Right turn over hill into left hairpin turn, don’t cut the corner.  As the co-driver spews out their course-mapping pacenotes and trees whiz by, Dirt 3, a game for PC and console, never fails to make players feel as though they are a purebred rally racing king. Turn after turn and crash after crash, this game both entertains and frustrates to no end.  Unfortunately, there is one rather expensive component that is almost mandatory in order to bring out the best this game has to offer.

Dirt 3 is a very well designed game that offers fun yet challenging single-player/multi-player gameplay.  While being surprisingly realistic and technically impressive, this game also still manages to be fun and very playable.  Unfortunately, Dirt 3 starts to blend in with all other racing games unless the player owns some sort of steering wheel and pedal setup up for their computer.  Driving with the good old fashioned WASD keys is still more exciting than watching a chess game, but using a steering wheel like the Logitech G27(a multi-platform controller) is the best way to experience this game.  The driving in Dirt 3 utilizes a very cool feature called force feedback.  Put simply, force feedback replicates how a steering wheel would feel in different situations; it tells the wheel to shake over bumps, tighten at high speeds, and break loose when traction runs out.

For twenty dollars this game can be bought on Steam, but it is probably best to wait for Steam holiday sales to possibly bring the price down.  This game is hands down one of the most fun rally simulators out right now, however, keep in mind that the tight turns, long straights, and corner drifts are really brought to life when paired with a good wheel and pedal setup.