DiRT Showdown

Not since the old days of Psygnosis' Destruction Derby games have we been able to really go in and trash cars for the sake of trashing cars.

Dirt: Showdown is a simple, yet fun game with just a few things missing. The change of pace with the encouraged car-colliding is certainly welcomed, and well executed.

DiRT Showdown offers an arcade experience that follows the path taken with Dirt 2 and Dirt 3, leaving the simulation part of the series. Those looking for something that resembles the original gameplay of the Colin McRae series should keep searching, but if you are looking for fun arcade races this is your game.

Codemasters adds a "Destruction Derby Twist" to the core formula of its rally series. The result is a fast-paced arcade, capable to entertain every fan of the genre with an accessible driving system.

It's like the developers only made this title to keep the license alive while they worked on the next "real" iteration of the series.

There's a scrappy little multiplayer brawler to be had with this game, but the fact DiRT Showdown feels a lot like DiRT 3 with a new lick of paint is both the game's greatest strength and its ultimate downfall.

Dirt Showdown is all the in-between stuff from other racing games. It's those filler events you had to play to get to the next actual race. Basically, driving game gametax, now given its own game. It's as if someone lifted up all the rally races from the previous Dirts, swept out the detritus that was left, collected it into a tidy little pile, and then slapped a name on it. Dirt Showdown.

Yes, it has some issues. There is some lag online at times, and some glitches. However, this game has to be the most fun derby game in a very long time, and not only that, but you can go online and have crazy matches. I think this game is severely underrated because it has the Dirt name, which disappoints previous Dirt game fans, and scares away people that didn't like Dirt 1-3. Demos are out on all platforms, and even though there isn't much to see on them, anyone who likes smashing cars owes it to themselves to play at least the demo if not the full game.

In many respects, Dirt Showdown is a divergence from the rally racing core that has defined the series since its inception in 2007. Edge of your seat control has been replaced by a simplistic handling model, perfect for arcade racing. Hence this is more like Destruction Derby than Dirt. Whilst doubts were surfaced beforehand as to the competancy of the collisions, the game still remains good fun. The damage model itself is lacking, with fairly poor collisions, much akin to hitting a golf caddy in a head on collision as opposed to seeing metal bend and glass shatter in sumptuous ways. As this entry aims for a more casual audience, so do the online options. Getting into a race feels like chaotic fun, which goes for all the destructive based events in the game. Unfortunately Dirt Showdown squanders its epicness somewhat by acknowledging its core DNA. So there are the plethora of rally orientated events including a Gymkhana variant and smash attack modes. None are poorly implemented, but they feel out of place in a game supposedly made for the purposes of carnage. Granted without them we may not see Ken Block's Monster fuelled Ford Fiesta, but the game's heart lies in devastation and adversarial competitiveness. Still despite a bit of an identity crisis and a hollow damage model, DIRT Showdown is still a fun party racer that sits along nicely to the main DIRT franchise.

Dirt Showdown is a decent spinoff of the Dirt series. The game is really fun,with all sorts of demolition derbies to take part **** AI can be cheap at **** biggest problem with the game is that it is only 4 hours long.There are only 4 licensed cars in the game that can only be used in gymkhana,which is disappointing. The graphics are great,though the framerate drops frequently. The sound design is pretty weak,but the soundtrack is solid. Overall,DiRT Showdown is a decent game that is held back by some major flaws.

As much as I love the other DiRT games, it pains me to say that Showdown really was a let down. The uninspired tracks and modes made it feel like a discount version. And the lack of licenced cars. It does look pretty, but that doesn't really save the game from feeling like a cheap money maker by Codemasters. Considering the usual standard of Codemasters' games, this title really doesn't qualify as a DiRT title.

The game can be fun at times if you avoid the Knockout game mode I believe. The races seem fine if not short in length and easy to win. Online can be fun if you remember not to take it too seriously. Overall a fun game but the reason I rate it so low is the rubber band AI and Mario Kart type luck some events require. If you're looking for a few hours of fun I say rent. Otherwise Pass.