<![CDATA[ Latest from PCGamer in Racing ]]> Sun, 05 Jan 2025 00:41:17 +0000 en <![CDATA[ DeathSprint 66 combines one of my favourite mods with one of my favourite movies ]]>
Personal Pick

GOTY 2024 Personal Picks

(Image credit: Future)

In addition to our main?Game of the Year Awards 2024, each member of the PC Gamer team is shining a spotlight on a game they loved this year. We'll post new personal picks, alongside our main awards, throughout the rest of the month.

DeathSprint 66 wears its biggest aesthetic influence on both sleeves: Stephen King's The Running Man and, in particular, the big-budget '80s movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The book is one of King's earliest, so early in fact he was still writing under the pseudonym Richard Bachmann, and so DeathSprint 66's neon-soaked televisual stylings all come under the umbrella of the Bachmann network: Welcome to the future, where you run through endless deathtraps for money while the crowd goes wild.

I was sold on DeathSprint 66 just on that, and then I realised it got even better. I've always loved surfing mods, which can be found in plenty of games but for me are inextricable from Counter-Strike, and this is essentially Surfing Mods: The Game. I think these began as movement challenges before spawning their own sub-genre, and they're basically maps where you have to get from point A to B as quickly and gracefully as possible. This is the core of DeathSprint 66, except there's murder lasers and flesh-rending metal everywhere and, of course, you're racing against others.

DeathSprint 66 has PvE courses, and these are great for learning the ropes, because this is an unapologetically fast and difficult game. After your first half hour you'll have died dozens of times, failed countless courses, and be very familiar with the idea of another clone body being launched onto the track. DeathSprint 66's course designers are sadists that have been given free rein, and all you have to do is run through their elaborate configurations of slicey lasers, hairpin turns and sudden bursts of verticality without hitting anything. You'll fail, again and again, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's a PC somewhere at Sumo Newcastle tracking all the humiliation just for yucks.?

This is a game that likes killing you, in other words, but the good news is it's just as keen about killing others. The beating heart of DeathSprint 66 is the PvP mode where up to eight players race and try to screw each other over as much as possible while doing so. Honestly this game doesn't even need weapons, such is the default carnage of eight players sprinting forwards and shoulder-barging each other off the tracks and into wall-mounted mincers, but boy does it have 'em.?

Look at that cocky little squirt running away in the lead. Fast? Not as fast as the gigantic glowing-red buzzsaw that just bisected his ass. Or the seeker charge that relentlessly hunts him down and ends things with a boom. There's a lovely weapon that sets a stationary laser trap to insta-gib Deathsprinters and, if you set it in just the right position near boost pads, it's super-hard to see. But the notifications that soon pop up are to die for.

(Image credit: Sumo Newcastle)

A large part of DeathSprint 66's appeal is the precision, the clean lines and snappy controls and the pure exhilaration of a perfect lap. But what makes it work, what makes this game sing, is the total chaos when you get eight people at once trying to do that. It's a miracle if there are no fatalities by the first bend and, when you really get in a tight group and no one can quite escape the pack, the pack turns in on itself and a bloodbath ensues. There are elegant multiplayer races to be found in here, sure there are, but most land somewhere between Fall Guys and Mortal Kombat.?

There are times in DeathSprint 66 where you'll impress yourself. A tight corner opens out onto a grind, and you take the line onto a wall, hurdle up in seconds and pirouette off before slamming into a laser trap, land in the perfect orientation, and instantly surge forward. There are other times when you stumble around like a hyperspeed drunk and get gibbed constantly by the things you didn't even see coming. Somewhere in the middle of those extremes is where the magic of DeathSprint 66 lives: That sense of power, precision, control of one's self then, just as inevitably, the explosion into bloody chunks. Womp womp. Ready to go again?

]]>
/games/racing/deathsprint-66-combines-one-of-my-favourite-mods-with-one-of-my-favourite-movies/ pLPz4KyykSwVn4g5gmtXoT Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +0000
<![CDATA[ Last call for Forza Horizon 4: It's being removed from sale in 2 days, so get it while you can ]]> The excellent and not-very-old racing game Forza Horizon 4 will disappear from Steam in just two days, so if you want it, you'd best make your move now. Luckily, "now" is a good time, because it's currently 80% off the regular price, meaning you can snag it for just $12/?11/14.

You might naturally wonder why Forza Horizon 4 is being pulled from sale, not just on Steam but all digital storefronts. It only came out in 2018, after all, it's very well regarded—we called it "worth enduring the pain of the Microsoft Store" in our 89% review, and that's not nothing—and it still has a healthy player base, with a peak concurrent player count of nearly 44,000 today on Steam alone. That doesn't sound like a game whose time has come.

The reason for the takedown is one we've seen before: expiring license agreements. Simplistically, developers sign deals to use real-world objects and music in their games, but those deals are often not perpetual, meaning that after a certain number of years the right to use that stuff disappears. That leaves developers and publishers with choices: Negotiate a new deal, remove the no-longer-allowed content, or say, "Hey, we had a good run," and pull the plug.

In 2012, for instance, Rockstar removed GTA: Vice City from sale because of expiring music licenses, although it eventually came back. Earlier this year, 2K pulled the excellent Spec Ops: The Line for the same reason, and the odds of it coming back are basically zero. Alan Wake ended up in a weird situation where it has two different ending songs, depending on which version you own: David Bowie's Space Oddity was cut from the original release in September, but remains in Alan Wake Remastered.

Alan Wake was actually pulled from sale entirely in 2017 because of expiring music licenses, although it was brought back a little over a year later after Microsoft negotiated a new deal with the rightsholders. That back and forth, and the more recent split-down-the-middle, really illustrates what a mess licenses can become years after a game has had its moment in the sun.

Licensed music can be a real boon for games. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, for instance, wouldn't be the game it is without Chiasm, Lacuna Coil, and Darling Violetta. But examples where it does more harm than good are plentiful: We lost two of the best racing sims ever in 2022 because of expiring licenses, and they're just gone, beyond the reach of anyone who didn't buy them prior to the takedown and doesn't particularly want to resort to dodgy key resellers or less-than-legal means.

The one upside to the Forza Horizon 4 takedown is that, unlike Ubisoft's Crew-shanking earlier this year, the game will remain available and playable for anyone who owns it. If you want to be part of that crew, now's the time—Forza Horizon 4 disappears for good on December 15.

]]>
/games/racing/last-call-for-forza-horizon-4-its-being-removed-from-sale-in-2-days-so-get-it-while-you-can/ 4pRbDQhfrbLyd5bopbVMBo Fri, 13 Dec 2024 19:26:35 +0000
<![CDATA[ I’m so ready to embrace vehicle-swapping Mad Max carnage in Drivers of the Apocalypse ]]>

Combat in Drivers of the Apocalypse, which debuted today at the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, looks absolutely ludicrous, with the eponymous mercenaries flying from car to car as they plow through sand dunes and blow the rest of their convoy to smithereens. While vehicular combat has received a surprising amount of affection from developers in recent years, with Fumes and Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks delivering particularly explosive high-speed thrills, I declare a dire need for yet more games that double dip on racing and fragging.

Fans of those games might notice the biggest departure with Drivers of the Apocalypse is that you play as a person first and a vehicle second, with the protagonist Artemis able to fly around in a wingsuit and swap cars mid-fight to steal the upper hand (or because the only other option is about to blow up).

Drivers of the Apocalypse gameplay, with off-roading vehicles in what looks like a lot of Mad Max style environments

(Image credit: Dinosaurs Are Better)

These vehicles are decidedly makeshift, crudely affixed with cannons and machine guns, and they are as disposable as they look. Players will want to assess the battlefield as they make their next move, as developer Jussi-Petteri Kemppainen noted in a press release: “It's not just about speed; it’s about survival, strategy, and making every vehicle count." The same release teases bombastic boss encounters where players will descend on whole fields of cars with a need for speed.

It’s all about as Mad Max as you might expect, with massive sandstorms shrouding the horizon as dune buggies, vans, and pickup trucks rollick across the desert. If there’s a part of me that looks down my nose at tropes, it’s been blasted to bits from a nearby truck by the part of me that loves Interstate 76. While Drivers seems to lean more arcadey than that game, its explorable wastelands and hectic firefights have shot it up near the top of my most wanted games list regardless.

]]>
/games/racing/im-so-ready-to-embrace-vehicle-swapping-mad-max-carnage-in-drivers-of-the-apocalypse/ wf9yq3Ez2p4dtCN5Wa4246 Thu, 05 Dec 2024 21:38:41 +0000
<![CDATA[ With Descenders Next, the primal videogame pleasure of going really fast down hills has been honed to near perfection ]]>

One of my favorite games is about riding pushbikes down hills really fast. It's called Descenders, and lately I've been playing its follow-up Descenders Next, which appeared at the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted today. At first I was a bit nervous about Descenders Next, because it's the sequel to a game about riding pushbikes downhill, and yet it doesn't have pushbikes. Instead, it has snowboards.

As I'm sure you can appreciate, these are two very different things. But they do share one important quality: they can both go downhill really, really fast.

I'm no longer nervous about Descenders Next. What I've played is brilliant, and like its predecessor it beats the blockbuster competition—think Riders Republic—in terms of the sheer poetry of its gamefeel. This is a videogame about going really fast on a snowboard, performing dazzling tricks midair, and mastering a control system that feels great out of the box but blossoms with subtle complexity over time. A game like this must feel not just good but incredible in the hand. It must give me complete hairbreadth control over my hurtling avatar. I must feel assured that every wipe out is my own fault. Get one of these wrong and everything feels broken. Descenders Next ticks every box.

The structure will be familiar to Descenders players, though it hybridises what used to be two discrete game modes. Starting with two lives, I have to complete short (we're talking two minutes max) downhill courses towards the next "park," which serves as both a savepoint and a chill out sandbox. If I use all my lives before reaching a park, I lose my progress and go back to the last park I unlocked. If I pull off mini-objectives mid course—such as performing two midair backflips, or reaching a certain speed milestone—I get an extra life. When I complete a course, I can select one of several from the world menu, all leading in different directions towards different parks.

This gives Descenders Next a blissed-out arcade feel: weaving between deathly trees at high speed on my last life before the next park is nail-biting, yes, but overall I’m not too concerned because whether I reach the goal or not I’m loving every moment. It’s the small things that contribute to this: after death, restarts are instantaneous. When I’ve done my dash and run out of lives, I’m thrown back to map and within seconds I’m back on the slopes. There’s no traversing an open world towards icons. There is no resistance along the way to getting on the field and going really fast down hills.

Descenders was basically a sport roguelike; Descenders Next adopts a smoothed over version of its progression system where punishment is less severe. It rewards progress with the aforementioned parks, which are stress-free sandboxes for practising or just mucking around in. I spent most of my time in Descenders mucking around in the parks (chiefly Mount Slope) and while none I've seen so far in Descenders Next are as spectacular as my favorites from the first game, I'm sure (I'm hoping!) they'll come.

Image 1 of 5

Descenders Next screenshot

(Image credit: No More Robots)
Image 2 of 5

Descenders Next screenshot

(Image credit: No More Robots)
Image 3 of 5

Descenders Next screenshot

(Image credit: No More Robots)
Image 4 of 5

Descenders Next screenshot

(Image credit: No More Robots)
Image 5 of 5

Descenders Next screenshot

(Image credit: No More Robots)

This sequel, then, adopts all of the best qualities of its predecessor while adding something that was arguably missing before: atmosphere. Descenders Next's soundtrack is back-to-back ethereal house and trance, blanketing the slopes in an energetic and dreamlike mood. It also adopts the Forza Horizon trick of making me feel really good about everything I do, accident or otherwise. If I do a little skid I gain a small amount of "rep" for skidding. If I do a spectacular double backflip while hurtling between the bars of an electrical transmission tower, I get even more rep. It's just dopamine hit after dopamine hit, and that's before mentioning this game's superlative sense of speed: when I'm coursing down slopes at nearly 80 kilometres per hour the screen edges become slightly distorted in a way that captures the tightrope tension between the thrill of speed and fear of imminent death.

I do hope there are more obstacles—currently we have tiny wooden cabins to weave through, electrical towers, and the usual array of ramps. But what I've played of Descenders Next is really just brushing the top: when it hits early access next year it'll eventually, over time, offer other extreme sport styles such as mountain boarding (basically skateboards with huge wheels) and different biomes to accommodate those sports. In the meantime, test sessions have just gone live: check out the official site for more details.

]]>
/games/racing/with-descenders-next-the-primal-videogame-pleasure-of-going-really-fast-down-hills-has-been-honed-to-near-perfection/ KAFLjbQca79rHqGhAkj2p9 Thu, 05 Dec 2024 21:30:28 +0000
<![CDATA[ Proposed class action lawsuit claims The Crew players were 'duped', bizarrely comparing the game shutting down to Ubisoft breaking into your house and stealing parts of a pinball machine ]]> Two Californians are suing Ubisoft over fraud, and several other complaints, due to the publisher's shutdown of The Crew in April, which left players unable to access even the singleplayer portion of this online-only racing game. While the lawsuit (spotted by Polygon) only includes two plaintiffs, the claims are also being made on behalf of other players as well, with the plaintiffs hoping the court will approve it as a class action.

Both plaintiffs purchased The Crew late into its lifecycle, in 2018 and 2020, and picked up physical copies. This plays a significant role in the lawsuit. "Plaintiff Cassell was under the impression that by purchasing the physical Game disk," the lawsuit reads, "he acquired the full bundle of ownership rights over the Game, and that he would be able to use the disk to play the game whenever he wanted in the future."

Ubisoft misled the plaintiffs, the lawsuit claims, through language on the game's packaging. "Defendants also reinforced this belief by including language on the Product packing stating that the online portion of the Game could be retired, thereby representing to consumers that an offline portion of the Game existed that would be unaffected. Second, through the totality of the Product’s packaging, Defendants falsely represented that The Crew itself was encoded onto physical disks consumers could buy or the digital files consumers could pay to download."

By not making it clear they were purchasing a digital licence, or that they could lose access to the entirety of the game, the plaintiffs' lawyers argue that Ubisoft has violated California's Unfair Competition Law and committed fraud. Here's the full list of claims:

  • Violation of the Consumer Legal Remedies Act
  • Violation of California's Unfair Competition Law
  • Violation of California's False Advertising Law
  • Fraud
  • Fraudulent Inducement
  • Fraudulent Misrepresentation
  • Breach of Express Warranty
  • Breach of Implied Warranty

The lawsuit highlights other instances where online games were shut down, but not before the developers deployed a patch to let players continue to access them, including Ubisoft games like Assassin's Creed 2 and 3. After the initial backlash after The Crew's shutdown was announced, Ubisoft also promised to include offline versions of The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest. Just not the original game.

It's an exhaustive lawsuit that includes the history of The Crew, the definition of gaming servers, quotes that show the consumer backlash, and background on YouTuber Ross Scott's Stop Killing Games campaign. Upon reading it, however, the thing that really stood out was the absolutely wild analogy the lawyers use to get the court to understand what Ubisoft's shutdown of The Crew's servers actually means. Apparently it's just like Ubisoft breaking into your home and stealing bits of your pinball machine.

"Imagine you buy a pinball machine, and years later, you enter your den to go play it, only to discover that all the paddles are missing, the pinball and bumpers are gone, and the monitor that proudly displayed your unassailable high score is removed. Turns out the pinball machine manufacturer decided to come into your home, gut the insides of the pinball machine, and remove your ability to play the game that you bought and thought you owned. Even though you paid full price to receive this game, you never knew that the manufacturer could come in one day, and, without your control, leave you with a skeleton of what you thought you paid for."

The complaint doesn't seem unreasonable, but the comparison with pinball machine theft is baffling, not least because considerably more people play online games than own pinball machines. This is not some weird, esoteric case that needs a pinball analogy to ground it and make it more relatable. The value disparity makes it all the stranger. The lawsuit doesn't mention how much the plaintiffs paid for their copies of The Crew, though at least one of them purchased it during a sale—regardless, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that a copy of The Crew in 2018 did not cost quite as much as a pinball machine.

Quite a few sections elevate this lawsuit above your standard, extremely dry legal document. There's a section, for instance, that tries to break down the history of videogames, titled 'Video Games; From Past to Present'. It begins like a high school essay: "Home-use videogame consoles emerged in the 1970s." It then goes on to explain the rise of console cartridges, the birth of MMOs and the use of servers.

The section dedicated to the consumer backlash also contains a few gems, including tweets like, "What about the crew 1? Mfs the crew 1 looks way better than the crew 2". And "Crew 1 just dead then?". I bet Twitter user MGS never thought their tweet calling Ubisoft motherfuckers would make it into a legal document.

Despite the lawsuit over-egging things a bit—"Plaintiff Cassell suffered, and continues to suffer, economic injuries"—the plaintiffs are primarily looking to get a refund: "The return of the full premium price will ensure that Plaintiffs are in the same place they would have been in had Defendants' wrongful conduct not occurred". However, it also asks the court to require Ubisoft to "disgorge all revenues obtained as a result of their violations of the UCL [Unfair Competition Law]", as well as cover the legal fees. That bumps up the cost to Ubisoft considerably, and that's just with two plaintiffs. If it becomes a successful class action, Ubisoft is going to be facing a steep bill.

]]>
/games/racing/proposed-class-action-lawsuit-claims-the-crew-players-were-duped-bizarrely-comparing-the-game-shutting-down-to-ubisoft-breaking-into-your-house-and-stealing-parts-of-a-pinball-machine/ Eief5JB3ZTDmRcEwekhtxm Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:16:47 +0000
<![CDATA[ Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz dusts off his controller to stream Crazy Taxi on Twitch: 'The Republicans will accuse me of never having a Dreamcast or something' ]]> Tim Walz, the running mate of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, made an appearance on the Twitch channel of congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez today. The two primarily discussed the upcoming election, but also took some time to play Madden NFL '25 and Walz's avowed favorite, Crazy Taxi.

"You can pick these characters and I found this out?—this might be the coolest thing I've had happen to me?—there's a character of me in there," Walz said while booting up Crazy Taxi, presumably in reference to Edward La Barbera's mod to put the VP candidate in the game.

Though clearly a little rusty, Walz put in a solid performance taking on a few fares. He made great time on his first passenger, but failed to stick the landing, overshooting his stop. "I'm terrible, I don't know the controllers on Xbox," he offered. Controller Johns at their finest, but come on, we've all been there. Walz also remarked that he appreciated the slapstick chaos of Crazy Taxi's driving over something more realistically violent like Grand Theft Auto. "I'm like a New York cabbie: I'm driving the wrong way," he quipped to Ocasio-Cortez.

"It's kinda retro, right?" He then asked Ocasio-Cortez, which gave me flashbacks to every time I've tried to show someone the crusty old games that I enjoy. Walz also urged viewers to pick up Crazy Taxi for themselves, saying that "If you haven't got it, go get this game people, it is really sweet."

Walz also reminisced about first getting the game and his Dreamcast back in the day: "It was the first time I had a real job?—I was an adult?—and I had money. I was married and my wife was not really approving." He eventually brought the system to his workplace when his wife asked him to get it out of the house, though it seems to have been misplaced at some point over the years. Walz joked that its hazy fate might come back to bite him in the election: "The Republicans will accuse me of never having a Dreamcast or something."

]]>
/games/racing/vice-presidential-candidate-tim-walz-dusts-off-his-controller-to-stream-crazy-taxi-on-twitch-the-republicans-will-accuse-me-of-never-having-a-dreamcast-or-something/ XLGp9uV7NgvnGYPsZLeFW5 Sun, 27 Oct 2024 22:14:24 +0000
<![CDATA[ Tim Walz loves Crazy Taxi, so thanks to modders you can now play Crazy Taxi as Tim Walz ]]> This year's US presidential election has, as ever, brought a hitherto-unknown degree of scrutiny to certain of its key players. One person who seems to have come out of it fairly well is the Democratic nomination for vice president, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, whose biography is basically a folksy paean to public service, on top of which he comes across as an actual human being rather than an Onion character.

One standout discovery among the deep-dives into Walz's past is that the man has great taste in consoles, and was particularly attached to the Sega Dreamcast: to the extent his wife apparently took to hiding it from him. And lo the internet delivered, with one Resetera user turning out to have acquired the very console in question after it was handed down by Walz, and recalling the machine came with a copy of Crazy Taxi. IGN has a full rundown if you want to get into the weeds, but the short version is that the US now has a Veep nominee who knows all about making some kerrr-aazzzy money.

Are ya ready? Well here we Walz, thanks to a new mod that puts the political everyman into the original Crazy Taxi. It's the work of one Edward La Barbera, who read the articles about Walz and his Dreamcast and, y'know, thought it would be a laugh.

"I saw a news article on the gaming forum Resetera, about Tim Walz owning a Dreamcast. Rumor also had it his favorite game was Crazy Taxi," La Barbera told MPR News. "I thought it'd be a funny homage, like Bill Clinton in the arcade game NBA Jam.”

La Barbera spent about a week on the mod, and what tips it from good to great is the incorporation of various Walz voice lines taken from his Democratic National Convention speech, with the character especially fond of saying "is it weird? Absolutely." The mod even adds a more Minnesota flavour to the map, with a wintery overhaul and the addition of a new stop which, naturally, is a polling precinct. "I replaced palm trees with snow-covered pines," says La Barbera, "replaced the stadium with Target Field and the mall with the Mall of America."

The ribbon on this modding gift is that La Barbera also decided to add current vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who also has various voice lines taken from her DNC address. The only way this could be improved would be if, at the start of the game, you heard Harris asking "you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?" Then instantly into the Offspring soundtrack and YA YA YA YA YAA!

The mod can be found here, though to get it working you'll need some familiarity with Dreamcast emulators. Or here's some footage of the mod in action, and Governor Walz showing that all's fare in love, war, and politics.

]]>
/games/racing/tim-walz-is-apparently-a-crazy-taxi-nut-so-someone-modded-him-into-the-dreamcast-classic/ NT57YdqmJMtH2DzXjNYJoK Mon, 23 Sep 2024 19:16:51 +0000
<![CDATA[ Parking Garage Rally Circuit is a tightly-designed shot of drifting, PS1-era graphics, and ska music straight to the veins ]]> I didn't have my expectations set too highly for Parking Garage Rally Circuit going in. I like the PS1 (or, as the Steam page invokes, Sega Saturn) style of graphics a lot. I find them charming, nostalgic, and pleasing to the eye. But it's also very fashionable at the moment, which means there's no guarantee that a game using them is going to be interesting.

I'm pleased to report that Parking Garage Rally Circuit (which I'm gonna start calling PGRC for my own sanity) is, however, really quite good. It's a very stripped-down racing experience: there's eight tracks, each of which you can go through three times via the three weight classes of car you can unlock. You have an accelerate button, a brake button, and a drift button. That's the game.

The meat, which I was starting to feel even after just an hour of blasting through it, comes in how you use those tools. You nudge left or right and push your drift button to start drifting. Then, you can choose between one of three options—turn inwards for a sharper turn, turn outwards for a larger turn, or let ska take the wheel (the game has a ska soundtrack) and don't turn either way. There's a little bit of leeway, so you can adjust mid-drift if you'd like.

PGRC then dangles a carrot on a stick in front of you—see, if you keep a drift going for long enough, you gain a speed boost. A little longer, and you'll get a bigger jump to your MPH. Chain these powered-up drifts together, and you start flying. Sometimes literally, as your car starts dangerously yeeting itself off every slope like it's a ramp.

Except, drifting also magnetises you to the ground, so with a little bit of clever tire-burning you can ride the lightning by starting a drift before your tires leave the concrete. If I play your game for less than an hour and I already discover hidden tech, I generally take that as a good sign—and it helps that PGRC controls very well. Everything felt responsive and snappy, and any time I lost control of my vehicle, it was typically my fault.

Image 1 of 5

Various screenshots from Parking Garage Rally Circuit, showing off gameplay, available cars, and environments.

(Image credit: Walaber Entertainment LLC)
Image 2 of 5

Various screenshots from Parking Garage Rally Circuit, showing off gameplay, available cars, and environments.

(Image credit: Walaber Entertainment LLC)
Image 3 of 5

Various screenshots from Parking Garage Rally Circuit, showing off gameplay, available cars, and environments.

(Image credit: Walaber Entertainment LLC)
Image 4 of 5

Various screenshots from Parking Garage Rally Circuit, showing off gameplay, available cars, and environments.

(Image credit: Walaber Entertainment LLC)
Image 5 of 5

Various screenshots from Parking Garage Rally Circuit, showing off gameplay, available cars, and environments.

(Image credit: Walaber Entertainment LLC)

While the game has multiplayer lobbies, I wasn't able to find a game, and given the scope of PGRC I wouldn't hold out hope for a massive competitive scene—but it's there if you want to race your friends. Instead, you'll likely be trying to get gold on every track, as the single-player campaign has you racing ghosts rather than other cars.

One feature which I do think is very clever is that, if you get gold, the game will automatically save your run to a leaderboard. The next time you boot up that track, PGRC will download the replay of the person just ahead of you on that leaderboard, which means that, theoretically, you have an infinite number of phantom opponents to race until you're the very best at that particular circuit.

The only real complaint is the whole parking garage theme. While the game does a good job of swapping things up—making you dodge snow ploughs, throwing debris from Mt. Rushmore at you, and a cute ode to Rainbow Road—parking garages aren't exactly the most exciting visual. It's not a dealbreaker, but I wouldn't have hated a forest or two.

There's not much else to say about PGRC, and I don't think it's a game that'll keep you busy for hours upon hours—but at a price point of $10/?8.50 (less with the introductory offer) it doesn't have to be. Parking Garage Rally Circuit is out now.

]]>
/games/racing/parking-garage-rally-circuit-is-a-tightly-designed-shot-of-drifting-ps1-era-graphics-and-ska-music-straight-to-the-veins/ TdgxBr4horLCCsyhiycDEA Fri, 20 Sep 2024 14:27:20 +0000
<![CDATA[ Holy cow, The Crew 2 is on sale for $1 on Steam ]]> Have you got a dollar? Because if you do, I have a good way you can spend it: Ubisoft's open-world racing game The Crew 2, which is currently going for 98% off its regular price—yes, that's $1.

The Crew 2 didn't knock our socks off when it first arrived in 2018. The open world racing game offered "an impressively huge, occasionally beautiful map," we declared at the time, that unfortunately did not "make up for mediocre driving and a lack of multiplayer options." But much has happened since then, including a slew of patches and updates, and the game now holds a "very positive" rating across more than 61,000 Steam user reviews.

Plus, y'know, it's going for one dollar.

You will also find, if you look, that The Crew 2 is included in our list of the best flight sims on PC. That's not the metaphorical "I'm going so fast, I'm flying" kind of flight, either: Along with the usual array of cars, The Crew 2 also gives players control of planes and boats—in fact, The Crew 2 launch trailer opens with an airplane sequence.

And it's a dollar.

According to Is There Any Deal, this is the lowest price for The Crew 2 ever short of an Epic Games Store giveaway—and for the record, it's never been an Epic Games Store giveaway, so this is as good as it gets.?

I don't think I need to sweeten this pot any further, but I will anyway: Earlier today Ubisoft committed to adding an offline mode for The Crew 2, along with The Crew Motorfest (which is also on sale, for $21), meaning that—assuming Ubi follows through—The Crew 2 will not suffer the same ignominious fate as its predecessor, which was rendered entirely unplayable after its servers were taken offline in April.

The big Crew 2 sale comes alongside Ubisoft's announcement for The Crew Motorfest Year 2, set to begin in November, which will make the full island of Maui free for all players, see the return of the Made in Japan playlist, and feature a new PvE mode called The Chase Squad. Full details on that are up at ubisoft.com.

The Crew 2 is on sale for the stupidly low price—I really cannot emphasize that point enough—of $1 until September 23. If Steam's not your thing, you can pick it up for the same price—again, it is literally one dollar—from the Epic Games Store and the Ubisoft Store.

]]>
/games/racing/holy-cow-the-crew-2-is-on-sale-for-dollar1-on-steam/ yBEfZ8TPcmZd387hitxA48 Tue, 10 Sep 2024 22:32:39 +0000
<![CDATA[ After eating it for killing The Crew, Ubisoft promises to bring offline support to The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest ]]> Perhaps still stinging from the unexpectedly ferocious reaction to its decision to bring The Crew to a sudden, unwanted stop, Ubisoft announced today that offline modes are being developed for The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest.

"We heard your concerns about access to The Crew games," Ubisoft said via TheCrewGame on Twitter. "Today, we want to express our commitment to the future of The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest. We can confirm an offline mode to ensure long term access to both titles, stay tuned for more news in the next months."

The Crew 2 is six years old and wasn't great at launch but has enjoyed years of follow-on support; The Crew Motorfest is much newer yet has a much smaller player base on Steam, possibly because it spent more than six months as an Epic Games Store (and Ubisoft Store) exclusive. Whatever the case, there's not what you'd call a huge community of players out there for either game.

But the decision to commit to offline modes for both games probably isn't driven solely by player numbers, but rather emerges from the unpleasantness (and potential future unpleasantness) sparked by the shutdown of the original Crew earlier this year. Ubisoft delisted The Crew in December 2023 and rendered it unplayable as of April 1, 2024, saying the move was necessitated by "server infrastructure and licensing constraints."

But rather than quietly accepting that boilerplate justification as Ubisoft presumably expected, The Crew fans pushed back hard, launching a "Stop Killing Games" initiative that seems more serious and well-considered than the name might at first suggest. A petition to the European Union hasn't yet attracted the one million signatures required to move it forward for possible adoption as law, but it has attracted 350,000 signatures in less than two months, and that's not nothing.

There's more than just blowback from The Crew community: Ubisoft is also facing external pressure arising from a years-long malaise driven by numerous game delays, cancellations, and underperformance from released games. That's resulted in a long, slow slump in the company's share price, which now sits at a 10-year low, and while bringing offline modes to a couple racing games isn't going to turn that around, Ubisoft needs whatever PR wins it can get right now. You have to start somewhere, right?

A time frame for the addition of offline support for The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest wasn't provided, nor did Ubisoft say whether it has similar plans for The Crew, the game that caused all this trouble in the first place. I've reached out to ask if a Crew comeback is in the works, and will update if I receive a reply.

One more thing, since we're here: If Ubisoft's new commitment to the future of The Crew 2 has you curious, this is a great time to pick it up—it's currently on sale for just $1 on Steam. That's 98% off the regular price, and the lowest it's ever been on the platform. A big, heavily-updated, and "very positive" rated arcade racing game for just a buck? That's a real deal.

]]>
/games/racing/after-eating-it-for-killing-the-crew-ubisoft-promises-to-bring-offline-support-to-the-crew-2-and-the-crew-motorfest/ vCNqGZWARVZS7KErFShm6N Tue, 10 Sep 2024 21:44:35 +0000
<![CDATA[ Warhammer 40K: Speed Freeks is nearly the orky Mad Max of my dreams, but more variety and fewer bots might get it to the finish line ]]> You can't browse Steam for more than 10 seconds without tripping over a Warhammer game. Games Workshop makes a pretty penny hucking licenses to developers for all sorts of tie-ins, and I doubt they'll stop anytime soon. But if you're anything like me, all that grim darkness of the far future wears on you. "There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter?" What am I, in church? Where's the levity? Where's the race cars?

There's one faction in 40k's smorgasbord of alien horrors that's definitely having a good time in the grimdark: the orks. These football hooligan-inspired green goons are all about going fast and blowing people up, and it's about time they've been affectionately adapted in Speed Freeks, a vehicular arena shooter where you pilot shoddy rocket-powered tanks and race to the death. It's in early access, but already a good, chaotic time.

The orks' cheeky, anarchic spirit is everywhere in Speed Freeks (on second thought, perhaps they should not have been given driving licenses). Every match is a whirlwind of twitchy firefights, exploding squigs, and everyone slamming the "WAAAGH!" button, erupting in a chorus of battle cries. Enemies are "krumped" rather than killed or fragged, and you can customize your ride with all manner of orky attire and tabletop-accurate paints. I haven't seen so much organic roleplay in a shooter since Deep Rock Galactic had me cheering "Rock and stone!" with strangers, and if you need any convincing that this game's effect is similar, just take a look at its top-rated Steam guide which teaches you to speak like an ork.

There's more on offer than novelty, though. The two current modes are Deff Rally and Kill Konvoy; the former is a mix of team racing and point control, and the latter involves both teams defending giant Stompa mechs as they trundle to a finish line (and slowing down the opponents' by dropping bombs on it and scoring kills). While I preferred Deff Rally's emphasis on all-out teamfights, Kill Konvoy gave the bigger, slower vehicles more room to use their long range firepower and fostered unique teamplay around guarding the bomb carriers. I had particular fun in this mode as the Grot Mega Tank, circling the Stompa like a shark and shutting down enemy bomb carriers with a swift broadside. While clearly inspired by demo derby classics like Twisted Metal, it's very much its own thing, and there's more under the hood than one might assume.?

Image 1 of 4

Warhammer 40K Speed Freeks aka Orks in Cars

(Image credit: PLAION)
Image 2 of 4

Warhammer 40K Speed Freeks aka Orks in Cars

(Image credit: PLAION)
Image 3 of 4

Warhammer 40K Speed Freeks aka Orks in Cars

(Image credit: PLAION)
Image 4 of 4

Warhammer 40K Speed Freeks aka Orks in Cars

(Image credit: PLAION)

Different vehicles behave something like different characters in a hero shooter, each of them coming with a suite of abilities and special movement properties. My favorite of these is the Boomdakka Snazzwagon, which specializes in hit-and-run molotov tossing. It can leave behind a trail of blinding exhaust fumes to disorient other players or isolate healers from their team, and I found myself playing with a more tactical mind than I expected from a game about fungoid monsters in cars.?

Movement is more robust than I expected, too, especially in the nimbler vehicles. While every vehicle can boost to gradually raise its top speed, speedsters like the Snazzwagon can dash to instantly accelerate to an absurd pace. Combining these mechanics allows for some truly ludicrous maneuverability when racing from one point to the next or trying to escape from an enemy tank. Maps are properly outfitted with ramps, half-pipes and spacious arenas, too, so it's easy to apply them in a shootout.

It's all pretty impressive stuff for an arena shooter in early access, and it's sheer frenetic joy at the best of times. But a few gripes have spoiled the fun in my playtime so far, and I'm not sure how much longevity I'll find in Speed Freeks, which debuts at a busy time for both multiplayer shooters and highly anticipated Warhammer games.

For instance, each game I've played so far has been stuffed with bots—easily spotted by their cookie-cutter orky names and 0 ms ping—despite the fact that I've never had to wait in a queue for more than 10 seconds. I'd much rather wait a minute for a full lobby than have to plow through AI enemies to get a proper scrap in. The worst match I played had a measly three human players, which sucked all the energy out of the on-screen mayhem.

Image 1 of 5

Warhammer 40K Speed Freeks aka Orks in Cars

(Image credit: PLAION)
Image 2 of 5

Warhammer 40K Speed Freeks aka Orks in Cars

(Image credit: PLAION)
Image 3 of 5

Warhammer 40K Speed Freeks aka Orks in Cars

(Image credit: PLAION)
Image 4 of 5

Warhammer 40K Speed Freeks aka Orks in Cars

(Image credit: PLAION)
Image 5 of 5

Warhammer 40K Speed Freeks aka Orks in Cars

(Image credit: PLAION)

Moreover, with a launch lineup of eight playable vehicles and two modes, there's not a lot to dig into yet. Maps have some visual variety but lack distinction from one another mechanically, and occasionally players ignore the various landmarks anyway to do donuts around one another like it's Quake 3 on wheels. While I can see myself losing several evenings to the charming brand of violence on offer here, I'm uncertain it's deep or novel enough to attract a bustling, active community.?

I don't expect the game to be feature-complete in early access, and the devs are already active in responding to player feedback on forums and via patches, but it's also already stuffed with cosmetics purchasable with in-game currency and a lengthy battle pass. With games like Concord, Marvel Rivals, Splitgate 2, and even Space Marine 2 on the way, Speed Freeks is headed straight into a crowded pond increasingly dominated by big fish.

Still, I hope its orky antics secure it the niche it deserves, because it's damn fun and vehicular combat has gone underrepresented for far too long. I've rarely seen Warhammer's lighter side portrayed with such infectious glee, and I'm eager to rope some friends in and krump some gitz together while the krumping's good.

]]>
/games/racing/warhammer-40k-speed-freeks-is-nearly-the-orky-mad-max-of-my-dreams-but-more-variety-and-fewer-bots-might-get-it-to-the-finish-line/ XrcCSTRDH9mEkJxaxiJ9yS Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:02:46 +0000
<![CDATA[ Car destruction lovers rejoice, Wreckfest 2 is on the way ]]>

Wreckfest 2 was announced today, with developer Bubear and publisher THQ Nordic prepared to reprise the successful game where you race, sure, but also smash your car directly into other cars on purpose to win. Where other racing games whine and complain about cars going smash, Wreckfest does not. The announcement was made at today's THQ Nordic 2024 showcase.

In the announcement trailer, a pensive driver-mechanic swaps between melodramatic brooding over his damaged car and an in-game driver camera as he slings trash talk while barreling down a dusty track as other cars smash and sideswipe each other—before a particularly well-angled hit from another driver sends him rolling across the course.

Wreckfest 2 will have a revamped, remodeled physics engine set up to take advantage of modern hardware. That means, as the description says, "even higher crash fidelity, a deeper armor and damage system" and "more intricate component damage simulation" among many other improvements.

Wreckfest 2 is also emphasizing its game modes getting a revamp, starting with greater car customization. The career mode is described as "entirely reimagined" and that it "supports every playstyle on your mission to become the true champion." There will also be singleplayer challenges featuring vehicles that you should not try to put on a racetrack. It'll also have multiplayer, complete with skill-based matchmaking, and a local split-screen mode.

The first Wreckfest was notable back in 2018 because it's from the developers of the also-beloved also-car-smashing FlatOut series. It did pretty well for itself because of its robust physics simulation combined with its relatively serious tone, which the PC Gamer review of Wreckfest says is because it was—and still is—"unlike anything else in the genre."

Wreckfest 2 doesn't yet have a release date, but you can find more details on THQ Nordic's website and on Steam.?

]]>
/games/racing/car-destruction-lovers-rejoice-wreckfest-2-is-on-the-way/ KZA3MNTZNUoEwtEZNuij2M Fri, 02 Aug 2024 19:51:00 +0000
<![CDATA[ The next Transformers game will be a combat-racing roguelite ]]>

The tough thing about making a Transformers game is that you can't just make an action game about giant robots. You've also got to be able to handle the vehicle side of things, and there aren't a lot of studios out there who are equally adept at making racing games or flight sims as they are at making big robot action games.?

Transformers: Galactic Trials, in development from 3DClouds, seems to be leaning more heavily on the racing side of things. The singleplayer mode has you traversing "battle-race circuits" that consist of both combat and driving challenges you have to face in the relevant forms, while collecting Prime Relics that can be spent to improve skills as well as unlocking more characters and skills. The press release says it has a "rogue-lite combat elements", which presumably means permadeath but with persistent level-ups.

You can play as a bunch of different Autobots and Decepticons, including Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, Wheeljack, Elita-1, Megatron, Shockwave, and Soundwave. It seems like the characters who don't traditionally transform into land vehicles will be getting alt modes that give them new truck or motorbike forms or whatever for this game, since rolling out as a guy who can turn into a stereo is probably not the best way to win a race.

There's a plot involving Nemesis Prime, who is probably Optimus Prime's evil clone or alternate-reality twin depending on your continuity of choice, running around stealing Prime Relics, but I can't imagine it'll be the focus of the game. As well as the singleplayer Galactic Trials mode, it'll have a local multiplayer arcade mode for two players.?

Transformers: Galactic Trials is due out via Steam on October 11. Meanwhile, Splash Damage is apparently still plugging away at the post-apocalyptic Transformers: Reactivate, which we first saw announced at the Game Awards in 2022, and expect to hear more about later this year.?

]]>
/games/racing/the-next-transformers-game-will-be-a-combat-racing-roguelite/ uwSpv68oWMTKKCZY9BTNaG Sun, 07 Jul 2024 02:55:07 +0000
<![CDATA[ Forza Horizon 4 is being removed from sale because of expiring licenses, but at least it'll keep running after it's gone ]]> Forza Horizon 4, a game so good we said it was "worth enduring the pain of the Microsoft Store" to play—pretty damn good, in other words—is going away. Microsoft announced today that because of expiring licenses, it will be delisted from digital storefronts in December 2024, meaning it will no longer be available for purchase.

The upcoming delisting means the new Festival Playlist that started today and runs until August 22 will be the last: After it concludes, the playlist screen will not be accessible except to view the Playlist Festival history. Despite that, players will still have access to daily and weekly challenges that, when completed, will grant Forzathon Points that can be exchanged for Backstage Passes and access to a rotating selection of cars.

All Forza Horizon 4 DLC will be delisted today, leaving only the standard, deluxe, and ultimate editions of the game available for purchase. Those will remain up on Steam and the Microsoft Store until the full delisting occurs on December 15.

Forza Horizon 4 is currently on sale on Steam for $12/?11/14 on Steam, and developer Playground Games said it will go on sale on the Microsoft Store on July 14. "Please keep an eye out on our socials and different platforms to take advantage of future offers," the studio added.

It sucks that such a good game is going away, especially for such an avoidable reason, and I do wish game studios would knock it off with licensed properties because unless you can get that license in perpetuity, sooner or later this is going to happen and it's just not worth the headache.?

That said, the good news is that unlike The Crew, which became completely unplayable a few months after it was removed from storefronts in December 2023, Forza Horizon 4 will continue to function: Playground Games says anyone who owns it "will be able to download and play it as normal, including its offline, online, and multiplayer features" following the delisting.

]]>
/games/racing/forza-horizon-4-is-being-removed-from-sale-because-of-expiring-licenses-but-at-least-itll-keep-running-after-its-gone/ ejdQgjBFdbmaverUd2LNuc Tue, 25 Jun 2024 21:10:42 +0000
<![CDATA[ Deathsprint 66 looks like the best kind of racing game: one where you race murderous robot men instead of boring old cars ]]>

There's a part of me that always craves a good racing game, but I just can't be bothered with cars. I want hoverboards, podracing, F-Zero stuff man, I get my car fix being stuck in traffic in my 2018 Kia Soul. Deathsprint 66 looks like the perfect scratch for my particular anti-automobile racing itch: this is a game where we'll race Master Chiefs.

Sumo Newcastle's upcoming racer looks like Mario Kart by way of Ghostrunner in its debut gameplay trailer from the PC Gaming Show: we've got the grungy, neon-lit cyberpunk city, form fitting robo guy armor with chunky armor bits, and one of my favorite environment features in any game, those little bits of Titanfall raised wall panels that practically scream "Wallrun on me, jerkoff!"

But instead of FPS levels or combat puzzle time trialing, Deathsprint 66 puts you in a demolition derby, racing against a gaggle of seven other cyborgs in PvE or PvP. As PCG executive editor Tyler Wilde observed after getting a look at the game at this year's Game Developers Conference, Deathsprint is like if Nintendo stopped pretending Mario Kart was anything other than a blood sport.

The obstacle course nature of Deathsprint 66's tracks are what has me the most excited: in addition to the aforementioned wallrun ramps, the trailer shows off laser traps, ziplines, and perhaps the least OSHA-compliant open spinning spike traps I've seen in a game since Super Meat Boy. And things get bloody when you mess up: the trailer ends with a tasteful shot of one of our Spartan II program-looking guys running past a severed arm before getting turned into pink mist himself.

I'm curious to see what kinds of offensive options we'll get as players?—inquiring minds want to know what the Deathsprint 66 blue shell looks like. While Deathsprint 66 does not have a release date, it's currently set to release before the end of the year. Until that time, you can wishlist the game on Steam.?

Image 1 of 3

One cyborg ninja guy avoids spike trap while another falls

(Image credit: Sumo Newcastle)
Image 2 of 3

cyborg ninja guys wallrunning

(Image credit: Sumo Newcastle)
Image 3 of 3

Cyborg ninja guy does 3 point hero landing

(Image credit: Sumo Newcastle)
]]>
/games/racing/deathsprint-66-looks-like-the-best-kind-of-racing-game-one-where-you-race-murderous-robot-men-instead-of-boring-old-cars/ 6kFttsTsuXCsVpLMDZia7d Sun, 09 Jun 2024 21:11:34 +0000
<![CDATA[ Trackmania players have been trying to complete a challenge map so ludicrously hard there's a $30,000 prize for reaching the top, and over a month after release no-one's done it ]]> A standout moment for Trackmania was the release of Deep Dip in November 2022, a 14-floor map that represented the greatest challenge in the game's history. Each floor was put-together by a different creator, and asked different things of players, and the goal is simply to get to the top. But there's one very important kicker: not a single checkpoint. You miss a jump on Deep Dip, and you're going all the way back to the bottom.

Deep Dip wasn't the first "tower" map the game had seen, but the challenge was so extreme it was accompanied by a $1,000 prize pool to be shared among the first finishers, and anyone who was anyone in the Trackmania scene had to at least try it. One such figure was YouTuber and Trackmania stalwart Wirtual, who at the end of April posted a history of Deep Dip showcasing his own eventual completion of the map, which doubled-up as an announcement for Deep Dip 2 (thanks, RPS).

Sadly, they didn't call it Deep Dip 2: Dip Harder, because that's the general idea. Everything that players love-slash-hated about Deep Dip, but cranked up to the max: This time with 16 floors of ludicrously escalating challenge, a community funded $30,000 prize pool, and still not a checkpoint to be seen anywhere. The map was released on May 4, 2024.

Over a month later, not a single player has completed Deep Dip 2, and watching their attempts is absolutely agonising. Every single floor of this thing is a nightmare which, in and of itself, is not a problem. But when you combine that with the absence of checkpoints and the vertical construction that means any tiny error can wipe out the last three hours of play… well, if this thing isn't responsible for a few smashed controllers, I'll eat my hat.

We live in an age where any new release is ripped-apart within days, and community challenges like this are rarely any different: especially when there's that giant prize waiting at the end (the $30,000 will be split between the first three players to complete the map). But Deep Dip 2 is at the time of writing unconquered, even though some players have reached the final floor.

Here they've been met with the Trackmania equivalent of a big middle finger: a huge vertical surface that has to be crawled across while balancing the car so it doesn't fall. Three players have reached this stage: Larstm, Hazardu, and Bren_TM2. But dear old Wirtual, for the sake of his sanity, has bowed out after reaching floor 14.

"Half an hour of perfect driving without falling just to explore the hardest floor," observes Wirtual in a video about why he's throwing in the towel. "And it feels very unrewarding in that sense."

Wirtual is not alone in this feeling. While most are enjoying watching the Trackmaniacs bash their heads against this near-impossible challenge, others are frustrated that the challenge level is so high that it precludes players of average skill having any fun with it.

"The map I think is too difficult," adds Wirtual. "The difficult floors should be earlier in the map because this way of exploring is so taxing... This is the type of map where you need the determination and iron will of a god. Seriously."

With those three players on the last floor, however, it's surely only a matter of time before one of them makes it. But the time it's taken has been acknowledged by the project lead SparklingW as an issue, and something that will feed into any future Deep Dip 3.

"I think that Deep Dip 2 is really pushing the limits of how hard a map like this can be," says SparklingW in an interview on the Trackmania Mappers Assembly podcast. Making a map any harder risks moving into the realms of the impossible, or creating something where "no-one is actually going to dedicate that amount of time to it without some serious motivation."

It's a balancing act, because the whole point of this is a ludicrous challenge that brings the Trackmania community together as players try to beat the map, and others watch their feats of skill (and fails).

"For an event like this, obviously this one is already taking quite long," acknowledges SparklingW, "and if it really starts taking too long then people will lose interest. Obviously at the end there will be big hype again if someone finishes it, but there may be such a long period in-between where there's not that hype… I don't think it's healthy for the format."

With that in mind, and the withdrawal of big community stars like Wirtual, SparklingW reckons that next time around they'll look to hit a balance where the challenge remains high, without being quite so insurmountable. "Deep Dip 2 definitely hits the limit [of difficulty], so when we're looking at Deep Dip 3 I would say it's definitely going to be somewhere between Deep Dip and Deep Dip 2, rather than more difficult."

Masochists can try Deep Dip 2 for themselves in Trackmania now, while the community alternately argues over whether it's too hard and waits in expectation for one of their own to crack the nut. Should the tower be toppled in the next few days, I'll update this piece.

]]>
/games/racing/trackmania-players-have-been-trying-to-complete-a-challenge-map-so-ludicrously-hard-theres-a-dollar30000-prize-for-reaching-the-top-and-over-a-month-after-release-no-ones-done-it/ U7hLcTdP6yHyLHQYCdfpUB Thu, 06 Jun 2024 17:02:16 +0000
<![CDATA[ Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is the next open-world racer that seems destined for live service Hell ]]> There's a sense that developer KT Racing assembled this next installment of the long-running Test Drive racing series by throwing a handful of darts at a mind map of popular Steam store tags and taping them to a car bonnet. It is open world and live service. It caters to both simulation lovers and arcade racers. It is competitive, but also social.?

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, the developer is keen to insist, isn't a 'racing game' but a 'driving game'. The idea being that its faithful 1:1 reproduction of Hong Kong Island isn't merely a 600km box in which to take laps around city streets and practice your handbrake turns on off-road mountain bends, but a space for car enthusiasts to admire the lovingly recreated Bugattis, BMWs and, er, Nissans. Much is made of their accurate looks, engine sounds and handling, and from the moment you're asked to choose a starter car, you're encouraged to open their doors, wind down the windows and try their plush leather interior—just to make sure you pick the motor of your dreams.

(Image credit: Nacon)

In practice, Solar Crown is a multiplayer open-world racing game with the usual glut of game modes. Circuits are multi-lap, eight-player races. Time Attack challenges you to set the fastest time against other players. Sprint is essentially a do-over of Circuits but with added checkpoints to stop you cutting corners. And Domination rewards you points based on your position in the race every time you cross a checkpoint.?

Solar Crown isn't so committed to realism that you can't cling to the accelerator for much of a race, yet hitting the brakes at just the right time before corners is key to conserving acceleration. Drifting will be a breeze for racing enthusiasts, and as oblique as it always is for everyone else. Driving mastery can be measured at a glance by how crumpled and dented your car looks by the end of each race, as the winner stands by their ride with the sort of boastful pose I imagine Olympic athletes practice in front of the mirror. Throughout it all, licensed—but always totally unidentifiable—up-tempo pop-rock blares in the background.

In other words, Solar Crown knows its audience: aspirational gearheads. Those who like the idea of swapping around intakes, camshafts, flywheels, suspension systems, rims and windscreens as much for the joy of tinkering as for their granular performance boosts. It's all depicted through simple selection menus, and you're encouraged to explore the upgrades regularly, including before each race when you're given a moment to swap around parts to suit its track and locale.?

Grinding gears

(Image credit: Naxon)

But there are strict limits, and while you can test drive every car to your heart's content (each is intended to provide a perfect representation of how it feels to sit behind the wheel) you won't have free reign to hop between them. A small garage is the norm in Solar Crown, with each new acquisition meant to feel like a luxury. To unlock the most spectacular cars of the game's roster, you'll have to put in the time—think 200 hours for a top-tier Bugatti.

Even in my preview of the early game, there were hints of a progression grind familiar to any MMO. Racing will earn you prestige and improve your reputation. That reputation is then needed to purchase better parts and cars, which are themselves required to access new, more difficult, and more rewarding races. I had to repeat several races before I'd earned enough street cred to unlock the next batch, and ended up pottering about the city in search of the few collectibles scattered about.

In many respects, it was those little bits in between the main races that stuck out most. Drive about the streets outside of a race and you'll earn money for drifting, escaping near collisions, driving cleanly and performing other impressive feats. But your earnings aren't guaranteed. In a spontaneous push-your-luck minigame, you're forced to choose between banking the money early for a slim profit, or continuing your daring driving for the possibility of a bigger payday at the risk of losing it all should you bang headfirst into a lamp post. It's a minor time-filler, but somehow showed the energy of Solar Crown at its best.

(Image credit: Nacon)

If it's not already clear, don't expect Solar Crown to lap the current frontrunners of videogame racing. Even its so-called social aspects so far simply amount to multiplayer racing, occasionally bumping into others in the open world, and a hub area (a literal lobby of a luxury hotel) for players to arrange races and compare their cars' bodywork. Radical design this is not, though nor is it perhaps intended to be. With KT Racing already planning to support Solar Crown with more race modes, cars and miscellaneous content in the future, the developer seems to be pinning the game's future as a live service title on its broad, if slightly tame, appeal.

Many will no doubt enjoy slipping into a car or two to hear the roar of their engines. But if a live service game is to succeed against all the other forever games out there, it's not the cars that need to be making a noise—it's the players.

]]>
/games/racing/test-drive-unlimited-solar-crown-is-the-next-open-world-racer-that-seems-destined-for-live-service-hell/ cM62qMmdPDDs5Xvwy3QiDV Tue, 04 Jun 2024 11:07:31 +0000
<![CDATA[ After a complete rebranding, legally-distinct Bloodborne parody Nightmare Kart is finally released to the general public—and the PS1 vibes are immaculate ]]>

Nightmare Kart, the game formerly known as Bloodborne Kart, has had quite the roundabout journey to get here. Announced back in March 2022, the fan project—a Bloodborne-themed kart racer which feels like it started as a bit that was yes-anded into a real thing—was meant to be released January 31 of this year.?

Alas, Sony eventually stepped in just as the game was about to cross the finish line, and developer Lilith Walther was forced to completely rebrand the entire game. This has turned out to be a blessing and a curse—a curse, because it made the release date drift by a couple of months. A blessing, because in Walther's own words: "This is a fan game no more!" Now it's here, as announced by Walther on Twitter.?

You can't play Nightmare Kart on Steam just yet, due to being gunked up in what Walther describes as "review build jail", but it's up for grabs on itch.io for "free", as promised. I put free in quotes there, because it's technically a pay-what-you-want system, and I think Walther's team deserves recompense for the absolutely charming kart racer they've put together here.

Unlike Bloodborne PSX, this thing's a fully-fledged game, with 15 entire tracks, 21 racers, and a genuine campaign mode with boss fights in it. The presentation is immaculate. I actually think the veer away from Bloodborne has done Walther a lot of favours—all of the legally-distinct designs are completely charming. I especially like the Watchers, who have these goofy little pixelated eyeballs.

(Image credit: Lilith Walther)

I went for a couple of laps, and while I'm marvellously bad at kart racers, I was already having a good time. In Nightmare Kart, you can gather vials with which to boost by drifting, hairpin-turning, and doing stunts—you can also pick up and fire weapons to deal with not just your fellow racers, but actual monsters that'll litter the track like hazards, too.

It controls a little stiff, but in a charming, era-appropriate way for the PS1 vibes it's emulating, and it's nonetheless very responsive. The game itself's lovingly smattered with little details—for example, whenever you save, it pretends to check your memory card. Full shot of nostalgia straight into the bloodstream, there.

It's fully voice-acted and scored, too—and the soundtrack, which is available on Bandcamp, duly slaps. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to soothe my lack-of-Bloodborne on PC woes with a couple more nostalgia-fuelled laps.

]]>
/games/racing/after-a-complete-rebranding-legally-distinct-bloodborne-parody-nightmare-kart-is-finally-released-to-the-general-publicand-the-ps1-vibes-are-immaculate/ DWLUw9DLzzxmPjbKXMdFSe Fri, 31 May 2024 17:05:10 +0000
<![CDATA[ F1 24 review ]]>
Need to Know

What is it? The latest instalment in Codemasters’ long-running series of official Formula One games.
Release date May 31, 2024
Expect to pay $70/?60
Developer Codemasters
Publisher Electronic Arts
Reviewed on Nvidia RTX 2070, 16GB RAM, Intel i7 10th Gen
Steam Deck Unsupported
Link Official site

Last year’s F1 23 was great because it offered three compelling single-player pillars, including the lavishly-produced, Drive To Survive-esque story mode. Take that away, in the now-predictable two-year cycle for such major features, and you’re left with something that really does invite the question of whether it could have just been DLC instead, despite a new emphasis on assuming the role of real drivers.?

Without the story mode, there’s a definite feeling of having done this before. Even the supposedly all-new career mode is predictable. Will we start the new weekend with a practice session in which we fulfil three R&D tasks? Yes, we will. What was once an innovative and enjoyable practice session which taught you the track and how to play the game is now some seven years old and overly-familiar. Sure, you can skip the practice targets using the ‘simulate practice’ option, which is a sort-of-fun minigame of risk, reward and quick thinking as you balance time left with percentage chances of failing the task, but if you’re skipping the part of the game where you play it, why did you buy it?

You bought it for the racing, of course. And in that respect at least, it’s still very good. Fast, responsive driving on all the real tracks, including four that have been entirely remodeled. The handling has been tweaked and feels a touch lighter than last year’s game. Max Verstappen himself has apparently helped Codemasters tweak the handling to make it more realistic, which is probably why it feels so smooth and driveable. Unfortunately, the rest of the gameplay is less polished than we’ve come to expect.

Cars still exhibit a tendency to turn in on you even when you’re clearly alongside at the apex, but now the difficulty balancing seems a little off, with cars suddenly displaying way more pace than you even though you’ve got a decently-charged ERS battery and the AI difficulty level’s at the top end of medium.?

(Image credit: Codemasters)

But absolutely destroying your zen-like state is your race engineer, who seems to have been at the ethanol.

You soon settle back into the cat and mouse play of longer Grands Prix. But absolutely destroying your zen-like state is your race engineer, who seems to have been at the ethanol. “Your tyres are looking too hot,” he barks as you literally turn the first few corners after putting them on the car. “Cool them down.” But he’s told you as you enter a fast corner and tells you you’ve failed within seconds. Thanks. But that’s not all. Better still: “Your lap times are a bit erratic” when you’ve been mega consistent but stopped for tyres a lap ago. That does tend to affect the lap times, mate. He also likes to set you an arbitrary lap time to beat during race sessions that’s some 2 seconds slower than every lap you’ve done so far. He’s a complete idiot.?

Also an idiot is whomever is in charge of tyres. If you’ve got it set to One Shot qualifying and it rains, it appears to be impossible to fit wet weather tyres, causing you to go out on slicks, unable to do anything except slide off the track and start dead last.?

The result is an uncharacteristically messy experience. It doesn’t matter so much if you enjoy going from last to first, Jenson Button style, but it will certainly irk the more serious F1 fans. The great thing about the series in recent years is that it’s simply become more polished with every entry. But it does feel like the attention to detail is slipping. “Lando Norris—at last a winner in Formula One!” is great scripting, well-voiced by the real Sky Sports commentator, David Croft. But it isn’t so hot when Lando already won two races ago.

Taylor's version

(Image credit: Codemasters)

But why should you care about performing busywork micro-quests mid-GP anyway? It’s all about reputation. Career mode’s focus is now on your own rep as a driver, within the team and compared to your rivals. This starts with you trying to beat your team-mate, which moves a sliding bar left or right between you as the season unfolds. You can gamble on how far you think you can push the bar at the start of the season, which is cool, giving every action extra significance. Do well enough against your teammate and you’ll start to get preferential treatment in the development of your car, even though you both share the gains.?

But once you’ve cemented your position as the better driver, you start new rivalries with others. Poor Sergio Perez soon has the sword of Damocles hanging over him as you vie for his Red Bull seat. There are also supposedly ‘secret’ meetings with other teams, but as soon as you turn them down (why on Earth would Lando Norris want to go to Williams? Come on, now!) your agent tells you the team is really happy with your loyalty. Secret indeed. Get caught sneaking, though, and your rep will take a big hit.

The returning F1 World mode still sees you completing events and series to earn points to spend on your car, collecting and upgrading rare loot to make your ride more competitive. However, the novelty has worn off a little, and the quality of the loot on offer is questionable. It is simply very underwhelming to open a new reward and find some ugly gloves inside. The ‘Dino’ sticker of cartoon dinosaurs to go around the inside of the halo is cute, but hardly worth writing home about.

(Image credit: Codemasters)

The game engine has been beautifully optimised and still doesn’t need a mega-rig to look great.

What is worth telling everyone is that you can now play career mode as an icon. Past drivers like Ayrton Senna, James Hunt, and even Pastor Maldonado (yes, icons of all sorts) are no longer consigned to team-mate status—you can join Leclerc as Nigel Mansell, back at Ferrari 34 years later. Amazing scenes. It does make the game at least 10 percentage points better when you do this. The game also takes into account drivers’ own career stories, allowing you to win Lewis his eighth (cough ninth) world title.

The game engine has been beautifully optimised and still doesn’t need a mega-rig to look great. On a now-ageing RTX 2070-enabled laptop, it still manages to run on Ultra-High at 1080p with ray tracing enabled at a silky smooth frame-rate. Stuttering is rare, only evident on a few specific corners, like the approach to Aquaminerale at Imola, suggesting there’s some kind of processor bottleneck at that point rather than the engine straining to run the game in general. Aside from some further, odd time-lagging after camera changes in a few replay scenes, it runs perfectly, with glorious environmental graphics and beautifully detailed cars. Even the drivers look better this year, with more realistic faces, even if they don’t close their eyes fully when they blink. The overall effect is getting close to the TV presentation now.

In isolation, F1 24’s still an incredible video game. But this template is so well-worn now, it finally feels like a change is needed. When ten-person dev teams can make gems like New Star GP and create a fresh-feeling, super-fun F1 game with just as much tactical depth and emphasis on management of resources as this, you do wonder if it’s time to properly shake things up. For all the new career structure, it still boils down to trying to keep everyone happy and beat your rivals, which isn’t that different at all. In fact, the old system was arguably clearer and it certainly feels like it’s all the same mechanisms anyway underneath all the new circles.

The crashes are decent but still underplayed. It would be better if the game went back to the crash physics of F1 2010, but the cars here do at least occasionally get airborne in accidental crashes, which feels like a step forwards, even if such spectacle is still few and far between. The multi-zonal car damage is still reigned in from what it could be, but on full simulation damage the cars do fall apart reasonably nicely and look suitably shattered after a big shunt. Even so, a few more AI mishaps would liven things up considerably.

VCARBs diet

(Image credit: Codemasters)

For all the gloss and improved presentation, last year’s game will be half its price in the bargain bin and demonstrably offers a more compelling single-player experience thanks to the Braking Point 2 story mode. Instead, thanks to the optional VIP pass and Pitcoin currencies (you can buy unlockable items faster by spending real money), F1 24 could cost you another ?31.39 if you feel you need 50,000 more Pitcoin. Further monetising a full-price game is a bold move, especially when it doesn’t quite feel quite as finished this time out.?

Annoyingly, Steam Deck isn’t supported at present, although the same was true for F1 23 at review, and that received support with the first patch, so fingers crossed the same will happen for this one.

It’s very likely Codemasters is prepping something bigger for next year like they did with F1 23 and F1 21 before that, but that doesn't make this offering any better. Unless you absolutely must have the correct teams and drivers on the grid or simply had to preorder to play the time-limited (now expired) Max Verstappen events of the Champions Edition, there’s no clear reason to pay up to ?79.99 for something so similar yet objectively smaller. Well, except for playing as Nigel Mansell. That is just too cool.

]]>
/games/racing/f1-24-review/ tsKtFWgr2KEj3ceWEJD5nK Tue, 28 May 2024 15:00:00 +0000
<![CDATA[ I watched the first Autonomous Racing League event and while it certainly wasn't exciting, it was unintentionally hilarious ]]>

Over the weekend, the very first event in the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) took place, with 600,000 people watching it online. Two races took place (AI vs human, plus AI vs AI), along with a raft of entertainment for the visitors. While autonomously driven cars are certainly going to be prevalent on our roads in the future, the notion of it being a sport sounds as dull as the inaugural race turned out to be.

If you're wondering what it was all actually like, you can watch a repeat of the online stream on YouTube. I'm a huge fan of motorsports, especially of the two-wheel kind, and tried my hand at it in my early twenties (to precisely zero success, of course). I also really like my racing games, especially Codemaster's F1 series, although I'm frequently frustrated by the limitations of playing against the computer and the general awfulness of playing online against people.

But having watched the entire livestream of the first event in the A2RL (a series of 'races' between AI-driven open-wheel cars), I can't help but feel that playing F1 on my gaming PC is infinitely more exciting than looking at desperately slow AI muddle its way around a race track.

Don't get me wrong—the tech on display is cool and from an engineering perspective, it reminded me a lot of competitions where schools and colleges compete to build electric race cars and then duke it out on a track. That's great to get involved and watch as a spectator, but this was duller than watching paint dry.

Though there is definitely some entertainment to be gleaned from watching the ridiculous nature of the 'racing'. Most especially at the point where one car spins out, another gets confused by all the smoke, a further AI loses signal and stops in the middle of the road, and then they all just line up behind the stalled vehicle with the super earnest commentators pointing out that's exactly how they're coded to respond.

"It's impressive technology," says one of them. "Not ideal for a race, but impressive technology."

The AIs were very conservative, seemingly very reticent to accelerate hard out of any corner, and at one point, one computer system completely misjudged another car's braking and ploughed right into it.

Of course, that kind of stuff happens in real races but the human element adds considerably more drama. Although it's not my cup of tea, F1 e-sports generates plenty of action, thanks to wildly ambitious moves, dodgy tactics, and downright brilliant driving. None of this was on display in A2RL.

However, given how far and how fast generative AI has developed in just a handful of years, autonomous driving could well reach the point where it's just as good as any highly experienced and successful racing driver. Would that make it worth watching, though? AI vs humans, maybe, but I can't imagine anything more soporific than AI vs AI. Even if they added jet engines, missiles, and lasers, it still wouldn't do anything for me.

Well, maybe lasers. Lasers make everything cool.

]]>
/software/ai/i-watched-the-first-autonomous-racing-league-event-and-while-it-certainly-wasnt-exciting-it-was-unintentionally-hilarious/ 5DPBjjAAkahr26NuB8iYV3 Mon, 29 Apr 2024 16:20:01 +0000
<![CDATA[ Heading Out is a stylish, narrative-focused driving game inspired by classic road flicks of the '70s and '80s ]]>

If you've ever seen the 1971 cult-classic film Vanishing Point, Heading Out will be almost immediately familiar: It's a stylish "narrative-adventure driving game" inspired by great road flicks of the past that puts players behind the wheel of a mighty muscle car and on the run from the police and the ever-present fear that's never far behind.

Despite its look, Heading Out isn't just a driving game. Running the open road is obviously a big part of it, but the story matters too. Each leg of your journey will take you through encounters with locals and cops, impromptu races, and radio station interludes, before ending in a town or city where you'll gas up, stock up, get some sleep, and have some brief adventures before heading back out to the highway.?

It's not a management game—these decisions are usually simple and binary, like serving as a ringbearer at a roadside wedding or helping a nervous bride slip away—but properly handling your time and resources is essential. You need to stay fed, gassed, and juiced up, but you can't stay in any one place for too long lest the police or your fear—in this case a literal force, represented by a blood-red trail slowly consuming the road behind you—catch up and halt your journey before you reach your destiny.

"It's not the destination, it's the journey" is a cliche that really holds true here. As you race across America, your legend as the Interstate Jackalope grows, and it has a real impact on the game through dialog options and comments about your exploits from a radio host chronicling your journey. Choices about your background made at the start of the game—where you come from, why you're running, that sort of thing—will also help shape that narrative flavor.

All of it matters, because those details really help Heading Out nail its very specific vibe. The visual style is a big part of that too: The game is mostly greyscale, police lights and other racers being the brightly-colored exceptions, and the narrative interludes are supported with comic-like panels. The soundtrack is a great match for the action, and it's integrated into the game in a way I really like: When racing with some local hotrod hothead, the winner is determined by who's in front when the song on the radio comes to an end. It's a simple and elegant idea that fits perfectly well with Heading Out's "just keep driving" motif.

The importance of the narrative is clear—the Heading Out Steam page says it "addresses racism, mental health (anxiety, depression), inequality, and other social issues," and your reputation will be shaped around choices you make throughout your run—and I wondered at first if players more interested in the adventure than the action might be stymied by the driving segments.?

Image 1 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 2 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 3 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 4 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 5 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 6 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 7 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 8 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 9 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 10 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 11 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 12 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)
Image 13 of 13

Heading Out screenshot

(Image credit: Serious Sim)

After spending some time with it, I don't think that's a worry: There are three levels of difficult and I found the default setting quite manageable, and those who really don't want to be bothered can opt for a "story" mode that should get them through to the next town with minimal fuss or muss.

Which isn't a guarantee of success: After a couple of bad calls (and a misclick on the interstate map that led me directly into trouble) my first run came to an untimely end, leaving me a virtual unknown, my story unfinished and untold.

Even so, I do wonder whether Heading Out's take on a very specific sub-genre of film—the retro automotive action flick—will limit its broader appeal. Having played with it, I have a hard time thinking of Heading Out as a racing game: To me it feels more like an open-road adventure game, where the story, not the wheel time, is what really matters. That might be a little off-putting for people looking for a more straight-up racing game, but even though it's an unusual formula, based on what I've seen so far it works: The road beckons, and win or lose I want to see what's ahead.

Heading Out is set to launch on Steam on May 7.?

Thanks for the memories, Kowalski.

]]>
/games/racing/heading-out-is-a-stylish-narrative-focused-driving-game-inspired-by-classic-road-flicks-of-the-70s-and-80s/ CkXgRCodUW9vHcZoumyCuA Fri, 12 Apr 2024 20:09:51 +0000
<![CDATA[ Ubisoft is stripping people's licences for The Crew weeks after its shutdown, nearly squandering hopes of fan servers and acting as a stark reminder of how volatile digital ownership is ]]> The downside of digital ownership has reared its ugly head for enjoyers of Ubisoft's open-world multiplayer racer The Crew. The publisher has revoked its licence for those who owned it on Ubisoft Connect, almost destroying fan ambitions to revive the game in both an offline and online format.

The Crew was pulled from sale back in December, with Ubisoft revealing that the servers would be shut down at the beginning of April. Frustratingly, despite a large portion of the game being doable in singleplayer, The Crew remained an online-only endeavour throughout its decade-long lifespan. That had already rendered the game unplayable, but it seems Ubisoft is determined to take things one step further to stamp out any attempts to continue playing it past its expiry date.

Fans began to notice earlier in the week that the licence to the game had been snatched away from them. A message at the top of the game's library page reads, "You no longer have access to this game. Why not check the Store to pursue your adventures?" It's also been moved to its own individual section in player libraries, listed under "inactive games". Apparently booting the game directly from the installation directory will still launch the game, but only in a demo mode.

The news has, unsurprisingly, gone down very poorly. "This was the saddest and most ruthless decision I've ever seen in gaming history," one Redditor commented after a screenshot began circulating on the site. "I will always fight for digital media, I love all the advantages it gives to users all around the world. But this… we need protection on the national or European level, that when we purchase something, we need to have lifetime access to it. No matter what."

Ubisoft Connect's store which shows that the licence for The Crew has been revoked.

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

A further Reddit user called it "really abhorrent behavior that needs to stop being legal," with another writing, "In an ideal world, revoking a license like this should entitle the buyer to a refund. I'm not sure why they're even bothering doing this. The game isn't playable anymore, so what exactly is the harm in keeping the game available for download for those who have purchased it? Server space? Is Ubisoft really that cheap?"

It's worth noting that it appears you can technically still download the game on Steam, but any attempt to play is followed-up with a request to input a game key

Now it's one thing to just delist a game and still allow owners to download and boot it up if they want—even if the game is technically dead—but it's another thing to revoke the licence to the files entirely. It came very close to putting a dent in plans to bring fan servers to the game, but one project appears to still be chugging along.

Ubisoft revoking licenses for The Crew, preventing owners who paid for the game from installing it. from r/gaming

The Crew Unlimited Discord server is housing a project called The Crew Offline+Online Server Emulation, intended to bring the game back to a playable state "both offline locally and online" via a community server—no cracking or pirating involved. I asked project member ChemicalFlood how it had impacted their plans:

"We are deeply saddened by Ubisoft's choice to start revoking licences to this game when people have paid hard-earned cash for it," he told me. "In regard to the project, yes! We are currently working on a Server Emulator as opposed to cracking the game. Before the shutdown of the servers, we took the precaution of capturing Network Communications Data. Had we not done this, the project would [have] sadly fallen over and this game would [have] been lost forever.

"Thankfully, a server emulation is still possible. But no other patch is possible due to the high amount of DRM placed into the game by Ubisoft, which sadly has restricted our ability to work on a fix, but not impossible!"

I also asked ChemicalFlood how the news had gone down with fans and The Crew Unlimited Discord:?

"Obviously, Ubisoft pulling the game licences has left a sour taste in every gamer's mouth and it has unfortunately made it so the game cannot even be launched without it turning into a restricted trial mode. However, we can bypass this new change made by them without having to modify the existing game files, so the project is still on track!

"It should go without saying that, by any means, the fact that the community has to implement something like this to continue playing something we all paid for is abysmal, especially something of this magnitude. We of course love the game and want it to be played for generations to come (my own son loved playing this on the PlayStation, 'loved' being the keyword!) But Ubisoft should [have] implemented an offline mode and they could [have]! The offline mode already exists in the files, we just can't turn it on because of the DRM in place.

"We hope that the Stopkillinggames campaign will mean that the communities and fans of these games will not be expected to be able to restore every single online-only game like this."

Ubisoft Connect's store which shows that the licence for The Crew has been revoked.

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

I've requested comment from Ubisoft regarding the situation and will update if I hear back. I'll be interested to know if the publisher provides any solid reason for being extra thorough with its shutdown process. There's a good chance it has something to do with licensing—there are a good deal of licensed songs in The Crew, not to mention all of the real-world car manufacturers present, too. It could make for a sticky situation keeping the files around, and perhaps it was easier to try and kill the whole thing instead.?

Regardless of the reason, it's an ever-looming reminder of how fragile digital ownership can be. A study by the Video Game History Foundation last year found that around 87% of games are unplayable without diving into some kind of piracy or fan-created archive, and that number could even worsen as physical discs slowly die out. But preservation is becoming a bigger topic, one that's now being taken more seriously as a means of conserving the medium.

Earlier this month, YouTuber Ross Scott launched a campaign called "Stop Killing Games" with The Crew as its primary example. His hope is to eventually win a legal victory that would require publishers to keep their live service games playable in some form after they end support, such as by releasing private servers.

]]>
/games/racing/ubisoft-is-stripping-peoples-licences-for-the-crew-weeks-after-its-shutdown-nearly-squandering-hopes-of-private-servers-and-acting-as-a-stark-reminder-of-how-volatile-digital-ownership-is/ gMmpoeneCkWpxZH3cWJFGS Fri, 12 Apr 2024 14:25:40 +0000
<![CDATA[ Disney Speedstorm community up in arms as premium pass can no longer be earned through gameplay: Starting with the next season, if you want it you'll have to pay for it ]]> The Disney Speedstorm community is in a bit of an uproar following a change to the pricing of the game's battle pass. The Golden Pass, as it's formally called, could previously be acquired using Tokens that can be earned via gameplay, but beginning with the upcoming season 7, that option is out, and it will only be available for a real-money purchase of $10.

The new pricing scheme was revealed in a recent community update that announced "significant structural changes" to the Golden Pass, which Gameloft said aims to make them "more engaging and faster to complete." 83% of Disney Speedstorm players don't reach tier 50 of the Golden Pass, the studio said, and among players who start later in the season, the percentage is even higher.?

To help address that issue and ensure more players are able to access the Golden Pass content, the amount of XP required to access each tier, up to tier 49, is being halved, "so players should be able to complete the pass in half the time." The repeatable tier of the Golden Pass "will increase incrementally."

The bigger issue, though, is the change in pricing. Beginning with season 7, the Golden Pass will have free and premium tracks, and the only way to get the premium is to drop $10/10, or your local equivalent, or $20/20 for a Golden Pass Bundle that comes with a skip for the first 15 tiers. Each season will also be split into two halves of roughly one month each, and each with its own Golden Pass, so players who want all the premium content in a season will have to buy two Golden Passes.

The change has not gone over well with players.

"My 'favorite' part is where they say the Golden Pass will have its requirements cut in half, but now we'll have double the Golden Passes each season," redditor Latter-Mention-5881 wrote. "And we only have a single month to complete each one. Make it make sense."

"I guess the Golden Pass wasn't making enough money, so now you have to buy to two and you can't save your hard earned tokens for 'free' passes," PaperClipSlip said. "And don't come here and say we get twice the content. From what I read they're locking characters behind each pass. So if you want all seasons drivers you need pay twice as much as now."

I don't think it's entirely unreasonable to ask players to pay for additional content in a live service game, but Disney Speedstorm has been in early access since April 2023, meaning dedicated players have had a full year to grow accustomed to the idea of grinding for Golden Passes as an alternative to paying for them. Taking that away was bound to be an unpopular move, even just as a matter of principle.

Some players have also complained that they're sitting on stockpiles of Tokens they'd purchased in order to access future Golden Passes. This is something that Gameloft actively encouraged: "If you were to buy the Golden Pass Premium tier with the in-game currency, it would require 990 tokens," the studio said in a message that's still up on the Disney Speedstorm website. "Given that token amounts start at 4,000 for the Standard Founder's Pack, with any of the Packs you are set to get access to Golden Pass premium rewards for many seasons to come!"

The language on the Xbox and PlayStation Store pages is even more explicit: "Tokens are an in-game currency that can be earned for free by achieving goals in the game or by being purchased using real-world money. They are not season-based and can be accumulated. They can also be used to obtain items in the shop, buy the Golden Pass, skip Golden Pass tiers, and much more."?

The Gameloft support page also still says Tokens can be used to "unlock the premium tier of the Golden Pass content within a season." Season 7 hasn't started yet and so that information is still accurate but given the announced changes, some players believe it's misleading and have begun calling for refunds on Token purchases and are even discussing the possibility of legal action.

Unsurprisingly, the new pricing plan has sparked an influx of negative user reviews on Steam—not enough to qualify as a concerted review-bombing, and many of the new negative reviews say the gameplay is actually quite good. But there's definitely unhappiness with the new monetization scheme.

(Image credit: Gameloft (Twitter))

This isn't the first time Gameloft has found itself the target of player ire over game pricing. In October 2023, just ahead of the release of Disney Dreamlight Valley, it dropped plans to release it as a free-to-play and instead opted for premium pricing, a shift that caught early access players by surprise and left many of them unhappy, large due to the decision to leave free-to-play systems in place, including purchasable currency, battle passes, and cosmetic items in the in-game store. We said in our 68% review of that game that "steep costs and microtransactions taint an otherwise dreamy life sim."

Disney Speedstorm season 7 is expected to go live later in April. I've reached out to Gameloft for comment and to ask if any thought is being given to reverse the changes, and will update if I receive a reply.

]]>
/games/racing/disney-speestorm-community-up-in-arms-as-premium-pass-can-no-longer-be-earned-through-gameplay-starting-with-the-next-season-if-you-want-it-youll-have-to-pay-for-it/ 79UBeJsyspTg9p2o6x9cVd Thu, 11 Apr 2024 18:11:19 +0000
<![CDATA[ Smaller games can be 'more creative,' says designer who made one of Ubisoft's most acclaimed games with a tiny team ]]> Upcoming multiplayer combat foot-racing game DeathSprint 66 looks pretty cool, but I still might be a little nervous if I were responsible for making back its budget. A genre of news story we've become pretty familiar with is "niche multiplayer game was great, but not enough people played it to justify keeping the servers on." Knockout City, for example, shut down a couple years after it launched. Rumbleverse lasted only six months.

At the Game Developers Conference last month, DeathSprint 66 director Andrew Willans told me that he's confident in the game, saying that playtesters are "overwhelmingly finding something which is very fresh." That freshness, he thinks, is due in part to the scope of the project: It's a medium-sized game from a medium-sized team, and will be "sensibly priced."

"I think that [under $70] price bracket … it allows you to be a bit more creative," said Willans. "If you've got a more limited budget than triple-A, and you've got a more limited timeframe to do it, I think you get more innovation on that scale. It's not indie, and it's not triple-A, it's somewhere in between. And when I look at the indie market and the amount of innovation constantly being pushed, there are really exciting things there which you don't tend to see in the bigger triple-A games. And I think there's this lovely middle ground, where we're aiming to be as a studio."

DeathSprint 66 developer Sumo Newcastle is made up of about 80 developers, and only around half of them are working on DeathSprint. The others are working on another, unannounced game.?

The concept for Deathsprint 66 has been around for several years, but it's only been in development "in earnest" for a little under a year, and it's set to release sometime in 2024. Its design has been refined and simplified over the course of that short development period—at one point it included guns, but now Willans says the studio is "focused on just the fun and sensation of being in that flow state of running."

A benefit of smaller teams and smaller projects, Willans said, is that junior team members get more input—their feedback doesn't have to go up a long chain of command—and everyone gets to see results much faster than they do with big-budget projects.?

"There's lots of people on our team that might be quite junior to the industry," Willans said. "And these kinds of games allow them to feel buy-in and ownership, be a part of something that they're going to see in one to two years time, compared to some of the games I've worked on in my career that took four-and-a-half years to reach the market. At the end of that I'm just exhausted, the teams are exhausted. And it feels like it's all on that moment, and if that's not a success, that's hard, you know? If it doesn't take off."

Grow Home released in 2015.

Willans previously worked at Ubisoft, and some of the big games he contributed to were The Division and Watch Dogs. The Ubisoft project he says he's proudest of, however, is Grow Home, a critically acclaimed physics climbing game that was made by a small team at Ubisoft Reflections.

"Initially, there were about six or seven of us on [Grow Home], tiny budget," said Willans. "And it was like the little game that could, and we were just left in a corner to let this thing grow, pardon the pun. And I think the more that we can do that, the better we are."

Willans noted that aside from producing great games on their own, small teams may come up with innovative ideas that later end up in big triple-A games. Like the Grow Home team, the DeathSprint team is part of a much larger organization: Sumo Newcastle is one of a big group of Sumo Digital developers, which are all subsidiaries of Tencent.?

You'd hope that being part of a giant company would protect game developers from the need to endlessly hit home runs to be secure, but especially in recent times, that doesn't always seem to be the case. Sony's acquisition of Bungie didn't protect the Destiny 2 developer from layoffs, as just one example. Willans does think that being part of a bigger organization gives him some leeway, if not freedom to act with total disregard for commercial success.

"I do think that security allows us to take some, I'm going to say, calculated risks," he said "We're allowed to push it, and we're allowed to test things because we're not going cap in hand for mega mega budgets."

DeathSprint 66 is set to release sometime this year, and Willans says the plan is to release it as a complete package that includes everything players need for "sensible progression that's going to keep them engaged" at "a sensible price." No gameplay footage has been released publicly, but I saw some clips at GDC and wrote about them here.

]]>
/games/racing/smaller-games-can-be-more-creative-says-designer-who-made-one-of-ubisofts-most-acclaimed-games-with-a-tiny-team/ gW9v7hoV9kVYDtwdTjA5gB Thu, 04 Apr 2024 20:04:57 +0000
<![CDATA[ Nightmare Kart, the now-legally-distinct, not-Bloodborne fan game has a release date—after a letter from Sony delayed the whole thing ]]> Lilith Walther, the genius behind that excellent Bloodborne PS1 demake, has been hard at work making Bloodborne—sorry, Nightmare Kart, changing the name after a letter from Sony.?

The whole fiasco, which forced Walther to remake the game's shockingly large cast of Bloodborne characters, delayed the whole thing considerably since it was meant to arrive in January of this year. "Long story short," Walther wrote back when the news hit, "I need to scrub off the branding … that requires a short delay."

Well, said delay is over. Not only is Nightmare Kart now its own legally-distinct thing with its charming unique character designs (not-Micolash has a little tweety bird in his head-cage, now), it's going to be released for the low low price of absolutely nothing on both Steam and Itch.io.?

Despite the non-existent price-point, Nightmare Kart seems like a full-fledged indie in terms of content. 20 racers, 16 maps, an honest-to-old-gods campaign mode with its own boss fights—while that PS1 demake was a fun experiment, it seems like Walther and her team just pumped as much nitrous into their engines as they could, making a full game out of an idea I can only assume was cooked up in a fugue state at 3 am.

The game actually has 21 racers, technically, as Walther's also put her own fursona—Bunlith—in the game. She's unlockable via cheat code, as is secret bonus character tradition. Honestly? That's fair, if I had an OC and I was making a kart racer, I'd stuff 'em in there, too. That's the reward you get for making something rad as hell as a labour of love, then giving it away for nothing.

(Image credit: Lilith Whalter)

Walther's also been sharing the process of making Nightmare Kart legally distinct enough to be a unique selling point—starting with the menu rebrand. She also mentions having to swap "the starting 'fansoftware' joke logo out with a temporary texture, as we figure out how we want to organise the logos that will replace it."

Personally, I kind of want her to just keep it as-is—it'd be a good bit for an entirely bit-driven game. Nightmare Kart will be doing donuts in your nearest gothic parking lot May 31.

]]>
/games/racing/nightmare-kart-the-now-legally-distinct-not-bloodborne-fan-game-has-a-release-dateafter-a-letter-from-sony-delayed-the-whole-thing/ tfBH8Zgi9hWy8Wd5jgXXMe Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:42:48 +0000
<![CDATA[ DeathSprint 66 is like Mario Kart, but ultraviolent and minus the carts: 'It's The Running Man as reimagined for a new generation' ]]>

DeathSprint 66 has made me see Mario Kart in a new way. The brief teaser shown at today's Future Games Show (above) doesn't contain any gameplay, but game director Andrew Willans showed me a short video of the sci-fi racing game in action at GDC this week. It's a lot like Mario Kart—simple arcade racing controls, weapons, traps, maneuvers like slipstreaming and drifting—with one major exception being that I don't remember any version of Mario Kart containing a gore system.

The Nintendo cart racing series has never embraced its true nature as a ferocious deathsport, but DeathSprint doesn't sugar coat it, and it's not hard to guess the inspiration: "It's The Running Man as reimagined for a new generation," said Willans. He means the Stephen King novel first of all—the game directly references the pen name King used for the book, Bachman—but also credits as inspiration the movie adaptation and other sci-fi takes on the idea of "entertaining ourselves to death," like Death Race 2000.

The gore hadn't yet been implemented into the version of DeathSprint I saw, but the opportunities for it were many. Traps will include spike rollers, pendulums, lasers, and "death pits," says Willans, and there'll be weapons players can deploy manually. Instead of red shells and blue shells, we'll be flinging buzzsaws.

The other obvious difference between DeathSprint 66 and Mario Kart (and most racing games) is that you're on foot. Sort of. As a clone jockey, you control a sprinting human clone via neural implant, and it really looks more like SSX snowboarding than running. You can grind on rails, leaning left or right to avoid traps, and the courses feature wall running sections, jump pads, speed boosts, and zip lines.

It controls like a racer, too, which might take some getting used to. Players who are used to moving characters in third person on foot instinctively pushed forward on the controller's left analog stick, said Willans, but in the control scheme they eventually landed on, it's the right trigger that makes your clone run—like holding down the gas pedal of a car.

DeathSprint 66 is coming to PC sometime this year. A PvE mode is planned, but eight player PvP races were the focus of my chat. There'll be practice modes, too. What it sounds like there won't be is a battle pass or cosmetics shop. The plan, says Willans, is to sell a complete package a reasonable price.

"We've created something which is we think's a great value proposition, it's going to be sensibly priced, it's a self contained game," said Willans. "You know, all of the cosmetics and stuff are within that game."

I'll have more from my chat with Willans at GDC soon. You can also read more about DeathSprint 66 in the April issue of Edge Magazine.

]]>
/games/racing/deathsprint-66-announcement/ AQ8s4thyvcQRzAU5EL6faZ Thu, 21 Mar 2024 20:10:24 +0000
<![CDATA[ Sega's upcoming Crazy Taxi reboot will be a 'triple-A' game ]]> Crazy Taxi fans, get your hopes high: In an interview with The Japan Times (via Eurogamer), Sapporo Studio president Takaya Segawa said the upcoming new game in the series will be "a triple-A game."

The console version of Crazy Taxi debuted in 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast, and it was a hit, eventually being ported to other platforms including the PlayStation 2, Nintendo Gamecube, and yes, even PC. Sequels and spinoffs followed, but aside from a couple of mobile games in the 20-teens, the series has been largely dormant for decades: The last mainline game in the series, Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller, came out in 2002.

The reboot was first reported in 2022 and finally made official in December 2023, although with no details beyond the fact that it's happening and a few seconds of gameplay from a 2023 Game Awards hype clip that also included Jet Set Radio, Shinobi, Golden Axe, and Streets of Rage.

We haven't really heard anything about it since, but the initial report of a new Crazy Taxi game indicated it would be a "big-budget" reboot, and that seems to be holding: Tagawa said Sega's Sapporo Studio is "participating in the development of triple-A titles, including Crazy Taxi."

In all honesty, that doesn't tell us a whole lot. The traditional meaning of "triple-A" revolves around big budgets, big production values, big everything, but amidst the proliferation of indie hits and big-name flops, it's largely become a buzzword rolled out when an executive wants to attract attention to their game. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot recently described Skull and Bones as a "quadruple-A" game, for instance, and that really reinforced for me the fact that we're not dealing with hard-and-fast concepts here.

But in the big picture, what it hopefully means is that Sega has big ambitions for the new Crazy Taxi, and is putting in the resources needed to make it happen. It'll presumably be a while yet before we get to see how that actually comes together: A release target wasn't shared in the 2023 announcement, and Tagawa made no mention of it in the interview. For now, if you want to see what all the excitement is about, the original Crazy Taxi remains available on Steam.

]]>
/segas-upcoming-crazy-taxi-reboot-will-be-a-triple-a-game/ SL7F3suqe2yUKfB3pEMuQX Mon, 19 Feb 2024 20:41:49 +0000
<![CDATA[ Flatout, the no-seatbelts racing game with ragdoll physics for when your driver smashes through the windshield, is free on GOG ]]>

Flatout is an older game—it came out in 2005—but it's a lot of fun. What it lacks in an accurate driving model, it makes up for in destructibility of both car and driver: When you smash into something at sufficient speed (which, in my case, is quite often) your helmetless driver is ejected through the windshield and over the hood, screaming and ragdolling into a horrific sprawl on whatever they ultimately hit. Good times! Anyway, it's currently free on GOG as part of the week-long Valentine's Day-themed Love at First Pixel sale.

Because hey—your flailing, broken body isn't the only thing in the air. So is love.

(Image credit: GOG (Twitter))

In case there's any doubt, the manual makes it clear that Flatout is not a "serious" racing game. There are quick races, time trials, and a career mode, all pretty standard fare for driving sims, but there's also a multi-category Rag-Doll Sports mode where the goal is literally to crash your car forcefully and accurately enough to fling your driver a specific distance, height, or toward a specific target. For instance, the Darts mode:

"Propel your driver at the giant Dart Board to achieve the highest score. Usual darts scoring applies."

I'm not sure why but "usual darts scoring applies" in the rules for a racing game strikes me as very funny. There's also a clown-themed variant, if that's what you're into, in which you fire your driver toward a giant wooden clown with targets cut into it. So yeah, not exactly Project Cars stuff here, but it's silly fun and you can't beat the price.

Despite its age, Flatout on GOG runs as well as you could ask. The UI is definitely dated, as you'll notice when you enter your driver's name—you have to use the arrow keys to highlight individual letters and then mash the spacebar to select them—but I encountered no graphical or gameplay glitches or weirdness, even running at 4K.

The Flatout freebie on GOG is available until February 17, while the Love at First Pixel Sale is on until February 22.

]]>
/flatout-the-no-seatbelts-racing-game-with-ragdoll-physics-for-when-your-driver-smashes-through-the-windshield-is-free-on-gog/ BjmX2ofwrroDziSLNKa2NE Wed, 14 Feb 2024 17:26:38 +0000
<![CDATA[ Bloodborne Kart won't be 'Bloodborne Kart' anymore after a letter from Sony, but the devs are excited to make it an original thing: 'This is a fan game no more!' ]]>

We still don't have Bloodborne on PC yet, but who needs it? We've got something even better on the way: Bloodborne Kart, a PlayStation-style demake that somehow evolved from a seeming April Fool's gag into a fully-fledged kart racing game. It was intended to be out on January 31, but developer Lilith Walther said today that the team needs to tap the brakes so they can ditch the Bloodborne branding at Sony's request.

Bloodborne Kart was announced in August 2022 and it gave us immediate high hopes. Walther was one of the creators of the excellent BloodbornePSX demake, for one thing, and that set the bar pretty high on its own. But the mere concept of Bloodborne Kart is inherently interesting—I mean, "What if Bloodborne, but kart racing?" is something you have to be at least a little curious about.

And it's not just some five-minutes-and-finished novelty game: Bloodborne Kart promises 12 racers, 16 maps, a "full singleplayer campaign mode," split-screen local multiplayer, a versus battle mode, and—I have no idea how this is going to work, but there it is—boss fights.

The good news is that Sony isn't looking to kill the project outright, but it does want it cleaned up a bit for the lawyers.

"Sony contacted me," Walther tweeted today. "Long story short I need to scrub the branding off of what was previously known as Bloodborne Kart, which we will do. But that requires a short delay. Don't worry, the game is still coming out! It'll just look slightly different."

(Image credit: Lilith Walther (Twitter))

Walther doesn't seem too bothered by the development, saying the developers expected it to happen anyway, "so we're shifting gears to take care of it." There's also clearly some excitement about moving away from the Bloodborne branding a little, and making it a full-on new thing.

"As much as I pushed for this to be 'the meme made real' so to speak, turning this into an original game that we have full creative control over is kind of exciting," she tweeted. "This is a fan game no more!"

A new release date for the game formerly known as Bloodborne Kart will be announced once the team has the details figured out. In the meantime, if you haven't given it a go yet, you can snag BloodbornePSX from Itch.io.

]]>
/bloodborne-kart-wont-be-bloodborne-kart-anymore-after-a-letter-from-sony-but-the-devs-are-excited-to-make-it-an-original-thing-this-is-a-fan-game-no-more/ cajiZMjP8JrBz2PXvT6NJe Fri, 26 Jan 2024 23:25:38 +0000
<![CDATA[ Turn 10 promises big changes to address 'top three' Forza Motorsport complaints: rides, rules, and racers ]]> Despite some technical misgivings we rated Forza Motorsport quite highly when it launched in October 2023, but others haven't been quite as impressed. Take a trip around to Steam and you'll quickly notice a "mostly negative" user rating across nearly 5,000 user reviews. There's a range of complaints: Some users are struggling with bugs and performance issues, while others find it lacking in content and "personality," as one negative review puts it.

Three months after the game's release, developer Turn 10 says significant changes to address those complaints are on the way "in the coming months." The update posted to Steam focuses on what the studio said are "the top three areas of feedback we haven't addressed directly," including car progression, Forza Race Regulations, and AI drivers.

Car progression is a "divisive topic," Turn 10 said: Some players like it, but "for many others it isn’t delivering the upgrade experience that they expect from Forza Motorsport." Developers are looking into making changes to the system that will keep what works and change what doesn't, but players shouldn't expect any major movement on that front soon: It's a "top priority," but Turn 10 warned "it will take some time to properly evaluate options, make the necessary code changes, and thoroughly test those code changes."

Forza Race Regulations, the system that identifies and penalizes infractions on the track, is also due for a change. Turn 10 said players have complained that it's "inconsistent or unfair" in its judgments, and so over the next few months it will be collecting telemetry data from "long-time competitive Motorsport players" in order to figure out what's not working and then make tweaks as needed.

And finally, the AI, which is apparently not great: AI-powered drivers sometimes brake inappropriately, accelerate too slowly, and stick to racing lines too closely. "We understand how important it is to have fair and competitive AI in Motorsport and our top priorities in early 2024 are addressing overly aggressive AI, while also getting a cleaner race start into turn 1 where many of the issues above most severely manifest and impact players," Turn 10 wrote.

(To be fair to the AI, turn 1 can be a nightmare for real-world drivers too.)

So there are no immediate big changes coming to Forza Motorsport, but at this stage—and the state of the user review situation on Steam—I would imagine Turn 10's priority is simply to reassure everyone that their complaints aren't going unheard. The reaction to the message on Steam is decidedly mixed: Some fans are happy to know the studio isn't washing their hands of it, while others are angry that the game launched in its current state and it took this long to acknowledge it.

There are more changes coming than just the issues listed above: Turn 10 said they're "just a few examples of what we have seen most often and know you care passionately about."

]]>
/turn-10-promises-big-changes-to-address-top-three-forza-motorsport-complaints-rides-rules-and-racers/ 8UC3e37rJkWATTkyte4XcK Wed, 10 Jan 2024 18:42:50 +0000
<![CDATA[ Drive like a maniac for fun and profit in the Epic Store's next free game ]]>

After putting the Destiny 2 Legacy Collection up for grabs for a week, the Epic Games Store appears to have drifted back into a daily rhythm of free games. Today's offering is Art of Rally, a stylized top-down racing game from the maker of Absolute Drift.

Superficially, Art of Rally is an arcade racer, but it offers a surprising amount of challenge for those who want to switch off the driver assist options and give 'er. Rally fans will also dig the impressive selection of cars from the 1960s to the '80s, including the infamous Group B cars that had a brief, exciting, and incredibly dangerous run through the mid-'80s before being banned by the FIA after a series of major accidents and deaths.

It's not Project Cars, but even with driving aids enabled Art of Rally is a tricky beast to handle, and I struggle to keep even the more manageable Group 2 cars on the road. Fortunately the damage modelling can be turned off, and the in-game crowds are quick on their feet and good at getting out of the way. (In my defense, a QWERTY keyboard is not the ideal thing for heel-and-toe action.)

Art of Rally is free on the Epic Games Store until 11 am PT on December 23. You know what happens after that: Another free game! Be sure not to miss it.

]]>
/drive-like-a-maniac-for-fun-and-profit-in-the-epic-stores-next-free-game/ DpAatu8MHeGGqUnxexQrz Fri, 22 Dec 2023 18:54:03 +0000
<![CDATA[ MOZA's racing sim equipment sale is now on ]]> Christmas is nearly here, and although the rush of Black Friday is receding in the rearview mirror like the starting line on a race track, there are still plenty of last-second deals to be found. One provider of such deals is MOZA, manufacturer of high-end direct drive wheels for racing sims that has made what was once prohibitively expensive into something accessible for most gamers (even more so with this Christmas sale).?

Founded by automotive engineers and sim racing drivers, these guys know what they're doing, and have quickly accelerated to the front of the pack of racing sim equipment providers. Starting today (until December 31), you can enjoy some excellent discounts at MOZA, helping you get your hands on the most premium racing simulation equipment out there.

Here are just some of the best MOZA deals available right now.

MOZA R5 DD Bundle?

MOZA R5 bundle

(Image credit: MOZA)

$459/509/?459 (down from $499/549/?499)

If you're new to the world of sim racing, then the MOZA R5 DD Bundle will provide you with everything you need for a head start. The wheelbase features 5.5 Nm of torque, a compact design, and comes with the ES Wheel, SP-Lite Pedals, and a desk clamp—a perfect starter package.

R9 DD/R12 DD wheel bases?

MOZA R12 Wheel Base

(Image credit: MOZA)

$399/$559 (down from $439/$589)

Compatible with all MOZA Racing steering wheels, these bases are unmatched in quality and durability. The R9 packs 9Nm of torque, easily simulating a vast range of car handling characteristics, while the R12's 12Nm torque flawlessly captures the steering force of real-life cars.

Direct Drive Steering Wheels

MOZA Christmas Sale

(Image credit: MOZA)

CS V2 ($229, down from $279)

Whether you're a Rallycross drifting enthusiast, or want to cruise around the countryside in a vintage car, the CS V2 is a powerful and affordable steering solution. ?Features a life-sized design, mechanical buttons, shifter paddles and MOZA's own quick-release system.

RS V2 ($399, down from $439)

MOZA RS V2

(Image credit: MOZA)

For that full-size 13" racing wheel feel in your hands, the RS V2 is a great pick. With a genuine leather grip, LED RGB Rev Lighting, and the option to choose between wireless and wired connections, it's a versatile piece of equipment for the refined racing sim aficionado.

GS V2/GS V2P ($399/$439, down from $469)

The GS series of wheels have a luxurious feel about them with their choice of Alcantara and Microfiber Leather finishes. Packed with sensors, programmable keys, seamless transitions via customized quick-release, and myriad other features, these wheels are designed with the serious enthusiast in mind.

FSR Formula Steering Wheel ($599, down from $649)

MOZA FSR Formula Wheel

(Image credit: MOZA)

A top-end wheel with a built-in digital dash and perforated leather grips, the FSR Formula wheel offers luxury and precision in equal measure, bringing that Real Racing feel to your home. Magnetic dual clutch paddles, speedy gear changes, and a 4.3" digital dash round off an impressive feature set.

MOZA CRP Pedals ?

MOZA CRP Pedals

(Image credit: MOZA)

$459 (down from $499)

With a sleek black and gold design, the CRP pedals take inspiration from modern hypercar stylings. A 3-stage clutch offers unrivalled control, and the CNC aluminum pedal assembly is sturdy and adjustable, letting you set it to that perfect angle for pushing the pedal to the metal.

The sale ends December 31. There are plenty of other deals on the official MOZA site, so head on over there to check those out. You can also keep up with the latest advancements at MOZA's labs on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, or join the growing MOZA community on Reddit.?

]]>
/mozas-racing-sim-equipment-sale-is-now-on/ 5S8YgPizoppYU2GfwUCGXR Fri, 15 Dec 2023 11:21:24 +0000
<![CDATA[ The Crew removed from sale, will become unplayable after April 1: 'We understand this may be disappointing for players still enjoying the game' ]]> The Crew is being taken off the streets: Ubisoft announced today that sales of its online racing game have been halted on all storefronts, and it will no longer be playable on any platform after March 31, 2024.

"We understand this may be disappointing for players still enjoying the game, but it has become a necessity due to upcoming server infrastructure and licensing constraints," Ubisoft said. "Decommissioning a game, and especially our first one, is not something we take lightly.?

"Our goal remains to provide the best action driving gameplay experience for players and to deliver on it, we are continuing to provide new content and support for The Crew 2 and the recently launched The Crew Motorfest."

It is disappointing, and also an indictment of a system in which server-dependent games suddenly become memories once a studio decides to pull the plug. The Crew is a multiplayer-focused game but it offers a singleplayer campaign, which by definition is something you play by yourself. By rights, losing online functionality should have no impact on that aspect of the game, and yet here we are.?

And no, not many people are playing The Crew right now—just 31 on Steam at the moment—but it's about more than just whether or not you can hop into a decade-old racing game and bang around: Game ownership should not be treated like an extended rental.

And yet here we are.

(Image credit: Steam)

"The Crew 1 enabled us to define the pillars of The Crew franchise: a social open world full of activities, an RPG progression system linked to the vehicles and actions players perform, and finally, guaranteeing players activities at any time of day," Ubisoft said. "Thanks to the experience developed on these pillars, we reached over 40 million players on the franchise last year, something we are incredibly proud of. We would like to personally thank each of our players, without whom we wouldn't be here today."

Kind of like how The Crew won't be in a few months, I suppose.

The Crew servers will go offline on April 1, 2024, at which point the game will be rendered unplayable. Anyone who purchased The Crew "recently" can apply for a refund wherever they bought it. What qualifies as "recent" isn't defined but is presumably dependent on individual storefront policies.

]]>
/the-crew-removed-from-sale-will-become-unplayable-after-april-1-we-understand-this-may-be-disappointing-for-players-still-enjoying-the-game/ 4zZqyMvMFFi7eEedwkJwRN Thu, 14 Dec 2023 21:02:02 +0000
<![CDATA[ As a Rocket League purist with over 1,300 hours, I didn't expect to like its Fortnite racing spin-off so much ]]> I lit up when I first heard that Psyonix was making a Rocket League racing game. It's something Rocket League players have been imagining for a long time: We love rocket-powered car soccer, but surely it could also be fun to perform automobile acrobatics in races?

Then I heard that Rocket Racing wasn't going to be a Rocket League mode or a new standalone game, but a mode in Fortnite. My perhaps-unfair gut reaction was: eugh. My biggest concern was that, as an extension of Fortnite, Rocket Racing would feel like Fortnite rather than the eight-year-old game whose quirky, hard-to-master car handling I've spent well over 1,000 hours practicing. I've never gotten into a Rocket League imitator; they water it down or just don't find the same weirdly fun laws of physics.?

But then I tried Rocket Racing this morning, and shoot: it turns out I like it anyway. I also kinda like the Lego Fortnite survival mode Epic added earlier this week. What the heck? Am I a Fortnite player now??

As predicted, Rocket Racing's cars don't handle like Rocket League's. Modders make Rocket League obstacle courses where masters of its free-flying controls use their absurd skills to basically do car-kour, and this isn't that. Rocket Racing cars handle closer to Fortnite's existing fleet of vehicles with the spirit of Rocket League's acrobatics baked in. Psyonix has adapted the basic concepts of Rocket League—you can boost, jump, and fly—into controls that apply sensibly to Mario Kart or F-Zero-style courses. It isn't easy to master, necessarily, but you can't do the zero-G Olympic diving routines that Rocket League players do (not that it really makes sense to in a race).

The cars have rear boosters that can be fired to go faster, but they don't work like jet engines that send you careening into the sky like in Rocket League. Instead, "flying" is a function of the jump button, which activates rocket boosters attached to your car's undercarriage. Those engines lift you vertically like a Harrier jet, without risk of tipping over, and the button can be feathered to get you across big gaps. Air dodging left, right, up, or down quickly sticks you to the nearest surface in that orientation. It's a more automatic process than in Rocket League, but it's pretty neat to suddenly be driving on the ceiling at hundreds of miles per hour.

The most important maneuver is drifting, which happens naturally when you take a hard corner, and can be assisted with rocket boosters. Like in Mario Kart, a successful power slide concludes with a speed boost to propel you down the next stretch. Combined with jumping and dodging, that makes for a lot of ways to try to optimize your driving line through each course—so, again, not really "Rocket League racing," but a fun racing game nevertheless.

All the races I've played so far have been competitive, with at least a few racers jostling for first at the end, and there's already a ranked mode. There are 26 maps by my count, ranging from simple circuits where up is up and down is down to tracks where I started to forget which way was which—until I accidentally pressed the jump button while inverted and fell off the track.

I really don't like Fortnite's main interface—the oversaturated field of thumbnails and notifications agitates me, in an admittedly old man kind of way—so I can't say I'm glad that Rocket Racing is part of Fortnite and not a new mode in Rocket League, which I've had on Steam since long before Epic bought Psyonix. It is fun, though, and it's hard to complain too much about a free game.

Since I'm digging Lego Fortnite, too, I guess I'm leaving all 57GB of Fortnite installed for now. I shoulda pulled the trigger on a 4TB SSD during the Black Friday sales after all.

]]>
/fortnite-rocket-racing-impressions/ AzyTdKzqzMVTNzusDqaBQK Fri, 08 Dec 2023 23:36:12 +0000
<![CDATA[ EA announces layoffs at F1 developer Codemasters 'to meet evolving business needs and priorities' ]]> 2023 isn't over yet, and neither are the game industry layoffs that have been such an ugly hallmark of the year. Electronic Arts has confirmed with IGN that it has laid off an unspecified number of employees from Codemasters, the developer of the Grid, F1, and EA Sports WRC racing games.

"Our business is constantly changing as we strive to deliver amazing games and services that keep our players engaged, connected, and inspired," an EA rep said. "At times, this requires the company to make small-scale organizational changes that align our teams and resources to meet evolving business needs and priorities. We continue to work closely with those affected by these changes, providing appropriate support throughout this process."

Electronic Arts acquired Codemasters in 2021 for $1.2 billion in hopes the publisher would become? "the home of racing games." Codemasters is certainly one of the foremost racing game specialists in the business—one of its earliest games was Grand Prix Simulator, released in 1987, and in the years since then it's found success with the TOCA and Colin McRae Rally series, as well as a long string of officially licensed F1 games. Since the EA buyout, it's produced a trio of well-received racers: F1 23, EA Sports WRC, and Need for Speed: Unbound, on which it collaborated with Criterion. But apparently that critical success didn't translate into sales numbers sufficient to keep everyone employed.

This isn't the first time Electronic Arts has pared back Codemasters. In November 2022, less than a year after acquiring the studio, it halted development of the planned next game in the Project Cars series. EA said at the time that it was dropping Project Cars, a high-fidelity racing simulator, in order to focus on "areas where we believe we have the strongest opportunity to create experiences that fans will love." In EA's estimation, that included "licensed IP and open-world experiences, and expanding our franchises to be more socially-led with long-term live services that will engage global communities."

It's been a very bad year for workers in the videogame industry, who have faced layoffs from studios of all sizes at an alarming rate. Embracer Group, which had laid off an estimated 900 employees and closed multiple studios as of mid-November, is probably the worst example, but Electronic Arts, Take-Two, CD Projekt, Epic Games, and various others have all made significant staffing cuts in 2023, as have larger tech firms Meta, Google, Amazon, and Unity.

Electronic Arts declined to comment further on the Codemasters layoffs: In response to an inquiry, it directed me to the statement shared with IGN.

]]>
/ea-announces-layoffs-at-f1-developer-codemasters-to-meet-evolving-business-needs-and-priorities/ rmexhUsx9LrN72GCB2fLZZ Tue, 05 Dec 2023 00:49:49 +0000
<![CDATA[ Deathgrip's take on podracing keeps you riding the line between hyper-speed victory and dying in a fiery explosion ]]> Was it a good idea for The Phantom Menace to include a lengthy subplot about our heroes gambling on a child to win a space Grand Prix? It was not. Did the visual spectacle of podracing blow our tiny '90s brains regardless? Of course it did.?

What a concept: basically just tethering a little cockpit to two jet engines and sending it off careening at 600mph around a ludicrously dangerous course. And as proved by 1999's Star Wars Episode I: Racer, it's perfect fodder for a videogame.?

Enter: Deathgrip, an upcoming sci-fi racer shown off at the PC Gaming Show, that embraces that spirit of ridiculous speed and even more ridiculous mortality rates.?

As soon as I hop into my first race and see the vehicle designs and windy canyon race course, the Star Was inspiration is clear. But I don't have to get far round the track to realise there's something much more clever here than just a riff on a movie action scene.?

Deathgrip is all about pushing the limits. There's an inherent risk-reward in cranking your speed up to max and hoping you can weave around those dangerous corners regardless, sure, but the game goes further than that. The thrusters you can activate to boost your speed also heat up your engines—run them too long and you'll enter an overheat state that rapidly damages your vehicle. You can repair on the move, but the sci-fi juice you use to do it needs time to recharge once spent. The result is that your structural integrity is just another resource to burn for more speed.?

(Image credit: Reclaim Interactive)

There's no point playing it safe if it means getting left behind, but blasting around at low health is dangerous, even more so if you misjudge your dashboard meters—easy to do at high speed—and run out of repairs to offset your overheating. Kaboom.

The other thing that makes gambling your health a tense proposition is the fact that every racer is packing. Each vehicle can load up with two guns—machine guns, rocket launchers, shotguns, all that good stuff. If that thruster boost can get you ahead of the competition, great. What if it doesn't get you far enough ahead to be out of range of a suddenly very threatening salvo??

All together, these systems tip Deathgrip over into being more than just a very fast racer—it's a game that really plays with the idea of speed. You're always being tempted to push things further and further, craving just one more boost to get you past the guy in front, no matter the risk. The only way to win is to be forever hanging on by the seat of your pants.

One thing I've found is lacking a little in my time with the game so far is personality. The original podracers of Star Wars were a motley crew of weird and wonderful aliens, each driving their own distinctive craft equipped with wacky sci-fi gadgets. Deathgrip's racers and vehicles do feel pretty bland by comparison, and the fairly generic guns feel like a missed opportunity for hijinks.?

But maybe Deathgrip is just too focused on its racing to worry too much about what its drivers look like at this stage, and that core element is really shaping up well, feeling as deliciously dangerous as a deathsport should. Check it out for yourself by trying the free demo on Steam now ahead of its upcoming Early Access release.

(Image credit: Reclaim Interactive)
]]>
/deathgrips-take-on-podracing-keeps-you-riding-the-line-between-hyper-speed-victory-and-dying-in-a-fiery-explosion/ fVjdNLHX6okCPfHzzchBDZ Thu, 30 Nov 2023 19:15:54 +0000
<![CDATA[ Devs from The Simpsons Hit & Run say the game could've had four sequels, but the publisher said nah: 'The stars [were] aligned … and then it was just: huh, I guess we're not [making them]' ]]> The Simpsons Hit & Run—a GTA-style send-up that somehow managed to be actually pretty dang good—came out in 2003 to some stirring commercial success. I have some fond memories of romping around Springfield as an accident-prone Homer, and while I'm certainly not alone, the game never had a sequel. Turns out, it very nearly had four.

According to an interview clip from the MinnMax YouTube channel, that's down to the publisher's bizarre lack of interest. "The Simpsons came back with an offer: five games for X amount of dollars. It was a really good deal, but Vivendi [the publisher] said 'no'," recalls John Melchior, executive producer on the game.

When asked by interviewer Ben Hanson what the logic of that choice was, all Melchior can offer is an "I don't know … for the [Hit & Run] sequel, we had airships, we had planes, we had lots to go [with] on the Simpsons. This was going to be a franchise, no doubt, in everybody's minds."

Sometimes a company will scrape past a jackpot because it doesn't want to bet on the wrong horse, but what's baffling is that more Hit & Run wasn't really a risk. The game sold one million copies by 2004, and three million by 2007. By all accounts, it was a commercial success. Assuming Melchior and his team could keep up the good work, a full series would've done well. His team was so confident that work on the sequel had already started. "It was a no brainer, of course we were gonna do this."

Darren Evenson, a designer on the game, also remarks: "I remember the team just being shocked that we didn't continue on with the sequel. Like John said, it was a no-brainer. Of course we were going to be doing this. The stars [were] aligned … and then it was just like a: huh, I guess we're not."

"I remember the call," says Melchior. "They were like 'we decided to pass', and I was like: 'On which game?' 'The Simpsons licence.'" He recalls Steven Bersch, who was the president of Fox Interactive at the time, being similarly confused: "He was just like 'I don't understand, I gave it to you on a silver platter, why aren't you just saying yes and doing these games?' It was a really bizarre decision, I'll never understand it. Most people on the production level never understood it."

While a game not getting a sequel isn't exactly new, it's rare that the studio itself would have no idea why. Usually fingers can be pointed at money problems, mismanagement, overambition—but it really does seem like Vivendi just wasn't interested in the golden goose.?

]]>
/devs-from-the-simpsons-hit-and-run-say-the-game-couldve-had-four-sequels-but-the-publisher-said-nah-the-stars-were-aligned-and-then-it-was-just-huh-i-guess-were-not-making-them/ TADuxwnjVknVorsR7SDHmJ Tue, 21 Nov 2023 14:59:48 +0000
<![CDATA[ Behold, the world's first combine harvester combat racing game ]]>

Finally, we have arrived: There is now an arcade-style combat racing game about combine harvesters mowing down waves of golden grain. This vital work is called Furious Farm: Total Reap-Out, and it's an absolute grainbath, a vegetal slaughter, wherein eight farmers go to town upon not just a field of crops, but each other, to win the Grain Prix grand title.

"Battle 7 other farmers to see who can reap the biggest portion of the field in this crazy combine-harvester karting game. Set fire to the fields, fling tires around, steal grain from the others, manipulate grain stock value... All moves are fair game on Furious Farm," says developer Punkcake Delicieux.

In short, it's Rock N Roll Racing but top down and about combine harvesters.

Each of the eight farmers has their own combine, stats, and special abilities. After every round of the Grain Prix the two lowest-ranked farmers are eliminated, while the others can upgrade their harvesters with new tweaks and stats in order to stay competitive into further rounds.

You can also play split-screen multiplayer with up to four players.

If you recognize developer Punkcake Delicieux's name, well, that's because they previously brought us delightful roguelike Shotgun King. That's the one where it's chess except you only have one piece, and it's your king, and also your king has a shotgun and it's a roguelike where you get upgrades. Okay, so it's not really chess. Whatever. You're not my real dad.

You can find Furious Farm: Total Reap-Out on itch.io and on Steam for $6.

You can watch about 40 minutes of gameplay embedded below or on the itch.io YouTube.

]]>
/behold-the-worlds-first-combine-harvester-combat-racing-game/ Y6SzwC5VFRcUWBUzZC9W26 Sun, 19 Nov 2023 03:26:52 +0000
<![CDATA[ Who even needs Bloodborne on PC when the full-fledged kart racer demake just got an imminent release date? ]]>

With God of War, Horizon, Spider-Man, and other blockbusters happily taking root on PC, I can only assume that the continued absence of Bloodborne from our platform of choice is due to either a mummy's curse or Sony executive spite, but who needs it anyway? Bloodborne's true form—Bloodborne Kart—now has a proper release date, meaning we can turn Yharnam into our own personal Rainbow Road incredibly soon.

And by "incredibly soon" I mean the 31st of January next year. Featuring 12 racers, 16 maps, a "full single player campaign mode," split-screen local multiplayer, a versus battle mode and—last but not least—boss fights, I think the game is officially too fully featured to be considered a gag at this point. Rendered in full PS1-style demake glory, the devs have done an inspiring job translating the PS4 game's Lovecraftian vibes to the swimmy textures of an original PlayStation.

So it's an impressive effort, then, especially considering the game comes from a team of three devs—Lilith Walther, Corwyn Prichard, Evelyn Lark—and began as "a meme that was born from a fake joke leak that was posted anonymously in 2017."

"This fan game," continues the blurb, "will be released as the logical conclusion of the six year communal art project" inspired by that "community in-joke." You know, pretty much the story of how most games get made.

The announcement doesn't mention whether the game will be free, but I'm relatively certain that's because it's obvious it will be. I'm no lawyer, but it's probably not kosher to start selling a game with "Bloodborne" in the title even if you have converted into a kart racer. Anyway, if you just can't wait until January, you can try out the same team's regular Bloodborne demake on Itch.io right now.?

]]>
/who-even-needs-bloodborne-on-pc-when-the-full-fledged-kart-racer-demake-just-got-an-imminent-release-date/ mz7UfqgeVx9Pn3zWzHcLEk Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:23:12 +0000
<![CDATA[ One man's years-long quest to train an 'unbeatable' Trackmania AI may have finally crossed the line ]]>

If the constant talk about AI these days only leaves you confused then this visually satisfying video may be just the balm you need. Using a neural network and reinforcement learning, YouTuber Yosh set out on a 3 year journey to train an AI to supersede his own 17 years of Trackmania experience.

The premise is a simple one: train an AI to improve at the game and, as Yosh himself puts it, "the more it trains the better it gets". This isn't Yosh's first rodeo either: he's made previous videos experimenting with the tech and trying to create a Trackmania AI capable of beating himself. His YouTube channel has accumulated over 18 million views worldwide and sits at just under 100,000 subscribers.

The neural network is described in the video as a "mathematical tool which roughly models how a brain works", and takes in parameter data like turning rate, and speed, and then in response instructs the car what to do. The more it plays, the more data is gathered to optimise performance. Any actions taken by the AI that were predetermined as beneficial, provided it with a reward. This reinforcement learning pushed its decision making towards faster times and more efficient choices.

The venerable Trackmania is almost the perfect focus for this kind of approach: simple and clear rules on tracks and movements, combined with a trial-and-error style of play that itself is visualised by replays which can be layered atop one another. The shots of hundreds of cars attempting, failing, and learning to progress makes the whole learning process easy to understand. It is also extremely satisfying to watch.

Yosh starts the AI on a simple track and, as it begins to develop, more complex ones are introduced as well as the option to brake which initially was left out. This added braking ability was introduced to try and encourage drifting and therefore quicker times. To do this any kind of drifting was initially rewarded, which was a mistake: the AI managed to outsmart its creator and found a way to constantly drift, resulting in plentiful positive feedback for the model but a low top speed. This unintended behaviour was fixed with a simple speed requirement added in so it would only get rewarded for drifting over a certain speed.

The AI's progress is significant throughout the video and I quickly became invested on how far it could be pushed. If you want to find out if it was able to become truly unbeatable then join the millions of us who have watched it to see for yourself: and if you just want to see the man versus machine showdown, here's the timestamp.

]]>
/one-mans-years-long-quest-to-train-an-unbeatable-trackmania-ai-may-have-finally-crossed-the-line/ 69Uzq2rCLbDVdBda3gCXgG Tue, 24 Oct 2023 11:57:58 +0000
<![CDATA[ These were the 10 most-played demos on Steam this month ]]> The most popular game demo from the recent Steam Next Fest event was also our favorite: the eight-hour demo for survival RPG Enshrouded, which Chris lamented wasn't long enough. The second most popular demo, however, was for a game I'd never heard of.

Here are the top 10 Steam Next Fest demos, all of which are currently still available to download with the exception of the Robocop game:

  1. Enshrouded
  2. Japanese Drift Master
  3. Sky: Children of the Light
  4. Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
  5. Robocop: Rogue City
  6. Foundry
  7. Pioneers of Pagonia
  8. Apocalypse Party
  9. The Last Faith
  10. Bopl Battle

Steam's got a bigger list of the top 50 demos from the event, but the top 10 is plenty to tussle with on its own. Aside from Enshrouded, we're excited for Sky: Children of the Light, a new-to-PC MMO from the maker of high-concept PlayStation classic Journey, and I've heard surprisingly good things about the Robocop game. Is a sleeper hit based on a satirical '80s sci-fi film in our future? It could be! The Robocop demo's gone now, but the game is out soon, on November 2.

One demo I didn't hear about during this October edition of Next Fest—which is a somewhat loosely defined event, given that almost all of these demos are still around—was the second most popular among them, Japanese Drift Master. It's no surprise a lot of people tried it, though: It's a great-looking indie racing game on the surface, and who doesn't want to be a drift master??

I gave the 8GB demo a quick try and it's good fun, although my experience was less that of a drift master and more that of a drift apprentice, or drift reckless driving criminal, really. I did a lot of spinning out of control and playing chicken on the wrong side of the street because I kept forgetting I was on Japanese roads rather than American ones.?

Car nerds will be pleased to find that tuning variables such as front and rear camber are tweakable. I'm reminded a little of Kanjozoku Game, a smaller, $5 racing game that I tried out and enjoyed last year. We seem to be entering a mini golden age for virtual Skylines and Supras.

City builder Pioneers of Pagonia is also on my radar. Chris wrote about it back in June, and this quote has me curious: "In our game, you don't have to make your people happy. Instead, your people have to make you happy." Finally, a city builder Nero could enjoy.

]]>
/popular-steam-demos-october-2023/ TN2eMNF7S6raUK7Rzy9EPV Tue, 17 Oct 2023 22:32:55 +0000
<![CDATA[ Trackmania changes its subs model after belatedly realising it was too generous, dev says it has 'to be realistic' ]]> Developer Nadeo has announced changes to the Trackmania business model, following the 2020 game's recent re-release on consoles. This iteration of Trackmania was something of a soft reboot for the series (heavily based on Trackmania Nations) and arrived with a free-to-play business model, under which players could access a bunch of the game's features for free and subscribe to access additional community content: "standard" access costing around $10 a year, and "club" access $25 a year.?

That model (and the fact you need a Ubisoft account to play) has inevitably attracted some pushback over the game's life thus far, though I found it pretty generous and played this latest version without paying anything. Three years after release, however, and with the game hitting various consoles this May, Nadeo has somewhat belatedly announced it has been too generous—and things are changing.

In a new post on the game's site Nadeo says the console release has "surpassed our highest expectations in terms of both amount of players and playing time" which means "we need to adapt the quantity of content given for free with the Starter Access". Adapting the quantity of content, of course, means it's been giving too much away. There's even what could be considered a slight backhand at the moaners: Nadeo says it has "to be realistic and compare the situation with the efforts made by the studio".

Thus the "starter" edition of Trackmania, which is the free access point, will now give access to the first 10 campaign tracks per season (each season consists of 25 tracks), and access to royal and ranked modes, and the community focused arcade channel. This will apply from the winter 2024 update which is due January 9 2024.?

"Be sure we understand that many of you have become accustomed to playing the full campaign for free and we would have preferred to keep it that way," says Nadeo. "Our primary goal is to keep Trackmania live as long as possible, and have it enjoyed by a maximum player [sic] from around the world thanks to the right balance for players who play for free and others who are making it possible [by paying] for two decades."

I'm detecting a very slight level of petulance from Nadeo in that last line which, sympathy for the devil and all that, one can probably let slide. I've played various Trackmania games over the years and they've always seemed pretty good value-for-money. I'm not the kind of player who is obsessive about this game but, if I was, the current subscription model doesn't seem enormously greedy: and it must be deeply frustrating to provide a game where the majority of content is free for all, and get constant sniping for daring to charge for other parts.

As part of the change, the existing "standard" and "club" tiers are being merged into a new "club access" subscription which will cost $19.99 a year, again applicable from the winter 2024 update. Nadeo also notes that the racer's 20th anniversary hits in November and looks forward to players joining in for this "incredible milestone", though it doesn't seem like any in-game celebration is planned.

The backdrop to all of this is of course Ubisoft, which has owned Nadeo since 2009. But the big bad publisher in this instance just doesn't seem all that bad: Since acquiring Nadeo, Ubisoft has let the studio focus entirely on making Trackmania games, and been content to let the series roll along (until now). Players didn't like the existing subscription model and, well, be careful what you wish for. Nadeo is altering the deal. Pray it doesn't alter it any further.

]]>
/trackmania-changes-its-subs-model-after-belatedly-realising-it-was-too-generous-dev-says-it-has-to-be-realistic/ 9VZHuFtGPMPVnUiPDdBTw4 Thu, 12 Oct 2023 16:04:46 +0000
<![CDATA[ The best cars in Forza Motorsport for online races and Builders' Cup ]]> Let's cut right to the chase: you want to win in Forza Motorsport, because crossing the line in anything other than P1 feels like a vial of acid being poured over your ego. Online racing is particularly competitive in this game, and any possible advantage you can glean from the best car choice in each performance category is worth taking.?

With that said though, some caveats: a car is only as good as the best tune that exists for it. Mediocre cars can become race winners with the right settings, so assume for each of the below picks that you've applied a five-star-rated tuning to it and brought its performance rating up to the max for that category with upgrades.?

Secondly, there are over 500 cars in FM at launch and no, I haven't forensically tested each one against the others. It's going to be an ongoing process, seeing how the meta evolves, and which cars come to the fore. Obviously, there's no outright "best" vehicle—if there was, everyone would pick it, the game would be incredibly dull, and everyone would lose interest in two days. So it's in Turn 10's interests to balance the vehicle list.?

With those legalities out of the way, what I've identified here are the best cars in Forza Motorsport that balance speed with grip and predictability, which tend to perform favorably against other cars in their class, and which additionally look absolutely sick. What? Like that doesn't matter.?

E Class

(Image credit: Microsoft)

1973 BMW 2002 Turbo?

The problem with class E cars, of course, is that they're extremely slow. Revs are low, top speeds take years to achieve, and you're punished all the more for small mistakes because they take longer to correct and longer to accelerate back up to speed.?

Why is the 2002 Turbo the answer to that problem? It delivers a bit more power than most, particularly when tuned up to 300 PP, and it delivers that power in a way that doesn't feel like magnets have been activated that pull you into every gravel trap. It's a bit quicker, a bit stiffer, and a bit easier to manage drifts. It's got the edge.?

D Class

(Image credit: Microsoft)

2003 Renault Sport Clio V6?

This is a bit of a heart-over-head pick, but only a bit. The Nissan Fairlady and For Sierra RS500 are also really strong contenders in D class, but Renault's ultimate hot hatch just wins out. It's the mid-engine, RWD drivetrain combo that makes it work so well—the chassis is nice and compact, which means the short wheelbase complies with your inputs in corners, but you can get a bit of extra rear rotation by managing the revs on corner exit when you need to.?

Nimbler than most longer wheelbase cars in the category and rapid at max tune thanks to its light overall weight, it's got many a D class win in it.?

C Class

(Image credit: Microsoft)

1956 Jaguar D-Type?

This isn't your dad's Jaguar. Unless your dad's an incredibly discerning car collector, in which case, can I come over for tea? And then borrow his D-Type for some online events??

C Class cars, like E and D, are all about keeping rolling momentum wherever possible to minimise rear slip and lose revs, because there's still not much engine power to accelerate away from mistakes. And while the 2009 Ford Focus RS and 2019 Hyundai Veloster N Forza Edition are both very fast, very safe options, I'm highlighting the Jag because it's different, and gorgeous.?

There's inherently more slip to the steering than you find in those hot hatches, but since the centre of gravity is so low it's easier to countersteer and keep momentum going. Also, you'll look cool doing it, and at stock settings, it's at 493 PP which is pretty close to the max for C class cars anyway, so you've got a really strong foundation to apply tunes to.?

B Class

(Image credit: Microsoft)

2023 Lotus Emira?

Here are some guiding principles in Forza Motorsport's smorgasbord of vehicles: track cars will always handle better than road cars, higher stock PP usually means better performance at max PP tuning settings, and newer cars will nearly always feel easier to drive than old cars.

With those points fresh in your mind: the Emira was made in the year 2023, and its stock PP is maxed at 600. It's not a stock car though—that particular point will become more salient as we get to the faster categories.?

A Class

(Image credit: Microsoft)

2018 Audi Sport RS3 LMS?

A class has an interesting mix of road and track cars, and while some of the road models feature phenomenal power, you just can't beat a machine that's been designed and manufactured for racing extremely quickly around tracks. That's exactly what we have here with this nice grippy RS3. It's just that bit easier to keep the rear tidy through corners than other A class vehicles, and balances that stability with a strong top speed.

For circuits where top speed is less of an issue, KTM's X-Bow has unbeatable grip and acceleration levels, so consider that. Mercedes' C63 AMG Forza Edition is also beautifully planted and if you bought the premium edition of FM it's already in your library.

S Class

(Image credit: Microsoft)

1997 Mclaren F1 GT?

Cards on the table, there's an element of heart-over-head in this pick too. Ferraris' 812 Superfast and Lamborghini's Huracan Performante both offer more modern, precise supercars that are marginally easier to keep neat and tidy through corners, but all the way back in 1997 Mclaren's GT variant of the legendary F1 had speed and responsiveness to rival even these modern machines.?

In reality it's an incredibly rare vehicle—only 10 were ever made to this 1997 spec, so it's simply a thrill to see and drive. But it's here on merit in the S class as it's got one of the highest top speeds across the whole category, and that low-slung chassis makes weight transfer feel fast and stable.?

R Class

(Image credit: Microsoft)

2012 Ferrari 599X Evolution?

This big red machine is a Forza Horizon legend. Often considered the outright best car throughout FH4's meta, it's so incredibly planted that it feels like it's being sucked onto the track. That feeling persists here, even in FM's radically different physics model, and it's married to preposterous speed and acceleration attributes.

Radical's RXC Turbo—another Horizon legend—is worth exploring in the R class too for its lightweight zippiness, as is Aston Martin's track-minded Vulkan AMR. But to a true icon of Forza games, we have to give a reverent bow and the overall R class recommendation.

P Class

(Image credit: Microsoft)

2014 Audi Team Joest R18 e-tron quattro?

If you can look past the fact that it has far too many meaningless words in its title, Audi's fearsomely dominant prototype will reward you with one of the most stable, predictable drives in the P class category, where engine power is so high that it's often a real mission just to keep the platform pointed in the right direction.?

For a more road-going option, Raesr's Tachyon Speed is a sheer pleasure to hurl around a circuit, and Mercedes' genuinely iconic Sauber C9 prototype is nearly as quick as this Audi. But if you're trying to win races at all costs, the latter is your safest bet in this category because not only is it rapid, it's easier to keep on track and intact than its contemporaries.?

X Class

(Image credit: Microsoft)

1990 Ferrari 641?

Before you apply tunings to vehicles that take them beyond their stock PP category, there are only three X-class cars in the game: vintage F1 cars and a Porsche prototype. And in fact, there's little between them, though don't say that with Prost or Senna fans in earshot. Our provisional pick goes to the Ferrari 641, but only because it looks so red.

Realistically, it's going to take some time to see how the community tinkers with tunes before we see the best X class cars emerge. Probably the Ultima Evolution Coupe 1020 will feature, as it always does in Forza games, as an X class destroyer. For now, just enjoy the amazing engine sounds of this classic F1 machinery.?

]]>
/forza-motorsport-best-cars/ qCQwToLq5EGJCk3Xx4EVRX Mon, 09 Oct 2023 14:30:07 +0000
<![CDATA[ Here's when Forza Motorsport unlocks in your time zone ]]> Forza Motorsport represents a fresh start for the racing series on PC, and it feels outstanding: while our review criticizes the career mode for playing it safe, it also praises the vehicle handling and "newfound sense of weight to FM's cars."

"They let you know exactly how much their tires are complaining against the G-forces you're putting through the platform, with much more precise detail than 2017's Forza Motorsport 7 did," writes sim racing veteran Phil Iwaniuk. We'll all be able to hit the track shortly, as Forza Motorsport is finding its slot before the race begins on October 10. Unless you happen to pay for early access, in which case Forza Motorsport is available starting October 5.

Here's exactly when you can play.

When does Forza Motorsport unlock?

(Image credit: Microsoft)

On Steam, Forza Motorsport will unlock globally at 12:01 am ET on October 5 for Premium Edition and Premium Add-Ons Bundle owners. It will unlock globally at 12:01 am ET on October 10 for everyone else. Here's how that breaks down across time zones:

  • PT: 9:01 am, October 4
  • ET: 12:01 am, October 5
  • BST: 5:01 am, October 5
  • CEST: 6:01 am, October 5
  • AEDT: 3:01 pm, October 5

If your time zone isn't listed above and the math is confusing, hit this link to do the work for you.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Now it gets a bit more complicated. Why have two release times when you can have four, right? Instead of a simultaneous global release on Xbox consoles and the Xbox PC app, Forza Motorsport is rolling out at 12:01 am in each region on October 5 and October 10. Refer to the chart above for how that breaks down.

Does Forza Motorsport have a preload on PC?

It sure does. Forza Motorsport is available to preload on PC now, on both Steam and the Xbox app.

]]>
/forza-motorsport-launch-unlock-time-early-access-premium/ wAutshXhcR3PkwXnjbuyaT Wed, 04 Oct 2023 23:38:13 +0000
<![CDATA[ Forza Motorsport review ]]> There's one lap to go at Laguna Seca, an angry, bucking beast of a circuit in the California desert where I've so far been shepherding a Civic to a bang-average fourth place finish. But this is Forza multiplayer: it's not over until the penalties are counted up, the 'mute all' button is pressed and the checkered flag is taken. The leader has a problem: their soft tires are shot. They've been losing a second to their runner-up every sector, and now as they head into the infamous corkscrew chicane, they're side-by-side in the braking zone.?

Need to know

What is it? The closest PC gaming has to Gran Turismo, now even shinier.
Release date: October 5 (early access), October 10, 2023
Expect to pay: ?70 / $70, Microsoft Store (Day one on Game Pass Ultimate)
Developer: Turn 10 Studios
Publisher: Microsoft
Reviewed on: i7 9700K, RTX 2080 TI, 16GB RAM
Multiplayer? Yes
Link: Official site

I can see on the minimap that this does not go well for either party. They're both off track, and one of them clatters into the car in front of me as they're rejoining the asphalt. With three corners left, having been absolutely nowhere at the start of this lap, I'm about to win the race. Except I don't win the race. What happens instead is that I take those last corners so cautiously that one of the stricken corkscrew victims pulls back to within 1.2 seconds of me—and I'm carrying 1.2 seconds of penalties for corner cutting. I cross the line first, and finish second.?

The lesson here is that victory is decided by fine margins. In lowercase m motorsport, and in Forza Motorsport, which for all its considerable qualities and resources, just manages to grab hold of excellence despite both tech and conceptual issues.

By which I mean this: the handling's absolutely wonderful, like we knew it would be. Vehicles genuinely are better than we've seen in driving games before, and circuits are so high in fidelity now it's almost a shame to have to take them in at speed. But Turn 10 plays too safe with those valuable assets in FM's singleplayer career mode, arranging them into a stack of the usual racing series categories to tick off in a career just like a Gran Turismo or a Grid might. Luckily online racing elevates the whole experience and gives you a reason to want a big car collection, and a lot of upgraded vehicles, and everything else the game asks you to grind for.

There's a newfound sense of weight to FM's cars. They let you know exactly how much their tires are complaining against the G-forces you're putting through the platform, with much more precise detail than 2017's Forza Motorsport 7 did. And when you reach the limits of traction, the consequences are more severe. Best case scenario, you're hacking away at the steering wheel like a ship's captain trying to countersteer the back end back under control and losing time by drifting. Worst case, you spiral into an irretrievable tank slapper and seesaw your way into a tire wall. There's some of Forza Horizon's character deep within Motorsport, but it's much more rigorous, closer to the venerable Gran Turismo in its simulation level.?

The caveat is that I've had several crashes to desktop just before both online races and offline series events. Having raised these issues with the developer, PCG understands the multiplayer crashes were a known bug and subsequently patched, and my offline crashes are now also being worked on in a forthcoming update. I haven't been losing significant progress upon these crashes, but be warned that if you're strapping into the driving seat close to launch, it might be a bumpy ride until the next few updates go live. ?

Image 1 of 4

Forza Motorsport racing

(Image credit: Microsoft)
Image 2 of 4

Forza Motorsport racing

(Image credit: Microsoft)
Image 3 of 4

Forza Motorsport racing

(Image credit: Microsoft)
Image 4 of 4

Forza Motorsport racing

(Image credit: Microsoft)

I've been able to forgive these crashes because in singleplayer they haven't amounted to much lost progress—and because of how Forza Motorsport's cars feel. The fascination in Turn 10's new handling model is in finding the exact limit of every corner, the point just before the tires give up and the back end steps out. This is true in most racing games in principle, but very few other games give you this much information, this much feel, to find that critical traction limit. ?

If the fundamentals feel this good, then, does it matter if the career mode is driving by numbers through a bunch of over-familiar series (mini-championships featured cars grouped by a particular theme)? Let me tell you why it does: because the sheer variety of cars and handling behavior here deserved more.

It's online where the handling, the car upgrade system and the race format all culminate in something special

There are so many subtleties to grasp. The wayward pull of a 1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee and the worrying vagueness of the iconic Lamborghini Countach's steering at high speed. The way a Mazda RX8's Wankel engine lays down the power. The frightening changes in lateral direction that an LMP car's capable of. You get to know these vehicles like old friends, and in fairness you're encouraged to do so by an RPG-like car leveling mechanic which rewards XP for laps and feats such as overtakes. The more you level up a car, the more upgrades are available. It's just a shame there isn't a more creative way to show off the culture behind these vehicles in the singleplayer. ?

Solo racing does have a handful of worthwhile new additions though. AI drivers are the headline act, and although they've been tamed since the last beta test—wrongly so, the chaos was fantastic—they're still smarter than your average computer racer. They take many different lines into a given corner. They make mistakes. They block you, and sometimes even swipe at you. That makes battles for position that bit more three-dimensional, and sharpens your skills for online racing.

The practice race format is also just about a net positive because it encourages—nay, forces—you to learn braking points and lines before a race. This gets old when you're several series in, however, and it's contradicted by a new mechanic which lets you pick your grid position and earn a higher reward for achieving a podium finish the further back you start. Are we simulating a race weekend here by enforcing practice laps, or gamifying it by negating the need to qualify and letting you pick a grid position for gambling purposes? These feel like competing approaches, and yet somehow despite their inherent incompatibility they both feel like welcome new components to the experience. It's satisfying to hone your lines. It's also satisfying to storm the pack and secure a podium for a payout. The two live in nonsensical harmony.

Image 1 of 5

Forza Motorsport racing

(Image credit: Microsoft)
Image 2 of 5

Forza Motorsport racing

(Image credit: Microsoft)
Image 3 of 5

Forza Motorsport racing

(Image credit: Microsoft)
Image 4 of 5

Forza Motorsport racing

(Image credit: Microsoft)
Image 5 of 5

Forza Motorsport racing

(Image credit: Microsoft)

But it's online where things all come together, where the handling, the car upgrade system and the race format all culminate in something special. The custom lobby creation tools are strong—on a par with Assetto Corsa and Project CARS 2 when it comes to dialing in weather, time of day, rules and regulations. And the official multiplayer series group together vehicles from different disciplines in a more formalized manner—like career mode events, only it's humans you're getting angry at. Whenever I get into a race, that race is invariably packed with drama, tactical depth and surprisingly sporting racing.?

And this is why FM will sustain a community. The online racing's really robust, and it rewards things like tire management, clean driving and hours of hotlapping practice. Like an online racing game should. It's probably the same old bumper cars like FM7 was if you let your safety rating get too low, but I've generally been matched with other racers who at least try and pass you cleanly.

I wish Turn 10 had rolled the dice in a few more areas here, but nonetheless I can't help but admire the safe but finely crafted sim it's built. Forza Motorsport is missing that one great idea that moves the genre forwards, like The Crew Motorfest brought with 28-player, three-phase Grand Races. Its singleplayer is overly familiar, but with a car collection this voluminous and vehicle and track fidelity levels to make even Kaz Yamauchi nod, you can play it safe and still stand on the top step of the podium.

]]>
/forza-motorsport-pc-2023-review/ WRtGUw4P4KVLHAdQMMVuRm Wed, 04 Oct 2023 22:33:03 +0000
<![CDATA[ The Crew Motorfest review ]]>
NEED TO KNOW

What is it??An open world sim-cade racer also featuring bikes, boats, and planes.
Release date?September 14, 2023
Expect to pay??60 / $70
Developer?Ubisoft Ivory Tower
Publisher?Ubisoft
Reviewed on?i7 9700K, RTX 2080 TI, 16GB RAM
Steam Deck?N/A
Link
?Official site

I’ve become obsessed with the Grand Races in Ubisoft Ivory Tower’s Crew threequel. 28 players tearing across O’ahu, changing vehicle types several times along the way, banging bumpers and NOS-blocking each other. It’s carnage. You watch cars flipping into oblivion during the opening seconds and try to keep out of trouble. You finish it in less than 10 minutes but leave feeling like something epic just happened. And sometimes, you even win.?

It’s a smart translation of Mass Race events from Riders Republic elsewhere in the Ubisoft stable, and what I like best about it is that it doesn’t feel like Forza Horizon. The Crew Motorfest makes up a huge amount of ground on Playground Games’ imperious open world racing series relative to its predecessor- the handling’s absolutely transformed, the fidelity’s taken a leap forward and the presentation’s much more polished.?

So much so, in fact, that Motorfest can often feel like an eerie clone of Horizon, being as it is a festival of motorsport where slightly-too-enthusiastic disembodied voices hype you up ready for another collection of themed events taking place across its open world. Even the main menu is a dead ringer for Horizon’s. But Motorfest’s at its best when it dares to do something that Horizon doesn’t.?

The first place you find that is in playlists, and just to confuse matters these aren’t like the festival playlists in Horizon that offer weekly rewards. Motorfest’s playlists use the Hawaiian island of O’ahu, strikingly smaller than The Crew 2’s USA but easier on the eye, as a blank canvas. Take on the Made in Japan playlist and you’ll see cherry blossoms and neon lights transform the sleepy beachside roads into touge races. Dive into the Motorsports playlist and you could forget you’re in Hawaii at all, the volcanoes giving way to race circuits. There are pit stops this time and everything.?

A few playlists feature influencer collabs, and I understand why you’re doing a little dry heave at that but they’re quite fun. Donut Media, Supercar Blondie and the venerable tuner Wataru ‘Liberty Walk’ Kato all feature, and their live action segments break up the racing with genuine attempts to get across something about car culture. Custom shows, where players exhibit their finest customised vehicles for weekly prizes, are another nice addition to this end.?

(Image credit: Ubisoft Ivory Tower)

A cynic might point out that all vehicles can be bought using Crew Credits in exchange for real cash, and that the menus remind you of this fact with demoralising regularity.

Playlists account for the meat of Motorfest’s solo content at launch, and structurally that’s a bit awkward. The first time you play each one through you’re given loaner cars for each event so your own car collection’s redundant until you’ve finished it, whereupon you can do all the races over again in whatever car you like. Personally I’m not champing at the bit to do the same 10 Liberty Walk events again that I just completed, but this slightly awkward early game structure gives way to a more engrossing meta as the hours roll by.?

Namely the grand races, the accumulation of vehicles to enter in them, and the painstaking process of identifying the best in each category so that you can trounce 27 strangers. There’s also the Demolition Royale, a PvP destruction derby meets battle royale that feels like a madcap experiment and yields endearingly chaotic results. Playlists are cool, but PvP is where I’ve been putting my time.?

It’s quite a time commitment, too. George Osborne was more liberal with his payouts than Motorfest, and since there are dozens of cars in excess of a million credits but your average race pays out 50k-80k, building a collection is going to take some grinding. A cynic might point out that all vehicles can be bought using Crew Credits in exchange for real cash, and that the menus remind you of this fact with demoralising regularity. Personally though, I’m happy to grind the old fashioned way.?

A better drive

(Image credit: Ubisoft Ivory Tower)

You feel where the balance is in the car as you hurl it through a corner, and you can counter-steer more intuitively.

And I wouldn’t have felt inclined to do so if the cars didn’t feel so nuanced and varied this time. The Crew 2 had many qualities, but the feel of its handling wasn’t one of them. You’d understeer into corners until all of a sudden the rear would snap and you’d be drifting in quite an unnatural way. This time they’re totally different to control, with a better sense of weight and progressive traction loss. In other words, you feel where the balance is in the car as you hurl it through a corner, and you can counter-steer more intuitively to keep it pointed forwards because the game’s giving you much more information.?

The motorbikes, boats and planes on Motorfest’s roster might not have got the memo about the handling overhaul. While the planes do feel different, they’re categorically worse until you enable ‘extreme’ handling and switch the view so that your perspective aligns with the wing angle. Boats are boats—alright for a chill sightseeing journey along the coast but not dramatically revamped from The Crew 2’s physics, and bikes still have an oversimplified handling style that detracts from the enjoyment of their exhilarating first-person cameras and the stunt potential they bring. Stick to four wheels, though, and you’ll get the best handling the series has ever had.

(Image credit: Ubisoft Ivory Tower)

Is it the best world map it’s ever had, though? That’s a tricky one. O’ahu looks much more detailed than the USA map that featured in The Crews 1&2, but that absurdly ambitious undertaking, to boil down the entire United States into a drivable open world, was at the heart of the series’ identity before now. Yes, a lot of it was just highways and fields, and the signs on the shops when you got to a city said things like ‘Chicken grilled coffee’ and ‘SHOE - Buy one, get second one’ but driving from one coast to another felt epic. It was the venue for countless memorable co-op road trips. And this picturesque Hawaiian island feels a bit small and samey by comparison.

It’s a strange full circle moment to be here again for Ivory Tower, of course. Having set the blueprint for open world racing in Test Drive Unlimited’s Hawaii, the developers formerly of Eden Games watched Forza Horizon take that blueprint to new levels, claiming it as their own. Now they’re back on the same island and impressively they’ve delivered a game that can look Horizon 5 in the eye and even surpass it here and there. But if this festival’s going to continue for a while, it needs to take more risks post-launch. It needs to bring us more experiences like grand races that dare to look beyond what Playground Games is doing, and to use this latest incarnation of O’ahu as a platform for innovation.?

]]>
/the-crew-motorfest-review/ cp6wMcemEVXbdsGCkK4BgY Mon, 18 Sep 2023 14:51:43 +0000
<![CDATA[ Forget all that 'Car-PG' stuff, the AI is what makes Forza Motorsport worth playing ]]> The stretch from the lights to the apex of turn two at Kyalami is a long one. Before you catch sight of the corner, you crest a hill and navigate ‘the kink’, a flat-out righthand turn that just barely qualifies as a corner. And then the road falls away just in time for you to see your doom: a long, downhill braking zone into the tight Crowthorne lefthander, almost a hairpin.?

With a few races under my belt in Forza Motorsport already, I can say with 100% certainty that the run down to Crowthorne on lap one is going to be armageddon. It’s going to look like a scene in a mediaeval painting, cars strewn around the gravel trap like slain soldiers. Above all the other features Turn 10 has touted in the run-up to this big Forza relaunch, what really reinvigorates this game is how varied, ruthless, and downright reckless the AI drivers are.?

Please don’t tone it down, Turn 10. I love it. I love to see drivers taking so many different lines into a corner, and then having to react to each other mid-turn while they’re unbalanced and off-camber. It’s great to observe AI drivers outmanoeuvring each other on corner exit and aggressively gunning it for overtakes on the straights.?

My absolute favourite, though, is watching all the mistakes and crashes. You really get the sense that the drivers around you are pushing it to the limit, and even experimenting with different ways of achieving your shared goal: getting around this track really quickly.?

And that’s because they are, of course. Previously in Forza games, not to mention racing games as a whole, the AI drivers just followed hand-drawn routes that a designer drew for them. A human being told them when to brake, when to steer, and when to hit the throttle. In Forza Motorsport 7’s case, those AI drivers could only apply 100% throttle or brake inputs: they couldn’t trail-brake into corners or apply progressive throttle to avoid traction loss. And they had about three racing lines to choose from per circuit, because that was the total number of lines that the designers created for them.?

That gave FM7’s offline opponents three particular characteristics. They were predictable, they were slow, and they didn’t mess up. Driving past them felt like driving the morning commute in The Truman Show, hurtling past an eerie procession of equidistant vehicles going two abreast off the grid and along the straight.

Forza Motorsport cars

(Image credit: Microsoft)

So it goes in most driving games. The AI drivers aren’t really there to challenge you, or teach you lines. They’re mobile armco barriers to stop you spilling out of the corner and into the gravel. But this time they behave completely differently—because they’re built completely differently.?

There’s a bit of an AI revolution happening in racing games. Sony and Polyphony spent a huge amount of money developing Gran Turismo 7’s AI drivers using deep learning, MotoGP studio Milestone uses a similar technique called ‘neural AI’, and Turn 10’s been training its AI in a new way too.?

Drivers—sorry, Drivatars—don’t follow a path created by a designer anymore. Instead they’re given a ton of information about the track, the conditions, and the car, and then they’re given about 26,000 hours to figure out how to drive around it really fast. That’s about a month solid.?

So as I launch my Civic Type-R from the grid, through the kink at down to turn two at Kyalami, I’m not seeing AI drivers that have been designed to act more realistically. I’m watching 20 intelligent entities actually reacting to me and to each other in real-time, calculating how to make it through the pack and put in the fastest laps.?

It’s not just a technological flex. I found my time with Forza’s preview build totally engrossing because of what that does to races. Drivatars have a choice of dozens of lines through each circuit now, lines they’re sussed out for themselves, and because they can now use those lines to battle each other more closely, I can pull off some even more audacious overtakes. I went in between two cars at Mugello, flat out, with all three sets of rear tires screaming for grip, and both cars left me enough space. It felt like one of the better passes in my virtual racing career.?

This wouldn’t count for much if the handling didn’t feel so strong in the first place. FM’s revised handling model feels familiar, recognisably Forza, but it’s different enough that I can’t just rely on muscle memory to get around. Even in the performance class B category, my Civic could be a real handful and I found myself having to monitor its grip levels more closely than ever, paying close attention to weight transfer under braking so that the rear didn’t start snaking around and losing me time. This isn't suddenly Assetto Corsa—it’s a simcade racer designed primarily for controller inputs—but it’s demanding, and it feels rewarding to just run practice laps in search of better corner and sector ratings.?

Forza Motorsport’s always been singularly good at gamifying the grindier elements of racing, and joining those sector ratings this time is the option to manually select your grid position for a bigger credits payout. If you’re feeling confident you can start from the back and earn a bigger bonus if you finish on the podium. And if you haven’t figured the track out yet, you can go easier on yourself and "qualify" higher up the grid, the tradeoff being a lower podium bonus.?

I’m pretty excited for Forza Motorsport now. Those smarter AI drivers can make me faster, too. I can follow their lines and learn their tricks. I can pull off different kinds of overtakes that ordinarily would only come up in online races. And that to me matters more than the RPG-style progression for each car that Turn 10 has been talking up prior to release.?

In an admittedly thin sliver of the full game I've previewed, progression seemed pretty straightforward to me—earning XP for doing basically anything on track levelled up my car, which unlocked parts, which in turn boosted that car’s performance rating. Ostensibly it goes deeper than that, letting you equip different loadouts for varied disciplines such as drift or endurance.

But that doesn’t get me going like a good scrap for track position into turn two at Kyalami. Only Forza’s chaotic opponents can do that.

]]>
/forza-motorsport-preview-car-ai/ ZdDKGPror9nneNBKQ66rLc Mon, 11 Sep 2023 15:59:30 +0000
<![CDATA[ Wipeout's now remastered and playable in a browser, coder tells Sony to 'either let it be, or get a real remaster going' ]]> Just over a month ago we reported on the sudden re-emergence of a shined-up PC version of 1995's Wipeout, a launch title for Sony's first PlayStation and a game that set the tone for the entire platform: cool, slick, and fast as hell. It came from an anonymous hero who, under the Github account Wipeout Phantom Edition, released an enhanced PC source port of the original Wipeout under that subtitle of Phantom Edition: "It uses game data from the PlayStation version and is much more comparable to the PlayStation version than the official PC port" (which I haven't played but is apparently not a great port).

This was based on a 2022 leak of the original game's source code from Forest of Illusion, and the Phantom Edition modder wasn't the only person with their eye on it. Where Phantom Edition required some work to be playable, one Dominic Szablewski has now used that source leak to rewrite the entire game (or as he puts it, "everything everywhere"), document the process, release it on Github and, for good measure, make it playable in a browser.

"Neither the Phantom Edition nor XProger's version [another Wipeout remaster project] come with the source code," says Szablewski. "Understandably so. The legality of re-distributing the leaked source is questionable at best. So let's just pretend that the leak was intentional, a rewrite of the source falls under fair use and the whole thing is abandonware anyway."?

Szablewski adds that "I would have loved to work this into an officially sanctioned remaster, but as you can imagine getting a hold of anyone at Sony is impossible. So here we are."

The coder goes into some detail on the actual contents of the leak, which seemed mostly to come from Wipeout ATI 3D Rage Edition, a "lackluster port" bundled with ATI GPUs. It's a mess of code from different versions of the game glommed-together that, unsurprisingly, suffers some performance issues.?

"The code may not be pretty, but the result justifies it all," said Szablewski. "It was a launch title for the PSX and it still holds up today. The developers faced the unknowns of never before seen hardware and 3D was a whole new dimension to make sense of. They did a tremendous job [...] In the end it was a management decision to produce something that could be sold, instead of producing something good."?

As an example, Szablewski cites the title screen: "It's 5000 lines of spaghetti for the main menu plus another 4000 or so for the in game menu, credits (without the actual text) and win/lose screens. I threw this all away."

The documentation goes into great detail on the specifics of coding on PlayStation and how Szablewski ended up pruning 40,699 lines of code down to 7,731 and had an "absolute blast" doing it. And now you can have a blast playing it: this thing works beautifully in the browser and hits that exact note of being the game you remember but better, smoother, and with a much higher framerate.?

Szablewski ends by addressing the elephant in the room, Sony itself, which has shown a lack of interest in Wipeout in recent times and certainly no desire to keep the older games available. In a better world, needless to say, Sony would give this man a check and stick this up on Steam, but we don't live there.

"Sony has demonstrated a lack of interest in the original Wipeout in the past, so my money is on their continuing absence," said Szablewski. "If anyone at Sony is reading this, please consider that you have (in my opinion) two equally good options: either let it be, or shut this thing down and get a real remaster going. I'd love to help!"

]]>
/wipeouts-now-remastered-and-playable-in-a-browser-coder-tells-sony-to-either-let-it-be-or-get-a-real-remaster-going/ gGH8xCzFwUiW9VSzmmxEP9 Tue, 29 Aug 2023 14:48:48 +0000
<![CDATA[ Forza Motorsport's 'ideal' system requirements demand an RTX 4080 and an NvME SSD ]]>

Back in January, Turn 10 presented us with the traditional listing of the Granular Technical Advancements? coming in Forza Motorsport. It was an impressive rundown of things like "a fully procedural cloud system," car paint "sourced using a spectrophotometer" which frankly sounds like a gizmo that gets wheeled out during one of those silly ghost-hunting shows, and the pièce de résistance, "hardware accelerated convolution reverb [that] accurately reproduces how sounds in Forza interact within an acoustic space."

(All kidding aside, "convolution reverb" is actually a real thing, which I know because Tyler looked it up.)

What Turn 10 did not say at that time was what sort of hardware you'd need to actually take advantage of all these modern new wonders, but today that oversight has been rectified. The studio has revealed the full PC system requirements for Forza Motorsport, along with various other bits and bobs that players have to look forward to.

It's probably not surprising that the hardware requirements for the new Forza are pretty steep. The minimum specification is relatively midrange, although the storage requirement—130GB of SSD space—is an eye-popper. But assuming you don't want to play a Forza game at the minimum settings (and I'm pretty sure you don't), you're going to need some heavier hardware, because the specs ramp up pretty quickly.

Here's the full breakdown:

(Image credit: Turn 10 Studios)

Minimum (low settings):

  • CPU: Intel i5-8400 2.8GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.2Ghz
  • GPU: Nvidia GTX 1060 (6GB) or AMD RX 5500 XT (4GB)
  • RAM: 8GB
  • Storage: 130GB SSD
  • CPU: Intel i5-11600k or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
  • GPU: Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti (8GB) or AMD RX 6800 XT (8GB)
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Storage: 130GB SSD

Ideal (ultra settings):

  • CPU: Intel i7-11700k or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
  • GPU: Nvidia RTX 4080 (16GB) or AMD RX 7900XT (16GB)
  • RAM: 16GB
  • Storage: 130GB NvME SSD

Forza Motorsport is set to go live on Steam on October 10, but in what's become something of a new tradition, anyone who springs for the Forza Motorsport premium edition—which includes the base game, the Race Day Car Pack, the Car Pass, VIP Membership (a separate package of rewards and boosts including a permanent 2x credits boost), and the Welcome Pack—or the Premium Add-Ons Bundle can start playing five days early, on October 5.

(Image credit: Turn 10 Studios)
]]>
/forza-motorsport-pc-system-requirements/ EjJhqDC9VZUjbVMkKgsprH Tue, 22 Aug 2023 21:48:33 +0000
<![CDATA[ Desperate GTA fan erupts onto unrelated TV show in quest for GTA 6 info, gets doused by a water bottle ]]> Grand Theft Auto 6 was announced way back in February 2022—though there's been precious little information since then, bar a series of leaks later in the year. Rockstar Games itself has been hush-hush on the details, only really promising that it 'needs to be something you've never seen before'.?

One fan has searched for the truth in an, uh—unconventional way, by walking onto the set of a completely unrelated TV show and begging the German public to please give him some information on GTA6, as posted to Twitter/X by user MichaelSchachel.

The superfan, sporting nothing but a beanie and raw determination, strode onto the set of Doppelpass to petition its hosts for insider info. Doppelpass is a German TV show that covers the Bundesliga football league—not exactly where you'd go for insider information about a yet-unreleased video game. The set invader, who postures like he's about to give a TED talk, is quickly derailed by a bystander who dumps a bottle of water on him, dousing the burning fire of his enthusiasm with 500ml of H2O.

This isn't even the first time he's done this. Back in 2021, this man strode onto the set of Germany's Beat the Star (Schlag den Raab) to ask "Where the hell is GTA6?" The host handled it a little more graciously, simply responding "I don't need that, I haven't beaten 5 yet" before the interloper was escorted off-stage.

Granted, GTA 5 was released almost 10 years ago in 2013, meaning fans have been waiting almost as long as the poor Elder Scrolls fans for a proper sequel. Rockstar's turned it into a full live-service game, sure, but that's not exactly a replacement. To put it in perspective, GTA 4 was released in 2008, 5 years before its sequel—so the wait time has doubled. Granted, Rockstar Games also released the mega open-world monolith Red Dead Redemption 2, so it's not as if it's been sitting on its hands.

Still, there have to be better ways than foisting your gamer upset onto the unsuspecting German public and its baffled TV hosts—just as there are more professional responses than hucking a bottle of water over the guy. GTA 6 still doesn't have a release date, so these pleas aren't likely to be met with success, and I'm left wondering if anybody actually got what they wanted.

GTA 6: Everything we know
GTA 5 mods: Revved up
GTA 5 cheats: Phone it in
GTA 6 cars: The lineup
San Andreas cheats: All the codes

]]>
/desperate-gta-fan-erupts-onto-unrelated-tv-show-in-quest-for-gta-6-info-gets-doused-by-a-water-bottle/ JNbsaejVecvSAsp2wvrzbn Mon, 21 Aug 2023 14:43:18 +0000
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com