Having pretty much filled our boots with PlayStation Plus content over the last few weeks of WeView, and with little left that we haven’t already covered on WeView, it’s time to move onto a somewhat newer game this week. We’ve covered the DiRT series once before on WeView, in the form of DiRT 3, but this time we’re moving away from the traditional rally entries in the series and onto a more arcade spin on things. That’s right, we’re looking at DiRT Showdown, and whether an arcade twist on things has worked for the DiRT series.
I got a chance to twiddle with the game well before its release back in this Hands On and found that earlier version of the game to be pretty enjoyable, although when Dan looked at it as a whole in our review he clearly found a few flaws, marking it at 7/10.
Just what did Dan think of it? Well he was irritated by the way your fate isn’t always in your own control, with random crashes being able to take you out of a race completely. Although that’s a core part of the game, it just didn’t appeal to him and left him frustrated. He also highlighted some issues where vehicle collisions lead to an opponents car becoming stuck to his.
On the plus side though he highlighted the game’s handling, comparing it to games like MotorStorm. He also felt that the online was very good, along with some generally enjoyable events across the board. In fact the online is so good that he highlighted it particularly in his concluding remarks:
DiRT Showdown is very much a game of two halves. The single-player is enjoyable and frustrating in equal measure, but it’s the online mode that swoops in and saves the day with the combination of RaceNet, Showdown Challenges and lag-free mayhem.
With our ongoing Showdown tournament it seems that there’s some love for the game from the community, so it’ll be interesting to see if your views differ from those of Dan. If you feel like sharing those views simply drop a comment below. Once you’ve formulated your comment, remember that you need to add a rating to it. As this is a full retail title we’re back to the Buy It, Bargain Bin It, Rent It, Avoid It scale. Simply pick one of those categories, and stick it somewhere in your comment.
Finally, remember you need to have your comment in by Sunday afternoon. Any later and you’re likely to miss out on Monday’s Verdict article.
Forrest_01
Ah, Dirt Showdown – The dirtier, scruffier (& dare I say more fun?) brother of the Dirt series. Whilst the traditional Dirt’s are quite content measuring their lines & perfecting their times, along comes showdown with a car cobbled together from any old car parts to bump them out of the way with childish glee. Perhaps reversing over their mangled corpse a few times just for fun.
It’s not a complete departure from the series as it still very much retains a Dirt mechanic & you can feel that in the way it drives, but let’s get one thing straight; In this game it is actually ok to bump other racers off of the track & spoil their perfect line. In fact, it is encouraged!
Basically, if you were a fan of the Dirt series, but just wished that it had a little more confrontation (as I did), this is the game for you. Imagine if you will, Dirt 3 & a demolition derby game had a likkle baby. Then the baby T-Boned the both of them.
Welcome to Dirt Showdown.
Buy it.
LTG Davey
Haven’t picked up a copy of this yet but I think you may have just sold it to me :)
aycizzle
I was also looking at picking up a copy of this if I can find it for less than £15…. Interested to find out the verdict.
MadJunkBoy
DiRT Showdown is just an awesome game, it’s like DiRT3 but with a more arcady twist to it.
in this game u are introduced to new modes apart from the “normal” racing modes in DiRT3, modes like: Rampage, Knock-Out, Speed Skirmish and Smash and Grab.
Rampage is what it sounds like, u are going to smash into ur opponents and get points. the driver with the most points in the end wins!
Knock-Out are a mode where u are on a platform and u must knock out ur opponents or destroy their cars to get points and as in rampage, the driver with most points in the end wins!
in Speed Skirmish u need to drive through 7 checkpoints as fast as u can, the fastest driver wins!
in smash and grab u are supposed to take a loot and hold it for as long as u can. and u get points when u hold the loot, if somebody crashes into u, u loose the loot to th other guy. and sam here, the driiver with the most points win!
i must say that i am enjoying every minute of this game, and especially online with my fellow TSAers!
the single player can be frustrating at times but all the fun u will get online with with a couple of friends will compensate for the frustartion!
so my rating? can it be anything else but buy it? NOOO! this is a clear BUY IT!! WOOO! BUY, BUY, BUY!!! =D
OnlineAssassin77
I like Dirt Showdown a lot myself good fun especially the smashing the hell out of cars events and closest ive come to my dream of another Destruction Derby and as MJB above says a great time and laugh on line especially with the TSA lads win or lose and i lose alot lol. I dont understand the hate from some for this game like it should have been an add on to dirt 3 this is a game all of its own and a fantastic game at that its a big BUY from me. ;)
Crazy_Del
DiRT Showdown – BARGAIN BIN IT
The Battersea Event is a copy and paste from DiRT 3 with exact same trophies.
The tracks and vehicles are very little.
It is fun for a little while. But can see it perfect for TSA Meets.
For a £40 just feels like a rip off – more of a £15 for a DLC to DiRT 3
In multiplayer the party modes are there except Cat and Mouse which I believe should be innit as it is a destruction/carnage mode.
I will await to reply everyone’s opinion and views on this and my reason of course. But remember we are all entitled to have our own opinions.
Fire Away!
*Sharpens sword*
OnlineAssassin77
Its true Del everyone is entitled to there opinion everyone is different at the end of the day and true the battersea level is the same as dirt 3 the only one ive noticed and the odd car is carried over but i believe the majority of stuff is unique to showdown and is a totally different experience and feel to dirt 3 ive personally had more fun with showdown so far. I bought it full whack price from the psn store comes in at just over 4000mb dirt 3 is just over 6000mb as that is also on my HDD so it would be a big add on to dirt 3 even without the battersea level and few cars. As i say i bought it day one for £40 off the store an dont regret it one bit id feel more ripped of by Red dead redemption that is also on my HDD as that is 9gb and the Undead nightmare expansion is 10gb and its the bang same environment but with added zombies you can pick up showdown dirt cheap nowadays and id say pick it up .
OnlineAssassin77
P.S put the sword down Del put the sword down ;)
Forrest_01
Btw, Battersea is actually not the same – Yes, it is the same level overall, but the challenges are mostly pretty much completely different & the icons are all placed in different places too.
I know this as only a couple of days before attacking the one in Showdown, i completed the one in Dirt 3.
OnlineAssassin77
Aaaah right Forest i just know its the only level ive noticed thats similar to any of the Dirt 3 ones ive played thats all.
Forrest_01
Yeah, it was more aimed at Del rather than you mate – I remember him saying it was exactly the same back when he was playing it which disheartened me, but then when i actually played it myself it was actually nothing alike (apart from the setting & the fact that there was stuff to collect).
OnlineAssassin77
No worries chief i didn’t take anything the wrong way anyway mate ;) just saying its the only level or setting/location for a level ive noticed that are similar in both games.
Crazy_Del
I will never put the sword down!
Thanks for the correction Forrest I assumed it was the same as it felt the same but I haven’t touched DiRT 3 in a year except last week but that was only for Cat and Mouse event ^^ (Was awesome)
@Assassin – I bought it Day 1 aswell and sold it after a week I think when I got the Platinum! (Also the fastest Platinum too)
OnlineAssassin77
lol you hold onto you’re sword chief just dont wave it in my direction please ;) p.s must be hard to game and do things in general with your sword continually in you’re hand mate ;D
Forrest_01
@Del;
No worries dude – Wasn’t trying to get at you for what you said, i just didn’t want people to think that it was exactly the same when it isn’t. It’s certainly familiar enough to feel the same though, that i will definitely give you. :)
Also, i agree that the cat & mouse events were/are a lot of fun & it’s a bit of a shame they didn’t include that mode in this game tbh, as it is full contact. I guess they were concerned about that being a bit samey, but it didn’t stop them including Battersea as a Joyride location! :S
Sitorimon
My opinion sways. I would more than likely say Buy It because it is one of those games that can just take you over and you can have some great fun with. Others I find it cold and void of character. I think this comes from the utter lack of track character or real persona throughout. When you’re online with mates, that doesn’t matter. When your slogging through the single player mode it feels all a bit much. I think its down to the fact it doesn’t drop enough of the Dirt-ness to be a proper arcade smashup, but doesn’t then mesh the Dirt-stuff enough to make it feel part of what its meant to be? I may be babbling but it feels like a compromise and not the Destruction Derby / Flat Out / Demolition Racer game it was shouting it was going to be.
I realise I’ve been negative a lot but I do like it – I do!
Death_In_Flamez
This game was an utter pain to get into. For about two weeks I hated it. I then saw why it was so special though. With friends, the carnage you deal is as sweet as a sugar toffee. It’s not a racing game, it’s Twisted Metal with it’s toys taken away; a perfect FUN game.
Death_In_Flamez
Buy it by the way ;)
Tomhlord
Dirt Showdown may be a racing game, but it is most certainly not for racing fans. Not hardcore ones anyway, that eat burnt rubber for breakfast. If however you have a sense of humour and like things with 4 wheels, Showdown should be right up your street. It may take a while to get your head around things and the single player campaign alone is a little devoid of charm, but online this game has been such a blast. The wide variety of events really keeps things interesting, from requiring some driving skill (e.g. Head2Head) to mindless crashing (Knock Out), any player could win any event. In a way this unpredictability may put a few people off (the sort that likes to be the best at everything, ever), but for the rest of us mere mortals, you will find Dirt Showdown a riot.
Tomhlord
Buy It.