Review: Dirt 3 (2011)

By Scott Jeffrey

As an avid racing game enthusiast I was not expecting a whole lot out of this game. It seems like Dirt 2 just came out not that long ago so I found it really hard to believe that much had changed between then and now. Within my first real rally though, a smile started to come across my face and I must admit this game is fun.

Dirt 3 is structured a little bit differently than most big racing games. The tuning is kept to a minimum, and there is no money to be had. You play Dirt 3 to level your driver, not for monetary gain and to build up a fleet of sexy cars. With each driver level you are able to unlock new events and racing car deals, but there is no investment from the driver. It feels a little less achievement based than a game like Forza where you have to earn every set of wheels that comes to you, rather than have a sponsor just hand you a car. Kind of makes me wish the world worked that way and I could throw my name in for this year’s Dakar.

The cars are quite good in this, I was surprised to see vintage rallys, where you can climb into 1960’s rally cars and toot around a scary rally course. The events usually allow players to choose a class of cars however, if you are more interested in bombing around in a heavily modified trailblazer truck instead.

The graphics I cannot complain about one bit. Dirt 3 is noticeably superior to Dirt 2, especially on a PC. The weather, night racing and debris that gets churned up from other cars are great to watch and I have wanted to screenshot some of the sights I’ve seen on the rally stages, but stopped myself for fear of crashing. Not that crashing isn’t easily solved through Dirt 3’s in race rewind system.

The rewind is needed in some instances, especially when driving with the assists off in this game. Turns out some of the cars walk a fine line between a sweet controlled drift and ending up halfway down a mountain.

I really enjoyed the traditional rally events in this, some of the rally cross was just ok and the extreme events and gym kahna were probably my least favourite parts of the game. I’d rather be trying to set a time then pulling donuts around a parking lot but that is my style of play. Luckily because of the point system I could play my way and do the events that I wanted to participate in. So, with that a different player may like Dirt 3 for the events I didn’t much care for, Codemasters has done a great job in letting the player decide.

Sound is done quite well, listening to the co-driver in order to get around some of the rally stages is needed, and they are spot on with the delivery. The music in between the menus is really catchy and gets you pumped for each race. The agent and the voices that go on to congratulate you and guide you through your career get really annoying however. I would have preferred to read a subtitle than have someone call me their amigo one more fucking time.

The track design and replay-ability is what makes this game quite a gem though. Some of the rally stages are legitimately challenging. This is one of the very few racing games where you are going down a straightaway with legitimate fear only waiting for your co-driver to say when the next turn is approaching so you slam the brakes and hopefully don’t crash.

The online leader boards keep players constantly competing and after each race you can upload your replays directly to youtube. There are plenty of bragging rights to be had in the online community of Dirt 3. As well there are a few games such as capture the flag and tag for multi player that are fun once or twice but not enough to keep me coming back to. 

Score: 7/10

Graphics: 9/10

Gameplay: 8/10

Story/writing: 6/10

Replay value: 9/10

Overall: 39/50

Take Away Thought: If you are interested in seeing what it’s like to be in a rally, this is probably as close as you can get without going and doing it. Dirt 3 is fun and challenging, I would have liked it to have a bit more customization and allow a player to earn money to purchase a racing team and manage the team, but this format works as well. 

Review: Mass Effect 3 (2012)

By Scott Jeffrey

Mass Effect 3 has become one of the most heavily criticized games since its release last Tuesday. I for one have actually got very little to criticise this game for. With so many user reviews feeling let down or cheated, I have to say I feel quite satisfied with this product, and found the end of the Mass Effect Series to be lasting and bittersweet.

With so many games that pick you up and carry you away with their story, Bioware have become masters of doing this to the point where you just seem to never hit the ground. When I picked up Mass Effect 3, I found it nearly impossible to put it down.  Every plot twist, every old character and nearly every side mission, has something that will make a player who has actively followed the story of Commander Shepard and his crew since Mass Effect 1 stare at the screen in awe.

I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but it is gripping. Never before have I felt so much pressure when making decisions in a story conversation. Mass effect has always has multiple endings and multiple storylines, all which can be based from decisions and conversation options. In this third and final installment, shit gets real and the stakes are the highest they have ever been. Earth is at risk and the majority of the time, it’s you the player that decides whether earth is going to get bloowed up.

The actual missions are a ton of fun. The combat feels as slick as ever with three different game modes to choose from. I like that Mass Effect 3 can be played just like a shooter, this is the control style similar to the multiplayer in Mass Effect 3. Also I like that they still have their regular rpg shooter style because that is how I am used to playing the main campaign. I love searching around and I love slowplaying missions and weighing conversation options, it is a quality and style of gameplay that Bioware has become synonymous with and I am glad they didn’t just convert it over.

Now I have heard many responses that EA has ruined Bioware, now you can see some touches of EA encroaching into Bioware tradition, this is mostly with use of the online pass and allowing for the shooter style of gameplay, the game still feels quite good and as if I am playing a classic, So I personally do not harbor these concerns.

The multiplayer is quite fun. It is sort of a rip off of horde mode, in gears of war, but with a few objective based waves added in. The first time I played I remember laughing out loud as I ripped apart a geth in a multiplayer match using a shockwave biotic. Being able to use guns and biotic powers to crush enemies, is something very cool in multiplayer. The system of having a character with upgraded powers and having to unlock weapons and character races by saving up money from completing waves to buy supply crates, is also an interesting incentive to play. I still covet a krogan soldier, which I just can’t seem to get out of a crate yet. I also like that by playing the multiplayer it can have an effect on your single player campaign, by clearing the system of foes in multiplayer you can increase your readiness for war, meaning potentially the end battle will be an easier one.

Visually this game was pretty spectacular. The rendered footage is jaw dropping and the cinematics are big screen quality. During the gameplay everything has a slick and futuristic look, I did encounter a few glitches, and unless you can install this on the 360 platform expect a fair amount of loading times and disk changing.  

Soundtrack was amazing as always. Mass effect has always had music that may as well be straight out of tron, and Mass Effect 3 has a soundtrack that would even impress Daft Punk. This was kind of to be expected though as it was written by Clint Mansell (Requiem for a dream OST/ Black Swan OST), a world class composer.

Overall I am just really impressed with this game, everything about it has been an enjoyable experience, my only real gripe is that some more side missions and content could have potentially been added, I guess that is what the DLC will be for though I suppose. I was able to finish my first mass effect play through in about 26 hours, doing most of the side missions. This is an average to long game in terms of many xbox 360 titles, but it didn’t seem to have the bulk of single player gameplay, that Mass Effect 2 did. Mass Effect 3 allows you to start again keeping all of your character stats from your first play through, which I have begun to do, only to see what choices I could have made and what I potentially missed.

Score: 10/10

Graphics: 9/10

Gameplay: 8/10

Story/Writing: 10/10

Replay Value:  9/10

Overall: 46/50

Take Away Thought: Borrow or purchase the first two if you can. These games allow you to import a character from the first game to the second game to the third game, so you can essentially play the same character all the way through, with all the choices recorded on each. I would recommend this game and series to anyone. Even hardcore FPS(First Person Shooter) players can get into an RPG (Role Playing Game) this style, and with such high quality voice acting and story, nobody should have to miss out.