Colin McRae: DiRT2 is officially in development, Codemasters announced today, with DiRT 2 versions planned for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, as expected, plus versions for the Wii, DS and PSP. All six versions of DiRT 2 will ship sometime in 2009.
The sequel’s announcement provides confirmation that the game will be headlined by Colin McRae, a rally racer who consulted on the series for more than 10 years and tragically died in a helicopter accident in September 2007. The decision to continue the series bearing his name was made jointly between the McRae family and Codemasters.
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will feature multiple off-road events that take place in multiple real-world environments. This World Tour mode will have players competing in aggressive multi-car and intense solo races at new locations, from canyon racing and jungle trails to city stadium-based events. In addition to the World Tour, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will include full online functionality with head-to-head competitive online play and new social features.
Powered by the third generation of the EGO Engine, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will also have an improved car-handling physics system and new damage effects. Codemasters says the new engine will also support cars and tracks that are twice as detailed as those seen in Race Driver: GRID.
The cars in Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will include a variety of officially licensed rally cars and off-road vehicles covering seven vehicle classes. In Colin McRae: DiRT 2 the opening drive is the Group N Subaru; essentially making the ultimate car from the original game the starting point in the sequel.
