tbtstt

Where are you getting that? The patch thread has the next version dated for tomorrow?

I see there is a mention about the assignment of driver names in the patch notes? I wonder if the recently added GRX drivers will appear elsewhere now?...

That is the first thing I thought of when I read about the "surprises" as well! Nicely worded post. Certainly isn't a flawless game but, in my personal opinion, this is the most complete DiRT game that CM have put out. I daresay the community has been instrumental in making that happen.

A "farewell" to DR2.0... https://forums.codemasters.com/announcement/41-a-letter-to-the-dirt-rally-20-community/ ...and the promise of something new coming soon. Interesting snippet in that article: "Whilst there are no plans for additional Seasons for DiRT Rally 2.0, some minor updates and surprises are planned." There is hope for the GRX i20 yet!

I might feel different if I played it now, but my big issue with RBR is it felt excessively difficult. I find DR2.0 hard at times, but never unrealistically hard. I am exactly the same as you though. Although I enjoy arcade type games, I have long preferred more realistic sim-like titles. I loved Panzer Front on the PS1 and that one seemed to completely pass everyone by. Dropship and Sniper Elite were a couple of my favourites on PS2 and both of those got a lukewarm response from critics and players. 505 and Gaijin put out some of my most played PS3 games, IL2 and Birds of Steel, then released one of my all time favourite flying games, Apache: Air Assault. Again missed by most players and critics, but so good to play. There was a tiny contingent of players online for a while as well. Is it definitely coming to console? Ii have seen it on PC and I am definitely interested, wasn't sure if a console release was likely. Thinking about it the vast majority of my favourites from the 8 and 16 Bit era were isometric.

Just started playing the first one again. Hopefully @PJTierney is taking some notes in this thread to pass on, I'd definitely buy your DiRT Retro idea if it was like World Rally Championship @Jake Cushing! Going back to the OP, CMR1 was the first rally game I owned. I have been playing racing games since the early 90's but, up until CMR1, every rally game I had played was at the arcade (most memorably Sega Rally). I subsequently played every CMR title and the Evolution WRC games. The first Evolution game was the most memorable for me as that was one of the first games I played on PS2. I first fired it up with a mate and I remember us both sitting there in stunned silence looking at the replays because it seemed so real, how times have changed... ...I did play RBR but *deep breath* I never really rated it on console. Enjoyed V-Rally 1 and 2, but I lost interest in the series by V-Rally 3. I frequently sold older games on to pay for the latest version, shame I couldn't have held onto all of them!

I was trying to play the sequel as well, but it isn't stable and kept crashing!

Thanks @Jake Cushing, fired up the Pi a couple of hours ago and I'm still here...

I love isometric games, would love to see the style make a return!

A pack of Supercars leaving the line is, in my personal opinion, one of the best spectacles in motorsport.

On a large circuit the F1 car would have passed the RX Supercar by the first corner, but up to 110/110, the Supercar is untouchable!

Yeah, and a Formula E car is nowhere near as agile as a Supercar.

On a short sprint course there isn't much that will touch a modern rallycross Supercar.

You don't need to trigger me @PJTierney: you have "S4" doing it every time I fire the game up! 😀 The Integrale is definitely quick, though I am personally not keen on how it handles at speed. The Evo VI is the quickest car is Group A for me but, as said in my previous post, I mainly use the '95 car as it is great to throw around. To be honest every car is worth a try though. Even the EsCos, which I think is the slowest in class, is a great drive (and the 7 speed gearbox makes it interesting).

Oh wow, I didn't know you were fluent in Japanese @Matt555?

Yes, the newer ones definitely feel different! The NR4 Impreza (which technically isn't actually an Impreza) looks a bit of a boat, but handles really well. In the 2000cc class, the 2008 car handles really well but, at least for me, doesn't have the raw speed of the Focus or C4. The 2001 Impreza is probably the best all rounder of the Impreza in the 2000cc class. I am probably biased, but the 1998 is my clear favourite. Looks immense and, once you have worked around the understeer, I find it an absolute pleasure to drive. Oh, and don't forget the Legacy in Group A, I think it handles superbly. That said, I still prefer the '95 car, as I find that more fun to throw around.

Anyone any good with Japanese?...

I think CM could be missing a trick here. They need to ask all the (better funded) famous DR2.0 rallycross players to have a whip round and pay for the license for Spa and studio time to get CM to knock it out, as I am sure the team are sitting around in lockdown with nothing better to do.

Funnily enough, when I said "National level" Ireland was exactly where I had in mind! I absolutely love the Irish Tarmac Championship - both then and now - but the depth and quality of the field in the late 90's/early '00's was incredible. The '00's were pretty damn awesome in Ireland as well, so much WRC machinery passed through.

Yeah. What is perhaps most frustrating about that year is that Makinen was already out of the running, so McRae didn't need to be driving at 110%... ...but of course the reason he was so spectacular to watch, is because that was frequently the only pace he ever drove at! If you compare the onboard you posted with other onboard clips from the same event, Colin was making some ridiculous cuts on some corners, in several cases he is 4-6 feet further into the verge. '95-'00 is the peak for me. The cars and drivers in the late Group A/early WRCar era, at both the WRC and National level, was an absolutely golden era of rallying in my personal opinion.

One of my all time favourite onboard clips. The commitment from McRae in Wales that year was absolutely staggering... ...though, given how aggressively he was driving, it is no surprise it ended the way it did.

Ah, wondered when the next update was coming!

His name has been attached to some great things... and a whole lot of rubbish!

DiRT 2 used his name in the title as well @PJTierney, it was dropped for DiRT 3. Whether it was by agreement or not, I was glad to see the name removed: I personally think it would have cheapened it if they had continued to attach his name to games that he obviously had no involvement with. I think the inclusion of classic McRae liveries is a nice way to maintain a connection to the previous games and the DR2.0 tribute is, in my opinion, very tastefully done.

Ah, guess that would be this then*?... * Apologies everyone for tainting the mighty DiRT thread with inferior motorsport.