Recent reviews by UpstateNate

EDIT:
Following a successful campaign by the community, Sony has removed the requirement to have a PSN account. MAJOR ORDER COMPLETE.

Long live Managed Democracy. This is probably the best live service game on the market and I am glad to be able to continue to play it with friends from around the world outside of a PSN region lock.

Original Review:
The game itself is great. However I cannot recommend it as Sony is making it so you need a PSN account after the game has been available for months, effectively locking out players who live in countries who cannot make a PSN account.

A diamond in need of a polish. A happy surprise (considering EA) but expected solid rally game from the Codemasters' DiRT team. This new entry in the WRC franchise builds upon the success and foundations of the DiRT Rally games, improving the physics and driving characteristics to provide a more authentic experience but still keeping it accessible and fun for the average player.

The move to a new engine does show in somewhat lack luster performance and graphical fidelity, however the devs have been quite prompt to fix the most frustrating issues quickly.

The online/multiplayer feels a bit like an afterthought at the moment, but there is room to add features and polish if the devs are able. The Single Player career however, is well fleshed out and appears to have enough depth to entertain for more than one in-game season of rally. The AI competitors do have their issues (overall pace, getting stuck, etc) however the 1.3 was an improvement from my limited experience so far.

Time will tell to see how this new entry fares long-term, especially with the likelihood of this being a yearly series much like previous entries, but 90% of the work for an extremely solid rally title is here and it is certainly my favorite modern Rally game.

Different than Wargame: Red Dragon. Good different though. UI needs work as of 11/2022 but its manageable.

A good start for the successor to the great (albeit DLC filled) CK2. A well rounded release with various aspects of CK2 and it's DLCs integrated from initial release.

All in all, a great foundation for the latest edition in the Crusader Kings series.

You are a near powerless count. Your liege dies in combat. His heir is useless, you fight for independence. Win the war, take some concubines. Black Plague. Your heirs die. You get the plague. You die. Your family name is gone and your county now is run by your old liege. 10/10

Best city builder on the market currently. The vast amount of mods and community support this game has will continue to give life to the game for a long time to come.

Edit: Glad my review is still true to the game here in 2021. The modders & asset creators keep the game fresh.

Tarmac, Dirt, Mud, Sand, Water, Snow, and Ice. On all of these surfaces you will crash. You will flip your car. You will end up with broken wheels. At the end of the stage though (if you get there) the feeling of satisfaction is unmached in many other games and with each finish you'll want to push harder and harder going faster and faster, then you'll hit a tree. This is DiRT Rally, the single best modern rally game.

Update 2017: Still better than Dirt 4.