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Race Driver: Grid - A Retrospective Review

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:54:27 -0400

In just over a week’s time, Codemasters Racing's much-anticipated arcade racing game 'Grid 2' will - after what seems like an absolute age - finally go on sale in the UK.

With the pre-launch buzz surrounding the upcoming title, though, it's very easy to forget about its six-year old predecessor: the critically-acclaimed racing game star of the seventh-gen, Race Driver: Grid.

At least, that's what most of the folk who reviewed the title in 2008 reckoned Grid was. The question, though, is this: Does Race Driver: Grid still have what it takes to be described as one of the top racing games of the last six years, or has misty-eyed nostalgia tainted our memories and perception of an out-dated game?

By the end of this review, the answer will hopefully be found...

From Rags to Top-tier Racing Riches

Even when Race Driver: Grid was released, the 'move your way up the ranks' progression system was already a career-mode template that had formed the foundations for most racing games, so we'd be deceiving you if we were to say Grid's campaign mode brought anything radical or new to the genre.

Neither was its length anything to brag about either - if you restricted yourself to an hour or two a day on Grid, as I did when I played through the game for this Retrospective Review, it would still be possible to complete Race Driver in the space of a couple of months at the most. As far as replayability goes, Grid isn’t exactly the standard bearer for racing games.

What did make Race Driver: Grid interesting, though, was how your playable character progressed through the ranks and the various tiers of racing, both on and off the track.

Though you start off as a wannabe racer who can only enter events in one-race, target-specific freelance contracts, the grind to bolster up your bank balance with enough dosh to start your own team doesn't take much time at all, and you'll be off traversing the USA, Europe and Japan in no time at all, building up your reputation and money as you climb up the ranks.

When you're not racing, though, there's the team management aspect, which allows you to edit your livery, paint scheme and sponsors, as well as hire a second driver once you progress beyond the 'Rookie' stage. And, whilst the whole CEO aspect is no-where near as deep as other racing games (albeit more recent ones, like F1 Online: The Game), sorting out which brands will appear on your collection of track-ready machinery is a novel touch, and the only maintenance aspect that's worth going back to time-and-time again, given it (unsurprisingly) plays a huge role in the game's economy.

More Arcade than Sim...but does it really matter?

Let's not beat around the bush, shall we? Whilst it's nowhere near as much of an arcade racer as, say, an OutRun or Ridge Racer, Race Driver: Grid is by no means a simulation title. If Gran Turismo 5 is the Flight Simulator of console racing games, then Grid is the market's equivalent of Ace Combat.

As a result, it shouldn't be surprising to hear of user reviews across the Internet that criticise the game's 'floaty' physics. Sure, more people can pick up and play Race Driver this way, but for gamers who wish to push themselves and the car they're driving to the absolute limit, the vague sense of the 'rubber meeting the road' is quite disconcerting, and (from this reviewer's experience) makes it too easy to make mistakes.
And become incredibly frustrated as a result.

Where Grid redeems itself is that, whilst it isn't the most accurate interpretation of physics, there are few games that can top Race Driver for pure excitement and drama. The traits of car control may be off, but Grid still stands strong as one of the handful of titles that replicates the thrills of on-track action.

In fact, the only 7th gen console titles that come anywhere close to matching Grid’s ability to paint a picture of what it’s actually like to jostle for places in true, chaotic, almost BTTC-esque fashion are the two entries in the Need for Speed: Shift series. Which is perhaps more a sign that there are very few games out there that focus on this aspect of the genre, rather than how sterile some racing series’ seem to have become over the years...

If I Could Turn Back Time...

One of Grid’s features that Codemasters was particularly proud of when the game shipped was, as we’re sure you know, the “Flashback” option; the in-game device that let you rewind time by a few seconds to correct any mistakes made on the track.

Whilst Codies might like to think they pioneered the device, the reality is they didn’t: WRC3 and MotoGP ’13 developers Milestone beat them to that in 2005 in their “Tiger Mode” for SCAR: “Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo.

Given SCAR wasn’t a massive critical or commercial success, though, we will give Codemasters the credit of making the feature more prominent in racing games: Squadra Corse may have been the innovator, but Race Driver: Grid was the populariser; the one that lead to the rewind feature being adopted by other games and developers, like the more recent titles in the Forza series.

For me personally, though, the reincarnation of Milestone’s “Tiger Mode” in a more mainstream product and marketplace isn’t the feature that brings back the fondest of memories. That accolade belongs to the replay cameras.

From the moment I viewed my incompetent first efforts on the Grid demo through the virtual lenses of the game’s replay cameras, it became apparent to me that Codemasters had hit the sweetspot when it came to transferring the on-track carnage into a cinematic form.

It’s so hard to describe it all, other than by simply saying it’s incredibly visceral. Hardly any replay shots are ever static – they’re always moving, whether they’re fixed shots and akin to invisible GoPros, or reverberating as they pan alongside the track, following your God-knows-how-many-miles-per-hour blast down the long back straight.

Oh, and the fast-paced, heartbeat-raising heavy beats of the replay music certainly goes some way to making them more exciting to behold.

Put simply, even today, Grid’s replays are truly incredible to watch. So you can only imagine what they must have been like to the gaming community when we witnessed them first hand, at the dawn of the new high-definition console generation!

They really are the standard bearer of which the industry can be capable of. And, going on what we’ve seen of Grid 2 so far, it looks like the “Best Ever Replays in a Racing Game” gong is still firmly in the hands of Race Driver...

Damage, damage...oh, and more damage!

With six years separating it and Grid 2, there’s no denying that Race Driver: Grid’s sequel does make Codemasters’ one-time flagship title look pretty dated.
The colour palette and Codemasters’ choice of filter for the visuals lacks the vibrancy of more modern racers, some textures do look very crude by today’s standards and, upon closer inspection, those logos you can apply to your car can look incredibly blocky and pixelated at times.

Put simply, if there’s any area where Race Driver shows its age the most, it’s in the graphics department.

That’s not to say Grid Mk 1 is a horrid game to look at, though. Sure, the wow factor when we first clapped eyes on it back in 2008 is no longer there, but it still holds up (just) to the modern day crowd. The detailing of the car models and the environments still hold up fairly well, and I can’t put my finger on what makes me prefer the menu system in Grid over, say, F1 2012’s.

Even the frame rate remained silky smooth in this reviewer’s experience, with hardly any slow-down or screen tearing unless there’s a ton of stuff going on in the screen.

Where Race Driver can still hold its own with even the latest crop of racing games is the damage modelling. Which, given only 43 cars came stamped onto the disc on launch day, and manufacturers generally don’t want to see their cars absolutely totalled in racing games, probably goes to show just how ferocious the damage aspect really was!

Visually, it’s awe inspiring. Everything from scrapes and scuffs to dents in body panels, shattered windows, doors being torn from their hinges, wheels yanked from their suspension mounts and even the ability to completely incapacitate your car are possible when things get...erm...”interesting” out on track.

And, whilst Grid excels when it’s being what Michael Bay would most likely envision if he were to swap the directors’ seat for a role at a video game developer, the smaller damage details do stack up fairly well. Whilst it’s debateable if these more minor effects actually alter the way the car drives, it’s little touches – such as mildly misaligned suspension components groaning under hard cornering – that further solidify the point that, despite not being an out-and-out sim, Grid does a stern job at replicating the nuances of motorsport from the driver’s seat.

In fact, given we’re talking about the visuals and the damage engine in a game that originates from an era that’s soon to become a footnote in the history of gaming, this is possibly enough to explain why so many have such fond memories of the original Grid.

Conclusion

It would be unfair of me to rate Race Driver: Grid from a 2013 stand point. Whilst there are still areas where the title stands strong, even amongst its current contemporaries, Grid 1 has had its time in the spotlight.

You’ll also have to factor in the other deficiencies to the title that are time sensitive – like the visuals – that, whilst not entirely deal breaking, do go some way in the overall rating for the game.

However, if this were a brand-new game, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment in giving Grid a solid 7/10 score. Perhaps even an 8/10, if I were in a particularly happy, jubilant mood on the day I was reviewing Race Driver.

And, whilst both those scores are slightly off what some critics thought of the title in 2008 - Metacritc currently showcases an 87% aggregated score for the title on all platforms - it’s more down to déjà vu (this may be a retrospective review, but this is by no means the first time I’ve ever played Grid) than the title being shoddy.

On the contrary, Race Driver still stands up well after six years, with some aspects being able to show even a handful of modern-day franchises a thing or two about how to implement features properly, such as that amazing damage engine.

Need evidence for the claim? Two words and a number for you: Gran. Turismo. 5.

Of course, Grid has its faults. Even when it was brand new, Race Driver wasn’t a perfect game, so expecting it to be as amazing and as exemplary as it was in the previous decade simply wasn’t going to happen.

But there is enough substance here to see why Grid has harboured such a following, even though it’s only one game in the now seemingly defunct “Race Driver” series.

And that brings me nicely to answering the “Has six years clouded our judgement on Grid?” question that forms the bedrock of this retrospective review: whilst those boots that Grid 2 has to fill aren’t quite as big as its predecessor’s critical acclaim from six years ago would lead you to believe, Codemasters still needs to pull all the stops if it’s to hands-down trounce the much respected Race Driver: Grid.

EA will unveil new Need For Speed game at E3 2013

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:24:55 -0400

Electronic Arts has confirmed it will be showing off an all-new Need For Speed game at next month's E3 gaming expo.

Announced earlier on EA's news blog, the new (presumably developed by EA Gothenburg) Need For Speed title will be announced at the company's "The Download: EA 2013 Preview" at E3 on June 10th, along with all the other big-name Electronic Arts games like Battlefield 4, FIFIA '14 and so on.

The press conference will also be streamed live from http://www.ea.com/e3, with the coverage commencing at 9pm British Summer Time.

EA has also released the above accompanying teaser image, which - as you can tell - depicts a rather grimy Koenigsegg Agera with a great big 'Pursuit' decal along the car's side.

Whether this is a hint to what the title will be called is anyone's guess, though we wouldn't suggest that it's a reference to the game being revealed under the 'Hot Pursuit' banner.

The image was, though, captioned on the Need For Speed Facebook page with the phrase "Have no rules, show no mercy", which we'll let you make what you will of.

In fact, why not let us know what you make of this in the comments section below and in our forums?

Ferrari 599XX Evo confirmed for Assetto Corsa

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:23:26 -0400

Just off the bat of the news item revealing the Ferrari 458 GT2's inclusion in their upcoming PC sim, Kunos Simulazioni has confirmed the Ferrari 599XX Evoluzione will be making an appearance in Assetto Corsa.

As far as licenced Ferraris go, the 599XX Evo is a pretty special one to include in the official car roster: after all, it's comfortably one of the fastest and most extreme machines ever to be associated with the famed 'Prancing Horse' emblem (with an official time of 1minutes and 15 seconds, it's the quickest non-racing prototype to ever lap Ferrari's private Fiorano test track), and the firm's official test drivers claim the only way to get the best out of it is to leave the assists on.

Given Kunos prides itself on being the maker of some truly exceptional PC sims (especially with regards to physics), it'll be interesting to put that claim to the test, if Fiorano is indeed one of the tracks that's featured in Assetto Corsa...

With the 599XX Evo being the fourth out of the five licenced Ferraris to feature in Assetto Corsa, we're also eagerly looking forward to finding out what rounds up the list, especially as each new Ferarri that's mentioned appears to be even faster and more track-orientated than the one that preceded it.

So, what do you reckon could be the final Ferrari to appear in Assetto Corsa? Do let us know what youre predictions are in the comments box below, on our Facebook page and on our dedicated Assetto Corsa thread in our forums

Mercedes-Benz confirms three all-new cars will appear in GT6

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:30:38 -0400

Mercedes-Benz has revealed that three of its cars will be making their GT debut in Gran Turismo 6 later this year,

According to the official statement, the high-profile German automaker will have a trio of its latest AMG performance products appear in GT6, one of which has already been depicted in last week's announcement trailer; the SLS AMG GT3 racing car.

The final two, though not quite as track-hardened as the SLS competition car, should be of some appeal to the Benz officianados in the GT community: the 355bhp A45 AMG (the most powerful hot hatchback ever made, no less) and the recently facelifted E63 AMG super saloon.

Of course, some might be a tad upset that there aren't more potent Mercs in the game, like the C63 and SLS Black Series models. However, with GT6 set to recieve extensive, Forza-esque DLC support post-launch, there is always the off chance more cars adorned with the three-pointed star on the bonnet will make their way into the upcoming Gran Turismo game...

SimBin releases major new update for RaceRoom Racing Experience

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:15:53 -0400

SimBin Studios has released a new update for its popular free-to-play PC sim title, RaceRoom Racing Experience (R3E).

Available to download from Steam, the upgrade to R3E affects almost every conceivable aspect of the title, with improvements being made to the shading and lighting physics, altered AI coding and accessing the in-game interfaces with peripherals (for example, it's now possible to use analog sticks on gamepads to navigate R3E's menues), as well as the implementation of leaderboards.

The new patch also, SimBin states, gives them the ability to build upon the title's existing content and structure, and add new elements to the title via future updates, though no hints as to what these may be were mentioned.

The full list of updates in this latest patch have been listed below (as you can tell, there are quite a lot of 'em!):

Game & Code & Performance:

Full controller support. The cursor can be controlled in menus with analog stick on gamepads and steering wheels.
Improved & updated controller support. (Reverse replicate for steering, new hot key options).
Added additional controller options for steering sensitivity and min/max range.
Added additional controller option for gamepads; return multiplier (front wheel return/snap back to center).
Improved Analog Sector values for more accurate gamepad control.
Instant Replays in-game. Press R to instantly see a replay of the cool move you’ve done.
HUD elements can now be toggled on/off in replays.
Implemented and improved free camera logic & cam collision.
Data displays are now showing properly in replays.
Tweaked Zoom in/out functions in replays for certain cameras, disabled them for cameras where it’s not meant to be used.
Camera names will no longer show when replay controls are hidden.
Optimized Localization. Game now supports letters with accents.
Improved & updated font support.
Fixed an issue where Russian keyboard inputs were not showing the right characters despite setting the Language for Unicode programs.
Fixed various typos in menus, portal, car/track information and descriptions.
Optimized Media Hub.
Player can now have infinite amount of replay files in Media Hub.
Optimized Menu transitions.
Optimized GPU performance.
Optimized Memory usage.
Optimized CPU usage.
Improved patching system to shrink the patch file size in future updates.
Removed the launcher functionality in game as it’s no longer relevant; the game now executes faster.
Fixed pathing issues that could occur on Win 7 and 8 when the Windows or the game was not installed in the default location.
Fixed various issues that occurred when adjusting car setup and going back to the game.
Fixed issues that could occur when rewinding/navigating a replay via its progress bar.
Fixed an issue where skidding sound could trigger while wheels are rotating.
Fixed inconsistencies with car marker positions on track layouts.
Fixed an issue where wind screen of player car could start flickering after overtaking an AI car.
Fixed issues where data display and dashboard displays were inconsistent on some of the cars.
Fixed an issue where ghost files would appear corrupt.
Apex hunt progress now shows properly in the menus.
Re-enabled Legacy Mode (Game runs in Windows XP, though not fully supported).
Fixed issues that would occur if the player had multiple controllers connected.
Prepared the game for future content.
Groundwork for future features.
Fixed various individual issues that could potentially cause crashes.

Portal & Leaderboards & Competitions:

Implemented Class based Leaderboards.
Leaderboards have been changed and improved. The look and feel of the leaderboards have changed. Filters are now presented in a more user-friendly way.
Updated & Improved the in-game browser.
Players can now subscribe to specific leaderboards, which gets added as a widget to the dashboard for quick access.
Search functionality has been improved. It is now faster.
Added summary to the sidebars to provide better and more user-friendly information about the selected leaderboard.
Added galleries for store items. Players can now see different screenshots for cars/tracks.
Fixed an issue where player avatars sometimes would appear blank in the leaderboards.
Various improvements in the backend/frontend.

Art & Art Code:

Optimized motion blur and fixed various motion blur related issues on cars.
Implemented a new lighting system for better illumination.
Implemented a new car paint shader for better visuals on cars.
Implemented a new gravel/dirt shader.
Various art fixes & tweaks in Suzuka tracks.
Various art fixes & tweaks in Lakeview Hillclimb tracks.
Various art fixes & tweaks in Raceroom Hillclimb tracks.
Various art fixes & tweaks in Bathurst.
Various art fixes & tweaks in Raceroom Raceway tracks.
Various art fixes & tweaks in Hockenheimring tracks.
Various art fixes & tweaks in Monza tracks.
Various art fixes & tweaks in Zandvoort tracks.
Various art fixes & tweaks in Portimao tracks

AI:

Various AI fixes & tweaks.

Forza Motorsport 5 announced as Xbox One launch title - first screenshots and reveal video

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:07:15 -0400

It’s incredible to think that in just six days we’ve had two major racing game announcements in what is a pertinent period for the genre. Last week saw the reveal of Gran Turismo 6, but today it was Microsoft’s turn to show their hand and announce the next installment to Gran Turismo’s arch rival: Forza Motorsport 5.

The announcement came during the unveiling of the Xbox One, Microsoft's entry in the next generation console war.Unlike Sony’s PS4 which is marketing itself as a dedicated high-end gaming machine, the Xbox One aims to be an all-in-one entertainment system, packing in motion and voice-controlled television, movies, communication and internet browsing. Oh and games too, believe it or not, – it wasn’t until halfway through the show that the game announcements slowly started to pour out.

I’ll be the first to admit that I had hedged my bets on Project Gotham Racing 5 being tonight’s big reveal. Evidence has been mounting up on a series reboot for the long lost Xbox-exclusive arcade racer, with rumours hinting that Liverpool-based Lucid Games have been preparing PGR5 as a launch title for the next Xbox. There's also the fact that PGR has traditionally been a launch title for Xbox consoles in the past, but Forza has become a much more popular and profitable franchise for Microsoft, and will no doubt be instrumental when it comes to shipping new units. We know PGR5 is coming at some point, but a launch title now seems very unlikely, sadly. Maybe next year.

So, what did we learn about Forza Motorsport 5? Not much, to be honest.

Unsurprisingly, details are being kept closely under wraps until E3 early next month. However, we know that Turn 10 are back in the driving seat after handing over the keys to Playground Games who developed last year’s open world spin-off Forza Horizon. FM5 will also be a launch title when Xbox One is released later this year, which will be a first for the long-running franchise.

While details were scarce, the announcement kicked off with a reveal trailer featuring two mighty McLaren’s battling it out across the cobbled streets of what looks like a circuit set in Prague. And in case you are one of the many who were sceptical of the video and assume it was surely comprised of phoney CGI footage, a designer from Turn 10 has since confirmed on Twitter that what we’re seeing is indeed running in real-time.

The trailer confirms two cars that will feature in FM5’s roster: the legendary McLaren F1 and its contemporary successor, the forthcoming McLaren P1 which makes its video game debut in FM5. The P1 has also been confirmed as FM5’s cover car – Forza’s cover cars have always been a perfect snapshot of contemporary landmark cars at the time of release, and Turn 10’s timely choice of car for FM5 is once again spot on.

It’s also worth noting that the trailer features commentary provided by real life motorsport commentator John Hindhaugh. FM4 featured the voice of Jeremy Clarkson, and while it’s likely that Hindhaugh was only casted to narrate the trailer in order to heighten the intensity, it’s still not entirely implausible that voiceovers from famous figures in the automotive industry could be in the final game.
Graphically, FM5 is still in a relatively early stage of development judging from the trailer. But that hasn’t stopped me from drooling profusely. From the immaculately-rendered metallic paintwork and improved particle effects seen in the sparks and exhaust backfire, to the visible tyre wear, FM5 looks staggeringly sumptuous.

Of course, many will compare FM5's dashing good looks to its direct competitor on PS4: DriveClub. I would go as far to say that, in some aspects, FM5 looks superior – car detail looks predictably phenomenal, but it’s the environments where FM5 currently has the edge from what we've seen so far. Time will ultimately tell, but both games will no doubt differentiate themselves with drastically different driving physics and social integration.

Speaking of comparisons, there’s an elephant in the room we simply cannot ignore: hello Gran Turismo 6.

Releasing Forza Motorsport 5 as an Xbox One launch title comes as a complete contrast to Sony’s strategy of releasing Gran Turismo 6 for the PS3 (at least for the time being) and allowing new IP DriveClub to steal the spotlight. Utilising the Xbox One’s advanced next generation tech ultimately puts FM5 at a distinct advantage against GT6 in the race to victory, which could spell danger for Sony's series in the long run.

Indeed, you have to wonder if history is about to repeat itself between the two competing franchises. Turn 10 have constantly evolved the Forza franchise with each new iteration, and FM5 will be no exception with the potential to be the next generation's flagship racing game thanks to its headstart. Polyphony on the other hand are still clinging to the past by releasing GT6 on current hardware. Consequently, GT6 is in danger of looking outdated as soon as it leaves Sony’s showroom – just as GT5 did when FM4 was unleashed.

Fortunately for Sony, Gran Turismo’s mammoth following on PS3 should save it, but there’s no denying that Forza has amassed a significant following of its own that could make FM5 a formidable system seller. Either way, it should be an interesting battle when both titles go head to head, which should make for an eventful E3 next month.

While we wait to hear exactly how FM5 will evolve the franchise, set your sights on the first official screenshots that showcase the game's cover car, the McLaren P1:

New Gran Turismo 6 in-game footage revealed during live Nurburgring 24 Hour coverage

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:14:30 -0400

Mere days after the big announcement at Silverstone on May 15th, new in-game clips of GT6 in action have been aired on live television.

Broadcasted during the German channel Sport1's coverage of the recent Nurburgring 24 Hour endurance race, the new clips have now surfaced on the Internet, and (appropriately) depict two cars tussling it out on the game's virtual representation of the fabled Nordschleife.

The two cars in question are Shulze Motorsport's Nissan GT-R GT3 car (the one Kazunori Yamauchi himself used to compete in this year's event) and the Audi R8 LMS ultra of last year's victorious Audi Sport Team Phoenix.

What's interesting about the Audi is that this is the first time we've witnessed a fully rendered R8 LMS in a Gran Turismo game - in GT5, whereas the R8 road cars were all fleshed-out "Premiums", the LMS variants were all modelled to the less impressive "Standard" quality, with clunkier textures and the lack of a complete cockpit view.

The clips also showcase what appear to be new replay angles for the Nurburgring Nordschleife track over the version in GT5, with the shot types and movement in the GT6 videos depicting a more cinematic quality over the replay feature in its predecessor.

Also, whilst it's impossible to judge due to the embedded YouTube video's 480p quality, there does appear to be an improvement to the shading effects, with a distinct lack of noticeable pixelation with the shadows when compared to what GT5 could (or, more appropriately, couldn't) muster.

Then again, there is the off chance that this could be an optimised CG impression of what GT6, and not the real deal, so we won't say there's a definite improvement; just a possible one.

The three videos in question have been embedded below:

Codemasters announces first post-launch DLC details for Grid 2

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:46:11 -0400

Codemasters Racing has finally pulled the wraps off the initial downloadable content plans and packs for Grid 2, ranging from the pre-order bonuses post-launch to the themes of initial DLC packs.

In an official statement, Codemasters has confirmed it's now "working away at new content for the game already", and that the fruits of their labour will be a monthly stream of DLC packages.

Set to commence sometime in June, Grid 2 will be supported with ongoing car packs up till October, with the first three packs and their respective release windows going as follows:

Super Modified Car Pack – June
Drift Car Pack – July
Peak Performance Car Pack – July

What these packs will feature, and how much they'll retail for, is anyone's guess at this moment in time, though such details are expected to be released sooner rather than later.

The pre-order bonuses that were announced earlier this year will also be made available as DLC on the day that Grid 2 launches, though - as with the aforementioned packs - no specifics regarding pricing have been confirmed at time of writing.

Codemasters is also enforcing the fact that all players on all of Grid 2's compatible systems will be able to download and try out the DLC, which should be good news to prospective Grid 2 players on the PC who were concerned that the add-ons would only be available to the console versions of the game.

Gran Turismo 6 will still have Standard cars without interiors

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:34:39 -0400

As you'll no doubt be more than aware of, Gran Turismo 6 was formally announced this week. But while many exciting developments were revealed, there were still a few questions that have been left unanswered - many of which were outlined in my GT6 expectations feature last week.

Chief among which was the Standard vs. Premium cars debate: we know that GT6 will sport 1200 cars, but will two thirds of them still be coated in horrid low-poly PS2 paint without interiors as in GT5?

Fansite GTPlanet has managed to shed some new light on the subject in an interview with Kazunori Yamauchi from the SIlverstone event. Unfortunately, the answer may not be what the majority of us were hoping for: "We won’t be making all the Standard cars from GT5 into Premium models, and we won’t make all of the GT5′s Standard cars fully 'Premiumized,'"” Yamauchi confirmed.

It's not all bad news, however. While not every car in GT6 will have a full interior, the contrast in quality and functionality between Standard and Premium models will be far less jarring: "Up until now, we used to categorize them as Standard and Premium because there were functional differences between them: some of the Standard models might not have tuning parts, or couldn't be used in Photo Mode. That will all be cleared so every model can be used in Photo Mode, and every car can have parts fitted for it."

Thankfully, the tatty textures seen in GT5's Standard cars are also being given a polish, but it remains to be seen how they stack up against the glorious gleaming Premium cars: "In terms of graphics quality, the bad quality Standard models we’ve updated so they look better."

All in all, it's not a perfect solution, and we're still unsure exactly what the proportion between Standard and Premium cars will be, but it's reassuring to learn that Polyphony have taken steps to address the issue. Let's just hope they haven't made the 70+ Nissan Skylines a priority when it comes to 'Premiumising' the Standard cars.

It's also worth noting that some cars that were labelled as Standard in GT5 have already been given the Premium treatment in GT6 complete with full interiors - namely the Lamborghini Countach LP400 and Alpine A110 1600S. Here's hoping they finally took the time to upgrade the Bugatti Veyron, which made its GT debut in Gran Turismo PSP.

First Assetto Corsa previews of Ferrari 458 GT2 emerge

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:07:59 -0400

We already know the Ferrari 458 will feature in Assetto Corsa, and now developers Kunos Simulazioni have confirmed the top-tier GT2 racing version shall be joining it.

Almost identical in real life to the road car on which it's based, bar the necessary alterations for homologated endurance racing, the 458 GT2 is also the third out of the PC title's five licenced Ferraris to be officially confirmed by Kunos.

The developers have also released a sizeable gallery of new in-game previews of the Ferrari 458 GT2 in action on the laser scanned track.

Aston Martin reveals one-off CC100 Speedster concept car

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:02:42 -0400

Ahead of tomorrow's 24 hour endurance race at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, Aston Martin has unveiled its new 'CC100 Speedster' concept car.

The first of Aston Martin's eventual plethora of commemorative concept car, the CC100 has been built to celebrate the company's centenary this year.

Fans of vintage automotive racing will undoubtedly see the aesthetic resemblance to the 1959 DBR1 racing car, which won that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Nurburgring 1000km races at the hands of Carroll Shelby and Sir Stirling Moss respectivley.

The official press release, though, states the CC100 hints at the brand's "potential future design direction", which could come as a relief to some members of the petrolhead community who feel Astons look too similar nowadays.

Of course, some design elements would be hugely impractical in a more mainstream sports car - the Ariel Atom/BMW Just4/2 Concept-esque holes in the side obviously wouldn't be seen in a road car, but it would be interesting to see styling cues like the front grille and the sweeping headlights on, say, the next V8 Vantage.

If that doesn't end up being the case, though, the CC100 will still be connected to the Vantage family. Though Aston Martin hasn't officially confirmed this, the Speedster's overall size and proportions indicate it's based on V12 Vantage architeture.

Performance is also fairly similar too - aided in part to the 5.9 V12 (Aston hasn't quoted any power figures, though we assume somewhere near 500hp), the Speedster can allegedly crack the 0-62mph run in four seconds, and head on to a claimed top speed of 180mph.

With connections to the track and Aston's racing heritage, there were obviously going to be some nods to the circuit, whether it was the colourscheme and the decals, right down to the gutted-out interior, the single-clutch six-speed paddleshift transmission and the dizzying array of toggles and switches dotted about the cabin.

Rumours did suggest that Aston Martin would build two CC100s (one as the show car, the other inspired by Moss's Nuburgring-winning car), but it seems only one has been produced, and shall be retained by the company as a self-gifted birthday present.

Not that we blame Aston for doing this. After all, when it comes to celebrating a 100th anniversary, a stunning one-off concept car is a far cooler way than, say, recieving a signed car from Her Majesty...

New DriveClub screenshots surface in the wake of GT6

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:29:21 -0400

Not to be outdone by the unveiling of Gran Turismo 6 this week, Evolution Studios has unleashed some new swanky screenshots of their debut PS4 project DriveClub, further showcasing the highly detailed car models, interiors and environmental lighting.

While the majority of the cars have been featured before such as the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG and the Pagani Huayra, the screenshots confirm the inclusion of the Audi R8 and BMW M5 in DriveClub's roster, which appears to be predominately populated by exotic performance cars from what we've seen so far - confirmed cars include the Koenigsegg Agera R, RUF CTR3 Clubsport and BAC Mono.

It's abundantly clear that DriveClub will be the PS4's flagship racer in Gran Turismo's absence, although Polyphony hinted that GT6 could still be ported over to PS4 later down the line. Don't forget that Project CARS is also slated for release on PS4, too, so we're already looking at a strong line-up when it comes to future racing releases on PS4.

Milestone announces "in-game commentary support" for MotoGP '13

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:53:04 -0400

Milestone has officially confirmed the commentators for the MotoGP series will be featured in the upcoming licenced racing game.

In an announcement earlier today, the Italian development studio announced the voices of MotoGP reporters and pundits had been acquired for "in-game commentary support", with the first confirmed commentating personality being Gavin Emmett (whose vocals were used in a previous trailer for MotoGP '13).

No details so far of who the other commentators will be have been announced yet, though it will be interesting to see if other vocal talents are sourced from outside of the official MotoGP circle, such as BBC Sport's crew of commentators.

The accompanying video that Milestone released (which we've embedded below) also marks the first "Making of" clip for the MotoGP game, which could pave the way for a 'Dev Diary' style of behind-the-scenes video series.

Kazunori hints at GT6 PS4 possibility, PS3 demo coming July

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:38:24 -0400

Yesterday saw the long-awaited announcement of Gran Turismo 6, which, as we were led to believe all along, has so far only been confirmed for PS3. With the PS4 set to be unleashed later this year, however, many were left baffled over the thought of GT6 not making an appearance to take advantage of the new hardware's capabilities.

IGN posed the question about a next generation GT6 to founder Kazunori Yamauchi at the Silverstone event, and, intriguingly, his response implies that a PS4 port of GT6 later down the line isn't entirely out of the question: “We actually do have a PlayStation 4 version in mind, but for this holiday season, we thought it would be best for users to release on PS3 for now,” Kazunori explained.

But before you get too excited, don't forget that this is Gran Turismo, a series notorious for its exceedingly long development times. “I thought the best scenario would be to have the game come out, then to have new scenarios, new DLC and other updates," he continued. "Once the players have thoroughly played out the system, if the PlayStation 4 version came out naturally, as part of that process, I think that would be the best scenario.”

So there you have it. By releasing GT6 exclusively for PS3 this year, Polyphony will be in the best of both worlds by catering for the series' existing mass following on PS3, with the opportunity to release a PS4 port with enhanced graphics a few years down the line at a point where the system will have gained a larger fanbase.

Asked whether or not save games would be transferrable between both versions, Kazunori remained traditionally non-committal, responding with a vague "Probably."

In other news, it seems that we will be able to sample GT6 much sooner than we anticipated - a PS3 playable demo has been confirmed for July to coincide with the new GT Academy season.

GT Academy '13 Details & Winner's Prize Announced

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:27:05 -0400

Back again for it's fifth outing, the GT Academy is set to make a return to the track in 2013, bringing with it a few new changes to the formula that debuted in 2008.

The whole process is set to kick-off sometime later this year in July, where prospective players who own a PlayStation 3 with a secure Internet connection can download a demo of the recently announced Gran Turismo 6 game, in an attempt to post the fastest time in their respective region.

Once the competitors, the quickest virtual drivers from Europe, the USA, Russia, the Middle East and South Africa will face off in their national tournaments, with the eventual, solitary victor eventually lifting the laurels on the track in the international GT Academy finals.

The winner's prize, though, differs from previous years - instead of an outing in a 24 hours endurance race of some sorts, the winner of this year's GT Academy will undergo an intensive training boot camp, in order to qualify for a full season piloting a Nissan GT-R GT3 car in currently unnamed racing series championship.

As always with the GT Academy, it's a prize that's definitely worth participating in - if you win, you could join the ranks of Jucas Ordonez and Jann Mardenborough as one of the promising young talents, making a name for his/herself in the tough arena of motorsport.

And, if not, at least the Silverstone complex will feature in Gran Turismo 6, so you can always practice and hone your technique around the fabled Northamptonshire circuit for when you find yourself in the GT Academy finals...

Gran Turismo 6 officially announced for PS3 this year

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:27:59 -0400

Here it is. The announcement we've been waiting for, and undoubtedly one of the biggest racing game news stories of the year: Gran Turismo 6 has been officially announced. It's coming to PS3 this year. And we've got all the details. Are you sitting comfortably?

Series founder Kaz formally announced Gran Turismo 6 at a special press event held at SIlverstone to celebrate the series' 15 year anniversary, which has now sold over 70 million units to date. A trailer from the event has been released, showcasing the very first footage of GT6 in action:

Here's a summary of everything we know so far:

New game engine

GT6 looks graphically-stunning. But then, that's not exactly earth shattering considering this is Gran Turismo.

However, Polyphony have gone to great lengths to ensure that GT6 will not look outdated on the decrepid current generation hardware. GT6 will boast a new rendering engine that will further push the PS3's capabilities. Polyphony have refactored the code to make it "very flexible and expandable, with a view to making many future developments."

New physics engine

Realism will once again be heightened in GT6, with a brand new physics engine developed in tandom with tyre manufacturer Yokohama Rubber and suspension company KW Automotive, both of which have helped to significantly improve the suspension and tyre modelling for GT6. A new aerodynamics model will also feature, and the long-running GT Academy competition has also helped Polyphony to gain instrumental new data for the development of GT6's physics.

Indeed, the physics engine is said to be significantly improved in-game - compared to GT5, cars move much more naturally around corners.

1200 cars

Every car found in GT5 will be retained in GT6 from historic cars to the latest racing cars along with a slew of extras bringing the total roster up to 1200, with new cars set to be added continually online. Unfortunately, it hasn't yet been confirmed if every car will be a 'Premium' model with full interiors.

Customisation will also be expanded. Players will be able to create their own personalised car in the game and several thousand aerodynamic parts and custom wheels will be available for almost all cars.

Cars seen in the trailer include (* denotes new to Gran Turismo):

Acura NSX ’91

*Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale ’11

*Alpine A110 1600S ’68

*Audi Sport quattro S1 Rally Car ’86

Ferrari 458 Italia ’09

*Ferrari Dino 246 GT ’71

Ford GT ’06

*KTM X-BOW R ’12

Lamborghini Countach LP400 ’74

*Light Car Company Rocket ’07

McLaren MP4-12C ’10

*Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 ’11

Nissan 370Z (Z34) (GT Academy Version) ’08

Nissan 370Z Tuned Car (GT Academy Version) ’08

Nissan GT-R Black edition (GT Academy Version) ’12

*Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 N24 Schulze Motorsport

Nissan Leaf G (GT Academy Version)

*Tesla Motors Model S Signature Performance ’12

Toyota 86 GT ‘12

32 track locations, 71 layouts

33 track locations with 71 layouts will feature in GT6 - including GT5's existing tracks, this will add even new locations, including SIlverstone. Additional tracks will also be regularly distributed online.

New course maker

As I suspected in my GT6 expectations post, GT6's course maker will be more advanced than GT5's, with scenery spanning tens of square kilometers and a new course generation alcorithm.

Community/Club/Race Organiser

At long last, GT6 will enhance the series' online functionality, allowing players to make their own car community clubs and create and manage their own race events, series and championships with much more control than before.

New user interface

Thankfully, GT5's overly cluttered interface will be long forgotten in GT6, with a new quick, responsive menu, balancing directional key operation and touch operation. Loading times are also said to have been greatly improved.

Multiple device support

GT6 will seemingly be joining the social networking bandwagon with multiple device compatibility for smart phones, Tablets and PCs. A mobile version and web application version of GT6 will be launched to accomodate new community features.

More GT6 announcements will be made at this years Gamescom and E3 shows, so sit tight!

Grid 2's Full Track Roster Revealed

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:15:35 -0400

If you've been dying to know what tracks will feature in Grid 2 ever since the title was first announced, then you'll be pleased to know that Codemasters Racing has revealed the game's complete locale list.

With a collection of 82 different tracks, spread across 14 different locations, Grid 2's track roster is certainly plentiful enough for a current-gen game, being on par with similar figures for Forza Motorsport 4, Gran Turismo 5 and the recently revealed Gran Turismo 6.

Most of the venues also have different time settings, with many being featured in "Day", "Night" and "Sunset" settings.

It is worth pointing out, though, that the list of all the tracks below also includes ones that are available as pre-order bonuses, and wil almost certainly find their way into the game in official DLC packs.

So, without further ado, the full 'Day 1 Grid 2 Track List' goes as follows:

Tenshi Way, Okutama [Day & Night]
Collins Park Ring, Miami [Day & Night]
Indy Circuit Reversed, Brands Hatch [Day]
GP Circuit Reversed, Red Bull Ring [Day]
Arc De Triomphe, Paris [Day & Night]
Le Trocadero, Paris [Sunset]
National Circuit, Algarve [Day]
Infield Circuit, Indianapolis [Day]
Columbus Pass, Barcelona [Day & Night]
South Circuit Reversed, Red Bull Ring [Day]
Memorial Gate, Barcelona [Day & Night]
Redwood Approach, California [Day & Night]
Tatsu Valley, Okutama [Day & Night]
Downtown Speedway, Miami [Day & Night]
Pacific Way, California [Sunset]
Big Sur, California [Day & Night]
GP Circuit, Algarve [Day]
Fountain Loop, Barcelona [Sunset]
Championship Circuit, Yas Marina [Day (Pre-order) & Night]
Shinto Shrine, Okutama [Day & Night]
Sport Circuit , Indianapolis [Day]
Saint-Laurent, Cote d'Azur [Day & Night]
LiveRoutes, Dubai [Day]
Al Sufouh Strip, Dubai [Day & Night]
International Circuit, Yas Marina [Day (Pre-order) & Night]
Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong [Sunset]
Riverside, Chicago [Sunset]
Kowloon Climb, Hong Kong [Day & Night]
Marine Gate, Barcelona [Day & Night]
Paddock Circuit, Yas Marina [Day (Pre-order) & Night]
Pont De L'alma, Paris [Day & Night]
Nakheel Vista, Dubai [Day & Night]
Hattan Way, Dubai [Sunset]
North Circuit, Red Bull Ring [Day]
Circuit De La Seine, Paris [Day & Night]
Wan Chai Gap, Hong Kong [Day & Night]
Causeway Approach, Miami [Day & Night]
Ocean Drive, Miami [Sunset]
Torii Rush, Okutama [Sunset]
GP Circuit Reversed (Pre-order) , Brands Hatch [Day]
The Loop, Chicago [Day & Night]
Leopolda, Cote d'Azur [Day & Night]
Cabrillo Highway, Cote d'Azur [Sunset]
Mizu Mountain, Okutama [Day & Night]
Gulf Approach, Dubai [Day & Night]
Wabash Run, Chicago [Day & Night]
LiveRoutes, Chicago [Day]
Route d'Azur, Cote d'Azur [Day & Night]
GP Circuit (Pre-order), Brands Hatch [Day]
La Turbie, Cote d'Azur [Day & Night]
Peak Road Descent, Hong Kong [Day & Night]
Champs Elysees, Paris [Sunset]
South Circuit, Red Bull Ring [Day]
Sakura Pass, Okutama [Sunset]
LiveRoutes, Miami [Day]
GP Circuit, Yas Marina [Day (Pre-order) & Night]
Pebble Beach Drive, California [Day & Night]
Route De Corniche, Cote d'Azur [Sunset]
North Circuit, Indianapolis [Pre-Order Bonus] [Day]
Sport Circuit, Algarve [Day]
Indy Circuit, Brands Hatch [Day]
Magazine Gap, Hong Kong [Day & Night]
Avenue De New-York, Paris [Day & Night]
Underpass Ring, Chicago [Day & Night]
Orra Quay Loop, Dubai [Sunset]
Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong [Sunset]
High Street, Barcelona [Day & Night]
Club Circuit, Algarve [Day]
Lake Shore Point, Chicago [Day & Night]
Bixby Pass, California [Day & Night]
GP Circuit, Indianapolis [Day]
Oval Circuit, Indianapolis [Pre-Order Bonus] [Day]
Columbus Bay, Barcelona [Sunset]
LiveRoutes, Paris [Day]
LiveRoutes, Barcelona [Day]
South Point Bay, Miami [Day / Night]
Art Deco Loop, Miami [Sunset]
GP Circuit, Red Bull Ring [Day]
South Circuit, Yas Marina [Day (Pre-order) & Night]
Marina City, Chicago [Sunset]
Jumeirah Beach, Dubai [Day & Night]
North Circuit Reversed, Red Bull Ring [Day]

Do let us know in the comments section, on our Facebook page and on our Forums what you think of the track selection in Grid 2 - has Codemasters implemented too many variations, too few locales, or have they (in your mind) hit the Goldilocks spot and got it just right?

Grid 2 Dubai LiveRoutes gameplay video

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:44:27 -0400

Continuing our extensive Grid 2 play-through, Alan got a chance to have a quick demonstration of LiveRoutes in action on the Dubai circuit, Codemaster's innovative new gimmick that dynamically alters the route of the track after each lap. Racing round the street circuit of Dubai, here we see Grid 2 at its most visceral, as Alan battles through the narrow streets of Dubai against the aggressive AI who aren't afraid to trade paint, with the added unpredictably of LiveRoutes testing player's knowledge of the track.

Road Redemption secures Kickstarter funding, hitting the road August 2014

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:23:39 -0400

Road Redemption, a spiritual successor to the timeless Road Rash bike combat series from indie developer DarkSeas Games which we reported on last month, has secured its Kickstarter funding, raising $182,791 with over 4,400 backers after beating its target of a modest $160,000 just two days before the deadline. As a result, Road Redemption's road map has a planned August 2014 release date marked on its sat nav for PC, Mac and Linux,with a Wii U port planned a few months later.

A number of on-going stretch goals have since been added to the project, including an XBLA release later down the line and, intriguingly, Oculus Rift support if the team can raise $198,000, which can be previewed in the video below:

Interested in gaining early access to Road Redemption and want to pretend you're playing Road Rash in glorious motion sickness-inducing VR courtesy of Oculus Rift? You can still pledge donations on Road Redemption's kickstarter website to get involved in the project, but places for some of the packages are rapidly running out.

Our Gran Turismo 6 expectations: the game Gran Turismo 5 should have been

Sun, 12 May 2013 20:50:55 -0400

Next week will almost certainly mark the long-awaited announcement of Gran Turismo 6, which, contrary to popular expectations, will be released on the ageing PS3 if sources are to be believed. The fact that the event is being hosted in Silverstone just before E3 only heightens the probability.

If the rumours turn out to be true, then Evolution's DriveClub will be stealing the next generation spotlight by becoming the PS4's first flagship driving game. With its glossy graphics featuring obsessively detailed car models set to showcase Sony’s shiny new hardware, it’s almost as if Evolution has parked in a spot that’s normally allocated for Polyphony.

But from Polyphony’s point of view, releasing GT6 on PS3 makes sense if a cross-platform release isn’t feasible. After all, the PS3 has a readymade fanbase – GT5 still stands as the systems best-selling exclusive title with over 9 million copies sold, and while GT6 could arguably become a system seller if it was released on PS4, it’s much more commercially viable to stick to PS3. Gran Turismo is synonymous with the PlayStation brand, so it seems likely that Sony will want to flaunt it to as wide an audience as possible and shift more PS3s in the wake of the inevitable price cut when the PS4 launches later this year.

But there’s a more pertinent reason why GT6 belongs on the PS3. While GT5’s physics were second to none in the console racing simulation spectrum, its numerous delays had allowed the competition to overtake the slow-moving granddaddy. And despite being in development for six years, many felt that GT5 fell short of its potential, with shortcomings that made it feel like an unfinished product.

Polyphony now have the opportunity to make GT6 the game that GT5 should have been. With this in mind, here’s our rundown of the strides we feel GT6 needs to make to catch up with the competition:

Premium Standard cars

Gran Turismo has always set the benchmark when it comes to supreme graphical prowess, with impeccably detailed car models that border on photorealism. As the series progressed, each iteration was seemingly pushing the hardware to its absolute limits, and after three years of development we’re expecting to GT6 to look utterly mesmerising as Polyphony inevitably find new ways to squeeze every last drop of power out of the current hardware. In short, GT6 needs to be the PS3’s swan song for the racing genre before it bows out to make way for its successor.

GT5 marked the advent of fully modelled car interiors for the series. Polyphony’s relentless strive for perfection meant that they were staggeringly immaculate replications, too, right down to the intricate stitching on the leather seats.

Consequently, these absurdly detailed cars took the team months to model. But with fans becoming increasingly impatient after GT5’s numerous delays, Polyphony had seemingly bitten more than they could chew if they were to deliver their promise of including over 1000 cars. The solution? Divide the cars into ‘Premium’ and ‘Standard’ models.

Unfortunately, this was a severely misguided solution. In a rather unique scenario, Premium cars were exquisitely detailed and boasted full interiors, whereas Standard cars were imported low poly PS2 models that were given a quick lick of HD PS3 paint to try and mask the imperfections. It really didn’t work.

It was nothing short of a travesty, as less than a quarter of the available cars were Premium models - compare that to Forza Motorstport 4 where every one of its 700+ cars include fully functional interior views.

Personally, I was hoping that Polyphony would rectify this glaring issue over time and upgrade the Standard cars via patch updates. In fact, there were talks of this happening, but we’re still waiting three years later. You would hope, then, that Polyphony have been working behind the scenes and saving this content for GT6.

Car content: focus on quality, not quantity

With over 1000 cars parked in its mammoth garage, GT5 houses by far and away the biggest video game car collection ever. The catch? Nearly two thirds of the entire car roster are Japanese.

Yes, Polyphony are Japanese and are therefore favour iconic cars from the Japanese motoring industry. But by doing so, they eschewed a huge range of interesting classic and contemporary cars from the US and European markets which belong in a series that should be representing the global car industry.

Again, next to its American rival GT5’s car list absolutely pales in comparison to Forza Motorsport 4 in terms of diversity. Turn 10 have also endeavoured to continually support Forza with monthly car DLC to ensure its car catalogue is kept up to date. GT5’s, on the other hand, depreciated as soon as it drove out of the showroom.

The lesson is simple: Polyphony need to focus on quality, not quantity. We don’t need over 70 Nissan sodding Skylines in one game.

Redesign the audio

Polyphony proclaim that Gran Turismo’s engine audio is meticulously recorded directly from the real life cars. Why, then, do they still sound like they were sourced from dying Dyson vacuum cleaners?

Indeed, Gran Turismo’s lacklustre audio design has been a source of continuous contention amongst the community. Compared to its competitors, the engine notes sound feeble and muted. They lack the guttural grunt and satisfying savagery I should experience when I weld my foot to the floor - GT6 urgently needs to address this long-standing issue.

Realistic AI

It’s baffling that, after five iterations, Gran Turismo still has the worst AI in any high profile racing game. These opponents aren’t racing drivers, they’re robotic drones programmed to strictly adhere to the racing line who will barge into you should you get in the way rather than realistically react to your position.

As a result, the races felt sterile and devoid of tension and excitement. With games like Grid 2 emphasising the drama on the racetrack with its human-like drivers sporting personalities that are reflected in their individual driving styles, GT6 needs to captivate and exhilarate out on the track in the heat of the race.

Full damage

If there’s one long-requested feature Polyphony are probably tired of hearing, it’s damage modelling.

Previously, Gran Turismo’s gleaming motors would stay pristine no matter how much punishment you inflicted on them, but as cosmetic, and in some cases mechanical, damage became a standard feature in contemporary racing games, Polyphony’s stubbornness to smash their rides became unacceptable.

Presumably in a response to peer pressure, Polyphony finally introduced a damage system in GT5. But the implementation was so half-hearted, they needn’t have bothered.

Slight scuffs and scratches would marginally tarnish the paintwork and some panels would detach on Premium cars, but for a game labelled as the ‘real driving simulator’ the effects were unsubstantial when you smacked head-on into a wall at over 100 mph. The physics weren’t up to the task of simulating a high speed impact either, and the less said about the hollow collision sound effects the better.

Granted, I’m not expecting awe-inspiring spectacular Burnout-style crashes (at least not until PS4), but the damage needs to at least look convincing. If damage is set to appear in GT6, then it needs to be implemented wholeheartedly.

Community content

Community content has boomed this generation, with games such as Trackmania, Trials Evolution and Forza Motorsport 4 allowing you to create your own tracks and car liveries and share them with the hungry community.

GT6 needs to capitalise on this craze. As Forza has proven, players will happily spend hours painstakingly designing custom liveries of their favourite movie cars and legendary racing cars.

GT5 also featured a track generator not too dissimilar to Ridge Racer Unbounded’s where you could splice premade segments together, which has potential for development in GT6. As unlikely as it is at this point, an in-depth track editor in the vein of Trials Evolution and Trackmania would be a welcome addition.

Restructure the career

Gran Turismo is notorious for its comprehensive career mode that can take dedicated drivers a lifetime to complete. It’s definitely earned its reputation as the RPG of racing games.

Not every player has that sort of time to invest in a video game, however. For new players, GT’s deep career can be daunting, and while it’s ultimately rewarding for players who put the time in, it requires ample amounts of tedious grinding to progress. And whilst we’re on the subject of the structure, the confusing interface could do with a tidy up – GT5’s hideous hotchpotch of a menu looked as if the developers had stuffed every button into their mouths and noses and then sneezed.

Of course, that’s not to say its sense of progress should be diminished. Part of GT’s appeal is buying a second-hand crummy car and taking it on a journey, rising the ranks and tuning it into a race-winning goliath. The problem is, it takes an absolute age before you unlock any cars that are actually desirable to drive. Pottering about in an under-powered Suzuki Cappuccino soon loses its appeal.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted recently tried a decidedly different approach. In an interesting experiment, every car was unlocked from the start and it was your job to locate them around the free roaming city. That’s not to say GT should follow-suit, but I’m hoping GT6 will entice you by regularly rewarding you with more desirable cars.

Progress needs to be streamlined so that you can earn XP outside of the career mode to make every in-game mile count, too. Every car also needs to be unlocked in Arcade mode from the get-go for players who want instant gratification. After-all, what’s the point in having over 1000 cars if the majority of players will never get to access them all?

Advanced online integration

Polyphony’s first foray into online multiplayer was marred by an archaic structure that made simple tasks such as inviting friends and joining games a chore and a barebones suite of online modes.

Subsequent season challenges have helped beef up GT5’s online portion, but GT6 needs to adopt more advanced tools to keep the community captivated and rivalries heated.

Looking over at the competition, it’s clear that social stat-tracking is starting to become standard, with systems that keep you in constant competition with your friends by setting personal challenges and comparing achievements: Forza has Rivals, Need for Speed has Autolog and Grid 2 has Racenet. Take note, Polyphony.

Expand the partnerships

One of GT5’s much-publicised breakthroughs was the inclusion of several real-life motorsport licenses: the WRC and NASCAR. And yet they were woefully under-used.

Then again, rallying in Gran Turismo has always been under-developed. But despite acquiring the official WRC license, GT5 felt like a step backwards.

GT4 packed in several rally championships in its expansive career, but GT5’s were limited to a handful of standalone Special Events. The rally stages weren’t anything to write home about, either, with a handful of forgettable fictional short, wide point-to-point stages – hardly the terrifyingly narrow, long and challenging courses the sport is renowned for.

Polyphony therefore need to fully embrace the license with multiple-stages akin to the real-life WRC with up to date rally cars split across the A, B and C Classes.

Then there was the Top Gear license. Oh how the Top Gear fanboy in me wanted to kiss the Polyphony team when this partnership was first announced.

For the first time, fans of the show could finally re-enact the celebrity laps on the test track in a video game. But while the test track was accurately modelled with Polyphony’s eccentric eye for detail, Polyphony didn’t seize the opportunity to fully utilise their access to the most popular motoring show in the world.

Unforgivably, none of the Reasonably Priced cars featured throughout Top Gear’s history were available, and you couldn’t even perform a lap from a standing start like in the show. Worse still, the special Top Gear events in the career were uninspiring, to say the least. Here, Polyphony had the opportunity to capture the essence of the show’s novelty challenges and power-tests. Instead they plonked you in a VW Camper van in a race so sleep-inducingly slow that even Captain Slow himself would have nodded off.

Imagine, then, how my heart sank when Turn 10 trounced Polyphony by not only featuring the famous test track, but the Suzuki Liana and Kia C’eed Reasonably Priced Cars, a mock-up of the studio, authentic replay camera angles and the voiceover of Jeremy Clarkson. This is how it should have been done.

Old and new tracks

Gran Turismo has contained some of the most memorable fictional tracks, with fan favourites such as High Speed Ring, Clubman Stage Route 5 and Autumn Hill becoming staples of the series.

Many of these classic tracks were conspicuously absent from GT5, however. Where was El Capitan, Apricot Hill and Midfield Raceway, for example? Again, rumours were circulating about some of the missing tracks being reprised as DLC which never materialised, so we can only assume Polyphony is saving them for GT6.

Of course, Gran Turismo has also featured a slew of real race tracks over the years, too, such as the Nurburgring, Cote d’Azur and Circuit De Le Sarthe. GT6 presents an opportunity for Polyphony to expand their portfolio of famous race tracks - Bathurst has already been confirmed to feature in GT6, and Silverstone seems to be on the cards given its connection to the GT Academy.

Vita Cross-Play

This is an unlikely one, admittedly. But it’s now been four years since we last saw a handheld version of Gran Turismo with the release of the long-delayed Gran Turismo PSP, a game that was originally meant to be a mobile version of GT4 released simultaneously.

Now is the perfect time for Gran Turismo to make a comeback on the PS3 and gain new fans on the PS Vita as the definitive handheld racing game. The Vita is a technological powerhouse that the perfectionists at Polyphony would surely love to tinker with, and early racing game releases such as WRC3 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted have proven that console-quality experiences on the go are achievable.

Just imagine what Polyphony could achieve with this technology in their scrupulous hands. I can only dream of GT6 being simultaneously released on PS3 and Vita with Cross-Play compatibility.

What would you like to see from Gran Turismo 6? Sound off in the comments below, on our Facebook page or discuss in our Gran Turismo 6 forum thread.

Bernie - Do One!

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:32:43 -0400

Blink and you will miss it. Four races into the season already, Vettel is leading the pack once again but F1 is back in the news and column inches are being filled with stories about McLaren's fall from grace, Mercedes' rise to power, Raikkonen being a genuine force to be reckoned with and Bernie Ecclestone's senile comments.

I realised I hadn't written a blog for over a month. Truth is, my actual job has consumed my life recently. I wanted to write about Lewis Hamilton's rather impressive start to the year - people had written him off over his decision to leave McLaren...how smug must he be feeling? But I don't think I could have written 900 words on him without a comment along the lines of, "woah, cut down on the bromance there." So I was waiting for something to truly incense me...and that happened last week with Bernie Ecclestone's comment on his desire to have just ten teams on the grid.

The current grid fields eleven teams, each fielding two cars. Twenty-two years ago, F1 had 18 teams, and even used to have a pre-qualifying session for teams and drivers to qualify just to get into the main event for the weekend. Over time, costs have increased exponentially and a lot of the teams that have gone have failed due to financial constraints. However, regardless of these losses from the grid, the lower-funded teams have been known as the lifeblood of the sport. People who have genuine passion for racing motor cars and are not being judged by a management board in the ilk of Mercedes, Ferrari and Lotus. They have also fielded drivers who have gone on to win races and world championships. On the current grid this year Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso started their careers driving for back-of-the-grid Minardi; former World Champion Damon Hill started at Brabham; double World Champion Mika Hakkinen started at Lotus (in 1991, they were hardly representative of the famed Lotus name past and present) and even seven-times World Champion Michael Schumacher started at Jordan who had to be part of the pre-qualifying session in 1991.

I appreciate that times have changed, but sadly the ringleaders at the top don't see it - or probably don't want to see it. Whilst I was never a fan of Max Mosley when he was FIA president, he did try to bring in the notion of a budget cap - and with it three new teams signed up under that resource restriction agreement. In 2010 Virgin Racing (now Marussia), Team Lotus (now Caterham) and Hispania Racing Team (now defunct) joined the grid pushing the number of teams to 12 (current F1 regulations allow for 13 teams). Mosley headed off and the budget cap was dismissed by the F1 powerhouses - predominantly Ferrari and Red Bull Racing. The fact that two of those teams have had to find new financial sources through rebranding and one has gone bankrupt says everything.

People ask me what I would change about F1 if I had the power to do so. For starters, I would introduce a budget cap (excluding driver/team salaries and factory overheads). F1 is ridiculously expensive. The proposed cap in 2009 to attract new teams was set at £40m. That was in reality too much of an extreme - a report in 2010 stated Red Bull Racing's budget was £185.2m and McLaren's at £158.9m. But that's not to say it couldn't happen - a winding down of spending, a stepped introduction to budget control over a period of years...oh and maybe a wider share of Bernie's pockets - I mean television revenue.

But back to Bernie. He wants 10 teams, when we have 11 on the grid. Why doesn't he just say instead that he wants to make hundreds of people unemployed and see a company go bankrupt during the most fiercest worldwide recession ever? Does he just want to make it easier on his ageing brain than to do multiples of 11? The ten-times table is easier I guess. We should be encouraging new blood into Formula One and stop making it sound too elitist. Manufacturer funded teams (Mercedes, Lotus, Ferrari) come and go as they please - in the last decade we have had Toyota and Honda fail at making a presence in the sport. Independent teams (McLaren, Williams, Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso, Sauber, Force India, Marussia, Caterham) either have to make a success on track - or they won't be on track. It'd be nice if they had a bit more financial freedom.

My final comment on this will be around driver ability. There have been plenty of comments made this year about pay-drivers. If I had £30m spare I'd probably buy myself a season in F1... but I won't be remembered. F1 should have the best drivers in the world on the grid. If there were tighter restrictions on how teams spent money to put two cars on the track each year maybe, just maybe, teams could pick who to employ to race for them as opposed to opening their doors to the highest bidder. Credibility in driver, team and most importantly the sport will ensue.

Grid 2 Uncovered Miami gameplay video

Sat, 11 May 2013 18:24:00 -0400

Codemasters continue their tour of Grid 2's global assortment of tracks in the Undcovered video series. This latest look takes us to Miami behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang Boss 302, in a bumper to bumper race on a comact street circuit that should look familiar if you've played DiRT Showdown.

Discuss Grid 2 in our forum thread.

Milestone announces "2012 Top Riders" DLC for MotoGP '13

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:39:35 -0400

Milestone has revealed the first details about the inaugural DLC package for its upcoming MotoGP '13 title.

The downloadable bundle consists of - as its "2012 Top Riders" name suggests - eight bikes that were ridden by some of the legendary competitors in last year's MotoGP season, including Valentino Rossi's Ducati, Casey Stoner's Honda and Jorge Lorenzo's championship-winning Yamaha.

The full list of riders and bikes goes as follows:

V. Rossi - Ducati Team
N. Hayden - Ducati Team
A. Dovizioso - Monster Yamaha Tech 3
C. Crutchlow - Monster Yamaha Tech 3
J. Lorenzo - Yamaha Factory Racing
B. Spies - Yamaha Factory Racing
C. Stoner - Repsol Honda
D. Pedrosa - Repsol Honda

Understandably, these eight bikes won't be elligible for the game's single-player campaign mode. However, it has been confirmed that the batch can be raced in Quick Race/Race Weekend, Multiplayer, Split Screen and Championship game modes

As an added incentive to pre-order MotoGP (and in a similar vein to what Milestone did with the Mini Cooper S DLC for WRC3 last year), the 'Top Riders' pack will be a free addition to the game

If you don't take the plunge and secure your copy early, then they'll be available to download on 21st June; on PSN, this'll set you back £3.99, whereas it'll cost you 400 Microsoft Points on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

No details have been mentioned on this DLC being open to the PC version, though we'd be pretty surprised if the players who didn't go for a console copy of MotoGP '13 were left out of the deal.

At least the DLC announcement does give us a more definitive window for MotoGP '13's eventual release date: if the DLC's available on 21st June, then we can expect the finished product to be filling up the shelves at your nearest game retailer sometime during the middle of next month...

Trials Evolution: Gold Edition Review

Thu, 09 May 2013 21:45:09 -0400

With Trials Evolution's potent popularity still regularly resonating with XBLA players, you'd be forgiven for forgetting that the successful series originated on the PC. And it all started with a crudely animated online Flash game hosted on Miniclip that did well to distract me in laborious school computer classes.

Its success was thanks to decidedly simple premise that evoked the timeless gaming cliché of being deceptively easy to play but hard to master: navigate a bike along a series of increasingly hazardous levels set in a warehouse, using concentrated taps of the accelerator, brake and balance to avoid getting maimed. Unless you were me and went out of your way to impale your rider on every ramp for a cheap laugh.

A sequel was born in the form of Trials 2: Second Edition, the series’ first retail release that sported upgraded 3D graphics, physics and notoriously challenging levels. It was critically acclaimed, but it wasn’t until the release of Trials HD that the series suddenly gained significant spotlight, which saw RedLynx abandon the PC market and focus on making a name for themselves on the XBLA.

It paid off in spades, too. Trials HD spawned a little known sequel called Trials Evolution, which went on to become the best-selling XBLA game of all time. The levels were zanier, as RedLynx ventured outdoors into Crash County, an expansive environment which made for some lavish level designs that were absurdly creative at times, online multiplayer made its debut in the series and the all-important balance between fun and frustration finally felt balanced with a gradual difficulty spike that slowly eased newcomers in.

In an attempt to gain an even wider audience, we now have Trials Evolution: Gold Edition, an enhanced and belated PC port of the XBLA favourite that also bundles every level from Trials HD as compensation for PC players who have been sorely left behind over the years.

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Refuelled
Gold Edition will spark some serious deja-vu if you’ve already played Trials Evolution on XBLA. This is by and large an identical experience, with all the same levels, progression system, trashy thrash metal music and thumb-bleeding gameplay that made Trials Evolution such a runaway success, but being able to finally play it on a PC does have its perks.

For the PC port, RedLynx took the opportunity to spruce up the graphics somewhat, but while Gold Edition does benefit from the ability to play in a higher resolution and tinker with the graphics settings (you can turn foliage on and off for example), it’s not the drastic overhaul we were perhaps expecting, despite some slightly sharper textures and optional anti-aliasing.

Unfortunately, Gold Edition has been plagued with performance issues upon release. Community complaints have been flooding the official forum about its less than stellar frame-rate, which stuttered even on high-end machines that are perfectly capable of running intensive games such as Battlefield 3 and Crysis 3, while other users reported numerous graphical glitches that severely tarnished the game.

While my issues weren’t as severe as other player’s seemed to be, installing the recently released patch seemed to address the problematic performance, as the game now runs smoothly with only occasional hitches whilst running on the highest resolution and graphics settings. I can’t vouch for how it fares on other machines, but it’s fair to say you should see improvements given that my system isn’t a top-of-the-range gaming PC.

Despite the lack of analogue control, Trials is still perfectly playable on a keyboard, requiring modulated taps of the arrow keys to control the acceleration of the bike and the balance of the rider.

It’s a testament to Trials’ masterfully refined physics that the limitations of the keyboard don’t hamper the gameplay too much, although I did occasionally struggle in some of the later, more challenging levels that demand a level of finesse a keyboard simply can’t deliver. Playing on a keyboard isn’t very ideal for some of the extended steep hill climbs you’ll encounter, for example – your fingers won’t thank you when you inevitably get cramp from strenuously mashing the arrow keys like a Tech Deck finger skateboard.

Trials handles remarkably well on a keyboard considering its limitations, but it’s no substitute for a controller with proper analogue control, however. We therefore highly recommend connecting an Xbox 360 controller for extra precision.

Replayed
Gold Edition also benefits from some added social integration. At the end of each level, you are given options to share times on Facebook and export replay videos, which can be directly uploaded to YouTube. For a game that relies on player skill to excel at the later levels and achieve top scores, the ability to share those perfect runs after hours of practice should be a handy tool for competitive comrades.

It’s a great idea in principle, but its execution currently leaves a lot to be desired. After completing a level you’ll be prompted to share your replay on YouTube, but you’ll have to sit through the lengthy process whilst the game exports a compulsory offline video file onto your hard drive before it can be uploaded. It’s a shame you can’t resume play and let it save the file in the background, because it can often take several minutes to save - even on shorter runs that are only 30 seconds to a minute in length.

You can change the output resolution and video quality settings, but videos saved on the higher settings were noticeably choppy, whereas videos saved in lower quality settings were heavily pixelated. Granted, when viewed in a small window on YouTube these issues most likely won’t be as apparent, but users tend to have higher expectations when full HD videos are readily available on YouTube. Clearly, Gold Edition’s video compression needs to be optimised.
And that’s before you’ve even uploaded anything to YouTube. To upload directly, you must first allow Trials to access YouTube by exiting the game and entering an on-screen code in your YouTube account, but attempts to upload my video in-game frequently failed despite being signed in. Honestly, you’re better off using a third party recording application such as Fraps.

Many will also be dismayed to learn that Gold Edition requires Ubisoft’s unwanted Steam substitute game client known as Uplay to launch, meaning you’ll need to have both Uplay and Steam open if you purchase Gold Edition through the latter. You can at least now link friends from both accounts thanks to the latest patch, but being tied to Uplay feels wholly unnecessary. Uplay also powers Gold Edition’s online multiplayer, but you have to invite friends through the Uplay overlay separately before being able to join an in-game party which feels excessive.

The extra levels from Trials HD are a welcome addition to an already packed package. Replaying Trials HD reminds you just how accomplished Evolution is by comparison, however. Gold Edition adds some extra sparkle to the graphics and also upgrades the physics so that they match that of Trials Evolution, but being confined to the same dingy warehouse in every level becomes samey compared to Trials Evolution’s lavish outdoor environments.

Unlike Trials Evolution, which eased you in gently and ramped up the difficulty at a manageable pace, the Trials HD levels have a far less forgiving difficulty spike, and some of the later levels still rank as some of the most relentlessly punishing levels you’ll encounter in the series. They’re a fun diversion nonetheless that help bolster the campaign, and RedLynx’s intricate level designs still impress, even if they’re a tad primitive when paired with Evolution’s spectacular levels.

It’s also worth noting that, as opposed to being a standalone game, the Trials HD levels live in a separate ‘HD Warehouse’ map within the main career, and aren’t accessible until you earn enough stars in Evolution’s Crash County map. Stars earned in Crash County or Warehouse levels contribute towards your overall career progress, allowing you to hop back and forth between maps at will – if you’re short on stars to unlock the next tier of levels in Evolution’s Crash Country, you can complete levels in HD’s Warehouse to access them, for example.

Trials Evolution was bolstered with a healthy helping of post-release DLC with the Origin of Pain and Riders of Doom packs that added additional bikes, levels, skill games and achievements, but they sadly didn’t survive the transition to Gold Edition.

Granted, there’s more than enough content on offer here (there’s well over 100 levels at your disposal plus custom community levels) to keep you occupied, but labelling this PC port as a ‘Gold Edition’ implies you’re getting a definitive version of the game akin to ‘complete’ editions of games that bundle every piece of DLC with the original game for the same price as the standalone game was originally worth. It’s a tremendous shame, because both packs contained some genuinely imaginative levels, and their absence is sorely felt.

Of course, this is where the community comes in. Trials Evolution is renowned for its community support, with the introduction of a level editor transforming it into something of an XBLA LittleBigPlanet for bikes with unlimited replayability, where users can play, create and share custom-designed levels.

And despite the fact that none of the levels created in Trials Evolution on XBLA were ported over, it’s not taken long for Gold Edition’s online portal to fill up with a plethora of quality levels. Meanwhile, the editor, available as both a basic construction site which lets you add jumps, ramps and obstacles or an advanced editor that gives you complete free reign to carve a track of your wildest dreams, is more versatile than ever since navigation is far slicker and intuitive with a PC mouse.

If you’re a newcomer to the Trials’ series, Gold Edition is an absolutely essential package that retains everything that made the original games so special, especially for the meagre asking price of £15.99. It may not the complete package it could have been and there are still some PC-specific niggles that need addressing, but the expanded social integration and easier level editing help enhance what is already one of the most chronically addictive games of this generation.

Read our original review of Trials Evolution here.

New DriveClub screenshots and details emerge

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:07:47 -0400

News surrounding Evolution Studio's ambitious socially-connected DriveClub for the PS4 has been thin on the ground since its next generation announcement, but details are slowly starting to emerge as we get closer to its inevitable showing at E3 next month where we hope to gain a greater understanding of Evolution's nine year project.

The new details come from an in-depth interview posted on Edge-Online, which delves deep into DriveClub's conception, how it will utilise the PS4's almighty horsepower and Evolution's ambition to push DriveClub "beyond arcade and simulation racing."

DriveClub is undoubtedly breathtakingly beautiful to look at from what we've seen so far, but we want to know what it's like to actually play as a driving experience. As Evolution's above statement suggests, DriveClub will seemingly weave between the lines of simulation and arcade with a driving model that's "accessible and fun and social, but is nevertheless breathtaking to look at and sophisticated and deep at the same time as it’s accessible." Sounds a bit like Grid 2, then.

Some new glistening screenshots have also surfaced predominately featuring an immaculately-rendered Koenigsegg Agera R, which you can view below:

Polyphony Digital to celebrate 15 years of Gran Turismo; "exciting announcements" planned

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:10:53 -0400

With the fabled PlayStation-exclusive racing game franchise set to become 15 years old in 2013, Polyphony Digital is preparing a special event to commemorate the occasions.

Slated for the 15th of May, the event in question will be held at the Silverstone racing circuit, which played host to last year's GT Academy competition.

Staying on the topic of the GT series, it's being tauted that something special is being prepared for the event, with the official announcement stating " exciting announcements about its future" will be revealed there.

What these may be are anyone's guess. However, given a small section of the accompanying teaser trailer depicted a flashing cursor at the end of the GT logo (after a brief run-down of all the logos of the GT series' numbered entries), it does suggest that something very important trgarding the future of the GT franchise will be announced at this event.

Details at this moment in time are scarce at time of writing, though we're assured that more will be released as we get closer to the event in question.

As a result, stay tuned on the news feed, as well as on our Facebook page, for the latest info on Gran Turismo's 15th birthday party.

And do let us know what you think the "exciting announcement" will be in the comments section below, and in our forums!

Auto Club Revolution marks end of beta stage with celebratory infographic video

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:35:26 -0400

To mark the end of the free-to-play title's first eight months as a closed beta racer, the dev team behind Auto Club Revolution has released an interesting new infographic video.

Crammed into the reel's 81 seconds of running time are several intriguing statistics, which shed a light on how popular Eutechnyx's online PC race app is.

The short clip also provides a handful of players a brief foray into the community's spotlight for achieving certain goals in the game (congrats, TruKr, for being the first ACR user to possess all the cars in the title!).

All in all, a pretty cool peek at some interesting ACR statistics, especially when you consider the title's still got another two months to go before Eutechnyx can celebrate Auto Club Revolution's first anniversary.

And, with new features and content already in the pipelines to build on the PC sim racer's success, we're looking forward to seeing how Eutechnyx will improve on what's increasingly looking like a truly remarkable online free-to-play game...

VVV visit The Gaming Den featuring Grid 2

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:07:43 -0400

Team VVV recently visited The Gaming Den in central London, a weekly community event hosted by The Average Gamer where like-minded gamers of all ages can indulge in their favourite hobby, try out the latest games on gigantic screens whilst reminiscing on retro titles and nab some freebies in competitions.

Grid 2 had a star showing in the event that we attended, allowing players to get a sneak peak of Codemaster's much-anticipated racer ahead of its release later this month. The ever-impressive Vesaro D-Box hydraulic racing seat made yet another appearance in a lap time competition, too, where the winner would take home a pair of headphones, a Grid 2 hat and a signed copy of Grid 2 on release.

Team VVV popped along to have a chat with the event's founders, gain some community feedback on Grid 2 and of course play copious amounts of games both old and new.

Third MotoGP '13 gameplay trailer shows polished presentation

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:52:37 -0400

Milestone has released the third in a series of gameplay trailers for MotoGP '13 that shows just how far the game has come during development in recent months. And what's on show looks very promising indeed.

In what is our first glimpse of the 2013 season content in action, we hitch a ride with Valentino Rossi along the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca:

We're certainly liking the polished presentation on display. Indeed, it's evident that Milestone are aiming to deliver a truly authentic MotoGP game experience that fans have been craving for, from the slick menus complete with background archive footage of the real life championship and the surprise inclusion of commentator Gavin Emmet, to the navigable pre-race garage meetings with the paddock crew that house the various options.

Of course, we've seen a very similar pre-race paddock setup done before in Codemaster's back-catalogue for several years now as popularised by the F1 series, but it's an inevitable crossover when both developers are attempting to recreate a licensed motorsport as closely as possible. And whilst we're on the subject of similarities to Codemaster's games, the character models look like emotionless drones, but we'll forgive them considering how glorious the rest of the game currently looks. Hopefully we'll see a similar setup in WRC4.

Rider animations also appear to be subtly realistic. Watch closely as Rossi gently leans his leg to negotiate the high speed corner.

We'll have more on MotoGP '13 as we get it. In the meantime, you can discuss this in the comments below, on our Facebook page or on our forum.

Project CARS: The community-developed rival to Forza and GT

Sun, 05 May 2013 17:18:05 -0400

Console racing games have been dominated by Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport for generations, but all that history could be about to change. London's Slightly Mad Studios has come up with a brand new approach to developing motorsport titles.

After creating Need for Speed: Shift and Shift 2: Unleashed, the studio decided to break away from the traditional developer/ publisher business model to try something completely new. The company created the World of Mass Development, an online community where gamers can invest in a development project in exchange for regular access to new builds of the work-in-progress product. Investors can also give their feedback to the developers on every aspect of the title, leaving their mark on the game.

The studio created this concept before the advent of services like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, giving them complete control over the funding process. So far, the studio has raised a staggering $4.3 million from over 80,000 registered members of its community and unlike Kickstarter, Slightly Mad's investors will actually make some money back if the project is successful.

The funding process has been so successful that Slightly Mad Studios is being investigated by the UK's Financial Services Authority, which wants to make sure that the World of Mass Development is a legitimate business. Investment in the game has been temporarily paused while this takes place.

The game Slightly Mad Studios is creating using this model is Project CARS, a racing game aiming to cover every aspect of motorsport, from karting to Formula One. CARS' astonishing graphics have caught the attention of racing fans throughout the world, with the game expected to release in 2014 for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii-U.

We spoke to Creative Director, Andy Tudor, to uncover the secrets of the title and its unusual development process.

Why did you decide to strike out on your own after shipping two successful racing games with EA?

Project CARS offers us a chance to go back to our roots and compete on our home turf in the sim racing genre with our own IP. The Need For Speed franchise is an ever-evolving entity and continues to be in great hands with the Criterion team for whom we have the greatest respect but you have to follow your heart and we believe there's an opportunity there for a multi-platform realistic racer with innovative and best-in-class features that was made in collaboration with the people that have been playing our games for years.

What was the inspiration for the idea of the World of Mass Development?

Even with our pedigree in making kickass racing games, getting the funds and green light for a project like this from a traditional publisher isn't a walk in the park when considering all the licensing costs for the cars and tracks and the development time needed to make a game that's going to be competing against Forza and GT in people's minds. So yes we explored other avenues briefly first, but a crowd-funded, crowd-powered platform for making AAA games was always in our minds because ultimately we're not alone in this situation and it can hopefully benefit other developers in the future.

With so many investors, each offering very different amounts of funding, how has this approach impacted upon your normal game development process?

We put up the original design overview back in October 2011 which listed the features we'd like in the game and since then the vision has remained pretty similar. Things have been massaged along the way like the moving of Rally to expanded content and more focus on the motorsports people would like to see represented in career mode, but no more so than would normally happen during milestone meetings with a publisher or when discussing requests from a marketing department.

Development has therefore been pretty similar - we make regular builds of the game for people to play and give feedback on and the team post up their progress on individual items like car building, handling improvements, bug fixes etc. We gradually work through that original design doc.

The biggest difference (and improvement!) is that we now have a huge focus group of players that we can get feedback from as soon as a new update to the game goes live. So it's definitely helped us get to a higher quality level more quickly because of that rapid turnaround time and it's helped indicate to us what features and items are really resonating with players and therefore what we should be spending more time on.

How is the pressure of working with fans' money different from working with a big publisher?

The pressure of working for a publisher comes from one: the game has to be released at a certain date to fit a specific window of opportunity and two: you have to complete the work each month in order to get paid, neither of which are as prevalent using our model. Whilst we are still aiming at a specific launch date, ultimately the decision over whether the game is ready or not for release is part of the community input - if they don't think it's ready then we'll listen.

But whilst those specific pressures don't exist, you're right, new ones do though. Obviously we're making the game in full public view - every community member has a backstage pass in effect to see how we make games, talk to us about it, and offer suggestions - so our approach from the outset was to be as transparent and open as possible with everything. We're in a very privileged position to have so many gamers believing in us and the project so it's our responsibility to treat them with respect, listen to their concerns, and deliver upon that initial promise of a beautiful, deep, successful racing experience.

Is it different to be working with investors who have more emotional involvement in the project as well?

There's definitely a pleasure and benefit that comes from working alongside a community of people that are just as passionate as ourselves about making the best, most authentic, fun product possible. As an example, the leaps and bounds we've been making in terms of our physics, tire model, handling, and lighting are all a testament to the great feedback that we've been getting since the start of the project. To then see that translated into trailers that the community then voluntarily create brings that process of collaboration full circle.

Have you had any problems with investors expecting more involvement in the project than you were originally willing to offer?

Well in actual fact we've tried to encourage those guys that want to go the extra mile where possible. The guys that live nearby a track location and volunteer to go and take reference shots for us, or 'a guy that knows a guy that knows a guy that works at Fanatec [a steering wheel manufacturer]', or members that are clearly gifted when it comes to taking screenshots or creating trailers, or run existing sim racing forums/websites and want to be 'community ambassadors' for the project. We've just launched our Project CARS API that allows people to get third-party hardware and devices working with the game and that's all a response to this desire from the community to get involved more.

While you've been working with the World of Mass Development, services such as Kickstarter have exploded in popularity. Do you ever regret putting so much time into your own investment system when third-party services have become so popular since?

Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are great for donations but are limited in the conversation you have with the project starters since you only really have email alerts or video updates to inform you how your money is being spent. With our model though you go behind the scenes with us and see how the game is made. You can get builds of the game right now, play it and give us feedback on it, ask us questions directly on our forum, take part in key decisions as to the direction and features in it, and generally get treated like a fellow member of the team. There are 'perks' of course just like Kickstarter that reward you based on your financial contribution, such as your name in the game, exclusive access to stuff and more, but perhaps the biggest one that other sites don't have is our 'Fee' system which will pay you back money dependent on the success of the title.

Do you think that using Kickstarter would have gotten you more media attention for the project, or more money?

Well Kickstarter was only available in the US at the time we started so that wasn't even an option for us. It was - and still is - about that two-way conversation we have with the gamers that is only possible through World of Mass Development. Sure, we could have been mentioned in articles alongside Tim Schafer and the Oculus Rift but we've been extremely fortunate with the amount of money raised so far and the extensive media coverage we've gotten so we can't complain really. We made the right decision.

How difficult has it been to licence cars, circuits and other content without the backing of a large publisher?

We've been making racing games since the early days of GTR and GT Legends so we have good relationships with manufacturers and circuits irrespective of publishers and individual game titles. So people like Pagani or BAC have been really proactive and delighted in seeing their beautiful vehicles shown off in the game and we're making steady headway with licensing more and more of the 37 tracks currently in the game. Sometimes it is more of a challenge than others but otherwise we continue to add more content to the game regularly.

Project CARS has gotten lots of attention in the wider gaming community because of its stunning graphics and regular community galleries. How did this desire to push the visuals come about and how much of the money you've received is dedicated to the graphics?

When you look at Forza and GT and the sim racing genre as a whole, realism is king. Whether that's in the laser-scanned accuracy of the tracks, the individual recording of each engine growl, the CAD-sculpted craftsmanship in the cars, the 600Hz physics and handling, the features available in tuning setups etc. Being the most accurate representation of the real-life thing is the criteria that will give you an edge upon your competitors and put you one step closer to perfection.

When you see a car in real life you want to get up close to it and appreciate the smooth lines and reflections, the attention to detail in the panel work and interior stitching, the mechanical intricacy under the hood etc... and there's a 1:1 relationship with wanting to see that in the game also. We're at a stage graphically where we've passed the 'uncanny valley' in terms of momentarily believing a car is real in a racing games, so now the kind of things that keep our art and code teams up at night, especially with the next-gen of consoles launching, are the same techniques and features that are used in movie CGI - tone mapping, global specular irradiance, volumetric clouds and so on.

It's difficult to break the [funding] percentage down on a pie chart but we live in a visually-driven world so it's important for us that our screenshots and videos look stunning and it's nice to see that the game is already getting buzz as the most beautiful racing game ever.

Both NFS Shift games were criticised by the simulation racing community for poor car handling and controls. What have you changed in the approach to CARS to improve in these areas?

So with the Shift titles we were obviously moving iteratively towards a more 'sim' style title. Shift 1 was the introduction of circuit racing to the previously illegal action/arcade titles from previous years. Shift 2 then introduced the 'Superman versions' of road cars with GT3, GT1 and other forms of real motorsport with Drift, Drag, Time Attack, and Endurance. Each step of the way we were also adding more depth to the physics, handling, controls, options, and general realism whilst still maintaining that core experience of 'what it really feels like out on the track'.

Compared to existing sim racing titles at the time though we still had a number of steps to go in terms of audience expectation on what they believed were key differentiators between the Shift titles and what they were used to and we appreciated those and have taken them on board wholeheartedly for Project CARS.

The steering wheel input lag issues [with Shift] for example were major, so we spent a good deal of time at the start of Project CARS making sure the new system was perfect and that it wouldn't be tainting the feel of any other developments we were planning for the physics system. The force feedback system was redesigned from the ground up too. It now allows us the freedom to adjust the input of all tire, suspension and G-forces to control the effect that the player feels at the steering wheel and is all exposed per-car to the player so it can be tuned to their equipment and personal liking. This has been a huge step up from the broader approach used on the Shift games where a limited and fixed set of inputs were used and the only control dial the player had was for overall strength.

We're also overhauling the tire model which is fully dynamic. The Seta Tire Model really is a generation beyond the steady-state models used in the past and it has forced us to step up our game in other areas as well, ensuring that every aspect of each car - aerodynamics, suspension and so on works up to the potential of the tire model. The perfect tire model is no good if those other parts aren't all working in concert. As a generalization, the design of the Shift games required a huge amount of time balancing a large field of varied cars with multiple upgrade paths. For Project CARS, we are spending that time researching the details of each and every car to get the driving characteristics as correct as possible.

There has also been community criticism of the pace of CARS' development. For example, some builds have caused problems with previous content, even if they added new content and fixed other bugs. Has it been difficult to get people who are never normally involved in game development to understand the process?

Again, it's mixed. There are people that get super-excited about the smallest addition to the game and people that have concerns about something that previously they thought was final and has since become broken, so there's definitely an education there that even ourselves are learning from since it makes us evaluate processes that we've traditionally used, but then get questioned by the community that are experiencing it for the first time. Ultimately though, people have been very understanding and curious about how games are made and love being part of this unified community.

We know Project CARS is coming to PC and current generation consoles. Are you also considering next generation platforms, or would that require additional investment?

So we're looking at release for next-gen consoles after the current-gen and it would require additional money but we have strong hope that the community sees the potential and decides to fund it.

Project CARS will be released for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii-U in 2014. You can follow the progress of the development at http://www.wmdportal.com/projects/cars/.

WRC Powerslide interview: how Milestone powered up WRC

Fri, 03 May 2013 22:42:19 -0400

Italian developer Milestone are commonly associated with their licensed, specialist simulation racing titles such as WRC and MotoGP. Imagine our surprise, then, when they announced WRC Powerslide for PSN and XBLA, an unapologetically arcade take on WRC that adds an overhead camera, accessible arcade-style handling and a plethora of pantomime power-ups.

We caught up with Lead Designer and self-confessed rally fanatic Irvin Zonca to find out what drove Milestone down this drastic detour for a series that primarily prides itself on authenticity.

WRC Powerslide isn't exactly the first arcade spin-off to a licensed racing series. Milestone’s chief competitor Codemasters recently popularised the trend with DiRT Showdown and F1 Race Stars for example, which featured simplified handling and, in the case of F1 Race Stars, vibrant visuals with cartoony big-headed drivers, evoking a more light-hearted tone that broadened the series’ brand identity.

But just as WRC is often unfairly compared to DiRT, it’s easy to presume that Milestone simply emulated Codemaster’s concept. Irvin downplays any coincidental comparisons however, citing retro rally titles as Powerslide’s primary influence: “WRC Powerslide is more similar to old games like Drift Out or World Rally from Gaelco,” he asserts. “WRC Powerslide and F1 Race Stars share the concept of mixing a real license with arcade elements, but I think that the similarity ends here. The identity of WRC Powerslide is strongly defined by its top-down view, which makes it similar to a classic 90’s coin op game.”

As for what initially inspired Milestone to develop Powerslide, Irvin recalls tooling around with WRC3’s camera views: “At the end of WRC 3’s development we were placing the replay cameras, and we noticed that playing with a top-down view was pure fun and gave a whole new interpretation to the game.”

Indeed, Powerslide’s birds-eye camera perspective allows us to admire previously unseen details of WRC 3’s sumptuous scenery and appreciate the scale of the environments. For a budget downloadable game, Powerslide is packed with visual eye candy on every corner, although it’s no coincidence that its visual detail is on par with that of WRC 3: “WRC Powerslide shares the same Spike Engine as WRC3,” Irvin reveals.

You would therefore assume that many modifications would be required to compensate for Powerslide’s overhead camera. Codemasters deployed a similar tactic during the development of the F1 Online: the Game for example, by adapting F1 2011’s existing graphics engine into F1: Online’s top-down Unity engine. Consequently, more work was required during the transition as the team suddenly had to model rooftops on buildings that you would otherwise not have noticed in the main game.

Fortunately, Milestone didn’t encounter many issues when adapting Spike Engine for Powerslide: “Surprisingly, we didn’t have to do too many modifications such as adding details. In WRC3, the tracks were already full of details because we wanted the scenery to look good in replays,” Irvin reveals.

“On the contrary, we have had to make a few adjustments to keep the frame rate rock-steady to factor the additional cars on-track and power ups. For example, the sky was modified in each track because it’s almost not framed.”

It’s a risky strategy, however, as the realistic presentation contrasts heavily with the fantasy arcade mechanics – a jarring mix that arguably contributed to Bizarre Creation’s Blur’s sales fatally slumping. Whereas Codemasters deliberately styled F1 Race Stars’ to look like something out of a warped cartoon that differentiates itself from the core franchise, Irvin insists that Powerslide’s detailed graphics is one of its most appealing aspects. “We were not tempted to simplify the graphics because we wanted it to become one of the strengths of the game. Players are appreciating this: a realistic style fits with the license that delivers a very eye-candy experience for just 15 euros.”

In contrast to WRC3’s lonely time trial rallies, Powerslide’s gameplay revolves around four car races across some of the exotic stages seen in WRC3, which instantly reminded me of the underrated Rallycross sport. Rallycross was included as part of DiRT's all-encompassing brand of off-road racing disciplines, but with no sign of an official Rallycross game it seems a shame for Milestone not to implement it into WRC – I certainly would have preferred the option to race against competitors than some of the challenges seen in Road to Glory.

Irvin insists that it would have been out of place in WRC3 however, maintaining that its arcade credentials creates a separate identity for the brand, just as DiRT Showdown did for DiRT.

“We didn’t consider that because the identity of WRC Powerslide is very different from the one of WRC3. This brand new identity just doesn’t fit with a game focused on simulation, such as WRC3. Also, we created WRC Powerslide with the goal of entertaining every kind of players, with a focus on arcade gamers. We didn’t want to force arcade gamers to buy WRC3 in order to enjoy WRC Powerslide.”
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“WRC Powerslide is a completely different experience and it’s mainly directed to arcade gamers. WRC Powerslide has very little in common with WRC3, mainly because the player is no longer alone on the stage. WRC Powerslide can be enjoyed both by players who already played WRC3 and newcomers: the two games are not linked. WRC3 is about taking the perfect trajectory, setting up the car before the race and listening carefully to the co-driver’s voice. WRC Powerslide is about slamming against your opponent to throw him down a cliff while unleashing a hailstorm against another car!”

One of the biggest criticisms aimed at WRC3 was the alienating Road to Glory career mode, which brought a more arcade-approach to WRC3’s authenticity that Powerslide seems to be an extension of. Its star progression system, whereby later levels were unlocked by accumulating set amounts of stars based on your performance, required a lot of repetitive grinding where you often had to repeat earlier stages, which was frustrating for novice players.

I was therefore concerned about Powerslide suffering the same fate, but Milestone seem to have learnt their lesson: “We considered this issue and we simplified the career structure to avoid any kind of grinding. The player is just required to win the races using different cars from different categories in order to gain access to the next ones”, Irvin assures.

Along with the overhead camera, Powerslide’s handling is one of the most striking changes that avid WRC3 players will instantly notice. Gone are the authentic physics replaced with a loose, unapologetically arcade handling model that lets you glide around corners with little loss of speed.

“The handling has been totally re-tuned to fit the game’s characteristics: fast paced races, bumper-to-bumper action and corners taken at full speed,” Irvin explains. “The best comparison can be made with Micro Machines and World Rally from Gaelco. In these titles, driving the car is not meant to be the main goal and it must not absorb all of the players’ concentration: driving must be the tool to enjoy the whole race, like the collisions with the opponents and the power-ups management.”

Ah yes, the power-ups. Many gasped at the prospect of WRC incorporating Mario Kart-style power-ups, but, love them or loathe them, they are an integral part of Powerslide's gameplay, ranging from simple nitrous boost to spawning rain clouds over your opponents as seen in F1 Race Stars. It took a lot of careful persuasion with the FIA on Codemasters’ part to allow the inclusion of power-ups in F1 Race Stars, which were handled under very strict conditions in order to preserve the merits of the prestigious license.

It was seemingly a similar story for Milestone when pitching Powerslide, too, as Irvin recalls: “We discussed the design of these many times with the FIA itself. The FIA asked us to stick to the spirit of the real WRC and we totally agreed with them. So, we avoided missiles or weird weapons and started thinking of more plausible power-ups. We split them into two groups: the first group of power-ups are linked to environmental conditions (such as events that can occur during a rally, like thunderstorms or hailstorms) and the second group is related to car components, such as the ‘horn power’ and ‘nitro’ power-ups.”

Powerslide’s arcade accessibility seems very well-suited to the portable PlayStation Vita for quick gameplay bursts, and is therefore arguably more suitable for a handheld than the full fat WRC3. Indeed, Evolution’s top-down racer MotorStorm RC has become one of the system’s best-selling racing titles, so it was disappointing to find that WRC Powerslide never materialised on the Vita. It’s especially bewildering when Milestone, unlike many developers, clearly have confidence in Sony’s struggling system, having released near-identical ports of WRC3 and MUD, a trend that is set to continue with the upcoming release of MotoGP ’13.

Fortunately, Milestone has acknowledged this void, so don’t rule out the possibility of Powerslide making it onto Vita just yet. “We agree with you and we are discussing the opportunity of bringing WRC Powerslide to PS Vita, which is a console that we like very much,” Irvin hints.

During our visit to Milestone in Milan last year we were treated to a sneaky peek at WRC Powerslide in action months before its reveal. Back then it was known as ‘WRC Arcade’ however, although it wasn’t clear if this was a working title or the final name planned for the game.

This prompted me to point out that the WRC Arcade name already existed as a spin-off title originally released on PS1 in 2002 by Unique Development Studios, who also developed World’s Scariest Police Chases at the time.

Milestone admitted they were unaware of this, and so when Powerslide was announced I couldn’t help but wonder if I had inadvertently influenced the abrupt name change. Amusingly, it turns out I was indeed partly to blame: “Yes, you partly influenced the decision!” Irvin confesses. “Also, we thought that the word ‘powerslide’ fitted the game perfectly, so we changed the name to ‘WRC Powerslide’."

WRC Powerslide is available now for PSN and XBLA.

MotoGP '13 packshots unveiled, playable demo coming early June

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:21:35 -0400

Milestone has unveiled the official packshots for MotoGP '13 in the run-up to its release next month.

Just as they did for WRC3, the box art will vary for each region. Not that we're biased or anything, but the UK art is our favourite, featuring Cal Crutchlow leading the pack with reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo in second and Valentino Rossi in third.

In other news, Milestone has confirmed that a playable demo for MotoGP '13 will be released in 'early June.' Riders Valentino Rossi, Marc Márquez, Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya will be playable in a 3 lap quick race around the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya circuit, with all options available.

We've gathered all the packshots in our gallery below. From left to right, you can see the artwork for the UK, French, Italian,German and Spanish verison. Which is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below, on our Facebook page or on our forum.

Grid 2 PS3 gameplay video preview

Fri, 03 May 2013 17:08:18 -0400

As if the Team VVV website wasn't already gridlocked with Grid 2 content this week, Alan's put together an extended first look at the PS3 version of the game in action, taking us on a series of races spanning multiple locations from some early events in the WSR championship career. He also got the chance to try out a spot of drifting, which didn't go well. Best stick to the race track, Alan.

Note that the build on display is sourced from a preview version of the game and therefore does not represent the final version. Having said that, it's also worth noting that this is the first time we've seen Gird 2 running on the consoles, and while it still holds up well to its towering PC brother, the PS3 version currently suffers from a choppy frame rate which we hope Codemasters will be able to rectify in time.

As always, you can leave us your thoughts in the comments below, on our Facebook page or join in the discussion in our Grid 2 forum thread.

Grid 2 LiveRoutes trailer tears up the track

Thu, 02 May 2013 22:36:59 -0400

It's easy to think that Grid 2 offers more of the same as its predecessor, but that hasn't stopped Codemasters attempting to innovate the genre. Whereas Grid was known for introducing the now obligatory Flashback system to racing games, Grid 2 has its ownquirky trick up its wheel arch: LiveRoutes.

First unveiled in the Eurogamer Expo last year, the unique system will dynamically alter the route of the circuit in real-time, potentially presenting new challenges at every corner and therefore ramp up the intensity with its unpredictability. Unsurprisingly, LiveRoutes will only be seen in specific race events situated in Grid 2's fictional city circuits spanning locations set in Paris, Barcelona, Chicago, Miami and Dubai, where Codemasters have free reign to unleash their creativity.

You can see how it all works for yourself in this newly-released trailer from Codemasters:

Do you think LiveRoutes will be a worthy addition to Grid 2 or a throwaway gimmick? Let us know in the comments below, on our Facebook page or join the discussion in our Gird 2 forum.

Thrustmaster unveils Ferrari GTE Wheel Add-On Ferrari 458 Challenge Edition

Thu, 02 May 2013 22:25:18 -0400

After teasing us about a forthcoming fixed paddle rim add-on, Thrustmaster has officially unveiled the final product as the Ferrari GTE Wheel Add-On Ferrari 458 Challenge Edition, compatible with the T500 RS and the Ferrari F1 Wheel Integral T500. Not that it took long for the community to speculate the tease as a Ferrari-branded product - the red stripe running down the center of the wheel was a bit of a getaway, in hindsight.

Indeed, the Ferrari GTE wheel reinforces Thrustmaster's ongoing relationship with the Italian prancing horse as the latest addition to their Ferrari family, coming as a successor to the Ferrari F1 rim add-on and a host of other branded peripherals in their back catalogue. Along with boasting paddles that turn with the wheel, the Ferrari GTE Wheel features six easy access fronted buttons, a d-pad, two brushed aluminum spokes coated in metallic paint and even a 3-position manettino switch akin to the actual Ferrari 458 Challenge, along with the same reinforced textured rubber that adorns the T500 RS.

The wheel weighs in at more than 2.6 lbs / 1.2 kg, and the paddle shifters are 13 cm tall and made of 2 mm-thick, metallic paint-clad brushed metal with a guaranteed lifespan of more than 10 million activations. Excessive information, much?

According to Thrustmaster, the add-on will be available in 'early May' at a suggested retail price 99.99 € / $129.99. All-in-all, the Ferrari replica wheel looks pretty spiffy to us with impeccable build quality if the T500 is anything to go by, has an affordable price point and should silence community complaints of the T500 RS' awkward static paddles. Sorted.

Will you be rushing to upgrade your rig with the Ferrari GTE Wheel Add-On? Let us know in the comments below, on our Facebook page or on our forum.

GRID 2 Uncovered Indianapolis gameplay video

Wed, 01 May 2013 20:28:05 -0400

Codemasters are certainly being consistent with these regular track reveal videos. So far this week, we've been given a front seat view of races set in Brands Hatch, Cote d'Azur and the luminous fictional Paris circuit in a series of short but sweet gameplay videos showcasing Grid 2's raw intensity in ernest.

This latest video gives us a tour around the high speed Indianapolis GP Circuit,and provides the first in-game glimpse of the lightweight Caterham-Lola SP300R, a somewhat surprising inclusion that is rarely featured in racing games:

Judging by your comments so far, the inclusion of this circuit seems to be a source of contention, since it is predominately seen in super-serious simulation titles rather than games such as Grid 2 that cater for the mass market. In truth, Codemasters are trying to cater for both camps with a handling model that fits somewhere in-between arcade and simulation, but you sadly can't please everyone, it seems.

We'll be bringing you our own hands-on Grid 2 videos this week in addition to Codemasters' official gameplay snippets. so check back soon for updates.

As always, you can discuss Grid 2 in the comments below, on our Facebook page or in our Grid 2 forum thread.

Auto Club Revolution races out of open beta

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:15:00 -0400

Back in March last year, Auto Club Revolution, an ambitious free-to-play PC sim racer from Eutechnyx, started its open beta engine, beginning a new wave of browser-based social racing games for grown ups. Farmville this is not.

Since then, its fanbase has enjoyed continuous support and updates, including a slew of car collaborations - the most recent addition being the brand new BMW Z4 sDrive35S. Other significant partnerships during the beta phase included Continental Tyres, BMW M Sport and Formula 3 star Marvin Kirchhöfer.

2.5 million community races later, Auto Club Revolution has finally completed its open beta endurance race, and is now officially in full live status with improvements implemented following fan feedback and "billions of empirical data points.".

To mark the launch, Eutechnyx has re branded Auto Club Revolution with a site redesign and a new logo that befits its new status.

"From the initial closed beta launch right through to our commercial release we've been taking our lead from the game's beta test players adding and changing features accordingly, don't expect this to change now we're in commercial release," commented Eutechnyx's Chief Commercial Officer Darren Jobling. Our teams have long term plans for new content, new features and new initiatives which will cement Auto Club Revolution's position at the top of the pile."

You can get started with Auto Club Revolution right now by registering an account on the official website, which acts as the central launching platform where. See you on the race track.

Grid 2 video reveals new Paris circuit

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:44:31 -0400

It has certainly been a busy few days for Codemasters, today sees the third of their recent Uncovered video selection, this time revealing a new Paris layout. Again it will be interesting to get your feedback as the community appears to be taking a rather negative stance since the news the cockpit cam would not be included with almost every aspect over analyzed and often derided, even those that form the very basis of the title. Physics in particular appear to be misunderstood by many and it will be interesting to see how opinion alters when the game eventually hits stores.

Grid 2 is set for release on 31st May and you can see all of our Grid 2 related content here.

WRC3 finally receives patch update

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:49:09 -0400

The community has been crying out for it since WRC3 was released some six months ago, Milestone has finally answered your prayers and released a long-awaited patch that addresses many issues, bringing the game up to version 1.01. The PS3 patch was released earlier this month, but now the PC and Xbox 360 versions have been brought up to date as of today.

You have to wonder why it took Milestone half a year to release such an incremental update, but better late than never, right? Then again, it may come as a disappointment that, while it does fix a host of bugs and refines the force feedback on Logitech wheels, the belated patch doesn't add any significant updates to the core game. Sadly, it doesn't unlock every car for the WRC Experience and online multiplayer either, despite the frequently requests from fans.

Here's the official changelog of bug fixes for each version:

PS3

The feedback force "maximum" is too much and tends to heat too much the Logitech wheels (after 2 h there was burn smell)
[Road to Glory - Game Stuck] 5th, 6th and 7th Boss Battles unplayable (the car does not start with the manual gearbox, and on the slopes with hill-start the car slides back, if you put automatic transmission is starts slowly)
In Class 2, the Skoda Fabia S2000 is faster than the WRC cars
[wheel] changing settings insite the in_race option menu is not working until restarting the race
[Road to Glory - Free Run - Single Rally] Free Run Customised Single Rally --> game crash
Title crashes when attempting to load a Hot Seat Rally when Hot Seat Championship save data exists.
Missing save title [only Data]
Fix to avoid menu resource load in race [Menu (swf) car_repair]
Game soft-locks on any confirmation message after an error... [Data e Menu(swf)]
Other text fix CHEKED
HUD elements disappear
Split time bar fix in free run rally
Hot Seat - Camera controls disabled
Issue 2 of 4 the title crashes when aptempting to load an unfinished “Rally Event” from the “Road to Glory” menu. [also Data]
C31 Drift score remains on screen from previous attempt
Avoid save in Rally when exit to main menu (crash on reload if a checkpoint passed before leave to main) [also Data]
Missing rally winner in online voting [also Data]
Wrecking car user may access replay and playing during it
Heavy Damage - Race Results: Wrong Time displayed in Race Results
Updated credits on the artist list
Other minor fixes

WRC Class - Citroen DS3, Wrong Red Bull logo on car livery
WRC Class - Citroen DS3, Wrong Red Bull logo on car livery on the rear
Neuville’s Helmet, Wrong Red Bull logo on helmet livery
Cook Cars , Wrong sponsors logos on the back of the car
Updated credits on the artist list
The feedback force "maximum" is too much and tends to heat too much the Logitech wheels (after 2 h there was burn smell)
[Road to Glory - Game Stuck] 5th, 6th and 7th Boss Battles unplayable (the car does not start with the manual gearbox, and on the slopes with hill-start the car slides back, if you put automatic transmission is starts slowly)
In Class 2, the Skoda Fabia S2000 is faster than the WRC cars
[wheel] changing settings insite the in_race option menu is not working until restarting the race
[wheel] FANATEC GT3 RS + Clubsport pedals - pedals works with difficulty
[Road to Glory - Free Run - Single Rally] Free Run Customised Single Rally --> game crash
[Launcher] Unable to log online account in Launcher PC
Fix to avoid menu resource load in race [Menu (swf) car_repair]
Game soft-locks on any confirmation message after an error... [Data e Menu(swf)]
Other text fix CHEKED
Crash customizing dlc car (with a career started without car dlc and dlc installed after)
HUD elements disappear
Split time bar fix in free run rally
Hot Seat - Camera controls disabled
Issue 2 of 4 the title crashes when attempting to load an unfinished “Rally Event” from the “Road to Glory” menu. [also Data]
C30 Hot Seat - Camera controls disabled
C31 Drift score remains on screen from previous attempt
Avoid save in Rally when exit to main menu (crash on reload if a checkpoint passed before leave to main) [also Data]
Missing rally winner in online voting [also Data]
Wrecking car user may access replay and playing during it
Heavy Damage - Race Results: Wrong Time displayed in Race Results
Other minor fixes

The PC patch can be downloaded from the following sources:

Jeuxvideo:
http://www.jeuxvideo.com/telecharger/patches/00014917-wrc-3-v-1-0-1-pc.htm

Atomic Gamer:
http://www.atomicgamer.com/file.php?id=104049

Megagames:
http://megagames.com/patches/wrc-3-fia-world-rally-championship-patch-pc-version-101-1-out-3
http://megagames.com/patches/wrc-3-fia-world-rally-championship-patch-101-2-out-3
http://megagames.com/patches/wrc-3-fia-world-rally-championship-patch-101-3-out-3

Xbox 360

Updated credits on the artist list
The feedback force "maximum" is too much and tends to heat too much the Logitech wheels (after 2 h there was burn smell)
[Road to Glory - Game Stuck] 5th, 6th and 7th Boss Battles unplayable (the car does not start with the manual gearbox, and on the slopes with hill-start the car slides back, if you put automatic transmission is starts slowly)
In Class 2, the Skoda Fabia S2000 is faster than the WRC cars
[wheel] changing settings insite the in_race option menu is not working until restarting the race
[Road to Glory - Free Run - Single Rally] Free Run Customised Single Rally --> game crash
Fix to avoid menu resource load in race [Menu (swf) car_repair]
Game soft-locks on any confirmation message after an error... [Data e Menu(swf)]
Other text fix CHEKED
HUD elements disappear
Split time bar fix in free run rally
Hot Seat - Camera controls disabled
Issue 2 of 4 the title crashes when aptempting to load an unfinished “Rally Event” from the “Road to Glory” menu. [also Data]
C30 Hot Seat - Camera controls disabled
C31 Drift score remains on screen from previous attempt
Avoid save in Rally when exit to main menu (crash on reload if a checkpoint passed before leave to main) [also Data]
Missing rally winner in online voting [also Data]
Wrecking car user may access replay and playing during it
Heavy Damage - Race Results: Wrong Time displayed in Race Results

Thrustmaster T500 RS Fixed Paddles Rim revealed

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:58:23 -0400

Thrustmaster's exquisite flagship T500 RS wheel, notable for being the official GT5 and being a rather sizable beast of a peripheral, will soon be getting a brand new body in the form of a new wheel rim with fixed paddle shifters.

While most wheels typically include paddle shifters that are attached to the wheel rim for easy access as you steer, the T500's were fixed to the wheel base which sometimes made the paddles difficult to reach, and was therefore a common complaint by sim racers for an otherwise solid setup.

The announcement of this new fixed paddle rim should be a welcome relief to those who were dismayed by the T500 RS, although pricing details or a release date have not been announced yet. While this new rim will most likely be sold as a complete unit with a base, the T500 RS also sports a semi-quick release system, so existing owners will hopefully be able to purchase the rim as an optional add-on at a later date - just as you could with the F1 rim.

This poses a question - do you prefer the paddles fixed to the rim or the base? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

Grid 2 Uncovered videos reveal Cote d'Azur and Brands Hatch

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 18:41:29 -0400

Another official Grid 2 video has hit the web head-on, showcasing some white-knuckle laps on the long-requested Brands Hatch circuit, which was last seen when Chris Harris was appointed as a handling consultant and also opened this year's BTCC.

No sooner as one video is released and we see yet another new Grid track reveal. This comes as welcome news as its clear a lot has been held back and we really need to see an awful lot more if Grid 2 is going to change opinion from an average title to a must have addition.

Join the discussion in our Grid 2 forum thread.

VVV visit the Formula E forum

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:55:19 -0400

If you’re reading this, chances are you love motorsport and over the many years of its existence the sport has adapted to the technology and perceptions of the time. From increasing performance to improved safety, refining aerodynamics, improving durability of tyres to the very compound of each aspect of structure.

With the environment of vital importance the latest innovations have focused on electrical energy and rechargeable systems, notably the introduction of KERS. While Formula 1 will be altering its own rules yet further in 2014 with increased KERS, a turbo engine and reduced fuel other ideas such as the proposed Formula E plans to take it all a stage further, driving innovation the concept is simple, to provide the world’s most exhilarating electric only Championship.

Developing a completely new motorsport with so many technical limitations is initially a daunting task but one relished by many within the motor industry. Researching relevant technology for the future while demonstrating the potential in performance, this Formula E forum further outlines the key objectives of the project while drivers give an insight into the challenge of a 1 day motorsport series.

Kunos teases possibility of career mode in Assetto Corsa

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:35:39 -0400

In the latest statement, Kunos Simulazioni has teased the prospects of a career mode being featured in the upcoming PC sim, Assetto Corsa.

As worded by Marco Masarruttto (the Production Manager at Kunos), the feedback from the Technology Preview Demo has allowed the development team to "reconsider some features and options that should be included in the first release of AC".

What makes that bit of info more interesting is the phrase that came after it in closed brackets: "who said “career” mode?".

Whilst the next paragraph in the statement did counter that possibility from being a definite certainty with the sentence "we had already scheduled to include some of these features in additional packages", the fact a career mode has been mentioned by one of Kunos' senior team members is certainly intriguing.

Especially when you consider that Assetto Corsa will be the first Kunos-developed sim to feature AI - racing against a grid of NPCs has been the backdrop for almost every racing title to date, so it wouldn't be out of the question.

The statement also went on to explain why Assetto Corsa is yet to go on sale (AC was supposed to have been released in the first quarter of this year), with collecting data on the Pagani Huayra so Kunos can "reproduce this ‘hypercar’ at the best", associations with "big-name companies" and the aforementioned Preview Demo feedback all contributing to the delay.

.Masarrutto, though, seems confident that more details about Assetto Corsa will be revealed sooner rather than later, with these announcements expected to contain information on "all main features and contents included in the game", as well as previews of the gameplay.

The full statement can be found below, for your reading pleasure:

Ok, some flash news. The inclusion of Pagani Huayra in Assetto Corsa hasn’t been officially revealed but is not a secret anymore, we have collected all data we need to reproduce this ‘hypercar’ at the best.

The AC Tech Preview has had an unexpected impact on our activities, adding a massive interest about our software technology.
This is creating a lot of opportunities for our team, and meanwhile, we are supporting some big-name companies that already take advantage of our software for professional purposes.

This requires time and is one of the reasons of the lack of information released in April. Also, we have received a lot of feedback and suggestions not only by gamers but also by a lot of videogaming journalists and by other people involved in this business, that helped us to reconsider some features and options that should be included in the first release of AC (who said “career” mode?).

We had already scheduled to include some of these features in additional packages, but we believe that the potential of Assetto Corsa has become so high that we must take the right decisions at the right time, also in relation of distribution channels we’ll use to sell and distribute our game.

Soon, we’ll have the answer to the most frequently asked question related to Assetto Corsa: “when?”, cos’ we have a precise date in mind. Also we’ll reveal all main features and contents included in the game, starting to show&talk about gameplay.

Whilst it's perhaps not ideal to hear of Assetto Corsa being delayed yet again, it is comforting to know that - according to this statement, at least - we should be getting more details on the finished title's features and key areas, as well as the fact they're taking onboard feedback from not just potential customers, but also the gaming press.

Rest assured, we're not going to be giving up on Assetto Corsa anytime soon...

What are your thoughts on this statement? Are you looking forward to the possibility of a career mode in Assetto Corsa, as well as when the final details are released, or have you given up hope on and just wish it'd be out already? Let us know in the comments section, and on our Assetto Corsa forum.

Grid 2 Paris Elimination hands-on gameplay video

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:53:06 -0400

With the release of Grid 2 now just around the corner, excitement for Codemasters' long awaited return to the track is mounting.

After our last video preview blowout, Team VVV were invited to Codemasters HQ for another hands-on session with the latest build. As always, Alan was on-hand to capture his findings in a series of in-depth gameplay videos for your viewing pleasure.

Our first video from the session takes us to the fictional Paris street circuit, where we tear up the tarmac in Grid 2's exhilerating Elimination mode with the help of a biblically-powerful Bugatti Veyron and a £20k gaming rig.

While Elimination, a mode where the player languishing in last place gets eliminated at set intervals, has been done to death in previous Codemasters games, there's no denying the intensity on display here.

Charging through the tight circuit in the Veyron on a heavenly triple screen setup, and a Fanatec racing wheel, complete with a BMW rig for added authenticity, whilst being vigorously jostled around on the traditional D-Box seat Alan drives as fast as he dares in the many full throttle high speed sections that showcase Grid 2's colossal sense of speed. If you wanted evidence of Codemasters' repeated 'total race day immersion' tagline, this is surely it.

We'll have more extensive Grid 2 coverage coming soon, so keep a stay tuned to our YouTube channel and the Team VVV website for more updates.

Prodrive to start development on X Games Countryman competitor

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:26:10 -0400

Fabled automotive engineering firm Prodrive has confirmed it's working on an X Games eligible competitor for this year's events.

Dubbed the MINI John Cooper Works RX, and using the WRC-spec Countryman you see in the featured image as a base (according to Prodrive, the two cars share 95 per cent of their components with each other), Prodrive's latest motorsports offering will be driven by former X Games gold medal winner Liam Doran, one of Britain's most well known and succedful rallycross drivers.

As part of the RX's development, Prodrive has revealed it has decided to opt for more powerful version of the rally car's 1.6 turbocharged inline-four engine, mainly due to X Games regulations reprimanding 2000cc-plus cars with a 90kg weight penalty.

When combined with what the press release describes as a pretty thorough weight reduction scheme - carbon fibre body panels will be used, whilst equipment like the WRC car's co-driver tools, the spare wheel, the heater and even the protective undertrays have been removed - means the MINI RX should tip the scales at 1,210kg,

Whether that makes it statistically competitive enough is anyone's guess. However, Paul Easton - Prodrive's Head of Rally Engineering - appears to be quite confident with the RX's estimated capabilities.

According to his quotes in the press material, Easton believes that, after seeing the development mule in action at Lydden Hill's recent British Rallycross event, the MINI RX is " not that far off the pace", and "with the initial extra power it should be a match for the two litre cars".

Easton went on to say that "the MINI’s strength is in its chassis and the fact it is the only Rallycross car to be evolved from a fully-engineered WRC [car]".

Prodrive expects the MINI RX to be finished in the next few weeks, with Doran's first shakedown slated for sometime in May at the firm's private testing facility, before the first X Games event in Barcelona on the 18th and 18th of May.

New Grid 2 trailer showcases BMW car roster

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:37:55 -0400

With just five or so weeks to fo until the much-anticipated game ships, Codemasters Racing has released a new - and very content-specific - trailer.

Titled GRID 2 Presents: BMW 'M' Cars, the 74 seconds-long clip depicts what we assume will be the full range of BMWs that'll come stamped on the disc: the E30 M3 Sport Evo, the 1 Series M Coupe, the E92 M3 Coupe and the 320 TC touring car.

As such, it's nothing that we haven't seen or heard of before. Though, to Codemasters' credit, the game looks amazing, and the music used in the trailer is - to this writer's ears, at least - pretty awesome too.

With Grid 2's launch date fast approaching us, it's perhaps not too optimistic to say Codies will be releasing a few more of these trailers, or at least confirm the game's pre-DLC car roster.

So, stay tuned to the Team VVV site and our Facebook page for the latest announcements, and (as always) feel free to vent your opinions in the comments section below and in our forums.

Slightly Mad Studios seek investment for PS4 Project CARS

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:25:13 -0400

Project CARS has been the subject of an on-going investigation by the FSA, who are questioning the ethics of Slightly Mad Studio's WMD crowd-funding scheme, which they believe falsely advertises as an investment opportunity. Unsurprisingly, many have feared that the outcome could put the project in dire jeopardy.

Fortunately, Slightly Mad Studios has now shed some light on the subject. In a post on the WMD forum sourced by NeoGAF, Head of Studio Ian Bell assured fans that a solution to the situation has been found which will allow investment to continue: "I've just had a call from our lawyer and we have a solution and a system to allow investment into the projects going forward", he stated.

This wasn't the only piece of enlightening news, however. The recent revelation that Project CARS is now on track for a Q2 2014 release sparked hopes that a next generation release on PS4 and the next Xbox would be on the cards. Slightly Mad neither confirmed or denied these implications, maintaining that Project CARS is still slated for release on PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U.

Now, though, it seems that the prospect of Project CARS being ported onto PS4 is indeed a possibility, as Ian hinted at future investment plans: "First up will be the PS4 and Durango versions opened for investment. Yes, I said INVESTMENT. :)", he continued. "I should also mention that we're now official PS4 developers."

Hopefully we will get an official announcement with more details soon. One thing is for sure, though: having the the talented UK-basedteam on-board with the PS4 can only bring good things to the sim racing world, so we here at Team VVV cannot wait to learn more.

Le Mans circuit replica built in Minecraft

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:09:28 -0400

There's never a dull day in the weird and wondrous world of Minecraft. From Sonic the Hedgehog's Green Hill Zone to intricate constructions of just about every Star Wars vehicle, legions of fans have poured countless amounts of hours building replicas of just about anything and everything, brick by virtual brick. It was surely only a matter of time, then, that someone would take it upon themselves to build a replica of the famous Le Mans circuit. And that they have, with astonishing accuracy.

Built by user AustinZetzman, the project took something of a lifetime to complete. Well, by that I actually mean four months. But spending four tireless months laying down virtual bricks in a computer game to build a virtual race track demands a pretty commendable level of dedication.

Virtually nothing has been overlooked in this faithful recreation of the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe: the grandstand is there, as are the garages, the pit lane and even the offices for the officials. The almost obsessive attention to detail is astounding.

All-in-all, an arguably dubious use of time, but an undeniably impressive achievement nonetheless that has garnered this user 15 minutes of irreplaceable internet fame. Indeed, the fact that the circuit is even recognisable is an achievement itself considering Minecraft's somewhat primitive tool-set.

Job well done, chap. Now please, for your own sake, take a long trip outside.

Fanatec releases full details & specs of ClubSport shifter range

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:08:53 -0400

Renowned sim hardware manufacturer Fanatec has released the full specs and prices of its ClubSport-compatible shifter accessories.

The entry-level mechanism (dubbed by its maker as simply the 'ClubSport Shifter' ) features a seven-speed H-gate style manual lever, which Fanatec proudly claims is reminiscent of what Porsche uses in the latest 911.

In a similar vein to that famous German sports car, the ClubSport Shifter also has a built-in system that prevents users from accidentally selecting seventh or reverse gear - as the ClubSport doesn't come with a traditional, open-gate 'box a la vintage Italian supercars, it can be easy to select the wrong gear.

This inhibitor can be deactivated, though, by applying slight pressure to the gear lever.

At the top of the range, though, is the ClubSport SQ. As its name suggests, the SQ is similar to the standard ClubSport, except in one area - unlike the regular item, the SQ can, at the flick of the switch, be turned into a lever that operate as a 'push for down, pull for up' sequential unit.

The final addition to the ClubSport shifter range comes in the form of the specifically-developed table clamp, which - Fanatec claims - gives users the possibility for "unlimited height adjustments", and anyone who uses the item should be able to position and angle the shifter to their exact requirements.

Being Fanatec items, these aren't entirely affordable for everyone - at current exchange rates, the ClubSport Table Clamp comes in at approx £25, whilst the ClubSport Shifter and ClubSport SQ retail for roughly £128 and £170 respectively.

They'll also only be available to order directly through the Fanatec online store, and are set to go on sale from a currently unspecified date in June this year.

Second online retailer declares GT6 to be a PS3 title

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:04:23 -0400

Just off the bat from a similar item last week, another online retailer has uploaded a sales listing for Gran Turismo 6.

Much like the one for NewEgg, the Italian site Multiplayer.com now has GT6 listed as ready for pre-order (it's come to our knowledge that this was also the case for NewEgg, though had removed that option when our article went live).

What's more interesting is that Multiplayer.com's listing also includes a release date - according to the website, GT6 will start appearing on the shelves of your nearest gaming retailer by November this year (November 28th, if you want specifics).

There was, at time of writing, also an image of the GT6 box art featured on the page, which we've added to this article. However, before anyone starts clamouring over the depicted car being the latest Porsche 911 GT3 (only EA holds the rights to include Porsches in its video games), it's worth pointing out that this is placeholder art only.

Especially as the image itself appears to be a lightly edited version of one of Porsche's own press images for the new 911 halo car...

Instead of this new discovery reinforcing the rumours of the title's release before the year is out, though, this second announcement - you could argue - actually hinders them: if the game will indeed be released in the next seven months or so, why on Earth hasn't Sony or Polyphony Digital announced anything? Why aren't there any teaser trailers or screenshots?

It just doesn't add up.

Nevertheless, we'll still be on the look-out for any Gran Turismo 6 announcements, and we'll still be posting the latest news as soon as we hear it.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you believe GT6 will be released this year for the PS3, or do you sit on the other side of the fence? Let us know in the comments section, and in our dedicated GT6 forum.