Those of you who would like to think of Colin McRae: DiRT 2 as a rally-car racer only will need to remember (when you pick up the game) that a bunch of new content for the game has been announced, focusing on the X Games events held in America, Europe, and Asia.

This means that the game will feature not only traditional off-road and rally racing, but a number of spectacular, arena based events, with the X Games events to feature in Colin McRae: DiRT 2 as the "landmark achievements" in the game's World Tour mode.

In the game, players will be able to compete against (and alongside) the respected figures of the sport, including Ken Block, Dave Mirra, Tanner Faust, and Travis Pastrana.

The X Games events will take place over the course of two knock-out rounds, with a "dramatic" finale to close the festivities for each region, with the European final taking place in London, the Asian finale in Tokyo, and the American finale in Los Angeles.


As X Games are run by ESPN in real life, their role in the production of DiRT 2 is identified in a statement from Rick Alessandri, ESPN Senior Vice President and Managing Director, X Games Franchise:

With Colin McRae: DiRT 2 Codemasters has captured the zeitgeist of contemporary action sports racing, making the game a great platform to integrate the X Games brand and the look and feel of its global events. We’re excited that millions of players will have the opportunity to engage in the X Games environment both in the game and online.

Meanwhile, those at Codemasters, specifically Gavin Raeburn, Senior Executive Producer on DiRT 2 are equally excited:

We’ve been inspired by the flair, style and big event atmosphere of ESPN’s X Games series, which has switched on a new generation of action sports fans to rally and off-road racing. It’s been incredible to work with them to shape a series of exclusive X Games integrations for Colin McRae: DiRT 2. Gamers will experience three major competitions that will make them feel like they’re really arrived on the world’s premiere racing stage, competing in front of thousands of fans in dramatic and spectacular stadium events.

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is due for release in Australia on the 13th of September on the PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS, and the Xbox 360.

A PC edition (which has been delayed) will support DirectX 11, Games for Windows LIVE Support, and other features will be released at a later date. More information on DiRT 2 can be found in our previous news coverage. We've also got a bunch of trailers and screenshots on the file library for you to check out.