Compared to Dirt Rally 1, I think I'm liking this one a little more, but I'm going to sum up why in a quick pros and cons list:

pros:
Better Handling on all surfaces compared to DR 1
The Repair system is arguably better compared to DR 1 (it's a slightly improved version of the Dirt 4 one)
Game is still incredibly playable on gamepad, I personally have none of the assists on and I get along just fine
Probably the best rally game I've played so far

meh:
How they're handling dlc. Many seem to be dissapointed in some ways with the dlc, and aren't the biggest fan of how some cars in the upcoming season 1 are cars that have been in previous Dirt games.
Steering wheel FFB: this doesn't effect me for now, but I've heard that steering wheel force feedback is kind of weak, so if you have a wheel, that's something to remember
Minor gripe, but I wish that you could "opt in" to the bonus cars you get from the deluxe edition, kind of how in Gran Turismo 5, when you unlock a car, you first unlock it, then you have to "redeem it" so it can really be in your garage, and I wish that you could do that with the DLC starter cars.

cons:
Always online single-player modes. To be fair, the only two single player modes that are locked under their always online RaceNet system is the RallyCross Career mode, and the Rally Career mode, but other race modes, like a RallyCross championship, Historic rally, custom races, and time trials are all available without the always online drm, but you won't earn career credits in those modes. Other than the literal first day of the game's launch, I haven't personally had issues with this, but many other people report this as an issue, so if your internet is less than perfect, then I'd hold off on it.


In conclusion, until it's been shown that RaceNet can be trusted to be fully reliable, it's hard to recommend this for its full price, but regardless, the gameplay is really good on this game, and my personal experience with RaceNet is that it mostly worked other than one small hiccup, and I didn't even lose any progress, so I'd still recommend it in the end.

Compared to Dirt Rally 1, I think I'm liking this one a little more, but I'm going to sum up why in a quick pros and cons list: pros: Better Handling on all surfaces compared to DR 1 The Repair system is arguably better compared to DR 1 (it's a slightly improved version of the Dirt 4 one) Game is still incredibly playable on gamepad, I personally have none of the assists on and I get along just fine Probably the best rally game I've played so far meh: How they're handling dlc. Many seem to be dissapointed in some ways with the dlc, and aren't the biggest fan of how some cars in the upcoming season 1 are cars that have been in previous Dirt games. Steering wheel FFB: this doesn't effect me for now, but I've heard that steering wheel force feedback is kind of weak, so if you have a wheel, that's something to remember Minor gripe, but I wish that you could "opt in" to the bonus cars you get from the deluxe edition, kind of how in Gran Turismo 5, when you unlock a car, you first unlock it, then you have to "redeem it" so it can really be in your garage, and I wish that you could do that with the DLC starter cars. cons: Always online single-player modes. To be fair, the only two single player modes that are locked under their always online RaceNet system is the RallyCross Career mode, and the Rally Career mode, but other race modes, like a RallyCross championship, Historic rally, custom races, and time trials are all available without the always online drm, but you won't earn career credits in those modes. Other than the literal first day of the game's launch, I haven't personally had issues with this, but many other people report this as an issue, so if your internet is less than perfect, then I'd hold off on it. In conclusion, until it's been shown that RaceNet can be trusted to be fully reliable, it's hard to recommend this for its full price, but regardless, the gameplay is really good on this game, and my personal experience with RaceNet is that it mostly worked other than one small hiccup, and I didn't even lose any progress, so I'd still recommend it in the end.