Trick-based gymkhana events and mini-games were largely a sideshow to the rally racing in last year’s Dirt 3, but that germ of an idea — to lightly pull the franchise away from its simulation roots — becomes a full-blown carnival of driving delights in Dirt Showdown.
Racing and gymkhana return, but they’re not quite the same. In many races, looping figure-eight tracks ensure devastating crashes — or breathless close misses — at each turn. Elsewhere, closed courses are packed with ramps and barriers, not to mention nitrous boosts and opponents being tipped into walls. Gymkhana (called Hoonigan here), meanwhile, is more fully realized via head-to-head battles on parallel tracks that merge drifts and donuts into a high-speed sprint, plus open arena events where you’ll string together trick lines or trample certain-colored blocks.
Vehicular violence proves the most refreshing new aspect, though. Destruction derbies pile drivers into confined spaces where they amass points for brutal hits and takedowns, while sumo-inspired matches involve ramming competitors off a raised platform. Scoring can be a little suspect in both modes: a split bounty could have resolved issues where multiple cars trigger a wreck or spill but only one driver gets the points. Luckily, both modes hit enough of a euphoric, aggressive sweet spot that you won’t mind this weirdness.
Expect a string of horrific T-bone crashes on the 8-Ball courses.
Races include supercars, muscle cars, beat-up trucks, and even hearses.Better yet, Showdown offers a stellar single-player experience, despite its rather straightforward career approach (which offers increasingly tough races and battles). The social challenges easily steal the show: you can send scores and times to Xbox Live pals, and the game brilliantly keeps tabs on who’s won the most. Moreover, you have just three tries to beat a challenge, making each attempt a heart-pounding affair. And with both solo and team-play options available, online multiplayer is an utter riot thanks in part to additional modes that riff on Halo’s Oddball (hold a flag for as long as possible), or that have racers trying to collect a flag and reach the goal while rivals intervene en masse. It’s total, awe-inspiring mayhem.
Varied events, sparkling social challenges, and rowdy online skirmishes make Dirt Showdown the rare spinoff that’s as amazing as its much-loved predecessor, albeit in its own unique way. It’s an absolute blast throughout, and proof that accessible, arcade-style thrills and spills can still deliver via superb execution.
Cars get as beat-up as you'd expect, especially in the Joyride sandbox mode.PUBLISHER: Codemasters • DEVELOPER: Codemasters Racing Studio • ESRB: Everyone 10+ • MULTIPLAYER: 8 on Xbox Live, 2 on same screen • ACHIEVEMENTS: Assorted • COST: $60 • RELEASE DATE: June 12, 2012
+ Huge array of exciting race and battle types.
+ Challenges and online play are a total blast.
– Occasional imprecise scoring woes.
? Will Showdown continue on as its own series?
