Just ahead of the official launch of the new DiRT Showdown racing video game, we were able to get a sneak peak at what this new title has to offer. And the first thing to clarify is that this is an entirely new game, sold as a boxed disc in stores and online; it is not downloadable content for the existing DiRT3.
But it's not DiRT4 either, this is something completely different and signals a potential split between DiRT's traditional (Colin McRae Rally-derived) racing content and the new tricks and stunts elements that were introduced in DiRT3.
According to the developer we met, the team at Codemasters was very conscious of the criticism DiRT3 had received about getting away from its roots, and how jarring the change from rally to gymkhana could be within the levels of DiRT3.
Personally, I'm disappointed to hear that because I felt the strength of the current game was the variety and diversity of the gameplay. Rather than slogging through one forest rally stage after another, you mixed it up with rallycross and gymkhana stunts; the locations were hugely varied, from a sawmill to a Battersea compound to the streets of Monte Carlo.
Sadly, it appears I was among the minority of fans who liked the transition and relished the challenge of mastering the different disciplines, surfaces and cars. As best we can ascertain, DiRT Showdown marks a separating of the seas, where gymkhana-style stunts go their separate way, along with demolition derbys and full-contact racing. This will leave DiRT4, when it arrives to return to its mud and grassroots.
Whether you consider that a good or bad decision, let's look at what Showdown has to offer. This game is less about accurate renditions of licensed rally cars, and more about mass destruction with vans, trucks and domestic iron.
While some licensed cars remain in the gymkhana elements, such as Ken Block's new HFHV Ford Fiesta, they're now in the minority. Instead, you can choose a hearse, police van or outlaw racing buggy, for example.
The advantage of Showdown is that it's based on the physics engine of DiRT3; so the car control, suspension response, braking input, etc are all as lifelike as before. But now Codemasters is able to have fun with generic vehicles, increasing the damage each car can suffer, making this more of an arcade-style racer than DiRT3 ever wanted to be.
In the career mode, you still circle the globe, traveling to ten new locations from Miami to San Francisco, London to Tokyo, Colorado to Nevada.
There are three styles of action: racing, demolition and gymkhana.
In the Raceing mode, the action is full contact and includes a nitrous boost button to let you catch your opponents, topped up as you progress.
Each track is littered with obstacles, as well as the opponents themselves, and you'll find alternative routes to the finish. The winner is first across the line with the least amount of damage.
Racing is divided into three categories, with Lap Attack, Eliminator and Domination on offer. These allow you to decide whether you want to set the fastest time or inflict the most damage.
In Demolition Derby, the object of the game is purely to inflict the most damage possible. Each car carries an energy bar so you can pick on the weaklings. It's all about speed and power, where a slower van might deliver a harder punch than a more nimble hatchback. You get points for damaging opponents, for the speed of your attack, for taking out the leader, etc. The points are doubled in the final 30sec, encouraging online players to remain to the end in order to pull off a last-minute win: apparently something DiRT3 struggles to do, with players quitting races early once they realize a win is impossible.
The three categories within Demolition include Rampage, Hard Target and Knockout. In the first, it's about causing maximum destruction, while the second is about avoiding damage to your car. The third is a sumo-style battle where you need to knock your opponents out of the arena.
Finally, the gymkhana element is renamed Hoonigan in recognition of Block's new brand. But it's the same combination of stunts in enclosed compounds and free-roaming tricks that are rewarded either for speed or style.
We're also told the controls for the Hoonigan section is more intuitive, a little less frustrating than perhaps the controls in DiRT3, that could leave you frustrated trying to pull off a trick for hours...
By completing challenges and winning races you're awarded prize money to buy new cars or to upgrade characteristics such as its speed, handling or strength.
Race through each of the three championship modes and you'll arrive at the finale, amid fireworks and a frantic atmosphere for the ultimate gameplay.
You can do this by choosing Smash Hunter, in which you run over a series of boxes in the compound. Then there's Trick Rush, where your style and speed is rewarded. Finally, Head 2 Head sees you racing an opponent on an identical asymmetric course. The latter would be perfect for splitscreen challenges and revives one of the highlights from DiRT3.
Of course, DiRT Showdown is made for interaction: taking out your friends in splitscreen or online multiplayer. You can play capture the flag or timed checkpoint challenges to discover who ahs the most skill and best timing on the nitrous.
And when you wipeout, the Crashback feature allows the impact to be replayed in slow-mo from multiple angles to see the carnage unfold.
It's all designed to entertain and amaze. Admittedly it's probably aimed at a slightly younger audience than DiRT3, but it's absorbing enough for players of any age.
We had a chance to try a couple of game modes, starting with a "figure-8" race, where the crossover points introduce plenty of opportunities for high-speed impacts, and where the outcome is undecided until the very end.
With careful timing and judicious use of the nitrous boost, it was possible to fight your way to the front, but one mistake in the loose turns, or a slight impact brings the AI opposition back onto your bumper.
We were pleased to find the car control was still exemplary, steering response was precise and you could handbrake the tighter turns to gain an advantage. The nitrous button is a useful device to overcome small mistakes or an untidy line but beware, the opposition have it too!
We were driving a generic US sedan from the early '80s that lacked charm or speed but was sufficiently fast to escape the vans and strong enough to take a few hits.
We took the same vehicle to the Demolition Derby but fared less well. This is more challenging that it would appear. Maximum damage is caused by T-boning your opponents, but a moving target is surprisingly difficult to hit. You can circle the arena, looking for a weakened vehicle to smash, but other cars will swipe you in the process, ruining your plans.
It's a high-speed, high-impact game where the outcome is never certain. Unlike the Race where we were soon top of the podium, we were languishing at the bottom of the Demolition Derby, wishing we'd selected a stronger van, but enjoying the extra speed we had.
The nitrous is operational in this mode but more speed seemed to mean more misses as it became harder to control the car.
When your car is rendered undrivable, you respawn outside the arena, able to rejoin and wreak havoc but with fewer points than your opponents.
We'd have liked to sample the Hoonigan mode, since we had experience from DiRT3 and were curious to see how the new controls would operate. However, this wasn't available in our beta program, but we hope to climb behind the wheel of Block's HFHV before too long.
From our brief session, we can confirm the graphics are first rate, the action is surprisingly complex and the physics is very realistic. So if you're into action racing games and enjoy carnage, DiRT Showdown should be a perfect fit. And if you prefer a purer racing experience, we're told DiRT4 will bring new cars and new sophistication to the franchise.
DiRT Showdown will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It is released in May 2012, with no date available yet for DiRT4.