Codemasters Reveals DiRT Showdown

Codemasters is developing a spin-off destruction-based racing game based on the DiRT series, as exclusively revealed by Gamespot today. 

For many, and us included, DiRT started life as a welcome return for the Colin McRae rally games of generations past. It was a game that relied not on the rough-and-tumble of competitive racing (although there was a fair bit of it) and instead was focused on shaving tenths of seconds off rally stage splits and maintaining the careful concentration associated with listening to your co-pilot.

Which made Codemasters' decision to pump DiRT 2 and 3 with Americana an odd decision. Gone was the considered planning of how to take corners to maximise corner speed and in its place stepped a whole lot of annoying commentary and over-the-top, carnage-filled races. 

DiRT Showdown may well be the answer to our prayers; allowing the numbered DiRT entries to re-align themselves with the series' rallying simulation roots, while itself professes the more extreme side of the sport and is set to feature three very varied, very annihilative race types. The first, Hoonigan, requires you to perform tricks and stunts to rack up the points against your opponent, while Demolition events (Rampage, Hard Target and King of the Ring) each have the same remit: to cause as much utter chaos, bent metal and destruction as is humanly possible. Standard races (Lap Attack, Eliminator, Domination) flesh out the package.