An often overlooked and even disliked part of the Dirt franchise is rally cross, in this article we will look into why that is, and why we think you should give it a shot in codemasters most recent release, Dirt Rally 2.0.

Rallycross has been a feature in the Dirt series for quite some time now, but it never really took off. Many even dislike the rallycross in the first dirt rally and dismissed it as a waste of time and resources for development that they believe could have been better used. However, with Dirt Rally 2.0 an even bigger emphasis on rallycross has risen, with the WRX partnership showing that codemasters really mean business.

The updated physics from dirt rally 1 have been widely praised for the rally aspect of the game, but this praise should also apply to rallycross. The updated physics create one of the most realistic experiences I've played, easily letting Dirt compete with major titles such as Project Cars 2 and iRacing in the rallycross field. The latest and greatest cars from the WRX championship have been added, allowing you to feel like you are in amongst the mud of the WRX championship. The cars are not the only thing to have come from the partnership with WRX either, many of the fantastic tracks including Barcelona and Silverstone just to name a few have been expertly modelled and included with Dirt Rally 2.0. Unfortunately some popular tracks such as Lydden Hill did not make the cut despite being in the first dirt rally title, this may come as a disappointment to many rallycross fans.

The racing provided from the AI is both challenging and rewarding, after the first championship in rallycross career mode the difficulty really starts to ramp up, putting you up against some serious competition as you struggling through each heat trying to get to the final. This challenging AI that isn't afraid to make some risky moves really brings the rallycross experience to life, 6 drivers all trying their hardest to get through their heat and won't stop for cars in the way, this battle allows for strategy to be used with the joker lap to get that clean track and run to the front, and when you slide out of the corner just in front of your opponents who are taking the joker the feeling is so rewarding it makes it all worth it, and you move onto the next battle.

Overall rallycross has made a big improvement from the previous titles and the inclusion of the WRX partnership has showed codemasters dedication to this side of rally racing, if you own Dirt Rally 2.0 it's certainly worth checking out and giving it a good go, you'll probably have a lot more fun than you expect!