DiRT Showdown Xbox 360

Released on 25-May-2012

• DiRT 3: Complete Edition races into stores

  Racing fans can get their hands on a comprehensive new edition of Codemasters' acclaimed offroad driving game DiRT 3 next week.

  DiRT 3: Complete Edition is launching for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC and includes all of the content of the original release, plus a full selection of post-release add-ons worth more than £20.

  Among the additional content are 12 new racing routes set in Monte Carlo and Japan, as well as a large selection of additional vehicles and extra liveries.

  Bonus cars include the BMW M3 Rally, Lancia Delta S4, Ford Focus ST Rallycross, Scion tC, Lancia Stratos and Peugeot 205 T16 Evo 2, as well as the classic Mini Cooper.

  DiRT 3 was originally released last year and won praise for its huge selection of cars, amazing graphics and its variety of racing styles, including gymkhana, rallycross, landrush and head-to-head.

  The next instalment in the series, DiRT Showdown, is set to make its debut in May 2012 and will take a more action-packed approach to racing, emphasising speed boosts, vehicular destruction and death-defying jumps.
  

  Published: 09/03/2012

• Review Roundup - Dirt Showdown

  The latest rally game from Codemasters Racing offers a change of pace from the more serious games of the past. DiRT Showdown is a knockabout arcade game with an emphasis on rough and tumble multiplayer, demolition races and gymkhana stunt runs, it risks offending the purists who stuck with the series following the tragic death of Colin McRae.

  Thankfully, it looks like Codemasters has pulled the transition off, as review scores are rolling in this week with thumbs up from the major gaming sites.

  "Brilliant racing disciplines, accessible handling, gorgeous presentation and tremendous variety," says Eurogamer, giving the game a mud-splattered 8/10. The multiplayer also gets an enthusiastic seal of approval as "DiRT Showdown really comes into its own played with excitable real-life opponents."

  Gamespot also dishes out an 8, praising the game for supplying "one of the most satisfying of pleasures: that of mindless, over-the-top, and--above all--deliciously addictive destruction." Edge adds another 8 to the pile, saying "DiRT has done more than just reach the finish line where so many others have failed; with Showdown, it's now into the victory lap."

  If you're looking for a thrilling, aggressive multiplayer driving game, this is clearly your lucky day.
  

• DiRT Showdown - Review

  
  

  

  Arcade Racer

  Developer Codemasters feels the DiRT racing franchise has "outgrown a single game" over the last few years, hence its recent decision to split the franchise into two different flavours, one of which is a realistic simulation racer and the other a too-cool-for-school arcade one. While the two styles have arguably co-existed perfectly well in previous releases, the studio thought it better that each got more attention going forward.

  So while DiRT 4 will offer pure rally gameplay when it releases, most likely some time in 2013, DiRT Showdown represents the first off-road, arcade-style spin-off for the series, offering everything from regular races to thrill-seeking demolition derbies and high-score chasing challenges, all presented in striking vibrant hues and blinding neon.

  The game keeps the pedal-to-the-metal across a range of frenzied, unsanctioned race events set in famous locations like Miami, San Francisco, London and Tokyo, exposing players to a variety of conditions including sun, snow and rain, both at day and night.

  

  Mixing It Up

  No-holds-barred racing events see players go head-to-head on courses littered with obstacles, pinch points, multiple-routes and ramps, while destruction derby ones see players crashing, smashing and bashing their way through arenas, racking up points for causing mayhem that pushes the game's damage model to its spectacular limits. Hoonigan events let you run wild in free-roaming, freestyle stunt parks, performing trick runs and exploration objectives that are a great way to hone your skills.

  Although it's quite easy to progress through most of Showdown's events, some are fairly tricky due to the weighty feel of the vehicles. The tracks often require cars to turn on a dime, but rarely does a vehicle feel capable of doing so without some serious trial and error practice, something that can be both satisfying and frustrating.

  For the most part, racing alongside computer controlled drivers feels exciting and realistic because the game does an excellent job of keeping opponents on your bumper, forcing you to be at the top of your driving game. At the same time it also takes the shackles off and encourages you to trade paint by bumping and grinding with rival cars.

  

  Heavy Metal

  In fact, most of Showdown's fun comes from the satisfying clash of metal as cars collide; it's often just as entertaining attempting to stop others racing as it is to spend your time battling to finish ahead of the chasing pack.

  Showdown offers a generous connected playing experience featuring split-screen multiplayer and eight player online racing. It also boasts on and offline quick-fire party games, and provides players with weekly challenges rewarding hotshot racers who score high on the leaderboards with in-game prizes.

  Overall, DiRT Showdown is a thrilling package for those who prefer the adrenaline of off-road racing and destruction derby action over more realistic, pure rally simulations, and especially for those who like to play against friends and online rivals.

  Game's Verdict

  The Good:

  • Thrilling arcade racing, particularly online.
    
  • Satisfying range of events.
    
  • Brash, colourful and unapologetic.

  The Bad:

  • Single player options could be deeper.
    
  • More tracks and arenas would be welcome.
    
  • Simulation fans might want to wait for DiRT 4.

  Published: 08/06/2012

• DiRT Showdown - Review

  
  

  

  Rally The Troops!

  The arcade racing genre has taken a bit of a battering in the last few years as huge and successful studios like Bizarre Creations (Project Gotham Racing, Blur) and Black Rock (MotoGP, Split/Second) have closed down, but fans of the genre needn't worry that we are being completely abandoned. Already this year we've had the much-better-than-expected Ridge Racer Unbounded, and now we have DiRT Showdown.

  An off-shoot of the famous rally simulation series Colin McRae DiRT, Showdown takes the Americanisation of recent instalments to its natural conclusion: an array of destruction derbies, gymkhana stunt races and straight-up racing challenges delivered over a world tour that takes you from Battersea to Baja and Yokohama, all the while an enthusiastic Yankee commentator yee-haws in the background.
  

  

  DiRT-y Licence

  The action is frenzied in all sorts of ways. On the track there's a heavy emphasis on vehicular combat - there are no weapons or power-ups, apart from a recharging boost bar, but you are given points and acclaim for T-boning, grazing and generally smashing your fellow racers - and there are a multitude of event types, which the career mode swaps between with abandon, giving you little time to settle or tire of what you're doing.

  The game looks stunning and the handling is amazingly accessible and enjoyable, and the event types themselves are mostly interesting and compulsive, so you spend the first couple of hours merrily bouncing from a destruction derby to an 8-ball race (where the straights overlap, so you have to watch out for traffic hitting you from the sides) to a gymkhana challenge (where you need to drift and donut things against the clock) to a slip-slidey time trial-infused checkpoint race on ice.

  Even better, if you take the game online there are other modes - inspired by classics like capture-the-flag and capture-and-hold - that blend the entertaining car combat with solo and team objectives to make the game even more interesting with other people. Even offline, if you complete a task in a particularly good time or set a high score then you can share it as a challenge for friends, and every time you load the game it gives you a list of new targets to attack.
  

  

  On With The Showdown

  There's also a mode where you can roam around the hub areas of Battersea and Yokohama performing any of a huge number of objectives - donuting the scoop on a digger, for example, or leaping off a ramp - and the non-linear task list, hugely enjoyable car handling and beautiful environments make for a welcome change of pace in a game that already has no trouble keeping you from getting bored. There are even a load of DiRT Showdown medallions hidden in each area to uncover.

  It's great fun for 6-8 hours, at least, although it has to be said that DiRT Showdown is a little lightweight overall. While it lasts you will have an enormous amount of fun, whether you're battering the career mode, playing online with friends (or strangers) or just loping around joyriding. But once you've seen everything a few times - and come to accept that destruction derbies with the AI are a bit random - you may find that you've had enough. The load times are surprisingly long, too, which means you spend a lot of time staring at (admittedly beautiful) rotating car models rather than actually rotating them yourself.

  If you like your driving games to be good to look at, socially aware and hugely varied, however, it's hard to ignore DiRT Showdown. Whether you're smashing another racer off a platform for points, or gliding through a superb sequence of corners in a rally car, this is never less than fun. The arcade racing genre may have taken a few hits in the last couple of years, but with Codemasters still at the steering wheel we can be sure it will keep throwing up great experiences regardless.

  Our rating: 8.0

  What's Good?

  • Beautiful visuals, among the best in the genre.
    
  • Superb handling that takes seconds to learn.
    
  • Huge variety of events.

  What's Bad?

  • Very American.
    
  • Lots of early variety but gets repetitive after a few days.
    
  • Destruction events feel a bit random against the AI.
    

• Gaming's Sporting Heroes

  
  

  Olympic fever has gripped the planet, and we're only just over halfway through a year that has already been defined by amazing sporting action. From regular favourites like Wimbledon and the UEFA European Championship, to the glitz of the Olympics and surprise wins in the Tour De France, sport has never hogged so many UK headlines. As always, where there's an audience, there are video games looking to capitalise on the popularity - and a famous face certainly helps to catch our attention (although Mario and Sonic don't really count...). Here's our look back over the history of sporting heroes in games.

  

  You can almost go back to the dawn of gaming and find examples of famous athletes promoting games. Daley Thompson's Decathlon was one of the enduring classics of the 8-bit home computer era, a keyboard-bashing run through ten track and field events overseen by the ghostly white pixellated face of digital Daley.

  

  It was inevitable that a footy-loving nation such as ours would attract a flood of cheesy football endorsements as well, with everyone from squeaky scouser Emlyn Hughes to telly pundits Saint and Greavsie, to top flight players like Gazza and Beckham, putting their name to digitised kickabouts. We even had the bizarre sight of a Peter Shilton goalkeeping game, cheekily renamed Handball Maradona after the infamous "hand of god" incident at the 1986 World Cup. And while there's no name on the box, there's no ignoring the key players endorsing both FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer even today.

  
  

  

  Ever-obsessed with sports and strategy, it didn't take long for American software companies to follow suit. John Madden had already retired as both player and coach when his name first adorned the Madden NFL American Football simulation in 1988, but it kicked off a series which endures to this day and is widely considered to be the benchmark of gridiron gaming. Madden was part of the EA Sports stable, a label that knows the value of the right endorsement. In 1999 the company's popular PGA golf series became Tiger Woods PGA Tour, and the fairway superman has been the face of golf games ever since. Indeed, the close tie between game and name may soon become a problem, as the digital Tiger performs better than his struggling real-life counterpart. Will the series revert to plain old PGA Tour when Tiger's star fades, or will EA find a new golfing hero to carry the torch?

  

  That's the gamble when signing a player at the peak of their game. Sometimes, a games company will sign an up and coming athlete in the hopes of backing a long term winner. That worked for Nintendo, when it paid a young Mike Tyson $50,000 to use his likeness in the NES Punch Out boxing game. Within months, Tyson was on his way to being the world heavyweight champ, and the retitled Mike Tyson's Punch Out benefited from his success in the USA.

  

  In the UK, meanwhile, Punch Out was ported to home computers with our very own Frank Bruno as the main character. Punch Out returned to Wii minus its star, while Tyson makes a surprise return to games this year in WWE '13, re-living the brief sting he spent using his name to boost the wrestling company's ratings.

  
  

  

  Often, a sport will bubble up to the top of the popular consciousness thanks to the eye-catching feats of a particular sports-person. In the late 1990s, it was Codemasters that perked up long-running, but fairly obscure rugby and cricket sims, by shrewdly putting hot new stars like Jonah Lomu and Brian Lara above the title. Likewise, it was only when legendary racer Colin McRae put his name to the publisher's rally games that they became the owners of a blockbuster franchise, and while the DiRT series has continued to thrive without him, it was his name that got the customers through the proverbial door to begin with. Such moves weren't restricted to cult UK sports either. In 1999, Japanese firm Namco quickly rebranded the latest entry in its fledgling tennis series as Anna Kournikova Smash Court Tennis in order to attract European gamers.

  
  

  

  It's perhaps notable that the area where celebrity endorsement paid off most spectacularly was in the rise of extreme sports, where off-beat personalities are more openly celebrated and the players are more likely to be gamers. Tony Hawk pioneered this with his skateboarding games, lending not just his credibility but also his insight and expertise to ensure maximum authenticity. Snowboarder Shaun White and BMX rider Dave Mirra quickly followed Hawk's example. Hawk's back this year, too, in an HD re-jigging of some of his classic titles for Xbox LIVE; he's gone from extreme rebel to a traditional figure, but we still love him!

  Whenever sport becomes national obsession, you can bet an enterprising games developer will seize the opportunity. Gold medal-winning swimming star Michael Phelps has got a head start on his Olympic peers this year, with his Push The Limit game for Kinect already on shelves. Will we see Bradley Wiggins grace the cover of next year's Tour De France game? Will Jess Ennis and Mo Farah be running alongside us in the next Kinect Sports? Whoever is next on the podium, it's a good bet that gamers will be the winners.

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