dirt-3
Latest
Dirt 3 to feature $10 Online Pass for used purchases
Codemasters has added its name to the list of publishers who are attempting to keep their games out of the pre-owned bin by equipping them with one-time-use tickets to the internet. According to Eurogamer, new copies of Dirt 3 -- which arrives on store shelves tomorrow -- include a "VIP Pass," which unlocks five exclusive automobiles and enables the game's online multiplayer modes. Folks who purchase a used copy of the game with a code that's already been redeemed will have to buy the code on Xbox Live or PSN for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). The Online Pass scheme usually evokes some mixed reactions from the gaming community, but we always get stuck imagining even worse scenarios. Imagine this: What if all of the game's cars only had three wheels? Oh, what -- you want that fourth wheel? No problem, just put in that VIP Pass. Oh, you don't have one? Well, we hope you don't like winning races, Sparky.
Dirt 3 trailer throws down in a Gymkhana battle
We've all done it: There's an empty parking lot, not another driver in sight -- why not tear it up? But what if there was another driver and a third party who, presumably, was responsible for setting up a series of intricate ramps and jumps? Well then, you'd have yourself a Gymkhana battle.
Dirt 3 trailer joins the superteam, probably fights some crime
We admit it -- before watching this Dirt 3 trailer, we thought that a "superteam" was something super heroes joined to unionize the crime-fighting process. Now we know that it's a thing that rally car drivers join, so that they can drive real fast together.
Dirt 3's Party Mode revealed, features three multiplayer mini-games
If you're intrigued by Codemasters' upcoming rally racer Dirt 3, but find yourself turned off by all the ... um, rally racing, the developer recently revealed a multiplayer-oriented "Party Mode" which might just float your boat. The mode will feature three distinctly non-racing mini-games, including: "Invasion," in which players drive around an open lot, crashing into cardboard robots while avoiding cardboard skyscrapers. We anticipate this will be harder than it sounds, as some skyscrapers seem to resemble giant robots nowadays. "Outbreak," which sees one player "infected" with some sort of automotive ailment, symbolized by their car turning bright green. The player can spread the disease to others by colliding with them, and the last healthy player wins the pot. "Transporter," a capture-the-flag title where players must grab randomly-spawning flags and return them to their home base, avoiding their fellow, flag-snatching drivers. Jason Statham appears to be regrettably absent.
GameStop lists $300 Dirt 3/RC Car bundle
Dirt 3? Try Dirt 3 ... hundred. GameStop is listing an extravagant bundle for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Codemasters' rally racer that includes the game and a remote-controlled, 1/16 scale replica of the Ken Block Gymkhana Fiesta. The site offers the same May 24 release date as the normal, virtual-car-only version. At $299.99, you'd be unlikely to indulge the temptation to drive this RC car anywhere near actual dirt, but you could have some totally sweet races in your house between this and the Black Ops car. And we imagine you have plenty of floor space in your huge house for those races, if you can afford both of these bundles.
Dirt 3 trailer previews the wicked dangerous Group B Rally
Rally racing is already an inconceivably dangerous sport -- but the now-forbidden "Group B" league once took things to new levels of speed and fatality. It might be illegal in the meatspace, but in Dirt 3 the spirit of Group B is alive and kicking, as seen in this trailer.
Dirt 3 kicks up dust on May 24
Date 3 has been officially dirted by Codemasters ... wait, no, Dirt 3 has been officially dated. Codies' latest rally racer will be splashing mud on virtual bystanders on May 24, a date that, according to Eurogamer, is worldwide. This fits in perfectly with CEO Rod Cousens' announced plan to launch the game in the second quarter of the year, avoiding the "congested period when everyone's putting out their shooters." To mark the announcement, the publisher sent out all of two new screens of European cars that will need to be washed very soon.%Gallery-115702%
Dirt 3's Gymkhana, presented by Ken Block
Ken Block's Gymkhana antics are well documented, but when Dirt 3 launches next year, it'll be new to franchise vets. Thus, Block and Codemasters have provided a primer video where the pro driver not only gives some background on Gymkhana's rise to prominence but, more importantly, its inclusion in Dirt 3.
New Dirt 3 trailer does dozens of donuts
The newest trailer for Codemasters' Dirt 3 isn't just a nice little piece of car enthusiast eye candy -- it's also a wonderful tool for pranks. All you have to do is find a susceptible youngster, show them the video, and say, "That's pretty much what a driver's license exam is like." Boom. Pranked.
Dirt 3, Operation Flashpoint: Red River due in Q2 2011
"I don't think it does any good to publish in a congested period when everyone's putting out their shooters," Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens told Eurogamer. Instead, you'll see the European publisher's biggest upcoming games, off-road racer Dirt 3 and serious-face shooter Operation Flashpoint: Red River, in the second quarter of 2011. Provided next year's congested first-quarter schedule remains untouched by delays, that puts Codemasters' pair safely outside the commercial blast radius of Killzone 3, Dead Space 2, and Bulletstorm*, and likely a few months before the next Call of Duty. Whilst avoiding it on retail shelves, Cousens is taking a couple of pages from Call of Duty's book -- fluttering in the wind, having been blown up in the library level. "We're not difficult to predict," Cousens said. "If DiRT comes out next year, GRID will come out the following year, and then DiRT will be out the year after that. So you can map us out." As Dirt and Grid alternate, Codemasters aims to have a new F1 racing game out every year, and a new Operation Flashpoint every other year. The publisher hopes to provide "a new IP that sits in opposite years to each other," but as far as racing and action games go, you now know the general strategy for the next five years. By next year, we might also see where, exactly, over-the-top FPS Bodycount fits in. * Actual video game titles.
Dirt 3 to feature insane 'Gymkhana' events, WRC driver Ken Block consulting
When Codemasters releases Dirt 3 next year, it'll arrive with a new type of event to participate in: Gymkhana. Gymkhana is a solo event in which drivers have a starting line and finish line, with a whole lot of obstacles to navigate and complex maneuvers to memorize in-between. By "complex maneuvers," we're taking backwards driving, drifting though figure eights and, in the case of the video after the break, doing doughnuts around someone riding a Segway. Yeah. In fact, the star of the video, WRC driving ace Ken Block, is working with Codemasters as a consultant on Dirt 3, as he did previously for Dirt 2. After watching the frankly incredible video of him in action at L'Autodrome in France, we couldn't imagine anyone being better suited to advise the developer on how to recreate this stuff in-game. Just in case Codemasters is reading this, here's what we're thinking for the Dirt 3 pre-order / collector's edition bonus: a ride with Block on a real Gymkhana run. Make it happen!
Dirt 3 screens attack the environment
It's hard to not get excited for Codemasters' next entry in the Dirt franchise after peeping the handful of shots that were just released. As seen in these screens, Dirt 3 won't exclusively be terrorizing soil, but also leaves and snow. The horror! %Gallery-99276%
ESPN debuts Dirt 3 in action
The first trailer for Codemasters' upcoming rally game, Dirt 3, debuted last night on ESPN's X-Games. It offers a glimpse at several environments and promises the return of chilly weather effects to the series -- well, right before a truck explodes and heats things back up. Dirt 3, which is supposed to turn all that EXTREME showboating down a notch, is due in 2011. Have a look at the trailer just after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Codemasters VP casually reveals Dirt 3
Up until now, we hadn't the slightest inclination that Codemasters was hard at work on a third installment in the rallycross racing series, Dirt. According to a recent interview with Edge, though, studio vice prez Gavin Cheshire confirms not only the game's development, but also says, "there's some really great stuff coming from Birmingham that's going into Dirt 3." Cheshire was being interviewed on the subject of Codemasters as one of the last "big British publishers" when he revealed the publisher's development plans for the sequel. The exec hopes to see more of the company's home of origin (and its culture) leak into the next Dirt game, saying "Dirt 2: brilliant game, but it's all American accents, so maybe we're a little over the top with those ... maybe we should fly the flag a bit more." In addition to this week's announce of Bodycount, that brings the publisher's GDC new game reveals up to two. Will we see more before the week is out? We just dont know. [Via VG247]
