DiRT Showdown - rally racing gets aggressive

by Steven Williamson on 14 December 2011, 10:48

Tags: Codemasters, PC

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Codemasters is usually fairly predictable when it comes to racing games, but in 2012 it’s set to take quite a big gamble. Almost every year, its Colin McRae Rally series has delivered a fairly serious racing experience for rally enthusiasts, but in DiRT Showdown the UK-based studio has gone all EA on us.

Complete with flashy pyrotechnics and nitrous boosts, DiRT Showdown is set to offer a brand new racing experience that places a heavy emphasis on speed, style, destruction and over-the-top mayhem.

We guess Codemasters will use a modified version of its current Ego engine, which has enabled the developer to create detailed damage and physics, as well as render large-scale environments in past DiRT games. In DiRT Showdown it describes the damage system as being "super-charged"

The announcement trailer shows how DiRT Showdown will feature combative racing as players smash and trick their way to the finals.



DiRT Showdown charges into the arcade racing space with a uniquely Codemasters feel,” said Mike Chapman, senior games designer. “Whether players are using nitrous to boost, smashing into their opponents or pulling off stunts, DiRT Showdown’s fresh handling system and super-charged damage engine embed excitement into every event.

Courses will come complete with ramps, multiple routes and obstacles as players use nitrous boosts to speed past rivals, or adopt an aggressive style to smash drivers out of the way. Currently, Codemasters has confirmed a ‘Demolition Derby’ game mode, which we presume involves being the last player standing as you attempt to wreck each other’s cars, and ‘Hoonigan’ which will give us the freedom to freestyle around a huge stunt park, presumably pulling off tricks, jumping off ramps and skidding around like crazy joy riders.

Overall, there will be 50 different events and four championships that will take place across a variety of cities including San Francisco, Miami, London and Tokyo. We can also expect different terrains and conditions that we'll have to master. A wide range of car classes have been confirmed and they'll include the likes of Ken Block’s all new Gymkhana H.F.H.V. Ford Fiesta, saloons, muscle cars, hearses and vans.

Finally, Codies have confirmed split-screen multiplayer, eight-player online racing, on and off-line quick-fire party games and full YouTube integration.

We're not sure whether core fans of the DiRT series will be happy with the direction the series is going in 2012, but we’re certain Codemasters hasn’t forgotten about a true sequel to DiRT 3 either. And, if DiRT Showdown proves to be half as much fun as Destruction Derby was on PlayStation in the mid-90s, we could be in for a lot of fun this summer.

DiRT Showdown is due for release in May 2012 on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Let us know your first impressions on DiRT Showdown in the HEXUS.community forums.


HEXUS Forums :: 10 Comments

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I'm bored of Dirt, it was a poor companion to Grid, not sure how it got so many sequels.

Where's Grid 2?
There is nothing wrong with Dirts gameplay, but it's just getting too silly now. I want my Collin McRae days back from the Playstation!
DannyM
There is nothing wrong with Dirts gameplay, but it's just getting too silly now. I want my Collin McRae days back from the Playstation!
True, true. Dirt3 definitely plays “better” than Dirt2, but to be honest all that US-style posing (gymkana for example) puts me off. Pretty sure I've played Driver:SF a heck of a lot more than Dirt3, even though I got them both around the same time.
*Conventional GRiD 2 comment here*

I agree with DannyM. Stuntman had its day, just stick to the rallying. If they try and take DiRT in the same/more serious direction that would be fine with me, as Showdown's companion, but if they replaced it completely it would be bad.

Time for Dice to make Rallisport 3, no?
i miss colin mcrae 2 and 4 i loved those two games, saying that i do enjoy a bit of multiplayer on dirt 3.

And while gymkhana is a bit posy the guys that do it have got some awesome skill