Offer ended.

https://www.humblebundle.com/store/dirt-showdown-free-game

Note: You must redeem your free DiRT Showdown key by 10AM Pacific on Saturday, January 28th, 2017!

Classic rally racing game, old but gold
Pros:
- Got few good modes
- Good drifting physic
- Good graphic even for low spec PC
- Manual is the best choice here

Cons:
- I bought it, now it's free

Dirt Showdown is in my opinion a bit underrated and really misunderstood by some people. They consider the game as the successor of Dirt 3. However, Showdown is more a spinoff, that has nothing to do with the other Dirt games besides the 'Dirt' name. That being sad, I think this game is really good in what is does. Just mindless 'demolition derby like' fun. The car handling is just right for this type of game in my opinion. It also has great graphics and sound. There's single player with a career mode, wich will keep you busy for a while. It has enough variety with many different gamemodes. And then there's another SP mode, called Joyride, were you have to complete a series of tricks and collect all the Showdown logo's. Well, if you want those achievements at least :) But the game really shines in multiplayer. Unfortunately, the MP isn't really active anymore. Often you find yourself in an empty lobby. The best idea is to look on the forum for people to play with. Because of this, I wouldn't recommend the game just for MP. But like I said, there's enough fun to be had in SP alone.

Game: DiRT Showdown
Genre: Racing
Developed by: Codemasters Racing Studio
Published by: Codemasters
Release Date: 23 May, 2012
Metacritic Score: 72 (Link[www.metacritic.com])


"Sweet... sweet car destruction..."

DiRT Showdown is a spin-off of the highly acclaimed arcade racing DiRT series. It´s a game focused on arcade racing with lots of destruction and car madness, unlike the other games from the DiRT series that had a more "serious" approach, mixing simulation with arcade. This game still has some similarities with those, while being a completely different experience. One thing I can grant you, it is extremely fun.

Gameplay

The gameplay is extremely satisfying, especially the sweet car destruction (which is basically the main focus in this game). The arcade handling feels great in this game, very easy to master and enjoyable. The AI opponents is ultra aggressive, but that works well in this game since it is based on pure car carnage (reminds me a lot of the flatout series), a shame you only face 8 opponents though. This game also as a nitro boost that slowly recharges over time and much more faster if you create some chaos and hit the opponents cars, never seen on any DiRT series game, but again, this one is essentially a spin-off, with a few things borrowed from the other DiRT games. Track design is amazing as previous DiRT games, a shame that the game borrows many tracks from those later games, but at least they feel fresh in this game. Lots of game modes too, from basic racing, to pure demolition derby carnage will keep you entertained.

Longevity and Replayability

The longevity of the career mode is strangely small which is a bummer, I completed it in about 8 hours. Still you have other modes like joyride with tons of missions and challenges to complete, like in DiRT 3, which will get you around 2 hours to complete it 100%. Then of course, you have the multiplayer where luckily you will spend a good amount of hours but I will address that below in my review. It does not have that much tracks either, even though most are awesome and have many variations, you can get a little bored of constantly racing in the same places. Essentially the single-player part of the game is kind of a letdown since you complete it rather fast.

Graphics and Presentation

Now the graphics and presentation. I have only good things to say in this matter. The tracks are beautiful, they are a blast to the eyes. Filled with life, great colors, they really transmit a good vibe. The cars are amazingly detailed too, with great deformation models which greatly help improving the experience. Smooth visuals as in all games in the DiRT series. Presentation-wise it is top notch too, very similiar to the treatment of the late DiRT 3, with similar menus and art style.

Sound

The sound department is sharp too as expected. The sound of the people reactions, the engines roar, the destruction, everything is amazing. Well except for the commentary during races which is insanely cheesy and lame. I loved the soundtrack too, it fits perfectly in this games, a really great song list in my opinion.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer is a blast. Playing this game online is a blast. Insanely fun, crazy-action packed races. Sadly few people play it at the time (game was released in 2012), but with some luck you will still find filled lobbies. I noticed some lags in some chaotic races that can get into your nerves, but nothing that makes the game unplayable. Another important aspect in the multiplayer is that this game supports split-screen. You heard it right, SPLIT-SCREEN! A feature that many games nowadays do not have, that makes for some awesome gaming sessions with friends.

Performance

Game performed amazingly on my native resolution 1440x900 in highest settings, locked in 60fps with almost no dips, both single-player and split-screen, on my budget rig (check my profile if you want to know the specs). It is well optimized and has tons of graphical options, so unless you have a potato pc, it will handle it perfectly.



Pros:

• Extremely satisfying races and car destruction
  
• Great graphics and presentation
  
• Simplistic arcade handling, yet it feels very good
  
• Good range of game modes
  
• Online is incredibly fun

Cons:

• Single-player career is very small
  
• Lame commentary
  
• Occasional lags in multiplayer

My personal score: 7.5/10

If you like arcade racing games this one you should get. It is extremely enjoyable, yet the single-player runs out very fast. And the multiplayer is almost dead, so you should pick this up when its on sale and not full price since it is when the multiplayer can get resurrected and have people playing it for a few days and the single-player definitely wont justify the game base price (even though it is not that expensive). A great game to spend a few hours when you are bored!

When DiRT Showdown came out, my enthusiasm evaporated. For once, Codemasters went out of their way to turn their arcade-ish rally simulator into something even more arcade-ish, and not even in a good way. Even so, don't let that discourage you from getting a copy of it. It's still kinda fun to play.

DiRT Showdown, unlike its previous predecessors, now operates like a crossover between Flatout and the Destruction Derby racing division of GRID, minus the head-on-collisions-that-cause-drivers-to-fly-out-from-their-windshield factor. There are many key features that differentiate DiRT Showdown from other games. One of those key features is the introduction to health bars and nitrous, as the previous DiRT games never had any health bars or nitrous (provided in an actual rally game, your car only dies when you severe the parts hard enough for it to malfunction and it's not rocket science to find out that using nitrous is illegal in official rally races). In DiRT Showdown, there are no rules. None. It's you against 7 other drivers and your objective is to win first place by hook or by crook. Do whatever it is necessary to secure the podium finish. Either slam, shunt, spin or even T-Bone your way to victory.

The selection of cars is less compared to the previous DiRT series and although the derby cars may look fake, they actually do exist in real life (at least, the Jupiter San Marino does). And although they removed the rally cars altogether, they managed to preserve the cars used in DiRT 3's gymkhana, such as the Ford Fiesta, the Subaru Impreza WRX GD and many others that I'm too lazy to mention in this review.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the game modes that are available in DiRT Showdown. Some game modes have been preserved in DiRT Showdown, such as Domination, Gymkhana and Head 2 Head, while they added new game modes that show what DiRT Showdown is all about, such as 8-Ball (an 8-player race to the finish line), Survival (where it's you against gladiator cars and your objective is to survive for as long as you can) and Sumo (where you wrestle other cars out from the ring). It may be brutal and it certainly is unforgiving, but it sure is a lot of fun.

The only downsides to this game are the price for the game (seriously, 30 bucks?) and the fact that the game looked like it got ripped off by Bugbear Entertainment (a.k.a the developers of Flatout). DiRT Showdown may not shine as the authentic DiRT experience, but the game certainly is a must-play to those who like serious games that, at the same time, isn't so serious.

Try to get this game in a sale or during a bundle sale, unless you have 30 dollars to spend.

great game, dead community, small price but with friends you can have a really nice time.

well here an advice before you buy or play this game, if you have anger issues and get mad or angry very fast then dont try this game or you can play it but on casual difficulty (no challenge at all) so its up to you , i will explain more in this review.
-the plot : you're a beginner who is trying to become a legend so you drive and win ( simple as that ) , race off, demolition,8 ball,head to head and Joyride mode ( the best mode in the game where you do simple mission with style)
took me 15h to complete it.
- graphically it's really beautiful even after 4 years it's still looks good and much better then dirt 2 , you can say that it looks just like grid 2but in this one the devs focused more on special effects and light effects (japan lvl) and destructible parts.
-gameplay : arcade driving style with more destructible elements ( derby style) but i have to disagree with some of the reviews are on steam cause on normal or hard difficulty, everything changes , AI drivers becomes more aggressive ( when they can't pass you they will hit you and throw you out of the track( 8 ball tracks) + the cars becomes more difficult to control so like i said in the beginning play on easy if you dont want to hit your screen :3
-nice soundtrack ( rock/rap/techno) and the only voice acting in the game is for the race speaker ( the guy who comment the events) the becomes really annoying with bad comments and lame jokes.
-the multi is DEAD and i mean everything , online races , online events , friends challenges , racenet so buy the game if you want some solo fun if not then just get grid 2 or dirt 3.
-keyboard / controller borth works fine .
- steam achievements ( some of them are easy and other need some patience and skills)
-no steam trading cards
i recommend it for those who like solo racing games that doesn't require too much skills ( get it on sales)
6/10

(Before you destroy me for recommending this game because "It's not DiRT", let me quote the steam store info Codemasters provided since this game's announcement in the end of 2011: IT'S A SPIN-OFF!)

Anyways, onwards!

Some of you may (others may not) know that I absolutely love racing games! My problem is I have a bit of OCD towards the genre. If it isn't exactly what or how I want it, I don't like it.

And Dirt Showdown got my interest, though not much because I played pretty much all racers since 2004's Burnout 3: Takedown, which is the masterpiece of racing games. That perfect title that never leaves your memories. It had stellar graphics, perfect controls with perfect responsiveness. Also has the best soundtrack of all time of any game or movie, ever! Car variety was huge! Campaign was huge as well! Replayability was huge! Menus were super slick and everything about it was just pixel perfect! One of the best games of all time and I still have the whole soundtrack on my phone :D

Anyways, and those racers since 2004 never gave me that spark again for the racing genre. My reaction were always "Ugh, wtf is this sh*t?" or "Meh..." and I proceeded with the uninstall process.

But I got in a trade with a friend Dirt Showdown because it was being given away alongside the pre-order of GRID Autosport and I couldn't really let this slip by my fingers.

I installed as soon as I got it and started playing.

You have no. Damn. Idea. Of the levels of joy I had when this brought me fond (VERY fond) memories of that 2004 classic game you should know by now. It's like a Burnout 3: Takedown 2! Everything I needed was there! The fantastic graphics, the absolutely AMAZING Soundtrack, the perfectly responsive controls, the car variety and level variety. It even has an announcer like 2004's B3 and this one is also really good! He keeps throwing little jokes, funny puns, etc. It's really cool! It really is!

And after 22 hours of 100%'ing the whole game. [Campaign: Everything gold. Joyrides (2 Open World maps for you to complete missions in and also find all the 100 hidden collectibles): all 150 missions done and all 100 Hidden Packages found (which reward you with something if you find'em all (not saying what, of course!)) and level 12 in Multiplayer Sessions] I can safely say this is the best racing game and the best racing game experience I've had in the last decade! (That's 10 years!!!!!).

Modes are also very unique, it's not just racing like most borefests of racers. You have regular racing, domination (get the best time in certain track portions), 8-balls (super fun variation of the regular racing mode), ram rage (destroy and wreck ♥♥♥♥ up! (Demolition Derby, pretty much) King of the Hill (knock all cars out of the podium), Head 2 Head (Gymkhana competition between oponents (whether it's 2 or more people or 2 teams). Smash and grab (get a bag full of loot and hold it (avoid getting hit) for as much as possible to get as much points as possible to win). Capture the Flag (FFA or Team based), etc.!

I don't think I have anything else to say do I? I already said it. Great graphics, great level variety (different weather conditions as well!), top notch of perfection soundtrack! (Also on my phone), great announcer, super slick and responsive controls. Loading screens are very short and this game is a PERFECT PC VERSION! Everything it needs, it's there! Controls are great (though, of course, controller's always better), benchmark tool! Wide range of options to tweak for weaker PC's to be able to run this game well! (Which I believe pretty much any PC can! I tried this on my regular PC, can play 60 FPS "almost" maxed out no problems. And I tried on my older PC (quite weak) with a 2.4 GHz Dual Core and an AMD Radeon HD 3650 (Mobile version (yes, a laptop)) and it ran really smooth at 50-60 FPS, though I had to tweak most stuff to low and others to medium, obviously.)

Oh yeah! Problems with the game: Campaign (called the "Showdown Tour") is REALLY short. I finished it in 10 hours with everything gold (1st place). I wanted at least 20 hours! But the multiplayer's there to make up for it. Sadly, the MP's pretty dead. I can (and so should you be able to) find occasionally some MP matches to play in and I can say it's one of the best and most fun MP experiences I've ever had the pleasure of trying! It's so varied and fun! Lots of modes to play (around 8, I think) and all are unique and fun to do!

Campaign's short but the JoyRides are also there to make up for it (1st place Gold in every campaign level and 100%'ing all missions and getting all hidden packages in both JoyRide maps took me between 17 and 18 hours of pure adrenaline running, head shaking, song-humming fun!

I can't recommend this enough! And at it's current price on steam of 19,99€, there's no reason for you to not get it! If you still don't know about it, it's easy! Try the free demo on steam! The game also goes on sale quite often, when other Codemasters games are on sale too. So, grab it and come wreck stuff in MP with me! :D

Oh you want a score? Ok fine. 22 hours of quality, no problems except the fact that it's too short the SP campaign (and even then, it's not much of an "issue") But even then, the game wasn't the classic rip-off 50€ full retail price. It was cutback to the more reasonable and accessible 39,99€. They knew this SPIN-OFF (it's a SPIN-OFF, not "This shouldn't have Dirt in the name") was a smaller and more digestive experience, so it's commendable for them to reduce the pricetag. So the smaller length's is proportional to the price. Think of Alan Wake and it's Spin-Off: American Nightmare. It's kinda like that!

10/10. One of the VERY few games I've played in my life that deserve a perfect score. Enough said. Have a great day!

* Year 2012: Game released
* 9 hours later: Overall having fun on this game :)
* Year 2016: Start a new progress on Steam
* 4 hours later: Must drive in an old / rusty cars again
* Year 2019: Delist on Steam due to license expired
* 22 hours later: Physic is still good & fun
* Year 2023: My PB cannot reveal in the leaderboard

🟢 = Available +1
🔴 = Not available -1

🟢 High Speed Racing Cars
🟢 Car Wrecking Survival
🟢 Undo Mistake on Accident
🟢 Tricks Performance Challenge
🟢 Racing many laps in a same Circuit track
🔴 Rally Stages = Racing Point A to Point B
🔴 Car Damage Management
🔴 Simulation Handling
🔴 Drifting Score Attack


🏅 Community Rating: ???
🔎 Long Version Checklist ➜ Reveal
📢 Disclaimer about Short Hours & English Error ➜ Read Here

⚖️ iMeter {A} Worth a play, if you enjoy Casual Driving to Smash things. However, if you're looking for Car modification for Rally Stages, don't play it

* Allow nitrous boost
* Easy to drive
* Variety of car livery
* Many tyres in middle of the road
* Undo mistake in accident
* Optional to send challenge to a friend for an offline battle

* Race Off = Loop in a Circuit Race
* Domination = Awarded points for setting the fastest sector times
* Rampage = Score highest damaging points to win
* Hard Target = Stay alive as long as possible in Rampage
* Knock Out = Shove opponents off of the platform
* Smash Hunter = Smashes through coloured foam bricks in the order
* Head 2 Head = 1 vs 1 tricks challenges
* Joyride = Stunt & trick racing + Collect hidden packages
* Trick Rush = Gymkhana mode in DiRT 3
* PvP; Smash & Grab = The team that holds the loot for the longest period
* PvP; Transporter = Grab a flag and bring it back to the base
* PvP; Speed Skirmish = Competitors must race through 6 checkpoints

* Annoying announcer ➜ It means talks too often
* Oversimplified car controls ➜ No manual gears, no need to brake
* Game length is too short ➜ Short but fun

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First of all, I think the biggest mistake was to put the name "Dirt" in this game. There's nothing that can be related to what made Dirt games famous among racing fans and this choice left many people disappointed in the Dirt series. We can only hope for a better future for the upcoming Dirt. The TOUR is really, really short. I mean it took me at least twice the time to finish Dirt 2 Tour or Dirt 3 tour. I had no idea they cut so much racing from this game. Not even a 10 Hour long tour, it's a bit embarrassing. While I'm not sure why, I couldn't make a single Challenge but this might be on my end or just bad luck. Servers never were available. Also, after finishing a race if I decided to press "Send Challenge" the game would crash on me. A bit of search in the Steam Community and I can see there were more people with the same issue. Another less good point is about the commentator which is really, really bad. The choice of words are bad, the vocabulary is very limited and the jokes are, well, they are no jokes at all.

However, I still managed to find good things too. The selection of cars are good enough to keep you happy, experimenting several cars while upgrading some of them. The game can look, really, really good. Believe it or not, but I remember when 4K TV's were released on the Market, this game was one of the games for them to show "pretty visuals" on their TV's while having a powerful PC hooked up. You can see this specially when playing at night, in Tokyo which is simply mesmerizing. The lights, the wet floor and the drift really made the game shine during these particular races.

So why did I recommend this game?

If you can find it for the right price -and never pay full price for it- Dirt showdown is a small but safe bet. Again, I recommend playing this game if you get it for a very kind, cheap price. The game is no more than a snack to eat between meals but while it may satisfy you, it will not last longer if you are chasing to fix your racing needs. Here's hoping for a better Dirt in the future more focused on pure Rally events and races.

Wooooow. A 2012 Game that runs without a graphics card on a laptop from the same year? That's not the only miracle here, folks, this game, no matter how you play, is a stunner, and what's more, despite my hidden soft spot for driving games, I'm in love with it. Especially for 99p. To be honest, if I knew what I was in for, I would have paid the full price of £9.99.