A sharp Offroad Racer

Now in to rate DiRT 3 properly, one must understand what DiRT 3 is and wants to be.
We read again and again phrases such as Colin McRae was still alive .... sooner were real rally games ... "and in the same breath comes a game like DiRT 3 then compare to the old Colin McRae parts of course gone bad . This is then usually because an offroad racing game / Funracer is compared with a tough rally game series. Something is simply gone wrong and is in my opinion neither DiRT 3 yet the old Colin McRae parts really do it justice.
When developing DiRT you look up DiRT 3, you can clearly see where Codemaster (developers) with the series wanted to go and is now also. DiRT 3 is an off Funracer, the beginner-friendly, but this is not undemanding and has nothing to do with the old Colin McRae Rally games. Colin McRae "has disappeared even from the name. More clearly you can, I think, not distinguished from a game series.

But now the game itself.
Ahead Codemaster has announced that one of the criticisms and the feedback from the community has accepted and rally events should be an integral part of DiRT 3. And in fact, there is within the individual championships, in which the single player is divided, many rally events. Here then is the critique of the old established Colin McRae fans, because the stages are quite short, in fact, fall and the trails could be quiet a bit more sophisticated (route information and detailed settings on the vehicle, there is not). But the rally events are but one aspect of DiRT 3 in the style of Funracers, so the criticism or the massacre of the game due to the rally events is simply unjustified.
Furthermore, there is the game modes Trailblazer where you drive also stages and who has the best time wins. The difference to the rally events is that the tracks are wider and weiterläufiger and one car with 500 hp on the road up is (among other things the famous Audi Pikes Peak Quattro). Then there are Rally Cross and Landrsuh. Both are racing round with 7 opponents on the track. In rallycross you are traveling with the rally car while it is a little harder at Landrush with Buggies and Trucks to the point and the paths are crisscrossed by many jumps and mostly marked by rough ground. Another mode is Hed2Head. Here you go parallel against an opponent a circular course and last but not least came as a new mode to Gymkhana which has an important role in the game. Gymkhana is perhaps best known as a kind of obstacle course by car to call (more on that later). Best typing just check out youtube to get an idea of ​​it can.

Graphically knows how to convince DiRT 3. The cars are very detailed and the environment seems very much alive and organic. I have noticed neither tearing nor Pop Ups. The weather effects are well done and were indeed large touted beforehand. Then you should keep but somewhat flatter my opinion the ball, as weather effects are now no longer special and simply one of them.
The sound leaves nothing to be desired. The engines sound tired and also different. The voice of the first officer can be set separately. There are even 3 different vocal variations. The soundtrack is well managed and offers a wide range.

Technically DiRT 3 is also very good. The gameplay is well out of hand, the damage model looks very good (here you can choose whether the damage to be only visually, or to have an impact on driving behavior). The handling is different from car to car and also the different road surfaces (asphalt, rough gravel, fine gravel / sand, water crossings, snow) have a noticeable effect on the control and the physics is quite realistic. The difficulty level can be set individually, as well as the driving aids and even the HUD. The racing line, so now there is almost every racing game that can be adjusted in 3 steps. Complete, only braking points or completely out. It should therefore be found each its optimum setting to have the maximum fun.

Gymkhana:
Gymkhana is a trend sport, which has become known mainly through the Youtube videos of Ken Block and has enjoyed increasing popularity. Basically, it comes to pass at predetermined locations donuts, spins, drifts and jumps. In a Gymkhana event has a cordoned area where these tricks must face at certain points, however, in no particular order. The aim is thereby to achieve as many points as possible in a given time.
The handling is not easy because the Gymkhana car have extreme power are translated briefly and the grip goes to zero. So you drive almost permanently in the drift. So to cope with the events takes some practice, but once you get the bow, it's great fun trick to rows of knitting and thereby drive the high score. There is also a separate section for Gymkhana yet, where you can go and practice with no time limit. Also there you can fulfill certain missions, but have no effect on the career progress.

During the career you collect by podium finishes, additional goals during a race (eg, reaching a speed of XY km / h ", or finish the race without damage to take") and the non-benefit of flashbacks (this can be after a mistake to use to easy to rewind and so for example, an accident undo) Reputation Points. If you collect enough of it, you climb in rank and thus switched new team and car free.

The multiplayer I've alluded only briefly. Some modes are quite funny and the MP makes me a solid impression. More I can not say but.

Criticism:
So much fun DiRT 3 makes me also, there are also a few things that need to be improved, or are noticed disturbing.
These are primarily the venues. Kenya, Norway, Michigan and Aspen are the main venues. That is not much, especially when you consider that there are more or less went around the world in DiRT 2. You could even almost say that there are only 3 different environments (allowed to LA Colosseum and Monte Carlo, which are only a few Gymkhana and rallycross events available, get away). Kenya has its own vegetation. Michigan and Norway are very similar (gravel road with woods) and also Norway and Aspen are very similar (gravel road with forest and snow). That is already very poor and a bit of variety would have been good for the game safe.
The route selection is not very big. One can clearly see that the routes (whether rally stage or circuit races) are composed of different stretches. Unfortunately, there are those portions of not very much. So you drive quite fast always the same. Many a time it has Codemaster also made easy and leaves a route just go backwards.
What I did not like so much, are the DC Challenges. These are built again in the career. The challenges are individual events. Time a drift event, sometimes you have to in a given time Papproboter go broke, or leave a predetermined course where again Gymkhana elements such as donuts and spins are installed. Here one is not fighting a placement, but a medal. Bronze is actually at every event loosely feasible and the events keep one therefore not in the career, but the challenges are in my opinion not necessary and would be separately (perhaps at Gymkhana) better off.

Conclusion:
Although it DiRT 3 gets cut off at a change in the locations and route operations and rally events might like to have a bit more depth and complexity, I do DiRT 3 so far a lot of fun, is very nice to look at and also disclosed otherwise actually no technical weaknesses. Anyone looking for a Offroad Funracer with variety and just not a thoroughbred rally game or even a simulation, is the right place for DiRT 3. Newcomers will quickly come to grips and through the pretty extensive configuration options of HUD, difficulty and driving aids, even experienced gamers will get their money.