Image rights: Feral Interactive.T
here are two main types of driving games, with the more serious ones
attempting to realistically reproduce the mechanics and handling of your
racing car with different tracks, terrain, and weather conditions. The other
approach is just about high–speed fun, letting you hit the gas and screech
around bends in defiance of the laws of physics. The Dirt series has generally
fallen into the second category in the past, but Dirt 4 combines the best of
both worlds in its selection of globe–trotting, off–road racing events.
The first race, on Australia’s dusty Fitzroy circuit, acts as a tutorial, with
another driver explaining the basic driving controls and techniques. However,
you’re also given the option of two driving modes — with Gamer mode
focusing on high–speed action (and being fairly forgiving when you collide
with the scenery), while Simulation mode is more realistic and much harder.
The choice here is down to you: some budding Lewis Hamiltons will prefer
to bulldoze around the track in Gamer mode, hurtling around bends and flying
off ramps safe in the knowledge that there’s a “recovery” option that can put
the bits back together when you total the car. However, the recovery feature
incurs a time penalty, so you’ll want to avoid that in Simulation mode. This is
where the realism of the game raises the stakes, as you have to pay greater
attention to your car’s controls, while rival drivers jostle all around you.
There’s plenty of variety as well, with the Career mode giving you dozens
of different cars to choose from, and races in Spain, Sweden, and other
international locations. The races also cover three main disciplines: multi–
stage rallies, high–speed “landrush” races strewn with obstacles, and rally–
cross events in large arenas. If you want to let your hair down, there’s a
“freeplay” mode that lets you compete in these races without affecting your
career progress, and a joyride mode with totally chaotic “smash attack”
obstacle races. New players can practice their skills in the Dirt Academy, and
when you’re ready there’s an online multiplayer option.
Dirt 4 will run on most recent Macs, but it does need macOS Mojave (10.14)
and works better with a gamepad, so you should check the system
requirements on Feral’s website before buying.
THE BOTTOM LINE. Dirt 4 combines high–speed driving fun with a more
serious driving challenge in its Career mode. CLIFF JOSEPHDirt 4
It’s pedal–to–the–metal with the latest
installment in the Dirt racing series
$35.99 From Feral Interactive, store.feralinteractive.com
Needs macOS 10.14.2, 1.8GHz Core i5 processor, 8GB memory, 32GB hard drive,
nVidia 650M with 1GB memory, AMD R9 M290 with 2GB, Intel Iris Pro 5200
with 1.5GBDIRT 4
Challenging
Career mode
Freeplay and joyride
modes for fun
Expensive
Needs Mojave and
a recent Mac
GREAT
Reviews
52 SEP 2019 maclife.com