The latest publisher to join the Steam bandwagon is Codemasters, who have made sure to release Clive Barker’s Jericho on almost every digital download service… ever. Their participation in Valve’s service will also see the release of Overlord and DIRT later this month.

Future games from the publisher will be on Steam day and date with their retail release. However, their agreement does not extend to past games, so do not expect to see older Codemasters games on the service anytime soon.

Codemasters has announced that Colin McRae: DIRT will launch this September for the PS3. Already available for PC and Xbox 360, the PS3 version will retain all content and gameplay, but will add force feedback steering wheel functionality and a “top-spec” audio system exclusive to the format. The game will be compatible with many wheels originally released for the PS2, while one of the PS3’s SPUs will be dedicated to audio, delivering 7.1 and 5.1 surround sound.

To prove that the game is indeed coming to the PS3, the company has released a couple of screenshots from the game which can be viewed below. They’ve also released a new damage video with producer commentary that can be downloaded from the game’s website or viewed online at Youtube.

The only demo released yesterday was GODS: Lands of Infinity, showcasing content from the Special Edition version of the RPG. It can be found on 3D Downloads, Gamer’s Hell and Strategy Informer.

There were two patches released yesterday. First up is an update to Colin McRae: DIRT, upgrading it to v1.2. It adds additional leader boards and addresses a bug that could result in corrupted save games. Grab it from 3D Downloads, FileFront, Gamer’s Hell and Strategy Informer.

The other patch was for Secret Files: Tunguska, updating the point-and-click adventure game to v1.03. Grab it from the official website.

Codemsters sends word that Colin McRae: DIRT will be powered by its proprietary Neon engine. The engine, developed solely for (now) current-generation platforms, will provide “sensational” realism and car handling, as well as incredibly detailed vehicles and living environments. Here’s a bit on Neon:

Neon is a multi-platform continuous technical development that’s already been in production for over 18 months with over 30 tech experts on the team. Neon is being used to build Colin McRae: DIRT from the ground up with technology developed exclusively for next-generation formats; there’s no adaptation of previous McRae tech in DIRT.

Neon will ensure that DIRT’s exhilarating mix of off-road race events will be compounded into one adrenaline rush of a video game with playability that’s true to the Colin McRae series.

The detail Neon provides enables the team to model locations and environments as accurately as possible, providing each with a unique look and feel, right down to the effects of the wind.

Using real-time physics to model air movements, everything will be affected by the wind: exhaust smoke, trees, foliage, trackside flags, rainfall and the vehicles themselves. A car will create an air rush wake that will have an effect on everything it passes and also generate a real-time slipstream.

Impact from damage will see metal crumple, glass smash and everything that you collide with in the environment will be destroyed in a realistic way. Small trees snap and bend, grass can be flattened, wood will splinter and stone will be smashed, it’ll even wrap a car around a tree if the crash is serious enough.

Colin McRae: DIRT will feature 40 officially licensed cars from 12 car class categories, including prototypes. The game is scheduled for release sometime next year for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Below are some screenshots:

Codemasters has announced the latest in its blockbuster racing franchise: Colin McRae: DIRT for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Scheduled for release sometime next year, the game will offer intense point-to-point races and then take players further off-road. Scoop:

Race in challenging heavyweight 850bhp cars, drifting on the loose gravel and high-speed blind corners of Hill Climb events along perilous cliff edges. All 12.4 miles of the world famous Pikes Peak International is included, with over 150 precarious turns to negotiate through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

How about engaging in multiple car races with Dakar-style trucks and super-powered 4×4s on the toughest desert terrain in Rally Raid competitions? Then there are Rally Cross events, switching between dirt and road racing, where the competition is always tight, fast and collisions with your opponents are inevitable.

With more off-road racing styles to be revealed, Colin McRae: DIRT™ will also offer a dedicated mode for European, International and Global rally championships featuring official 2WD, 4WD, Classic and RWD rally cars.

Colin McRae: DIRT™ will deliver the wheel-screaming exhilaration of off-road racing with the next generation of the series’ sublime car handling and physics system and a devastating new damage engine that ensures players experience every bump in the track, every loose rock, every inch of shifting dirt through the reactive environments.

With an incredible range of off-road vehicles, thrill-packed tracks, modes that make the most of online multiplayer, and more varied events than any other single-championship rally game, Colin McRae is being reborn as a bigger, faster, wilder racing experience.

Apparently, the game will be titled DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road in USA, with PAL territories getting the abovementioned name.