Codemasters today announced that Ken Block, the multi-medal-winning Subaru Rally Team USA driver and co-founder of DC Shoes, has been signed on as one of the key motorsport athletes who will be featured in Colin McRae: DIRT 2.

X Games team-mate of the late Colin McRae, Block is at the forefront of a new breed of pro drivers, competing as Subaru Rally Team USA Driver #43 in the Rally America National Championship and the world-famous X Games. He has also gained notoriety for his mind-blowing stunts in his Subaru WRX STI. For Colin McRae: DiRT 2, Block is working with the development team at Codemasters Studios as technical consultant, lending his wealth of knowledge to the game and advising on car handling.

“Colin McRae is one of the main reasons that I am a rally driver. He is a big inspiration to me and the way I drive my rally car,” said Ken Block. “It’s really an honour to be a contributor to the creation of Colin McRae: DiRT 2 and to be able to continue the passion that Colin had for rally and for these videogames.”

They have released a video where Block discusses his relationship with the legendary driver and how he was inspired by McRae to pursue his own career.

Question: what do showering women and ladies in underwear have to do with off-road racing action? I, for one, do not know, and will most probably never figure it out. But if you want to try, check out this video for DIRT 2, Codemasters’ upcoming driving game.

Seeing as how the Need for Speed franchise has become an annual one, what would 2009 be without a NFS game? EA sent out word that Need for Speed SHIFT, the latest entry in the series, will hit stores on September 18.

Deviating from the arcade gameplay of the series, the game will offer simulation gameplay, featuring some of the world’s most iconic racing tracks, including the storied Brand’s Hatch in the UK. It will also include high-performance cars such as the Pagani Zonda, Porsche 911 GT2 and Lotus Elise.

The game is being developed by Slightly Mad Studios in collaboration with Black Box and Patrick Soderlund. Slightly Mad consists of people who worked on the critically acclaimed games GT Legends and GTR 2.

NFS Shift is due out on PC, PSP, PS3 and Xbox 360.

TikGames and Creat Studios today announced that Smash Cars will be released for the PS3. A sequel to the original 2003 ‘no rules’ RC racing game, the upcoming title will be offered solely through PlayStation Network starting Q2 2009.

Real-time physics, innovative stunts and next-generation graphics combine into a dynamic, tricked-out single and multiplayer RC car racing experience where players twist and turn, grind and gear up, performing aerial tricks and stunts while racking up trophies and points as they race to the finish, all in an unlikely location. Set on a beautiful and tranquil Mediterranean island, the fast-moving, bumper car gameplay style transforms this calm and relaxing setting into a dynamically frenzied raceway. A high-speed mini car racing game with a distinct arcade flavor, gameplay is presented from the unique perspective of a small RC vehicle, setting out to conquer the big world. Players will enjoy realistic driving physics and suspension as the tiny vehicles interact with full-size people and other beach dwellers along their path to victory.

To win the race, RC vehicles must achieve nitro-fueled rocket boosts for accelerated speed bursts by grabbing big air and pulling off gnarly tricks and jumps. Points are earned by performing the best jumps and aerial tricks, hitting dynamic obstacles, colliding with other cars, skidding and “drifting” along sharp turns, and finishing first. Players can choose from the default Monster Truck style chassis, Buggy or Sports Car configurations, and a visit to the Workshop offers players the opportunity to personalize their vehicle by selecting paint color, glass styles, and decals. Additional body styles are unlocked as players advance.

The game will include Trophy support. It will be demoed at the GDC later this week.

While most of us have all the big blockbuster games, there are always newcomers to introduce them to, and Microsoft is aiming at them with the expansion of its Classics collection in Europe by including three games – Halo 3, Mass Effect and Project Gotham Racing 4. They will be re-released on March 20 for just £19.99.

No introduction is really necessary for any of the titles. Halo 3 is essentially the most popular first-person shooter ever, amassing a huge following since its Xbox days. Mass Effect is the latest action-RPG from BioWare; exclusive to Xbox 360, the game has players travelling across the universe to save the world from a destructive civilization. Finally, Project Gotham Racing 4 is the latest installment in the street racing series.

“We are delighted to add three of our finest titles to the Classics range, adding to the exceptional entertainment offering available on the Xbox 360 at outstanding prices,” said David Gosen Vice President of Marketing, Xbox Europe. “As we see more and more families looking to save money by staying in, Xbox 360 continues to offer high-quality home entertainment at fantastic value and consumers are clearly recognising this as we sail past 8 million console sales in Europe.”

Following last week’s tease that it would hit the digital distribution platform, Criterion’s open-world racer Burnout Paradise is now on Steam. The download is priced at $39.99, the same as the retail version.

The PC version was released early last month. It features enhanced graphics and all of the downloadable content that has so far been released for the consoles, including the offline multiplayer Party pack.

Codemasters sent out some screenshots showing off FUEL’s weather effects, which include snowstorms, thunderstorms and tornados. A video showing off these effects can be found on the game’s website.

The off-road racer is due out on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Having announced Split/Second, Black Rock Studio sent out a trailer showcasing their upcoming action-racing title. You can check out screenshots here.

The “South Central” downloadable add-on for Midnight Club: Los Angeles has suffered a slight delay. Originally due out on March 12, the DLC is now scheduled for release on March 19. No reason was given for the delay.

The update will come in two forms – a free update that expands the world, and a $10 premium update that includes more cars and races.

Not content with creating the awesomeness that was Pure, Black Rock Studio is back again, announcing their new racing game Split/Second.

To be published by Disney Interactive Studios, the game is set in the world of a hyper-competitive reality television show where competitors vie to be the first across the finish line in a made-for-TV city built for destruction. Gamers will be able to create destructions to knock other vehicles from the track and alter the dynamics of the race. The track can be altered, or an entirely new route can be created.

“Split/Second elevates action racing to a new level by enabling players to strategically take out their opponents by dynamically altering the course in real time,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “Split/Second further showcases Black Rock Studio’s ability to innovate and deliver a compelling experience that has wide appeal beyond the traditional racing genre.”

“We’re creating huge memorable moments on par with the biggest blockbuster action films,” said Nick Baynes, game director, Black Rock Studio. “Action racing has captured the imagination of video game fans worldwide and we’re going to redefine that experience with Split/Second.”

The game is due out early next year on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. View the trailer here.

Missed the first MotorStorm: Pacific Rift demo? Well, Sony has heard you, as they have made available a new demo for the racing sequel that offers both single and multiplayer modes.

The demo features the Razorback track, chosen by the veterans from the game’s forums as their favorite from the 16 tracks included in the game. You will be able to race alone or against the AI, or challenge your friend in 2-player split-screen. There are three different race classes – bike, buggy and monster truck – all of which are available in the demo.

The PS3-exclusive racer is now available in stores.

New screenshots from the upcoming “Cops & Robbers” DLC for Burnout Paradise have been released. The DLC reintroduces chases to the series.

The first patch for the PC edition of Need for Speed Undercover can now be downloaded from the game’s official website; PS3 and Xbox 360 owners of the game can get the patch automatically from PSN and Xbox Live, respectively.

The developers note that now the patch is complete, they are going to focus on producing some DLC for the game. Here’s a bit on what they had to say for the patch:

When he spoke to me last week Scott said that, while patch was mainly focused on improving the frame-rate, his team worked particularly hard to get as many other fixes into it as possible. A great example of this is the new difficulty system for expert gamers. If you’ve played the game a lot you’ll notice that the difficulty level ramps up much earlier than previously making the game much more of a challenge.

Konami sends word that a completely updated and enhanced version of GTi Club+ will be released via the PlayStation Store on December 4. It will be priced at 14.99 Euros and will offer all new graphics and expanded gameplay elements.

To be a 335MB download, the game will feature a French locale within a giant game map. It will run at 60 fps and offer five licensed cars – Austin Mini Cooper, Renault 5, Fiat A112, Abarth, Lancia Delta and the VW Golf GTi.

Additions to the game include new game modes, as well as PlayStation Eye support. It also supports 5.1 surround sound and player-to-player voice communications.

Those guys at Criterion are busy all year round, making downloadable content and whatnot for gamers, but did you know they are into toy cars as well? The studio has announced that they will release special edition Burnout Collectible toy cars sometime next year.

They’ve even given some pictures that show the Hunter Manhattan, Hunter Takedown 4×4, Carson GT Concept P12 and Kreiger Racing WTR.

No other details were given.