The EGO engine is in top form. The level of detail in DiRT 2's tracks, cars, and overall presentation is phenomenal. The Menu screens are axed in favor of a well-implemented thematic approach: your RV and the tables outside contain all of the game's Menus. In addition, the development team has whittled the instant replay down to an art; you can rewind, fast-forward, pause the action, and mess with several camera angles. I haven't even gotten to the first-person view, yet. This terrifyingly awesome perspective is impressive at every turn. Splashing muddy water onto your windshield will cause your heart to skip two or three beats, and every crash will leave you thoroughly disoriented.
DiRT 2 sounds just as good as it looks. The roaring of engines, squealing of tires, and grinding of metal lend a lot of intensity to the action on the screen. In addition, the licensed music fits the game like a glove. Unlike other sports games of the sort, DiRT 2 doesn't rely on pseudo-punk or high energy pop in order to establish how intense it is. You'll hear a lot of heavy metal, most of it modern. Your fellow professional racers will often talk to you, even though most of what they say is redundant. As a bonus, you can have them use your actual name, provided you have a reasonably common name. If you don't, you can always choose a nickname to go by.
Since this is all rough and tumble stuff, you'll likely embrace DiRT 2's "in your face" presentation, cliché as it may be.
