and Codemasters Racing; a US redneck-inspired circus of twisted metal, sound-tracked by the guttural bark of muscle cars and the noxious aroma of spent nitrous.

Dirt Showdown is a boisterous and varied racer best enjoyed with friends.

For the money, Dirt: Showdown is an OK game. Sadly there's not much to the game though, with only about 3 locations with about 2 versions of the track. Cars are not recognisable except for a Fiesta and Impreza, and in general it's a game to play when you have just 30 minutes or so spare.

I did wonder why no one on my 57 people long xbox friends list has this game, and then it dawned on me after a couple races. This is rubbish. You don't even get a speedometer, rev counter, or any realistic driving aids, you just get some cheesy announcer who says the exact same things over and over...

A change from just racing

It certainly does not feel like it has already been a year since Dirt 3 was released.  When I first heard Dirt Showdown was in the works, I really wasn't sure what to expect.  I thought Dirt 3 was an excellent game but one that tried to be too many things for too many people with its multiple...

DiRT: Showdown is a simple, yet fun game with just a few things missing. The change of pace with the encouraged car-colliding is certainly welcomed, and well executed. There is more game here to be played, but there just isn't enough of it.

This is a driving game that you will either love or hate, I am firmly in the former category and I loved it from about two minutes in and never looked back. This is an arcade driving game so is not intended to be that realistic or simulation heavy, but it's still a Rally game, so drifting and lack...

Destruction; speed; collection; varied gameplay and modes; multiplayer off and online; what's not to love here

Some things need extra explaining/instructions; music can get annoying

The Colin McRae series began life as a semi-simulation racer where a conveyor belt of corner instructions played out to tight hairpins and handbrake turns, but after settling into a deadpan rut that was overshadowed by its more charismatic contemporaries, Codemasters has reinvented its rally game...

The DiRT series consistently pumps out some seriously good looking, and playing, racing games. They may not flirt too closely with realism, but when it comes to just-right handling and an empowered sense of track ownership, very few can compete.