Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Undercover to go offline in August
EA has announced it will shut 17 game servers this year to reduce costs as the games in question have waned in popularity. Amongst the 17 titles being shuttered are three racing games.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted for the PC and Xbox 360, and Need for Speed: Undercover for the Playstation Portable will both have the servers for the online side of the game shut on August 11th, 2011. So if you want to wish the games farewell, or try and get any final achievements or records, then now is the time to organise some races!
Also closing will be NASCAR 09 for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 (North America).
So will any of you miss the online multiplayer for those 3 games, or have you all moved onto the latest incarnations of the Need for Speed series, and the latest NASCAR game from Eutechnyx?
Gran Turismo 5 just got safer with the HANS Device
Gran Turismo 5 is a pretty accurate racing simulator, and we can certainly understand the official licence for the Thrustmaster T 500 RS as a realistic wheel and pedal set-up. But now GT5 has teamed up with the HANS Device, the head and neck safety system racers use.
The restraint is apparently coming in-game, rather than being shipped to wear while you’re sat on your sofa. So you’ll be able to limit the amount of damage your avatar receives if you’re in a crash, although there’s no word on how to stop yourself falling off your chair when you’re leaning a little too far into a bend and trying to counter understeer with your own bodyweight (We’ve all done it!).
Still considering the winners of the GT Academy have gone onto real racing careers, it’s probably a good thing to put the HANS Device in the minds of anyone planning on taking to the track in real life as well as in the game:
“Gran Turismo 5 has a strong following among young people who are interested in motor racing,” said Gary Milgrom vice president of HANS Performance Products. “This is a great opportunity for us to introduce young drivers to the importance of the HANS Device when it comes to safety in the real world racing environment.”
It’ll appear in a Gran Turismo 5 patch coming soon. “We know that great champions like Jeff Gordon used video games to help hone the skills he used to win four Sprint Cup championships,” said Milgrom. “A lot of our next generation drivers are going to emerge from the video game community.”
So not only has safety improved dramatically in the real racing world over the last few years, but now it’s happening in the virtual racing world. OK, so this is mainly just a licensing deal to promote the HANS Device to any gamers making the switch to racing or track days, but will it spark concerns over avatar safety in the future as we invest more time and effort in our online characters? After all, we’ve been wondering where the safety car is in online racing for a while now…
F1 2011 confirmed for release on September 23, 2011
Codemasters have confirmed that F1 2011 will be released on September 23, 2011, as the second of the officially-licensed Formula One series. It’ll be available for the Xbox, PS3 and PC, and follows the news that F1 2010 was not only the fastest-selling F1 game ever released, but also claimed a BAFTA in the Sports category. Plus two special editions are being produced to take advantage of the features offered by the new Nintendo 3DS and Sony NGP – release dates are yet to be confirmed for the two new platforms.
Advances in the technical and gameplay side are promised along with extending the online competitive and co-op elements. You’ll get all the official drivers, teams and also the new Grand Prix of India at the Jaypee International Race Circuit, and the returning Nurburgring.
Codemasters are also running a competition to get questions about the new game answered face-to-face in May, along with getting a hands-on with the game. And if you can make it in person, you could be featured in forthcoming F1 2011 trailers.
We’re big fans of the first game, and following some updates to remove some initial bugs, it’s evolved into one of the best racing experiences currently available. With the additional time to iron out the issues and add some new features, F1 2011 could well be the best F1 racing game around when it arrives. We’re already worried about Tom’s ability to focus on anything else before September, judging by what happened when the last game was announced.
Ridge Racer Type 4 coming to PS3 and PSP
Ridge Racer Type 4 will be re-released on the PlayStation Network in March, meaning it will be available for the PS3 and PSP for the first time, and just before the release of two new Ridge Racer games – Ridge Racer 3D (for the Nintendo 3DS), and Ridge Racer Unbounded (PS3, Xbox 360 and PC – trailer here).
Ridge Racer Type 4 (Also known as R4) was originally released in 1999 for the first Playstation, and features 48 cars, 300 car variations, 8 tracks, two-player split-screen racing and two different drift and grip driving models. When it was released, the special edition of the game also came with the special Namco Jogcon controller. It also came with a bonus disc containing a new version of the very first Rdige Racer, called Ridge Racer Turbo (Ride Racer Hi-Spec Demo in Europe), which updated the game to 60 frames per second and gouraud shaded cars.
If you still remember the fictional manufacturers, such as Lizard and Terrazi, the teams such as Racing Team Solvalou and R.C Micro Mouse Mappy, and tracks like Helter-Skelter, Wonderhill and Out of Blue, then you’re the sort of person that Namco is obviously hoping to reach to capitalise on renewed interest in the Ridge Racer series.
And if those memories necessitate using a Jogcon, then it’s still possible to pick them up on Ebay if you happen to have a PSOne – we’ve found Ridge Racer Type 4 with a jogcon available now for either £8 from this seller, or £9.99 from this one, for example.
Codemasters Dirt 3 Developer Diary ‘Keep it Real’
DLC and PSP for Split/Second: Velocity
Three downloadable content packs have been announced for Split/Second: Velocity, along with a November 19th release date for the Sony PSP version.
The first of three DLC packs for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions launched today. Dubbed ‘Survival at Rock Park’, it includes the brand new Minepit Park track, plus a new ‘Survival Race’ mode. The original game included a Survival Mode against the clock, but now you’ve got a single and multi-player challenge to complete a set number of laps to win. You’ll still be up against big rig trucks dropping barrels, but the new mode is playable across 5 tracks, not just Minepit Park.
Watch the official trailer for Survival at the Rock.
On October 20th comes the Deadline Pack, which features a new single-player Deadline mode. This is a race against the clock requiring players to pick up objects on-track to be able to freeze the clock. Drifting while you’re picking up objects causes even more to appear, and the mode is playable across 12 tracks. The pack also includes four new vehicles: Ryback Coyote Special (new handling for the original Coyote), Cobretti Centaur (muscle car), Ryback Javelin (muscle car) and Hanzo Kanobo (truck).
And on November 3rd comes the Quarry Onslaught Pack. The Quarry track is a new addition for most game modes, whilst Onslaught is a single or multi-player challenge which requires you to beat the pack whilst dodging missiles from a circling helicopter. It’ll be playable on nine of the tracks.
Finally on November 19th, you’ll be able to play Split/Second: Velocity on the Sony PSP, with original game, plus a new track and challenge mode.
The additional content was all created by Black Rock Studios, who developed the original Split/Second: Velocity game, and it’s published by Disney Interactive Studios.
Currently Play.com is offering the Xbox and PS3 versions for a bargain £14.99, whilst Amazon appears to be the only place with the PC copy currently in stock.
Amazon: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Game: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, PSP
Play.com: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PSP
Gamestop: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PSP, PC
Split/Second: Velocity ‘Survival at the Rock’ DLC trailer
From virtual racing to the Spa 24 hours
The GT Academy competition was created by Nissan and Playstation to find new GT racing drivers from virtual racers on Gran Turismo. Lucas Ordonez was the first winner in 2008, and now he’ll be part of a four man team for the Spa 24 Hours. He’ll drive a GT4-spec Nissan 370Z prepped by RJN Motorsport and sponsored by Polyphony Digital and Playstation.
Pic of the RJN Motorsport prepared Nissan 370Z by Playstation.Blog.Europe on Flickr.
The 25-year-old Spaniard has already driven in the Dubai 24 hours as his GT Academy prize, and then went on to partner Alex Buncombe to second place in the European GT4 Championship last year.
He’ll drive at Spa with Alex Bumcombe, brother Chris Bumcombe and Rob Barff.
DiRT and Racedriver: GRID sequels confirmed by Codemasters
In addition to the upcoming F1 2010 game (Find out why it could be the game ORD’s Tom Bowker has dreamed about for years) due for release in September, Codemasters are also hard at work on sequels to both DiRT and Racedriver:GRID.
Codemasters DiRT 2 - third in the series is on the way
The news was revealed by SVP of Production Jamie MacDonald in an interview with Develop. “In Southam it’s full steam ahead with the next iteration in our Flashpoint series, as well as the next Dirt and Grid.”
No other details have been released yet about the games, which will be the third in the series for the DiRT franchise.
Racedriver: GRID - a big sequel for race fans
MacDonald and VP of Studios Gavin Cheshire also spoke about the EGO engine which powers Codemaster’s games, predicting that the weather in F1 will be the best of any game people have ever seen.
Both DiRT and GRID were well received by race fans, so the sequels should also be popular.
If you haven’t tried them yet, why not grab a copy now to get ready for the sequels to be released?
Racedriver: GRID – PC,Xbox 360,PS3,Nintendo DS
Colin McRae DiRT 2: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii,PSP,DS
