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DiRT Showdown Race Hard, Party Hard trailer

gazzara — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:21:28 +0000

Get the lowdown on DiRT Showdown’s locales as cars speed through the snow, smash through city streets and burn it up in the desert in the latest gameplay video shown below.

Capturing DiRT Showdown’s raucous racing and turbo-charged party atmosphere, the ‘Race Hard, Party Hard’ video showcases just some of the events on the Showdown Tour, revealing how each location becomes a chaotic festival of speed on track and a hedonistic party for thousands of fans off it.

DiRT Showdown is set to race into retail on May 25th*, but players can experience the game today by downloading the demo, which features a full-impact solo race and a bone-jarring eight player online demolition derby event from Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation Network and Steam on PC.

Since the demo’s launch, players have:

• Destroyed two million cars in crashes.

• Driven far enough to travel around the world 100 times.

• Consumed enough oil to make five returns trips to the moon.

These impressive results were recorded by RaceNet, the free new online extension for Codemasters Racing games that tracks and rewards player achievements.

DiRT Showdown will deliver a new world of competitive and combative racing as players race, crash and hoon their way to ‘Showdown’ finals on a chaotic tour of motorised mayhem when it launches May 25th for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

A special ‘Hoonigan’ edition of DiRT Showdown is now available to pre-order exclusively from GAME and Gamestation. Sporting unique packaging, the DiRT Showdown: Hoonigan Edition will include an in-game cash boost, an online XP multiplier plus Monster Energy liveries for the Kohler D350, Duke Coupe and Ford Fiesta Gymkhana 3 and Hoonigan liveries for the Holbrook Growler, Logan Vulture and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X JUN, redeemed via an online code.

F1 Online The Game reveals management features

gazzara — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:54:04 +0000

Today Codemasters invited players to join F1 ONLINE: THE GAME’s closed beta by registering at www.F1OnlineTheGame.com and revealed new details on the management side of the game.

F1 ONLINE: THE GAME is a new free-to-play racing and management game in production at Codemasters Studios under exclusive worldwide agreement with Formula One World Championship Limited and will feature all the cars, stars and circuits from the 2011 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.

F1 ONLINE: THE GAME combines intuitive top-down racing gameplay with a rewarding management game. By forming their own racing team, players will make the calls to develop their own personal franchise and improve their car’s performance on the circuit. Gamers begin by designing their own livery, helmet and logo to give their team a unique identity. Acting as team boss, players will be in charge of building and developing their own headquarters into a world class motorsport facility. This will be home to several different departments which are vital to the running of a successful racing team, including R&D, Production, Commercial and more.

There are several ways to improve the performance of a team on the track. Players can research various different car upgrades and then create these new car parts in their Production department. Players will also recruit hundreds of staff required to run a cutting-edge racing team and expand their HQ facilities one building at a time to improve its development potential. FORMULA ONE is one of the most technologically advanced sports on the planet which requires significant funding, so the Commercial department will deal with finance and sponsorship to keep cash flowing in. Success on the track requires finding the right formula off it.

By registering for F1 ONLINE: THE GAME’s closed beta, players will have the opportunity to give their feedback and shape game features prior to the game’s Open Beta phase, in Q2 2012. Fans who are accepted into the closed beta also have the opportunity to earn in-game rewards when F1 ONLINE: THE GAME goes live. Players can register now and see the latest screens and videos from the game at www.F1OnlineTheGame.com

F1 ONLINE: THE GAME will allow fans to compete in online multiplayer races across a range of game modes, including GRAND PRIX events and a range of quick-fire challenges and Time Trials. Gamers will be able to track and share their progress via a range of leaderboards and social network features. F1 ONLINE: THE GAME is being developed in house at Codemasters using the Unity game engine to deliver stunning performance in a web browser.

To register interest in F1 ONLINE: THE GAME, gamers can visit www.F1OnlineTheGame.com.

DiRT Showdown – Hands On Preview

gazzara — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:23:45 +0000

This is not DiRT 4. It will be released in time but DiRT Showdown is something that we have wanted to do for a long time, states Mike Chapman, Senior Games Designer at Codemasters.

This immediately put my mind at rest as we explored what the inaugural game from newly created label Codemasters Racing had to offer. Here was, in essence, a game that that was born from the intense fun of games like Destruction Derby on Playstation and shying away from the precision timed events of the DiRT series and delivering a whole new experience involving knocking ten barrels of poo out of each other in car on car combat.

This may seem a turn off for some but it will surely appeal to most. After all, there are many racing titles on the market that offer the clinical and precise experience for the hardcore fan but not many that can offer the satisfaction and downright crazy fun that I experienced when playing the game for the first time at a hands on session at Codemasters HQ.

DiRT Showdown is definitely taking a different direction but the experience itself and presentation will be familiar to all DiRT fans. Licensed cars compete for your driving pleasure in enhanced Gymkhana modes alongside fantasy vehicles that have made their home in the hustle and bustle of the demolition and banger racing events, each customisable in terms of liveries, parts that enhance a car’s performance.

It’s also interesting to note that DiRT Showdown is running a tweaked version of DiRT’s EGO 2.0 engine and perhaps offers the best visual experience yet along with much more damage on show, at least that’s how it appeared, as well as a slightly easier to control handling system that will draw in the new petrolheads making it a great attraction for newer audiences. We were also told that although the handling may seem easier and that drifting and donuts are easier to perform the driving aids start to drop off further into the game which is where the more discerning racer will start to feel at home.

Although we were only allowed to play the first tier of the campaign the layout and styling mimicked DiRT 3 in that you choose an event, choose your car and then your livery in exactly the same way as its predecessor did. After that comes an a completely different affair in which we were treated to various events like 8 Ball in which you raced around tracks with intersections to induce some head jolting crashes where a first place can easily become seventh in a blink of an eye.

With the focus on three key areas, speed, style and destruction, DiRT Showdown also offers a variety of way to experience all three with a very wide range of events including variations of destruction derby arenas where you score extra points for knocking cars off of a platform as well as elimination events and the much advertised Hoonigan events which plays like Gymkhana 2.0 and keeps the ethos of Ken Block’s Gymkhana events from DiRT 3 utilising speed, timing and style all in the same gametype with courses and layouts that extend far beyond the tight and tricky Battersea courses to open up into huge areas to hoon your craft and get very creative indeed.

Although there are a mountain of events available, the premise is the same. Score as many points as you can by bumping, shoving t-boning your opposition until yours or their health runs out for extra bonus points. Extra point are awarded for the severity of the collision but watching your health gauge is as important as getting stuck into the side of a car limping against a wall.

The single player is a hell of a lot of fun but any game nowadays will only have legs if the multiplayer performs to the public’s expectations and DiRT Showdown certainly does not miss a beat. Not one. Giving you the option to setup any gametype under a number of conditions and up to 8 players racing all wrapped up around Codemasters’ new announcement, Racenet this game just screams community. Combined community tasks, your friends best scores on certain tracks as well as their times and various unlockables will keep you amused for a long, long time.

Various gametypes were played on the day and although I found it hard to lose my racing line mentality and we, as the MG team, found that 5 was our favourite number, we just couldn’t get enough of playing it and having such a giggle at the same time, something that is sometimes lost in today’s online affairs. That’s not all, split screen gameplay has also been introduced and not a lot of quality has been lost in providing this feature in game and bringing back the joys of yesteryear where a beer with your mates and some healthy competition provided some of the best moments in my gaming history.

Overall, DiRT Showdown is Codemasters Racing’s “what if” project fully realised on screen with a great array of events that shout originality, fun as well as being imaginative. DiRT Showdown looks better than ever and with a handling model that will appeal to newcomers of the franchise as well as appease the hardcore fan further into the game, DiRT Showdown looks set to splinter into its own separate entity and from what I’ve seen so far will easily stand on its own two feet. For all of you that felt a little nervous about what DiRT Showdown would be like I can honestly say now that you have nothing to fear, your money will be well spent here.

DiRT Showdown is due for release for 360, PS3 and PC on May 25th with a demo and Racenet going live on May 1st in perfect time for the May day bank holiday weekend.

You can pre order a copy from our friends at www.thatgameshop.com

DiRT Showdown get May released date

gazzara — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:37:14 +0000

Today Codemasters announced that DiRT Showdown the new all-action racing game from the award-winning DiRT series, will race into retail on May 25th. DiRT Showdown will be the first game to launch on the company’s new publishing label Codemasters Racing.

To mark the news, Codemasters has released the ‘Ultimate Hoonigan’ gameplay video featuring the spectacular tricks and stunts players can perform in DiRT Showdown’s Hoonigan game modes. The video features Ken Block’s Ford Fiesta H.F.H.V Gymkhana 5 which features exclusively in DiRT Showdown, going head-to-head with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X JUN, and can be seen below.

Codemasters also announced that the playable demo of DiRT Showdown is due to launch worldwide from May 1st. The demo will feature a solo and multiplayer event and will be available from Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation Network and Steam on PC.

When the DiRT Showdown demo goes live, Codemasters will invite fans to join the free new online hub for Codemasters Racing games, RaceNet. RaceNet will launch in beta as an evolving interactive community platform for Codemasters Racing games and allow fans to track their Races, Rivals and Rewards.

A special ‘Hoonigan’ edition of DiRT Showdown is now available to pre-order exclusively from Gamestation and Game. Sporting unique packaging, the DiRT Showdown: Hoonigan Edition will include an in-game cash boost, an online XP multiplier plus Monster Energy liveries for the Kohler D350, Duke Coupe and Ford Fiesta Gymkhana 3 and Hoonigan liveries for the Holbrook Growler, Logan Vulture and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X JUN(as seen in the ‘Ultimate Hoonigan’ video), redeemed via an online code.

Employment on the up as Codemasters creates more jobs

gazzara — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:51:14 +0000

BAFTA award-winning games developer and publisher Codemasters is to create more than 100 new jobs across the Midlands with an additional 25 joining the company’s 120-strong team in Birmingham.

The move will bring an influx of talented developers to the area and underlines confidence in the region’s growing games industry. The announcement comes as Birmingham Science Park Aston’s LAUNCH event (www.launchconference.co.uk) brings key gaming media figures to the city to host a Meet the Games Press event for local digital companies.

Building on the success of its recent games – which includes the best selling series of official FORMULA ONE^TM games – Codemasters is building on its long-established presence at its HQ in Warwickshire and bolstering the team based at its games development studio at Tricorn House in Birmingham city centre.

Simon Miles, Talent Acquisition Manager, Codemasters said: “The success of our recent games and our plans for the future means that Codemasters will continue to see growth as we expand our teams here in the Midlands. The skilled talent pool in Birmingham, along with the support available for developers in the area, and across the Midlands generally has created a dynamic and creative local business community. We are looking to recruit staff from the region as well as enticing some new employees into the city as well.”

The Birmingham city region is home to more than 12,500 digital and technology firms – from innovative SMEs to global brands – and employs nearly a quarter of the UK games workforce. It has positioned itself as a hotbed for future gaming talent, with unrivalled education provision. The £25 million Birmingham Ormiston Academy, which opened in October, is the first specialist digital media academy of its kind in the UK while Gamer Camp, a finishing school for game developers that partners with industry experts, was set up by Birmingham City University.

Further business support in the region includes Birmingham’s city centre Enterprise Zone, which is introducing incentives such as business rates relief and relaxed planning permission to attract digital, creative and games companies into the area. Meanwhile, business incubation programmes such as Birmingham Science Park Aston’s Entrepreneurs for the Future scheme provides gaming, digital and ICT start-ups with office facilities and support.

Sarah Darch, investment manager at Business Birmingham, specialises in attracting and supporting games and digital media companies across Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country. She added:

“That a global name like Codemasters is expanding here demonstrates that the gaming industry is taking the Birmingham area seriously as a place to locate and grow their businesses. A number of other local gaming companies are now expanding, employing new staff or attracting investment, building a real sense of excitement and momentum in the area.

“The business community and public sector have worked together to create wide range of benefits for smaller companies looking to grow in the region – from education and training, to rates relief and incubation schemes – it has become easier to set up or grow a business here. With so much happening in the city right now, I expect that a number of other games developers will follow in Codemasters footsteps and look to establish a presence and expand their here.”

F1 2012 release date confirmed

gazzara — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 10:25:17 +0000

Ahead of the first race of the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship in Melbourne this weekend, Codemasters today announced that F1 2012 will launch worldwide in September for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

F1 2012 is the next game in the award-winning, multi-million selling series from Codemasters as part of an exclusive multi-year deal with Formula One World Championship Limited.

To mark the announcement and introduce one of F1 2012’s new headline features, Codemasters has released a video following F1 2012 Creative Director, Stephen Hood, as he meets the next generation of drivers at the Young Driver Test. Filmed at the Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Stephen asks if their experience with Codemasters’ Formula One games has been of benefit as they prepare for a career in the world’s most exciting motorsport in real life.

F1 2012 will introduce a new Young Driver Test mode as one of the headline additions to the series that will take players even closer to the experience of becoming a Formula One driver. Players will be introduced to the world of Formula One through a range of tutorials explaining how to handle racing’s most exciting and responsive cars, and challenged to earn a drive from a team for the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship.

In the video, rising star Sam Bird, testing for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, says, “I think Codemasters have done a super job of giving regular people a proper insight into what a Formula One car is like.”

Stefano Coletti, representing Scuderia Toro Rosso added, “When I came to Abu Dhabi I couldn’t go to the simulator so I switched on the videogame and started to play. It actually worked because when I got here I felt like I’d already driven [the circuit]. It was my first race in GP2, first ever time in GP2, and I won in my first race so it actually helped.”

In F1 2012 players will feel the unparalleled thrill of becoming a Formula One driver with a host of new features, wide-ranging technical and gameplay advancements and extensive competitive and co-operative multiplayer components. F1 2012 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship, including the debut of the 2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Austin, Texas and the return of Germany’s famous Hockenheim circuit to the calendar.

F1 2012 is set to deliver the most accessible and immersive Formula One game for fans of all abilities.

New DiRT Showdown trailer is destructive

gazzara — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:40:25 +0000

Featuring cars, trucks, vans and hearses crashing, bashing and smashing to victory, Codemasters today premiered the full-impact DiRT Showdown ‘Massive Damage’ gameplay video.

DiRT Showdown is the action-packed extension of the award-winning DiRT off-road racing series and is set to debut May 2012 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

The ‘Massive Damage’ video features work-in-progress gameplay footage and reveals the destruction-focussed game modes to feature in DiRT Showdown. In demolition derby event Rampage, eightracers take no prisoners, earning points for spectacular smashes on their rivals’ vehicles and eliminating other drivers in gladiatorial automotive auditoriums. DiRT Showdown’s Knock Out mode is also revealed, featuring drivers using their cars as weapons to force opponents off a raised platform in a chaotic battle for domination. Eliminated vehicles can re-enter the fray by racing up ramps and jumping back onto the platform, where points are earned for knock-outs, hits and owning the ring alone.

DiRT Showdown will deliver a new world of competitive and combative racing as players boost, trick and smash their way to ‘Showdown’ finals on a chaotic tour of motorised mayhem. From San Francisco to Miami and London to Tokyo, players will dominate their rivals and wow the crowds on their way to becoming a driving superstar. Pyrotechnics, lasers and thousands of fans give each venue a vibrant sports entertainment atmosphere, with the player taking centre stage. Over 50 different events across four championships will challenge gamers in a variety of conditions – sun, snow and rain – through the day and under the floodlights at night.

There are three broad categories to DiRT Showdown’s thrilling action-sports racing. Players will use nitrous to blast past rivals and negotiate courses filled with ramps, pinch points and obstacles in full-contact Racing events. Gaming’s most advanced vehicle damage engine is unleashed in Demolition Derby themed events where players smash and crash their way to victory in bone-jarring style. Finally, in Hoonigan events, gamers will send fans wild in huge stunt parks where accessible new controls offer every player the chance to become a freestyle driving hero.

DiRT Showdown will be Codemasters’ most connected game ever – split-screen multiplayer, eight-player online racing, on and off-line quick-fire party games and YouTube integration all come as standard.

Players will also be able to issue ‘Showdown Challenges’ to compete with friends whether they are online or not.

Powered by the award-winning EGO Game Technology Platform, DiRT Showdown will be uncaged May 2012 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Codemasters secures Formula One rights in multi year deal

gazzara — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:14:53 +0000

Codemasters will remain the home of official Formula One games with the confirmation that it has extended its partnership with Formula One World Championship Limited in a further multi-year agreement to develop and publish multiple titles for video game consoles, personal computers, mobile devices and online platforms.

Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One group CEO, said:

“Codemasters has created some of the best and most successful Formula One games to date. We and the teams work closely with them and look forward to creating more award winning games together in the future.”

Rod Cousens, CEO, Codemasters said:

“We got off to a strong start with Formula One but we harbour ambitions to do much more. Formula One is front of mind at Codemasters and we give it the focus and attention it deserves. We have established close links across the sport and they know that, in Codemasters, they have a great partner.

“We remain ambitious with our plans and want to take the series forward. We want to take it to new geographies, make it available on new platforms to new audiences. We are taking Formula One to a new online platform this spring and our portfolio will be extended with a Formula One experience that will address a younger video game audience later in 2012. Our teams are hard at it, creating world class Formula One games across multiple genres for players irrespective of location or gaming platform and now, for many years to come.”

Codemasters will continue to produce the official Formula One game for worldwide release; development will remain with the BAFTA award-winning studio team at Codemasters Birmingham. The Formula One portfolio will be expanded with F1 Online The Game, a free-to-play online management and racing game, which will go live this spring. An additional and all-new Formula One experience for a family audience is due this holiday season with details to be announced.

Since releasing its first Formula One game in 2009, Codemasters has shipped over 5.5m units. F1 2010 (Metacritic rating: 84) became the fastest-selling Formula One game ever released on its release and won a BAFTA in 2011 in the Sports category. F1 2011, which launched September 2011, became the year’s best-selling 3rd-party racing title.

DiRT 3 Complete Edition available in stores tomorrow

gazzara — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:32:55 +0000

DiRT 3 Complete Edition, a compendium box set featuring the multi award-winning racer expanded with over £20 (€25) worth of additional content, will speed into stores tomorrow, Friday March 9th with a SRP of £29.99 (€39.99).
The new gameplay video showcases some of the extra content, including tracks, stages and cars, including the classic Mini Cooper taking on Rally stages set in the iconic Monte Carlo region and multi-car Rallycross racing in downtown Tokyo.

DiRT 3 Complete Edition will see DiRT 3, Gamespot’s ‘Racing Game of the Year’ and rated 87 on Metacritic, expanded with 12 new routes across two locations, new cars and a range of liveries (via download on PC) to deliver the definitive version of the ultimate off-road racer.

DiRT 3 Complete Edition extends the game with:

• The Monte Carlo Rally Pack – eight breathtaking Rally stages featuring dramatic climbs, descents and hairpins of snowy mountain roads. Race through the Alps and conquer the legendary Col de Turini pass.

• The X Games Asia Track Pack – four new routes set across two new tracks in Shibuya, the neon heart of central Tokyo, where spectacular mud-spattered Rallycross circuits weave beneath towering skyscrapers.

• The Power and Glory Car Pack – stars five cars including the BMW M3 Rally, Lancia Delta S4, Ford Focus ST Rallycross, Scion tC and Chevrolet Camaro SSX Concept, each with a range of liveries.

• The Mud and Guts Car Pack – features five cars available for single-player, split-screen and online multiplayer events. Race the Lancia Stratos, Peugeot 205 T16 Evo 2, Citroën C4 Rallycross, Saturn Sky and Ford Mustang GT, each with a range of liveries.

• The Colin McRae Vision Charity Pack – access the Ford Escort Mk II, a 70s rally classic with five liveries.

• The Ken Block Special Pack – features a customised and upgraded Ford Escort Mk II, an Open Class Rally car sporting a killer Ken Block livery.

• The Mini Gymkhana Special Pack – access the mid-engined Mini Cooper S Gymkhana, customised and tuned to become an outrageously responsive Gymkhana car.

DiRT 3 itself features over 50 years of iconic rally cars to be raced through the snow, rain and dirt. Powered by the award-winning EGO Engine, the game delivers incredible graphics, damage and weather in solo, online and in split-screen. From the forests of Michigan to the infamous roads of Finland and the national parks of Kenya, gamers take on a wide range of disciplines including Gymkhana, Rallycross, Landrush, Head 2 Head and Trailblazer, plus the most amount of Rally content in the series yet.

DiRT 3: Complete Edition will launch on 9th March 2012 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC Games For Windows LIVE with a SRP of £29.99 (€39.99).

F1 2011 releases on PS Vita

gazzara — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:49:41 +0000

The world’s fastest motorsport comes to the world’s most powerful portable games console as F1 2011 launches tomorrow, Wednesday 22nd February, for the PlayStation Vita as one of the system’s launch titles.

Tuned for Formula One racing on the go, gamers can see it in action below as Codemasters premieres the official launch video.

F1 2011 for PlayStation Vita is and features all the official teams, drivers and circuits from the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship. Players can compete for motorsport’s ultimate prize across a full season, including practice and qualifying sessions, enter an individual Grand Prix or jump into Time Trial mode. An additional and extensive Challenge mode is perfect for portable play, with gamers completing a wide range of objectives including checkpoint, gate and overtaking challenges.

Players are also invited to compete on the go with a range of multiplayer modes. Gamers can race wheel-to-wheel in four player Grand Prix races, go head-to-head in Time Trials or team up with a friend in F1 2011’s two-on-two co-operative career mode. Multiplayer modes can be enjoyed online and via the PlayStation Vita’s WLAN connection. Gamers can tailor their experience across solo and multiplayer modes by adjusting race distance, tuning their car, choosing from a range of driving aids and selecting tyre, fuel and weather options.

Whether players want to jump in and race, play against their friends or build a career from rookie to FIA Formula One Drivers’ World Championship, F1 2011 for PlayStation Vita is perfect for all fans of the world’s fastest sport.

The PlayStation Vita edition of F1 2011 is a co-development between Sumo Digital and Codemasters Birmingham and is now available.