UPDATE: Be sure to check out our in-depth behind-the-scenes look at Dirty Drivin’ if you haven’t already!
While we got information about this ahead of time, jumping the gun a little bit as it was found on location test in a few parts of the world and posted to youtube for all to see, today came the official announcement of Raw Thrills’ & Specular Interactive’s newest racer Dirty Drivin’. In case you forgot or missed it, Specular is the studio behind another arcade title in 2009, H2Overdrive. As you will see, this latest racer shares some similarities with H2O, while improving upon them and giving us a racing game with a strong focus on vehicular combat. Raw Thrills is officially unveiling the game tonight at the AAMA Gala that is currently taking place near Chicago.
Like H2Overdrive, Dirty Drivin’ features power-ups, rankings, unlockable content and achievements. There are 56 Achievements to grab, which the game will track for you locally so you’ll want to use a PIN. Also like H2O, there are 7 tracks to race on, although it cranks it up to 14 by using mirrored tracks. There are 11 vehicles to pick from, which can be upgraded with a variety of items; double tap the gas to jump your vehicle which can be used to either grab power-ups or avoid attacks (or just catch major air off a ramp). Up to 8 units can be linked for multiplayer action as well.
As far as differences go(aside from the obvious that this isn’t a boat racing title), there is the new crank located on the right side of the seat, yanking that will activate power-ups as well as the gearbox wheel at the end of a race for your chance to spin the wheel and get a chance to unlock something. Graphically it’s also above H2O, with greater detail in the cars and tracks as well as enhancements in the lighting system used.
According to some feedback I’ve already heard from people who have had a chance to play it already, they are giving it high marks. I haven’t had a chance to play quite yet but judging by the videos below, it looks packed with action, which is perfect for an arcade game. You can also visit our page here which chronicles what we have come to learn about the game including some pictures we got our hands on from the UK location test.
Here’s an official trailer put together by Specular
A trailer showing off some of the weapons in the game. I like how the mines appear to work, allowing you to throw them in front of you and kick them in front of you like a soccer ball. This trailer also shows some of physics the game has in play.
And finally some thumbnails (click to embiggen)
Visit Specular Interactive’s website for more and stay tuned here to Arcade Heroes in the coming weeks for a deeper, exclusive look into the game!
