VIDEO: Ken Block signs on as the face of DiRT 2
Click above to watch video after the jump
Fish need water, boys need father figures, and rally games need rally legends. Sadly, Colin McRae, the former world rally champion and the name behind Codemasters' popular DiRT franchise, was tragically killed in a 2007 helicopter accident, leaving big racing shoes to fill. Probably too big for anyone else currently in the World Rally Championship, so for the sequel to the successful video game, Codemasters looked instead to the X-Games and signed Ken Block.
Not to be confused with the Canadian hockey player or the frontman for rock band Sister Hazel, Ken Block is a fixture of the American stunt rally scene. He's also left his mark in skateboarding, snowboarding and motocross, and the extremesportsmeister is co-founder of D.C. Shoe – so whether he can fill McRae's shoes or not, he can craft a pair all his own. Follow the jump to watch the video.
[Source: Joystiq]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
aj121489 6:03PM (4/02/2009)
Bad joke of the day:
"...so whether he can fill McRae's shoes or not, he can craft a pair all his own."
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aj121489 6:07PM (4/02/2009)
There is some SICK driving in that video though
Assass1n 6:10PM (4/02/2009)
I can't wait for that- DiRT was an awesome game and this one looks like its gonna be better.
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Jared 8:33PM (4/02/2009)
yeah it was! I beat the game and got bored... hoping a sequal would come out. It has one thing Forza2 needs... In car view with a realistic dash.
Now that dirt2 is comming... maybe there will be a forza 3?!
David Z. 12:02AM (4/03/2009)
I just hope it has real multiplayer this time, not that "solo race with lap times of other people on screen" they tried to pass off as multiplayer in DiRT.
If you can't ram them, it's not real multiplayer.
Erik Tomlinson 12:54AM (4/03/2009)
Forza 3 is already in development - news was floating around last June about it.
Mr stol 6:15PM (4/02/2009)
Ken who? Was Sebastian Loeb not available?
I'm a huge WRC fan and love that DiRT game but never heard of this person. Travis Pastrana is all over DiRT1, just stick with him IMHO :)
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trevor_kk 6:52PM (4/02/2009)
Ken who, come on how could you not have heard of Ken Block, he is the founder of DC shoes, has been in so many car magazines it is unbelievable, and he is worth like 80 million dollars i think after he sold DC shoes to quicksilver. This guy also has tons of cars apparently like bentley's and lambo's.
Reader 6:55PM (4/02/2009)
I've just seen this guy on Autoblog. They showed a couple of his tight clips in that vid.
Trippul G 8:23PM (4/02/2009)
DiRT was a great game, but it looks like they're trying to take the sequel in a more "XTREEEEEME" direction, with crazy stadium events with elaborate jumps and fire pits and an overabundance of Monster Energy Drink. I don't care if that's popular with the "cool" kids, that's not what Rally is about, and I don't want it in my game.
What happened to Travis Pastrana? If they're going to go the X-games route, shouldn't they at least get the guy who's won it the last two years in a row, especially since he was already the voice of DiRT 1?
Rev 8:53PM (4/02/2009)
Ken who= Ken Block. He of one of the most amazing driving videos you'll ever see. Search YouTube for Gymkata or check wiki.
With the internet searching for information really isn't that hard. You should try it some time. There's a site called http://www.google.com ~ check it out, neat stuff!
If you have to ask, are you sure you're at the right web site?
tankd0g 10:19PM (4/02/2009)
I'm not sure how I feel about Mr. X-Games taking this over, but Mr. No Personality Loeb certainly does not have a talent for selling video games.
Mobius_1 6:59PM (4/02/2009)
But Ken, as good a driver as he is (we've all seen him hooning his Subie), is not the world champion that McRae was (RIP).
However, if they add gymkhana and a man on a Segway to the game, all is forgiven.
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AstonLve 7:34PM (4/02/2009)
Better names:
Sebastien Loeb
Petter Solberg
Tommi Mäkinen
Marcus Grönholm
Chris Atkinson
Mikko Hirvonen
Toshi Arai
ETC...
Or why not continue to call it Collin McRae?
Ken IS a nobody amongst these names... X-Games? Who cares...
Bring back Group-B and poor WRC/Rally... So many greats lost in suck a short amount of time.
RIP - Burns, McRae, Freeman, Lovell, Etc...
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tankd0g 10:22PM (4/02/2009)
It would have been nice if they could continue to put Colin's name on it. I mean Ken Block might be an entertaining driver but he's no WRC driver, he never met a top level rally he didn't crash out of.
Mr stol 3:35AM (4/03/2009)
Exactly! Well said AstonLve
Also, I have this feeling the DiRT1 users are much older on average then Codemasters actually realize, the love for Group B is much larger then the Xgames/xTremEEeee stuff.
Better 10:35PM (4/03/2009)
Regardless if those are "better" names, they aren't faces or personalities that will sell a video game not only to purists but to everyone else that plays video games, who, you must admit, outnumber folks like yourself rather heavily. They are trying to sell these games, and for the audience, better a gaudy X-gamer than a silent Finn.
I agree it's a shame about the dwindling interest in WRC, but be realistic.
Also, they can no longer use Colin McRae's name because he is dead. This would seem rather simple, no?
swissfreek 7:40PM (4/02/2009)
This guy looks like a schmuck. Pimping his Monster energy drink, with the scantily-clad ladies, dressed like a douchebag. I don't care how he drives. No class.
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greenchile505 1:08PM (4/03/2009)
Your comment is perfection. You crystallized my thoughts precisely.
Thank you.
OSUBeaver 7:53PM (4/02/2009)
Travis Pastrana provided the voice for the US version of Dirt. I don't see the press release, but my assumption is that Ken Block's involvement is for the US version of Dirt 2.
As famous as the WRC drivers are for the rest of the world, in recent years the popularity of rally in the US has been due to Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, X Games rally, and the Rally America series.
As much as "pure" rally fans want to hate on Rally America drivers and the X Games, these are the forces that are making rally popular in the mainstream in the US. And since Dirt is targeted to a mainstream audience having Ken Block provide the voiceover seems to make sense.
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