GETTING DIRTY

Since its introduction in 2007 as Colin McRae: DiRT, this oddly capitalized racing series has strived to be an ultra-realistic off-road rally game. But it also, starting with 2009’s DiRT 2, began including some unrealistic events, such as the car gymnastics “Gymkhana” modes in last year’s DiRT 3. 

Now the good people behind the DiRT series are embracing this less serious spirit with the spin-off DiRT: Showdown, which replaces the authentic handling and physics for arcade-style controls.

Though as we learned when we got to play some of the game, and talk to the people making it, at a recent press get-together in Los Angeles, DiRT: Showdown isn’t just DiRT 3 with less realistic handling.