Dirt 5 had a pretty rocky road to release. Faced with multiple delays and a change in the developer, some fans may have worried. After all, these are the types of events that can be a good warning sign of problems in the production of a game.
Fortunately, that’s not the case with this title. While Dirt 5 might be a little rough on the edges, it certainly manages to hit the mark effectively. Even with some missed story opportunities, it’s a fun and capable arcade racing game.
History
Unlike previous Dirt games, this new entry has a proper story mode. It’s not just a single player campaign either, but a real narrative that unfolds over time. In essence, the player takes on the role of an up-and-coming driver battling an established rival. Codemasters has even added some established names for playing roles in the storyline. This includes both Nolan North and Troy Baker, who play your opponent and mentor respectively. In between races, the couple will talk to you and provide context for the events.
Unfortunately, the actual storyline in Dirt 5 isn’t all that great. It exists only to provide extra motivation. There are no actual cutscenes and it is perfectly possible to go through all the races without paying attention. Adding a podcast series to accompany the action isn’t all that important either. Codemasters made a lot of history prior to the game’s release. But in all honesty, it’s a disposable item that the vast majority of gamers simply won’t care about.
If you ignore the narrative in the campaign, the career mode largely progresses as you might expect. Players get stamps for finishing well in races and also for completing bonus challenges. Once you’ve finished a race, you can move on to the next event in that branch. Occasionally, you will need to have collected a certain number of stamps to move forward, but that’s never a problem. Despite the lack of story, it’s really worth playing career mode just for the events.
Start a new Thread