Game Engine dev tears into Dirt 5 on Xbox Series X: “I have no words”

Kieran Bicknell

With DIRT 5’s release just around the corner, one game engine developer took to YouTube to tear apart the upcoming rally game.

YouTuber More Cherno is a game engine developer and content creator. Reacting to pre-release gameplay footage of the latest DIRT game for the first time, he had plenty to say about DIRT 5 on the Xbox Series X.

Diving straight in, he admitted he had “not seen the video yet” but given that it was running on next-gen Series X hardware, he “assumed it would look good.”

Immediately it gets off to a bad start. “Why does this look like a Halo game” he jokes, staring at a pre-game loading screen. “I know this is a car game… [but] this environment is ridiculous.”

DIRT 5 environment graphics
YouTuber More Cherno was less-than-impressed by the environment in DIRT 5.

More Cherno slams DIRT 5 environment graphics

Before even getting to the main gameplay, Cherno is tearing apart the graphics: “What can anybody say about this… does this look like a next-gen game?” he said mockingly.

Once the gameplay starts, he commented on the cars, saying they look “pretty good” but was confused as to why the ‘finish’ on the paintwork was so dull. He did admit that he ‘gets’ that the game isn’t Need For Speed “with its reflective cars” but would give the car a “seven out of ten, maybe” for its graphics.

It’s clear that the landscape is biggest gripe that he has, saying the environment is “making him dislike the game.” There are some positives within the game system, however. The weather patterns changing draws praise, as do the rain and mud effects on the car as it progresses through the rally stage.

Clip starts at 4:40

DIRT 5 on Xbox Series X

Unfortunately for the team behind DIRT 5, that’s about where the praise ends. The environment looks so bad in fact, that he scalds it saying that it “does not look like a next-generation game… parts of this look like Xbox 360 content!”

As a game developer, Cherno does admit he can see that there may have been issues outside of the dev team’s control. Whether they had to scale back their fidelity or modify the system at the last minute is unclear, but it could be the reason behind the poor environmental graphics.

Summing up, he says: “I don’t like this [the DIRT 5 preview] at all… I have no words.” A strong statement, but with DIRT 5 also being released on PS5 and PC, there is still a chance it will look fantastic.

Sadly, it might not look so good on the Xbox Series X, if this preview footage is anything to go by.

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About The Author

Kieran is a former Dexerto writer. He joined Dexerto in 2020 to lead the new area of cars coverage on the website, a burgeoning vertical which he influenced and developed. He is a passionate motoring fan, and an expert on all things automobile, reviewing countless new cars from manufacturers and giving an informed opinion.