Dirt: Showdown

Dirt: Showdown
Box art
Developer(s)	Codemasters Southam
Publisher(s)	Codemasters
Distributor(s)
Series	Colin McRae Rally
Engine	EGO 2.0
Platforms	Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows OS X Linux
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Dirt: Showdown (stylised as DiRT: Showdown) is a video game published and developed by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Linux. It was released on 25 May 2012 in Europe and on 12 June in North America. The OS X version was released on 4 September 2014 in North America. The game was released for Linux on 17 August 2015. It is part of the Colin McRae Rally game series. The game was also released on Xbox 360 for free as part of Microsoft's Games with Gold promotion from January 01, 2016 to January 15, 2016.

Gameplay

The player is entered in a series of "Tour" events, offering a range of races and tournaments to compete in. Winning these events gives the player prize money, which can be spent buying new cars or upgrading existing ones, and unlocks further races. Upon the successful completion of the series final, the next difficulty setting is unlocked, featuring faster opponents and longer races.

Dirt: Showdown removes several of the gameplay modes featured in its predecessor Dirt 3, and introduces new ones. Gameplay modes can be classified as Racing, Demolition, Hoonigan or Party.

Racing

• Race-Off — A straightforward race with eight cars on the circuit. Obstacles, including jumps, barricades and piles of debris litter the circuit.
• Domination — A points-based mode of play where the circuit is divided up into four sectors and players are awarded points for setting the fastest sector times. The winner is the driver who finishes with the most points, rather than the first player across the line.
• Elimination — A race which features a timer. Each time the timer reaches zero, the driver in last place is eliminated.

Demolition

• Rampage — Eight cars take part in a demolition contest set in an arena. Points are awarded for crashing into other cars, with bonus points on offer for destroying a rival's car. Destroyed cars re-spawn in the arena.
• Knock Out — A variation on Rampage where the arena features an elevated table-like structure. Points are awarded for crashing into other cars, with bonus points on offer for pushing a rival off the table. Destroyed cars re-spawn at the bottom of a ramp leading back up to the table.
• Hard Target — The player starts in the centre of the arena and must fend off attacks from other cars, with more cars being regularly added. The winner is the driver who survives the longest.
• 8-Ball — Racing takes place on circuits that feature multiple cross-overs. These cross-overs are open intersections that allow player and AI cars to collide with one another.

Hoonigan

• Trick Rush — Similar to the Gymkhana mode in Dirt 3. Players are given a limited time to complete as many tricks as possible, which are then scored.
• Head 2 Head — Two drivers must complete an obstacle course as quickly as possible, successfully completing tricks along the course. At the end of the first round, the drivers switch lanes for a second attempt. The winner is the driver with the fastest aggregate time after two runs.
• Smash Hunter — The player smashes through coloured foam bricks in the order that they are called as quickly as possible. Smashing the wrong colour forces the player to back-track and find the right bricks to smash.

Party

Party modes are only available in multiplayer.

• Smash & Grab — A race where one team grabs the loot and the other team needs to get a hold on it by "hitting" the opponents. the team that holds the loot for the longest period in the game wins.
• Transporter — A race where you will be forced to grab the flag and bring it to the base, the player that brings the flag to the base the most times wins.
• Speed Skirmish — A time-based mode in which drivers need to race through 6 checkpoints in any order before finishing.

Unlike Dirt 3, most of the cars in Dirt: Showdown are fictional. Real-life models are only available for use in the Hoonigan and Party modes.

Development

The announcement trailer was released on YouTube on 11 December 2011. The soundtrack in the trailer was "Earthquake" by Labrinth.

The official gameplay trailer was released on 26 January 2012 which featured the song "Mother of Girl" by Eighteen Nightmares at the Lux. This song is also the lead track in the game.

Reception

Reception
Review score Publication Score Play 84%

The game has received mixed reviews, gaining an average review score of 72% on Metacritic.

GameSpy wrote: "Dirt: Showdown delivers bargain-basement entertainment value for the high, high price of $50. With its neutered physics, limited driving venues, clunky multiplayer, and diminished off-road racing options, discerning arcade racing fans should just write this one off as an unanticipated pothole in Codemaster's trailblazing Dirt series."

PC Gamer wrote: "Dirt: Showdown provides thrills while it lasts, but afterwards you're left wanting the deeper experience of its parents".

See also

• Ambisonics, the audio technology used

External links

• Official website