about this game is how well optimised it is; i get a steady 40~50fps at 1080p, max settings, max AA + supersampling on my Q6600 and GTX260 which are getting a little long in the tooth by all accounts. Whilst it's not running in DX11 mode, it gives you an idea of how well new cards will breeze through this game.… Expand
  15. Ziostag
    May 25, 2011
    10
    Best racing game since Mario Kart Wii! PROS - The physics feel great, although it's probably a bit easier then DiRT 2. But I really think that it feels very realistic and I personally like it better then DiRT 2. - Singleplayer is awesome and you have a lot of nice cars and different game types - Multiplayer is also awesome as far as I can tell for now. They even have some kind of rankingBest racing game since Mario Kart Wii! PROS - The physics feel great, although it's probably a bit easier then DiRT 2. But I really think that it feels very realistic and I personally like it better then DiRT 2. - Singleplayer is awesome and you have a lot of nice cars and different game types - Multiplayer is also awesome as far as I can tell for now. They even have some kind of ranking system, but I didn't play that much online so far. - Menu is easier and more practical then in DiRT2 - IT HAS SPLIT SCREEN! YAY! - Graphic looks pretty good, but I'm not a specialist there - I like the sound too, but it has maybe not that many songs CONS - takes a bit long to load a map - windows live (it's not that bad, but well....it's windows live) - no map editor so far? Cmon I need to tell something negative too I would give it a 9 because a 10 is impossible. But since some smartasses are giving disproportionate low ratings because they are buthurt, I give it a 10 :p… Expand
  16. twelvebass
    May 25, 2011
    10
    I caught myself laughing joyfully while racing an old Toyota down a sandy road into a kenyan sunset. Not many games can do that. This one let's me know again why I play games. Yes, it is a bit sad they abandoned the festival style menus and neutralized the atmosphere from Dirt 2 , but it's not all bad because the menus are now much quicker to navigate through. All the trolls are cryingI caught myself laughing joyfully while racing an old Toyota down a sandy road into a kenyan sunset. Not many games can do that. This one let's me know again why I play games. Yes, it is a bit sad they abandoned the festival style menus and neutralized the atmosphere from Dirt 2 , but it's not all bad because the menus are now much quicker to navigate through. All the trolls are crying about it... and the graphics... and the controls but honestly, it's still the same engine as in grit and dirt 2! it handles exactly as you're used to from codemasters race games, which is formidable. if you can't handle it, try another car or turn on some of the various help functions. And it looks brilliant: the raceway with tessellation textures, the spectacular lighting, the water looks better and the new weather effects fit in perfectly. This is the Crysis of Race Games: untouchable. On the downside are the usual too easy and monotonous career mode and the high rate of course recycling (night/day, weather, backwards).
    But all in all: the best race game since Dirt 2. If you're a NfS Driver or GT5 and annoyed, stick to the engine you know and don't come here flaming. It's in the end always a matter of taste and preference. But Codemasters made my summer for sure :)    … Expand
  17. ganglartoronto
    May 25, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. People giving this game a bad review based on options that they can change, should go away.

    The game is a step forward from dirt 2 in terms of graphics, sound, physics, and handling. The cars have weight shift unlike dirt 2 where you just drift to the side. The cars will react to different surface and weather types(in snow you have to step on it on turns or you'll just get stuck in the snow mid-turn). The motion-blur is a nice add-in when driving fast, games just look goofy without it now, in my opinion. The new modes are a hoot. Gymkhana takes a ton of practice and getting used to, WITHOUT the assists, obviously. Transporter, also capture the flag, is a blast in the whole DC compound. Cat n Mouse is where up to 8 people, and depending on teams(lets say 4v4), you'll have 2 mini coopers, and 6 Audi quatro's or high bhp cars to try and spin out the enemies', or protect your mini cooper all the way to the finish line of a long trailblazer course. I won't get into the other modes now because they are self explanatory, but this game is a definite buy for PC.    … Expand
  18. Kand
    May 24, 2011
    0
    Disaapointing. :/

    The graphics are indeed better, but there's just something off about it. It feels rushed. Like they didnt put much SOUL into it. Unlike Dirt 2, that whole game just wanted you to step out of the trailer and hang out. Then there's the issue of controls. The car's too responsive! One tap on the analog stick will send you spinning out. It's really sad. Was expecting a    Disaapointing. :/

    The graphics are indeed better, but there's just something off about it. It feels rushed. Like they didnt put much SOUL into it. Unlike Dirt 2, that whole game just wanted you to step out of the trailer and hang out.

    Then there's the issue of controls. The car's too responsive! One tap on the analog stick will send you spinning out.

    It's really sad. Was expecting a game that was either on par or better than Dirt 2, got something that feels like it was made in 2001 instead.    … Expand
  19. ciuchina82
    May 24, 2011
    5
    A waste of money for me. Not a simulation but too arcade, too easy, not that fun. Very little rally competitions, the game seems to be everything except for rally. Laoding times are excessive and they occur too frequently. Menus are a chaotic-melting-salad. Youtube sending option is a broken feature. Graphics are not that miracle, certainly a step backward in comparison with dirt 2 (theyA waste of money for me. Not a simulation but too arcade, too easy, not that fun. Very little rally competitions, the game seems to be everything except for rally. Laoding times are excessive and they occur too frequently. Menus are a chaotic-melting-salad. Youtube sending option is a broken feature. Graphics are not that miracle, certainly a step backward in comparison with dirt 2 (they added weather conditions as a consolation prize). A really disappointing game. If you want to buy a good and challenging racing game this year i would suggest you to grab Shift 2 Unleashed.… Expand
  20. zepeq
    May 24, 2011
    4
    This is not enhance of DiRT2. This is just a hybrid between GRID and DiRT1 with boring BGM, voices, menu and any other boring waiting time. I can't feel exciting.
    Developers need to learn why people loved DiRT2.
  21. orion89
    Jun 4, 2011
    8
    This really is a great game but I just can't say I enjoy it as much as Dirt 2. The poorly kept RV that traveled around the world with you in Dirt 2 was such a charming idea for what was essentially the menu screen, which was always set in the middle of a huge crowd with music blaring and the scenery of the location you decided to race in looming in the background. Dirt 3 ditched that forThis really is a great game but I just can't say I enjoy it as much as Dirt 2. The poorly kept RV that traveled around the world with you in Dirt 2 was such a charming idea for what was essentially the menu screen, which was always set in the middle of a huge crowd with music blaring and the scenery of the location you decided to race in looming in the background. Dirt 3 ditched that for a much more simple menu that, while streamlined and stylish, is just kinda boring, unless rotating golden pyramids are your thing. The gameplay is fantastic of course, the cars handle wonderfully and the sense of speed is spot on. However, I didn't get the same sense of excitement, the rush I got when I played D2. Watching a replay of my speedy little Ford Cosworth zipping through the Finnish wilderness in its beautifully rendered glory was cool and all but the techno-pop track that played in the background simply didn't fit. At all. It didn't hold a candle to watching the replay of my Mitsubishi Evo X tearing ass through canyons in Utah while My Delirium blasted from my speakers in D2. The music list in general adds to D3's somewhat sterile presentation. I've heard mostly techno oriented tracks so far and it's just so quiet, so subdued and when you mix that with the games (overly) simplified, calm presentation, it kinda comes off as just another race sim. Compare this to D2 which was constantly noisy and flamboyant with its presentation, which was good because it's rally racing. It's supposed to be noisy and dirty and fast paced, not quiet and clean with a bunch of friggin triangles. Graphically the game is better than its predecessor but not by leaps and bounds. This isn't a bad thing though, far from it in fact. The Dirt series is known for being beautiful and Dirt 3 doesn't disappoint. There's too much to mention in a little review like this, you really just have to play it, but the one thing I want to stress is the performance. I run these games on a 2007 iMac.... ya. Despite the fact that it's very underpowered by todays gaming standards, I run Dirt 3 perfectly fine on high settings. The Ego engine is just so well made, you get marvelous detail and performance even on lower end tech. One area they skimped on a bit was the driver detail. They sit as rigid as crash test dummies, hardly ever moving and the overall detail put into the models is lacking compared to D2. In D2 replays the game never shied away from showing your driver struggling with the vehicle, all the animations reasonably smooth and realistic. Hell even your co-driver would turn their head to look at you once or twice, a small insignificant detail but that's what made me surprised and happy to see it. There was a person next to you not a dummy. The only other downside other than the presentation is one.... single... race type.... Gymkhana. Some people may like it and that's fine. I don't hate it, it's fun to watch, but God almighty it can be a pain in the ass. Despite the games wonderful controls Gymkhana is just flat out hard and, at times, confusing. I zoom out into the arena and my first thought is "What the f*ck do I do?" I decide "Ok, I'll spin around this pole and maybe smash those blocks. Perhaps then I'll drift under that thing and make a futile effort to connect it to the donut I'll do over there." Unless you're pretty good and I wouldn't be surprised if there were those who are, it just ends up being kind of a mess and a bit frustrating. I've never once felt like I was doing one of those events for any reason other than getting it out of the way. It doesn't help that I'm a bit of a purist I guess, I absolutely love the rally events and trailblazing and thank God Codemasters really emphasized them this time around. There's also your little "HR Rep" I guess you would call him, he is annoying as all hell. He's always calling you ridiculously cheesy nicknames like "amigo" and "muchacho", it's flat out painful to hear him talk. I even found myself unconsciously hitting the mute button on my keyboard when he started to speak, it's that bad. Speaking of voice work. What happened to driver chatter? Where are the big name racers? Why aren't Katie Justice or Ken Block congratulating me on a good race? Where is Foust to be a douche when I come in second and he's first? It kills the immersion! Overall, I strongly recommend this game to racing fans. It's a strong racer. Just be prepared to be put off by the achingly sterile presentation if you were a big fan of Dirt 2 like I am, it damn near ruined the game for me. That sense of occasion, of pure excitement, is simply lost. I know I keep referring to it but it really does make a huge impact on the game.… Collapse
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Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best PC Game of 2011
50
#50 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
44
#44 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Absolute Games
    Jul 26, 2011
    67
    Looks like Codemasters really struggled with DiRT 3, piece by piece cutting everything that could have saved this game from going off the cliff.
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  2. PC Gamer
    Jul 14, 2011
    85
    Tremendously fun and mostly pothole free, this gorgeous and flexible off-roader has something for every driving fan. [Sept 2011, p.70]
  3. PC Format
    Jul 12, 2011
    86
    Not quite the inspired sequel we had all hoped for, but there's still enough in DiRT 3 to bring the fans back. [Aug 2011, p.96]
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