I got covid right before Christmas in extremely inconvenient temporary accommodation. Really, couldn't have been a worse time and a worse place to get covid. This meant 10 days of gruelling self-isolation while watching all my friends return home for Christmas. It also meant that I only had my Macbook on hand to fulfill my gaming needs while fending off this particularly debilitating bout of Omicron. And if you've ever gamed on a Mac, you will know two things: 1) It's not a great experience and 2) The selection of games is very limited (especially if you have one of the new ARM macbooks)
Why does this matter? Well, Dirt Rally was one of those few games that I had in my library which performed well on Mac. And I want to be super hyperbolic and say that this game made me not want to off myself during self-isolation, but it did not, those feelings were indeed very persistent. But there's something exhilarating about playing this game, in cockpit mode and on a keyboard. Moreover, there was this contrast between the dynamism of Dirt Rally and my fatigued, diseased body that I think elevated my experience with this game. It was like taking a quick soul-stirring dip in an icy lake before returning to the warm depths of my bed, where I spent the majority of my isolation, consuming so many strepsils they doubled as my laxatives.
Is the game actually any good under normal, non-covid circumstances? I don't know. I am not a rally driver. But it is fun. It is an uncommon experience in gaming to make decisions based on split-second verbal (and not visual) instructions. Your co-driver has the birds-eye view of the track, you can't get anywhere without listening intently to his instructions. There is something really rewarding about that; taking a turn up a hill before you're even able to see the corner because your co-driver tells you to. There are a few tracks set in Wales with devilish puddles that will splash onto your windshield and make it nigh on impossible to discern what is left and right (at least in the cockpit view), I have never felt that much love for a video game character as I have my co-driver in those moments.
The game also lets you progress at your own pace. Your opponents will pick cars in the same class as you for each event, allowing you to stay with slower cars until you're comfortable with progressing to some of the faster and more unruly cars.
Why does this matter? Well, Dirt Rally was one of those few games that I had in my library which performed well on Mac. And I want to be super hyperbolic and say that this game made me not want to off myself during self-isolation, but it did not, those feelings were indeed very persistent. But there's something exhilarating about playing this game, in cockpit mode and on a keyboard. Moreover, there was this contrast between the dynamism of Dirt Rally and my fatigued, diseased body that I think elevated my experience with this game. It was like taking a quick soul-stirring dip in an icy lake before returning to the warm depths of my bed, where I spent the majority of my isolation, consuming so many strepsils they doubled as my laxatives.
Is the game actually any good under normal, non-covid circumstances? I don't know. I am not a rally driver. But it is fun. It is an uncommon experience in gaming to make decisions based on split-second verbal (and not visual) instructions. Your co-driver has the birds-eye view of the track, you can't get anywhere without listening intently to his instructions. There is something really rewarding about that; taking a turn up a hill before you're even able to see the corner because your co-driver tells you to. There are a few tracks set in Wales with devilish puddles that will splash onto your windshield and make it nigh on impossible to discern what is left and right (at least in the cockpit view), I have never felt that much love for a video game character as I have my co-driver in those moments.
The game also lets you progress at your own pace. Your opponents will pick cars in the same class as you for each event, allowing you to stay with slower cars until you're comfortable with progressing to some of the faster and more unruly cars.