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Review: DiRT Showdown

I remember when I first heard about DiRT Showdown being in development. Off the back of my disappointment with the previous two titles in the franchise (with DiRT 3 only having just been released months prior), the fact Codemasters had decided to ditch the rally-styled gameplay and move towards this destruction-derby theme was in one or two words, frustrating. While I loved DiRT, the games that followed it just seemed to bother me. Now that I’ve spent some time playing through (and completing) the latest offering from Codemasters, the question begs to be asked – has my opinion changed?

The first thing I’d like to mention about DiRT Showdown is its fun – really fun. I honestly can’t remember a racing game since The Simpsons Hit & Run where you’re able to drift around corners feathering the brake and ripping the handbrake this easily. A lot of people speculated that the physics would feel like Race Driver GRID but Showdown is even more arcade-y. The beauty in this is that you don’t take the game too seriously and focus more about enjoying the contact-style racing and drifting than nailing perfect lap times or running a clean race. Showdown also features a fairly lenient catch-up system that favours the player, so even if you’ve been spun out (and believe me, you will) and passed by all other drivers, there’s still a chance for you to get back into the action and take the lead by the end of the race.

Much like DiRT 3, Showdown features a multitude of different events to get stuck into, but unlike the DiRT 3 it doesn’t feel so forced and out-of-place. Whether you’re after traditional circuit racing, gymkhana-inspired events or even demolition derbies, Showdown has a nice mix of events that prevents the game from ever feeling too repetitive or stale. In addition to being fun, Showdown does well in providing a fairly exhilarating racing experience too. I remember doing my first 8-Ball event and feeling like I was on the edge of my seat as I flew past an intersection only to narrowly miss being T-boned by other drivers in the pack entering the turn. Throughout each event as your trying to total your competitors out of the race, you’ll have to keep an eye on your own damage meter and avoid having the same punishment dealt back to you. Its mental, its quick and you’re sure to have a blast along the way!

Now despite all the compliments above, it doesn’t stop this game from feeling a little bit … average. I mentioned earlier that the brilliance in Showdown was not taking it seriously and enjoying it as fun and simple racer, but its unfortunately so simplistic that it gives the impression the developers didn’t take it seriously either! The entire time I was playing through the campaign I just had the impression that Showdown felt like it was a combination of the off-cuts that didn’t make DiRT 3. If I’m to be brutally honest, the uninspiring and bland menus, lack of in-car view, useless flashback system, limited HUD and the overall presentation of the game made it feel more like an Arcade title than a fully-fledged retail offering.

Another gripe I’ve been having with Showdown (and the franchise as a whole) is just how ‘Americanised’ it now seems to be. Ever since the release of DiRT 2, it would appear the emphasis has shifted away from delivering an authentic racing experience to giving the player a mediocre racing game with heaps of bells and whistles to disguise the fact it’s fairly lacklustre. Admittedly, its more tolerable in Showdown when you know true racing isn’t the focus of the game, but it’s annoying when you see Ken Block’s name/brand mentioned whenever you do a gymkhana event (known as ‘Hooligan’) or the only manufacturer to have their logo splattered on billboards and barriers is Ford. It’s just a shame to see what was once my most highly esteemed publisher go from releasing some of the best racing games to some of the worst, all to appeal to a market that find racing in oval circles as exciting.

While DiRT Showdown isn’t a bad title, it’s not a great one either. It’s certainly an enjoyable racer to play, but for the money you’ll be spending, what it offers simply isn’t enough. There’s no longevity in the campaign mode (which can be completed within 48 hours) and the fact is, the detail and attention simply isn’t there. Showdown shouldn’t be classified so much as an entirely new DiRT title, but something on the side to extend your game if you’re more into the gymkhana and non-racing events that Codemasters had littered DiRT 3 with. You’ll notice a few familiar tracks while playing through this game which only further adds to the thoughts that everything was sort of tacked on with Showdown. Most importantly, has this changed my opinion of the DiRT franchise? No, not really.


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About the author

Nicholas Simonovski

Events and Racing Editor at Stevivor.com. Proud RX8 owner, Strange Music fan and Joe Rogan follower. Living life one cheat meal at a time.