Dirt Showdown is an unexpected exploit. Thanks to an accessible gameplay, this arcade racing game is exciting and thrilling. Fast, rich in content and technically brilliant.

The likes of Flatout and Motorstorm have provided ample competition in the mud-filled Americana stakes previously, but there's something about the driving model in Showdown that satisfies in a fashion that few other games manage. Whether that's a result of simple expertise or just iteration over a number of titles is something only Codies can answer, but whatever the formula was for the success, you have to be happy they've gotten here.

Quotation forthcoming.

Dirt Showdown provides thrills while it lasts, but afterwards you're left wanting the deeper experience of its parents. [Sept 2012, p.60]

Showdown is not such a bad game. The only problem is that its timing is totally wrong and every ace is played too soon. When you play Showdown for one hour you will have seen everything that the game has to offer. [June 2012]

Playing Showdown is like to jump off the plane and then remember you have no parachute. This game is entertaining enough to get under your skin, but this state won't last forever. There is this low quality of contemporary games in general.

DiRT: Showdown delivers bargain-basement entertainment value for the high, high price of $50. With its neutered physics, limited driving venues, clunky multiplayer, and diminished off-road racing options, discerning arcade racing fans should just write this one off as an unanticipated pothole in Codemaster's trailblazing DiRT series.