Dirt Showdown Announced, Mixes Racing with Destruction and Style

Codemasters has just announced a brand new installment in its Dirt racing game series, this time in the form of a spinoff called Dirt Showdown, which combines regular yet very intense racing with Gymkhana trick events as well as Destruction derbies.

The Dirt series has always delighted racing fans with its top notch visuals and careful recreation of rally events not to mention various extreme sports like autocross or, in the most recent Dirt 3, the Gymkhana events, in which players were let loose in various arenas where they needed to pull off as many tricks as possible.

Now, Codemasters is trying to focus just on those dazzling moments with Dirt Showdown, in which players compete either in adrenaline-filled races, stylized Gymkhana events, or in chaotic demolition derbies.

These three pillars will provide a varied amount of action, which will be featured both in the regular, single-player mode, as well as in the multiplayer one, which supports up to 8 players online and 2 players locally, via split-screen.

Check out the descriptions of these events below, straight from Codemasters.

No Holds Barred Racing Events - Trade paint and use nitrous to blast past rivals in DiRT Showdown’s racing modes. Courses are littered with obstacles, pinch points, multiple-routes and ramps to deliver adrenaline-fuelled racing across spectacular courses, where players are encouraged to do whatever it takes to get over the finish line in first place.

Bone Crunching Demolition Derby Events - Crash, smash and bash your way through a range of demolition derby events, pushing our stunning damage engine to its spectacular limits.

Edge of Control Hoonigan Events - A new accessible trick mechanic lets you go wild in free-roaming, freestyle stunt parks. Gymkhana has been taken to the next level in our Joyride compounds flooded with obstacles and challenges. Hoon your car around trick runs, competitive stunt events and exploration challenges.

Codemasters is expected to deliver Dirt Showdown on the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in May, 2012, but you can check out its first impressive trailer below.