History VideoGame / DiRT

''[=DiRT 2=]'' employed an 'extreme sports' style, with fluid, first person menus set in vibrant settings, as well as a heavy emphasis on pleasing the fans and becoming a star. In addition, the trophy trucks and buggies were the highlight of the game, with traditional rally races taking a backseat. With the success of Ken Block's Gymkhana videos supposedly generating buzz in rally interest, he and several other rally stars were roped in to add a human element, whilst acting as consultants on how the cars handle.

''[=DiRT 3=]'' set out to go back in the more simplistic style route of ''[=DiRT=]'', all the while retaining features which made ''[=DiRT 2=]'' stand out. Rally took center stage again, yet kept the Trailblazer and Landrush (trophy trucks and buggies) from ''[=DiRT 2=]'' to keep the variety. Ken Block again helped with vehice and handling consulting, as well as help add a much-requested Gymkhana mode.

* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels: In the first ''[=DiRT=]'';
** Pro (hardest)
** Pro-Am
** Amateur
** Clubman (easiest difficulty with Terminal Damage)
** [[EasierThanEasy Rookie]]

''[=DiRT 4=]'' was announced on January 26, 2017. Released in June, it features a random stage generator called Your Stage, as well as more officially licenced rallycross circuits and a new playground/driving school area called Dirtfish Rally School, based on the [[http://www.dirtfish.com/ real-world rally school of the same name]]. The game marks the comeback of Landrush, and there are two handling models, one more arcade-y and akin to ''[=DiRT 3=]'', and the other more simulation-oriented and closer to ''[=DiRT Rally=]''. Creator/NickyGrist also returned to provide his co-driving voice, after his absence since the original [=DiRT=].

''[=DiRT 4=]'' was announced on January 26, 2017. Released in June, it features a random stage generator called Your Stage, as well as more officially licenced rallycross circuits and a new playground/driving school area called Dirtfish Rally School, based on the [[http://www.dirtfish.com/ real-world rally school of the same name]]. The game marks the comeback of Landrush, and there are two handling models, one more arcade-y and akin to ''[=DiRT 3=]'', and the other more simulation-oriented and closer to ''[=DiRT Rally=]''.

%%* FragileSpeedster: The Peugeot 307 in the 4WD class of the first ''[=DiRT=]''.

* [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed No Cars Were Hurt]]: While all of the games have had licensed vehicles, the beat-up derby vehicles in ''Showdown'' marks the first instance in the series where fictional cars are used. Licensed vehicles return for the arena modes, though.

*** [[TheFrenchConnection French Connection]]

* ShoutOut / InMemoriam: To real-life driver Colin [=McRae=], who did a lot of the consulting on car handling for earlier games.

''[=DiRT Rally=]'' [[RevisitingTheRoots wen back to the series' roots]], with a far more realistic handling model and a heavy focus on traditional rally. The game entered UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}'s Early Access in April 2015. The full release came out on 7th of December in the same year through Steam and it was released for both PC and eighth-gen consoles on April 5, 2016.

''[=DiRT 4=]'' was announced on January 26, 2017. Set to release this June, it will feature a random stage generator called Your Stage, as well as more officially licensed rallycross circuits and a new playground/driving school area called Dirtfish Rally School. The game will mark the comeback of Landrush, and there will be two handling models, one more arcade-y and akin to ''[=DiRT 3=]'', and the other more simulation-oriented and closer to ''[=DiRT Rally=]''.

** The feature is currently not present in ''DIRT Rally'', though.

** The series borrows the Flashback mechanic from another Codemasters' racing series, ''{{GRiD}}'' since [=DiRT=] 2.

* CulturalTranslation - Many of the old-school ''ColinMcRaeRally'' fans complained about the "Americanness" of the ''[=DiRT=]'' installments, especially the second one.

** Also, if you have a ''{{GRiD}}'' save game, and you'll be rewarded with a Ravenwest livery for the said Impreza too.
** Owning a save game of {{Overlord}} 2 will unlock you a Overlord Minion dashboard toy.

*** [[MCHammer Can't Touch This!]]

*** [[TheItalianJob Self Preservation Society]]

* DifficultButAwesome: Group B cars are hard to tame especially with ''[=DiRT=] Rally's'' physics like in real life, with enough experience they are a blast to rally around with.

* RevisitingTheRoots: ''[=DiRT=] Rally'' was deliberately developed as a technically up-to-date, [[ShooOutTheClowns no-nonsense]] NintendoHard rally simulation game, in the vein of the ''VideoGame/ColinMcRaeRally'' series and once-rival titles such as ''VideoGame/RichardBurnsRally''. Codemasters kept the game's existence under wraps until the last minute, in order to give fans of their older rally titles a real surprise. Given the positive reception of the game, it seems to have payed off.

''[=DiRT Rally=]'' is set to [[RevisitingTheRoots go back to the series' roots]], with a far more realistic handling model and a heavy focus on traditional rally. The game entered UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}'s Early Access in April of 2015. The full release came out on 7th of December in the same year through Steam and it is set for physical release for both PC and eighth-gen consoles on 5th of April 2016.

* NintendoHard: The Early Access title DIRT Rally is so very much this. Even in the 60's Open division, the league the player starts in, it takes both crash-free and quick driving to consistently win stages, never mind rallies. More modern and faster classes, like Group B and the 2010's category aren't any easier.

** The series borrows the Flashback mechanic from another Codemasters' racing series, ''{{GRiD}}'' since DiRT 2.

** Even better are the main menus. [=DiRT=] 1 has a minimalistic menu, [=DiRT=] 2 had the menu options scattered around a huge arena scenario, [=DiRT=] 3 went back to the roots, while Showdown had a crossover between 2 and 3's menus. [=DiRT=] Rally also gone the same route as 1 and 3.

** Even better are the main menus. [=DiRT=] 1 has a minimalistic menu, [=DiRT=] 2 had the menu options scattered around a huge arena scenario, [=DiRT=] 3 went back to the roots, while Showdown had a crossover between 2 and 3's menus.

* DifficultButAwesome: Group B cars are hard to tame especially with [=DiRT=] Rally's physics like in real life, with enough experience they are a blast to rally around with.

* DifficultButAwesome: Group B cars are hard to tame especially with DiRT Rally's physics like in real life.

** The game borrows the Flashback mechanic from another Codemasters' racing series, ''{{GRiD}}''.

** Having a [=DiRT=] 1 save game gives you the No Fear Gold paintjob for the Subaru Impreza in [=DiRT=] 2, the same paint scheme [=McRae=] used in the 2006 X Games.
** Also, if you have a ''{{GRiD}}'' save game, and you'll be rewarded with a Ravenwest livery for the Impreza too.

** Rallycross races in all [=DiRT=] games. TruthInTelevision however, as rallycross (in the UK anyway) usually has the drivers swapping paint.

''[=DiRT Showdown=]'' was released on May of 2012. The game is more arcade-y than its predecessors, putting more focus on Gymkhana and putting in more modes, such as demolition derbies and party games. It was made into an actual ArcadeGame by Creator/{{Sega}} in 2014, simply titled ''Showdown''.

''[=DiRT Rally=]'' is set to [[RevisitingTheRoots go back to the series' roots]], with a far more realistic handling model and a heavy focus on traditional rally. The game entered UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}'s Early Access in April of 2015.

** Have a ''{{GRiD}}'' save game, and you'll be rewarded with a Ravenwest livery.