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1->''"Who needs roads when there's [=DiRT=]!?"''
2[[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dirt_rally_cover_art.jpg]]
3
4''[=DiRT=]'' is a SoftReboot SequelSeries of Creator/{{Codemasters}}' popular ''VideoGame/ColinMcRaeRally'' series of games based around off-road racing, as the title implies, as well UsefulNotes/{{Rallying}}.
5
6''Colin [=McRae=]: [=DiRT=]'' was first released in 2007 for the Platform/{{Xbox 360}}, Platform/PlayStation3 and PC. ''[=DiRT=]'' possesses a wide variety of vehicles to choose from; these range from the regular 2WD and 4WD rally car classes, to massive big rigs and rally raid trucks.
7
8''Colin [=McRae=]: [=DiRT 2=]'' (or just ''[=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. Creator/KenBlock and several other rally stars were included in the game, whilst acting as consultants on how the cars handle.
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10''[=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 vehicle and handling consulting, as well as help add a much-requested Gymkhana mode.
11
12''[=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 UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame by Creator/{{Sega}} in 2014, simply titled ''Showdown''.
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14''[=DiRT Rally=]'' [[RevisitingTheRoots went back to the series' roots]], with a far more realistic handling model and a heavy focus on traditional rally. The game entered Platform/{{Steam}}'s Early Access in April 2015. The full release came out on 7 December in the same year through Steam and it was released for both PC and eighth-gen consoles on April 5, 2016.
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16''[=DiRT 4=]'' was announced on January 26, 2017. Released in June, it's much closer to the ''Rally'' titles than its more lackdaisical predecessors. 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=].
17
18''[=DiRT=] Rally 2.0'' was announced on September 26, 2018. The game features rally courses from Poland, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and United States as well as 8 official tracks from FIA World Rallycross Championship. The game was released on February 26, 2019, and featured former co-driver Phil Mills as he lent his voice for the game. Most of the stages from the first edition were eventually ported across with graphical improvements, with the exception of the Pikes Peak hillclimb as the licence was no longer available.
19
20''[=DIRT 5=]'' was announced during the Xbox Live Presentation on May 7, 2020, and was released for current-gen consoles and Platform/{{Windows}} om October 16 of the same year, and a release for Platform/PlayStation5 and Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS in 2021. The game goes back to the aesthetics of ''2'' and ''3'' and includes many of the disciplines from the previous titles - including buggies, super trucks, ice racing, rallycross and gymkhana. The game also introduces a full weather and seasons system where certain events are only available on determined seasons. Finally, a full-fledged livery editor a la ''VideoGame/{{Forza}}'' is also included for the first time ever in a Codemasters game and a narrative-focused career mode featuring the voice talents of Creator/TroyBaker and Creator/NolanNorth. Notably, this was Codemasters' last game as an independent company as they were acquired by Creator/ElectronicArts in February of 2021.
21
22Not to be confused with the short-lived FX Network series.
23
24----
25!!The games provide examples of:
26
27* AbsurdlyLowLevelCap: In ''[=DiRT 3=]'', your Driver Reputation level maxes out at 30. You're likely to reach this before you even finish the third season, leaving you absolutely no incentive to do the bonus missions during the fourth and final season, since the XP you get for them is now meaningless.
28* AdvancedMovementTechnique: Just as in real life, the 'Scandinavian Flick' - turning the opposite direction on approach to a corner to scrub off speed, before swinging abruptly round the apex in smooth slide with minimal braking - works very effectively to improve times.
29* AnachronismStew: The Colin [=McRae=] career scenarios and the "Historical Championship" from ''Rally'' 2 have authentic period cars, but the stages themselves are unchanged with modern advertisements, vehicles and spectators holding smartphones. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in the historical's case as there are some championships with retro cars.
30* AntiFrustrationFeatures:
31** ''[=DiRT 2=]'' and ''3'' borrow the Flashback mechanic from another Codemasters racing series, ''VideoGame/{{GRiD}}''.
32** DiRT Rally 2 allows up to five stage resets on a rally in championship mode.
33* CallBack: If you're driving the Subaru Impreza Rally S4 from ''[=DiRT Rally 2.0=]'''s "Flat Out" DLC Pack, you'll be greeted by the digital speedometer from ''[[VideoGame/ColinMcRaeRally Colin McRae Rally 2.0]]'' on the dashboard.
34* CarFu:
35** Rallycross races in all ''[=DiRT=]'' games. TruthInTelevision however, as rallycross usually has the drivers swapping paint.
36** The whole point of ''[=DiRT=] Showdown''.
37* ContinuityNod: Take a close look at the laptop in your trailer in ''[=DiRT=] 2''. It's playing the original ''[=DiRT=]''!
38* CoolCar: Even the scrappy [=2WD=] hot hatches featured throughout all of the Colin [=McRae=] series are highly and finely tuned dirt-slinging machines.
39* CulturalTranslation: Many of the old-school ''VideoGame/ColinMcRaeRally'' fans complained about the "Americanness" of the ''[=DiRT=]'' installments, especially the second one.
40* 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 and are hands down the fastest accelerating cars in the game. On asphalt especially, where the imprecise handling, and the often very sizeable torque steer and body roll, can be compensated for with setup tweeks, they are competetive with the modern cars.
41** Rally Finland with its massive jumps and very high speeds is very hard to master without some huge wipeouts, but is a big thrill to nail a quick run through a stage.
42* EliteTweak: So many settings to change in the first ''[=DiRT=]''... So does ''[=DiRT=] Rally''.
43* {{Fauxrrari}}: 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 based on real-world models are used. Licensed vehicles return for the arena modes, though.
44* GoldenSnitch: ''[=DiRT=]'' Showdown's [[CarFu "Knock-Out" and "Rampage" modes]] both dish out double points during the final 30 seconds of a round, making it possible to come from behind to win.
45* HolidayEpisode: In the second game you can get a jack-o-lantern hanging and a christmas tree ornament to your vehicle when playing the game in October (Halloween) and December (Christmas) respectively.
46* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels:
47** In the first ''[=DiRT=]'';
48*** Pro (hardest)
49*** Pro-Am
50*** Amateur
51*** Clubman (easiest difficulty with Terminal Damage)
52*** [[EasierThanEasy Rookie]]
53** In ''[=DiRT 4=]'';
54*** Competent
55*** Challenging
56*** Demanding
57*** Tough
58*** [[NintendoHard Brutal]]
59* InterfaceScrew: A damaged radio in ''[=DiRT Rally=]'' and on will occasionally introduce static into your co-driver's radio communication, potentially blocking out whatever pace notes they are reading at the time. If the option to display visual pace notes in the HUD is turned on, the blocked-out pace note's onscreen counterpart will likewise be obscured with visual static.
60* InVehicleInvulnerability: No matter how hard the crashes are in the series, the driver is fine.
61* JackOfAllStats: The Subaru Impreza Group N in ''[=DiRT2=]'' is this; a car that can easily take the top three in any of the "interchangeable disciplines" (Trailblazer/Rally/Rallycross), but isn't powerful enough to really dominate any one discipline.
62* ModelMuseum: ''[=DiRT 5=]'' allows you to hide the UI when selecting a vehicle, enabling you to freely rotate the camera around your car. For some models, you can press a button to open your car's doors and hood and admire their interiors and engines - things you don't usually see while driving.
63* NintendoHard: ''[=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.
64* NoSmoking: Older cars from decades when tobacco sponsorships were still commonplace (the '555' on the Subaru Impreza, the 'HB International' on the Audi Quattro) have the logos removed. Related, the Martini Lancias are also absent.
65* NonLethalBottomlessPits: In ''[=DiRT=] Rally'', falling off a steep side of the track returns you to the track with a 15-second penalty. However, this doesn't apply to all stages, as some of them are implied to be such a steep drop that the car is unrecoverable, instantly taking 90% damage before the car impacts.
66* OldSaveBonus:
67** Having a ''[=DiRT=] 1'' save game gives you the No Fear Gold paintjob for the Subaru Impreza Group N in ''[=DiRT=] 2'', the same paint scheme [=McRae=] used in the 2006 X Games.
68** Also, if you have a ''VideoGame/{{GRiD}}'' save game, and you'll be rewarded with a Ravenwest livery for the said Impreza too.
69** Owning a save game of ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}} 2'' will unlock you a Overlord Minion dashboard toy.
70* PlotCoupon: After every world tour or X Games you complete, all of your cars will have a sticker showing your achievement on the dashboard.
71* ProductPlacement:
72** Play ''[=DiRT=] 2'' for a few minutes, and then start wondering why you suddenly want a pair of DC Shoes, some Superdry gear, a pair of Oakleys and a 6-pack of Monster Energy. This is actually one of the few things the game got flak for in many of the reviews.
73** ''[=DiRT=] 3'' was more subtle about it, however the game wants you to post them on Website/YouTube after every races.
74** ''[=DiRT=] Showdown'' lives off of this. The sides of the race tracks are absolutely plastered with sponsor logos, but the game's garage is full of unlicensed cars.
75* RandomlyGeneratedLevels: The whole point of Your Stage.
76* RevisitingTheRoots: ''[=DiRT=] Rally'' was deliberately developed as a technically up-to-date [[ShooOutTheClowns no-nonsense]] NintendoHard rally simulation game, in the vein of the preceding ''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 paid off.
77* SceneryPorn:
78** The ''[=DiRT=]'' series features some of the best PC and console graphics ever put to screen. From huge rallycross circuits (sometimes) based on stadiums (such as the real life Los Angeles Coliseum!), to the epic rally stages of Finland, Kenya, and even Monaco, Codemasters really knows what they do in graphics.
79** 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'' has also went the same route as ''1'' and ''3''.
80* SequelSeries:
81** Techically one to ''VideoGame/ColinMcRaeRally'', with the first ''[=DiRT=]'' being a sequel to ''Rally 2005'' (also due to ''[=Colin McRae=]'' branding in Europe). The branding was dropped after ''[=DiRT 2=]'', out of respect for the namesake driver who passed away in a tragic crash.
82** With Creator/ElectronicArts' takeover of Codemasters, the series in turn will receive a new Sequel Series in name of ''EA Sports WRC'', sporting official UsefulNotes/WorldRallyChampionship license.
83* ShapedLikeItself: One of the commentator's possible remarks during a Rampage event in ''[=DiRT Showdown=]'' is this gem:
84-->"It's like watching two cars drive into each other! [''{{beat}}''] ...oh wait. They are."
85* ShoutOut:
86** Some of ''[=DiRT 3=]'''s achievements, including:
87*** [[Franchise/StarTrek Assistance is Futile]]
88*** [[Music/MCHammer Can't Touch This!]]
89*** [[Film/TheFrenchConnection French Connection]]
90*** [[Series/RobotWars No-bot Wars]]
91*** [[Film/TheItalianJob1969 Self Preservation Society]]
92*** [[Film/TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby Shake and Bake]]
93*** [[Film/TheDeerHunter Steer Hunter]]
94** One of the possible remarks your mechanic can make before a Gymkhana event in ''[=DiRT 3=]'' is "[[Film/ApocalypseNow I love the smell of gymkhana in the morning. You know, that gasoline smell? Smells like victory.]]"
95** An achievement in ''Rally'' 2 is named 'Around the Gloeb' - after 9-time World Champion Sebastien Loeb.
96** One of the nicknames you can use in ''[=DiRT 5=]'' is ''VideoGame/{{Dizzy}}''. Yes, Codemasters was a publisher of the ''Dizzy'' franchise.
97** One achievement/trophy in ''[=DiRT 2=]'' is called "Two Cups One Girl", a clear reference to the infamous [[ShockSite scat porn video "2 Girls 1 Cup"]]
98* TruthInTelevision: The [[FragileSpeedster Peugeot 307 rally car]] is also very fragile in RealLife.
99* VagueHitPoints: ''Rally'' has vehicle damage only presented by physical damage to the car, or by some events such as the radiator beginning to heat up. Once outside the race, damage is presented in exact percentages.
100* WhatTheHellHero: Zigzagged in ''[=DiRT 2=]''. If you hit a fictional driver, they will often criticize you for it, but if you hit one of the real drivers, their reactions vary from a more gentle rebuke, to asking if you're okay, to occasionally ''admitting fault'' (quoth Travis Pastrana: "I thought I could get away with that"). Sometimes, though, they'll play the trope straight and chew you out like the fictional drivers.
101-->'''Dave Mirra''': Hey [player], that should ''not'' have happened.

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