Dirt 4

Last updated

DiRT 4
Dirt 4 cover.jpg
Retail cover art featuring a Ford Fiesta R5
Developer(s) Codemasters
Publisher(s) Codemasters
Series Dirt
Engine Ego
Platform(s) PlayStation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Linux
macOS
Release
  • NA: 6 June 2017
  • PAL: 9 June 2017
Linux, macOS
  • WW: 28 March 2019 [1]
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Dirt 4 (stylised as DiRT 4) is a simcade racing video game developed by Codemasters for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in June 2017, and for Linux and macOS in March 2019 by Feral Interactive.

Contents

A sequel, Dirt 5 , was released in November 2020. [2]

Gameplay

Dirt 4 is a racing game focused on rallying. Players compete in timed stage events on tarmac and off-road terrain in varying weather conditions. Rally stages span five locations: Fitzroy in Australia, Tarragona in Spain, Michigan in the United States, Värmland in Sweden and Powys in Wales. Cars are drawn from a wide variety of competition classes and time periods, such as the Group B cars of the 1980s, Group A and Group N cars from the 1990s and 2000s, and Group R cars from the 2010s. The game does not feature World Rally Cars or any elements associated with the World Rally Championship. Dirt 4 introduces a new feature called "Your Stage" that procedurally generates rally stages based on a setting and parameters that the player defines. [3] As the game does not feature any licensed content for its rally mode, Your Stage is used to generate all of the stages that the player drives on in career mode.

The game features rallycross racing and carries a FIA World Rallycross Championship license. It includes five rallycross circuits: Lydden Hill Race Circuit in Great Britain, Höljesbanan in Sweden, Lånkebanen in Norway, the Circuit de Lohéac in France and the Pista Automóvel de Montalegre in Portugal, as well as the lineup of the 2016 season. Lohéac and Montalegre are new to the series. Both rallycross Supercars and RX Lites are included. The game also features multiplayer and cross-platform leaderboards. [3] Landrush mode returns, featuring stadium trucks and buggy racing, with stages from locations in California, Nevada and Mexico. [4] Dirt 4 sees the return of the popular Dirt 3 mode "Joyride" which features multiplayer mini games.

Dirt 4 builds upon the team management systems introduced in Dirt Rally and Grid Autosport , with the player hiring personnel to repair the car, oversee the day-to-day operations, and boost the team's profile to secure new sponsors. Players are also able to buy and sell new and used cars, with previous results and accident histories affecting the resale value of the car.

Development and release

2014 10 04 12-00Rallye France, Parc assistance Colmar, Kris Meeke.jpg
PSolberg2014.JPG
Nicky Grist.png
Rally drivers Kris Meeke (top) and Petter Solberg (middle) were consulted on the game's handling model, whilst former WRC co-driver Nicky Grist (bottom) lent his voice and likeness as one of the default co-drivers (alongside Jen Horsey).

Dirt 4 was developed by UK-based video game company Codemasters. [3] Codemasters consulted with rally drivers Kris Meeke and Petter Solberg on the game's handling model. [5] The game features co-driver and commentator voice work from professional co-drivers Nicky Grist and Jen Horsey. [5]

The developers created DiRT 4's realistic audio by recording engine, intake, exhaust, transmission, and cabin noise. To capture proper on- and off-throttle for the full rev range of the engine, they recorded cars on-track rather than on a dyno. The audio model used a loop and grain approach, employing Wwise middleware to implement sounds into the game. Codemasters had recorded 200 cars from 2009 up to this game. Other recorded sounds include rolling surface, gravel kick-up, spring and damper compression, crowds, impacts, weather, and ambient. [6] [7]

Dirt 4 was released on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 6 June 2017 in North America, [3] and on 9 June in European regions. The Linux and macOS versions were launched by Feral Interactive in March 2019. [8]

Reception

Dirt 4 received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [9] [10] [11] IGN gave the game a 9.2/10: "Accessible yet tough and grimy yet gorgeous, Dirt 4 sets a new standard in rally racing – and its well-considered career mode and endless stages inject it with tremendous stamina. Absolutely stonking brilliant". [16] Polygon gave the game a 9/10: "I've never been more charmed by a racing video game and I could not recommend any other more than Dirt 4, to anyone of any ability. Dirt 4 is a joy". [18] GameSpot awarded the game a 9/10 and said "if Dirt Rally's punishing difficulty alienated long-time series fans in any way, this commitment to accessibility should help to bring them back, and the near-infinite possibilities of Your Stage should keep them playing. Dirt 4 is a shining example of Codemasters at their brilliant best". [14]

The game reached number 2 in the UK sales charts in its week of release, only behind Grand Theft Auto V . [19] The game reached number 7 in Australia, and number 2 in New Zealand. [20]

Accolades

The game was nominated for "Best Racing Game" in IGN's Best of 2017 Awards. [21] It won the award for the same "Best Racing Game" category in Game Informer 's Best of 2017 Awards and their 2017 Sports Game of the Year Awards, [22] [23] and in their Reader's Choice Best of 2017 Awards, it came in fourth place for the same category with only 12.5% of the votes. [24] Polygon ranked the game 28th on their list of the 50 best games of 2017. [25] It was also nominated for "Racing Game of the Year" at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, [26] and for "Game, Franchise Racing" and "Sound Effects" at the 17th Annual National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards. [27] [28]

Related Research Articles

Dirt and Dirt Rally, is a rally racing video game series developed and published by Codemasters. Codemasters had acquired the exclusive license to the World Rally Championship series in June 2020, which will begin as a five-year deal in 2023.

<i>TOCA Touring Car Championship</i> 1997 video game

TOCA: Touring Car Championship is a 3D racing video game licensed by series organisers TOCA, and developed and published by Codemasters for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows platforms in 1997-1998. It was re-released by Codemasters for the Game Boy Color in 2000. It was the first entry in the eponymous series and was followed by TOCA 2 Touring Cars in 1998. The player takes control of a driver who races for one of the eight works teams that contested the 1997 British Touring Car Championship against fifteen AI competitors on one of the nine championship circuits. A championship mode is available for players with the objective of earning points to continue competing and unlocking new features.

<i>RalliSport Challenge</i> 2002 video game

RalliSport Challenge is a 2002 rally racing video game for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox. It features a race career and 29 cars including the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI and the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Four race types that are included in the game are Rally, Hillclimb, Ice Racing, and Rallycross. A sequel, RalliSport Challenge 2, was released in 2004 for the Xbox.

<i>Colin McRae Rally 2.0</i> 2000 video game

Colin McRae Rally 2.0 is a racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for PlayStation, Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Advance.

<i>Colin McRae Rally 2005</i> 2004 video game

Colin McRae Rally 2005 is a racing video game developed and published by Codemasters.

<i>Race Driver: Grid</i> 2008 racing video game

Race Driver: Grid is a 2008 racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, arcade, Java ME and OS X. It is the first game in the Grid series.

<i>Colin McRae: Dirt</i> 2007 racing video game by Codemasters

Colin McRae: Dirt is a simcade racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It is the last of the series to be published before Colin McRae's death. It features new graphics, audio, physics engine, new vehicles and a new game engine called Neon which was co-developed between Codemasters and Sony Computer Entertainment. The game features a variety of off-road racing categories as well as World Rally Championship style events. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 in Europe on 14 September 2007, a day prior to Colin McRae's death. The sequel, Colin McRae: Dirt 2, was released in September 2009. A simplified version of the game was developed by Glu Mobile and released for Java ME devices in 2008.

<i>Colin McRae: Dirt 2</i> 2009 video game

Colin McRae: Dirt 2 is a racing video game developed and published by Codemasters in 2009, first for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox 360, and then later for PC platforms. It is the sequel to Colin McRae: Dirt. Dirt 2 is the first game in the series since McRae's death in 2007 and the last to feature his name in the title. It is also the first and only game in the series to be available on a Nintendo home console and the last game in the series to be released on handhelds.

<i>Dirt 3</i> 2011 video game

Dirt 3 is a simcade racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released on 24 May 2011 and is the first game in the series without carrying the Colin McRae name. A sequel, Dirt 4, was released in June 2017.

<i>Dirt: Showdown</i> 2012 video game

Dirt: Showdown is an arcade racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Linux. It was released on 25 May 2012 in Europe and on 12 June in North America. The OS X version was released on 4 September 2014 in North America. The game was released for Linux on 17 August 2015. The game was also released on Xbox 360 for free as part of Microsoft's Games with Gold promotion from January 1 to 15 January 2016.

<i>Grid 2</i> 2013 video game

Grid 2 is a 2013 racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. It is the second game in the Grid series. Feral Interactive released the Reloaded Edition for OS X in September 2014. The sequel, Grid Autosport, was released 24 June 2014.

<i>Colin McRae Rally</i> (1998 video game) 1998 video game

Colin McRae Rally is a racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It features 8 official cars and their drivers and rallies from the 1998 World Rally Championship season, in addition to 4 extra cars. A 2D version was released for the Game Boy Color in Europe in 2001. It was developed by Spellbound and published by THQ.

<i>Grid Autosport</i> 2014 racing video game

Grid Autosport is a 2014 racing video game developed by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Linux, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch and Android. It is the third game in the Grid series. It aims to move the series back towards "more authentic racing games" following the release of Grid 2, which Codemasters felt was not as well-received by the company's core fanbase as it was hoped for. The developers consequently introduced major modifications to the handling model and built a lean, race-first oriented design for this title.

<i>Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo</i> 2016 video game

Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo is a racing video game developed by Milestone, who had previously released the official WRC series from 2010 to 2013. It was released on January 29, 2016.

<i>Dirt Rally</i> Racing video game

Dirt Rally is a racing simulation video game developed and published by Codemasters for Windows. A Steam Early Access version of the game was released on 27 April 2015, and the full version was released on 7 December. PlayStation 4, Xbox One and physical PC DVD versions were released on 5 April 2016. The Linux and macOS versions, developed by Feral Interactive, were released in 2017. A sequel, Dirt Rally 2.0, was released in February 2019.

<i>F1 2017</i> (video game) 2017 video game

F1 2017 is the official video game of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship, released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on 25 August. The game includes all of the twenty circuits, twenty drivers and ten teams competing in the season. The macOS version, developed by Feral Interactive, was released simultaneously with the other versions, a first in the series' history. The Linux version, also by Feral Interactive, was released on 2 November.

<i>Dirt Rally 2.0</i> 2019 video game

Dirt Rally 2.0 is a racing simulation video game developed and published by Codemasters for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It was released on 26 February 2019. A version for Amazon Luna followed on 3 June 2021. It is a successor to the 2015 video game Dirt Rally and emphasises realistic driving physics.

<i>Dirt 5</i> 2020 racing video game made by Codemasters

Dirt 5 is a simcade racing video game developed and published by Codemasters. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 6 November 2020, for Xbox Series X/S on 10 November, and for PlayStation 5 on 12 November and 19 November, for Stadia on 24 March 2021, and for Luna on 15 July 2021. It was the last video game released by Codemasters as a publisher before being acquired by Electronic Arts (EA) on 18 February 2021.

<i>Project CARS</i> Racing video game series by Slightly Mad Studios

Project CARS was a sim racing video game series developed by Slightly Mad Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The franchise was introduced in 2015 and received a sequel in 2017, followed by Project CARS 3 in 2020. Following the acquisition of Codemasters by Electronic Arts, development on the Project CARS series ended in November 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "playerone.com: Dirt 4 Mac/Linux Release Date Announced For March 28". 25 March 2019.
  2. ↑ "Revealing DIRT 5 – First Next-Gen Codemasters Game, Launching from October 2020 | Codemasters Blog" . Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Robinson, Martin (26 January 2017). "Dirt 4 announced, and it's out this year". Eurogamer . Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  4. ↑ Byrne, Katharine (26 January 2017). "Dirt 4 release date set for June 9th". MCV . Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  5. 1 2 McGrath, Christina (26 January 2017). "Dirt 4 Coming to PS4 This June: 4 Things You Need to Know". PlayStation Blog . Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Driven to Perfection: Game Audio Sound Design at Codemasters". Rycote Microphone Windshields. March 2018. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019.
  7. ↑ Crognale, Paul (24 March 2017). "Engineer Spotlight: Chris Jojo". Shure. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021.
  8. ↑ Interactive, Feral. "Be fearless in DiRT® 4™, out now for macOS and Linux". Feral Interactive. Feral Interactive. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Dirt 4 for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Dirt 4 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Dirt 4 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  12. ↑ Glagowski, Peter (9 June 2017). "Review: Dirt 4". Destructoid . Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  13. ↑ Kato, Matthew (6 June 2017). "Another Stage Conquered - Dirt 4 - PlayStation 4". Game Informer . Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  14. 1 2 Wakeling, Richard (6 June 2017). "Dirt 4 Review". GameSpot . Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  15. ↑ Towell, Justin (6 June 2017). "Dirt 4 review: 'The series has always been unforgettable... until now'". GamesRadar . Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  16. 1 2 Reilly, Luke (6 June 2017). "Dirt 4 Review". IGN . Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  17. ↑ Kelly, Andy (8 June 2017). "Dirt 4 review". PC Gamer . Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  18. 1 2 Good, Owen S. (9 June 2017). "Dirt 4 review". Polygon . Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  19. ↑ Dayus, Oscar (18 April 2017). "Top 10 UK Sales Chart: GTA 5 Still Selling Well, Secures No. 1 Spot Again". GameSpot . Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  20. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (15 June 2017). "Top 10 AU/NZ Sales Charts Reveal Top-Selling Games Of Past Week". GameSpot.
  21. ↑ "Best of 2017 Awards: Best Racing Game". IGN. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  22. ↑ Game Informer staff (4 January 2018). "Game Informer's Best of 2017 Awards (Page 2)". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  23. ↑ Game Informer staff (8 January 2018). "The 2017 Sports Game Of The Year Awards". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  24. ↑ Cork, Jeff (4 January 2018). "Reader's Choice Best of 2017 Awards (Page 2)". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  25. ↑ Polygon staff (18 December 2017). "The 50 best games of 2017". Polygon. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  26. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (14 January 2018). "Game Of The Year Nominees Announced For DICE Awards". GameSpot. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  27. ↑ "Nominee List for 2017". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 9 February 2018. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  28. ↑ "Horizon wins 7; Mario GOTY". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 13 March 2018. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
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