To understand rally and, by association, Dirt Rally, a British video game that conjures all of the long-form drama and complexity of the sport with unmatched brilliance, you must first disavow yourself of the notion that it's simply a case of reaching the finish line first. That's like saying a war is won merely by defeating the enemy -- a technical truth, but one that implies nothing of the tapestry of skirmishes, manoeuvres and machinations that comprise a final victory. No, to truly understand Dirt Rally, you must understand that this is a challenge broken into ten thousand discrete, interrelated trials, the stakes of which build into a glorious crescendo.
First, there are the corners, those moment-to-moment swipes and swivels that come at you at an elastic tempo and in varying degrees of severity. Your long-suffering, stoic-voiced co-driver offers a premonition of each, stating the direction (left, or right) followed by the speed at which you should make the approach. A six is the gentlest kind of turn, one that can be taken at something close to top speed. A one should be approached with extreme sloth. (Beyond that, a 'square' is a 90 degree angle, a 'hairpin' is a corner that requires a handbrake turn, while an 'acute' should be tackled with a stiff drink). In Dirt Rally every corner has the potential to, if not upend your car, then at least to send you skittering into a ditch, from which you must be recovered with a 30 second penalty. You soon learn to heed your co-driver's calls. If he barks 'don't cut', then you cut at your peril.
Next, each course is divided into (usually) four sections, separated by invisible dividing lines. There are no other cars around so the time stamp you're presented with when you reach the end of any particular section is the only measure of performance. Pass the divider ahead of the rest of the competition and you 'win' the section -- it turns green on your HUD. Place second or worse and it'll highlight red, baiting you to push still harder on the next section's corners. Damage your car on any of these discrete sections and there's nothing you can do but limp on.
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