Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed - Pagani Huayra

Developers of Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed are told that the game will be presented with supercar Pagani Huayra.

The development team Slightly Mad Studios is exactly recreated the appearance and functionality of this super car. Well, be ready to play this car game to play!

Need for Speed Shift 2 Unleashed Will Be a Real Racing

The London firm The Slightly Mad Studios is working on a racing simulator Shift 2: Unleashed, which will appear on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this spring.

The authors promise a new graphics engine, review mode "from the driver's helmet and an improved system the Autolog, introduced firstly in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.

Need for Speed Shift 2 Unleashed waits 1 more difficult task - to contend with favorites on market: Forza Motorsport, and Gran Turismo 5, most recently games on the PlayStation 3.

Senior Vice President of EA Patrick Soderlund even threw an open challenge to rivals, calling GT5 «not interesting product about cars collecting. " According to Marcus Nilsson, in the race simulator do not important track sizes or number of cars models but the realism and presence effect.

Mafia 3 - First Information Leaked

Mafia 3 - will be!

A huge number of sites filled the news from Strauss Zelnick from Take 2 Interactive, which confirmed the development process of the game Mafia III.

According to Eurogamer, Zelnick spoke about the game with great enthusiasm, although he has not opened all the cards, saying only that 2K Czech are not chasing release of a series of games, just like Call of Duty and Need For Speed.

The main idea of the words Zelnick said, the game certainly will be released, but certainly not in 2011, but 2K Czech does not put on the far shelf one of its most successful project.

The company also plans to release shortly Top Spin 4. And although most of the game developers - it's the French, Czech employees make it either . Supposedly the game will be out this spring.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 - Exact Release Date

Namco Bandai has named an exact release date of MMO-Racing Test Drive Unlimited 2 . The game, developed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Visit the most beautiful locations on the world. Drive the worlds most luxurious cars. Customize everything. Live and play in Hawaii and Ibiza with the entire world. That`s what we wait from this game.

Atari Europe has announced the resignation in print its open world racing game Test Drive Unlimited 2 . The game is fully ready to go on sale February 11, 2011 on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Grand Theft Auto 4 (PC) - Freedom To Brake

The release of Grand Theft Auto 4 - certainly one of the biggest events this year in the gaming industry. Fans were waiting the debut of Grand Theft Auto on new generation consoles with a great impatience. Liberty City has changed greatly for eight years, not only visually but has become a real, living city. The player was just one of countless residents, and not the one around which everything revolves. Raised at a qualitatively new level in terms of creation of the world, developers have not forgotten about the characters. Russian criminals, the Italian mafia, black gangsters, and other representatives of various criminal circles are just grate!. Learn about all the difficulties, as well as the adventures of a new main character (this time, from eastern Europe) - Niko Bellik you can from our review. We will stop here at the features of PC version, which was released only recently.

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Firstly, about a pleasant addition. If you have not been able to find the radiostation you like from the proposed impressive list of radio stations, your can use Independence FM, playing a custom music from your MP3 collection. Secondly, there is a very nice innovation - video editor. At any time of the game by pressing F2, you can record video. Then footage material allowed to be cut, make transitions between the different segments, to impose filters on an image, add music, subtitles, and then put the creations about your adventures in a big city in the network for public viewing. The editor is simple to master, but the biggest advantage of it that while recording a clip not seen any lack of performance. And third, the network code now supports up to 32 players, but you must be registered in the Windows Live.

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The official control of the PC version is the keyboard and mouse, that allows you to completely abandon the crazy auto aiming system that «seized» enemies at random and in the process of shooting involving large numbers of people, it was sometimes quite difficult to navigate. Using a mobile phone to dial number by simply clicking the appropriate button. The same applies to the police computer. But with the entertainment situation is not so easy. For example, when playing in the bowling need to drastically pull back the mouse - interesting, but not very convenient. A dart of a precise positioning of cursor loses all of the complexity.


Perhaps the best hope PC owners have been associated with improved graphics and performance. After all, even on the new consoles, GTA 4 showing not the best and not enough greased picture, and didn’t have consistently high frame rate. Unfortunately, their hopes turned to dust. The only advantage to the consoles and PC in this aspect is the ability to turn on / off (button «P») «soap effect». Then with high definition it is easier to shoot dawn enemies located far from the hero, but faded textures, models and other lowpolygon «beauty» become more visible. In addition, the PC-version is missing antialiasing, and everywhere the eye can see unpleasant «stairs».

But the system requirements for the game are simply extraordinary. On my system (Intel Core2Duo E6750, 2 GB of RAM, GeForce 8800GTX) was able to comfortably play with a resolution of 1440x900 and only with the settings, close to the minimum. Quality Texture – average, range of drawing and a range of detail - 20/100, the density of traffic - 10, the shadows - off. The picture with this options (IMHO) did not differ for the better from the console versions. And there were consistently problems with the performance.

Diagnosis:
In last year on the PC came out several high-quality games from consoles. Firstly, was Altair, capturing a number of new types of missions. Then came Commander Sheppard and almost free PC from loading textures. And finally, Dante shed tears of high definition. Unfortunatly, Rockstar did not overshoot others. Of course, PC version of GTA 4 offers not the worst set of innovations. The good old radio, playing your music, easy-to-use editor clips. But all this fade away against of worthless optimization and incredibly high system requirements.

Cool:
• Ability to listen to your own music and create video clips
• Using a normal aim in the shootings and chase

Poor:
• Awful optimization code
• The unduly high system requirements


Opinion
Grand Theft Auto 4 has become one of the most highly rated games this year. Reviewers gave to the game the bright epithets «masterpiece», «the best in the genre» and others. However, I believe that such ratings not quite fit - to them a feeling that the project has no serious problems, but it has. Megapolis at Rockstar has gone to glory. It is almost true. Every character in its own interest and has a unique character. City has a lot of things - bowling, striptease bars and other entertainment establishments. Of the local Internet, you can even download ringtones for your mobile phone.

But with one of the main component (a variety of quests) are not so bright. In GTA 4 more than ninety (!) Plot missions - an impressive figure. But the original quests reach about a half dozen. Otherwise, - repeated once again in pursuit of another goal, leaving and the destruction of all life, escapes from police. Even the original ideas (the use of police computer to locate targets) occur repeatedly and manage bored. And the main story of the past of the main character is lost in the endless stream of phrases like: «I will do it, because you pay».

Rather than create a small but bright canvas developers created a huge picture, which in general has boring background with a few bright spots. From this point of view the new GTA a little better than «sandboxes» performed by Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed, Far Cry 2, Prince of Persia). «Wow!»-effect at the beginning of unseen before atmosphere, and then the frustration of constant repetition of the same things throughout the game.



See also on Car Games To Play:
grand theft auto 4 - the whole city will be ours

MotoGP 08 - Fine Sense Of Speed

www.gamespot.com

MotoGP 08 is meat-and-potatoes racing with enough challenge to keep two-wheeled gearheads busy for weeks.


After snagging the official MotoGP license from THQ in 2007, Capcom released MotoGP 07 on the PlayStation 2; a promising, if far too difficult, rebirth of a game license that had previously thrived in the hands of developer Climax and publisher THQ. MotoGP 08 is Capcom's series debut on the PC (as well as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3). While the game likely won't create a new generation of virtual racing fans, those who have some two-wheeled gaming experience will find a demanding driving model and plenty of stiff competition to keep them busy.


There aren't any surprises in MotoGP 08's list of game modes--you've got the standard list of single-player modes you'd expect from a racing game: Single Race, Time Trial, Championship, Challenge mode, and so on. The highlight on the single-player menu is the Career mode, which gives you a chance to create a rider from scratch and work your way up through three bike racing series (125cc, 250cc, and, the pinnacle, MotoGP). As you enter races, any points you score by placing high enough in the final results will earn you attribute upgrade points you can apply to one of four aspects of your particular bike: top speed, acceleration, braking, and traction. You can then take your souped-up bike online and enter the competition in online racing events against up to 11 other online riders.


While Career mode is certainly the best single-player mode in the game, it has its quirks. First of all, your career ends after five years regardless of how many series championships you've won. Second, once you've selected from the game's various AI and handling difficulty levels, you can't change them for the entirety of your career. This is especially frustrating once you've maxed out your bike and can smoke the easy or medium-level AI opponents. It would have been more user-friendly to give players the chance to tweak options in between seasons to keep up the challenge.

This lack of career option flexibility is a shame because MotoGP 08 is all about the challenge. While the learning curve is a bit gentler than in last year's PS2 debut, even an experienced MotoGP vet will find some challenge at the default difficulty level. If you bump that up to hard or champion level, you'll face cunning, hard-charging AI opponents that won't give you an inch; you'll be fighting for every position and having a fine time of it (except when you're cursing out loud at your own lack of skill).

Fans of motorcycle racing games will relish the game's bike physics, which are excellent. There are three handling settings to choose from: easy, advanced, and simulation. With a little track time, MotoGP vets will likely be able to settle in at the advanced handling level with little trouble, but throughout every race, the emphasis on the racing line and careful acceleration out of corners is a hallmark of the game. The advanced handling setting is touchy enough; when riding in the simulation setting, even the slightest error on the throttle while deep in a turn will result in a spill. When running against the upper-tier AI opponents, any mistake you make is magnified by their unyielding aggression, and you'll find yourself in yo-yo battles for position at nearly every corner on the track.

While the feel of the bikes in MotoGP 08 is just right, the riding model is not without its problems. The developers have chosen to downplay the consequences of contact between riders. While it is possible to be knocked off your bike by an opponent (and only slightly more difficult to dismount him with some dirty driving), more often than not, you can run into a rider ahead of you with little consequence. In fact, once you've gotten used it, you can actually use this to your advantage by using a rider ahead of you as some extra braking when approaching a corner too fast. The tracks, too, have their quirks. For example, in some corners, the game will penalize you for cutting corners by instantly slowing your bike down to a crawl. It's a fine idea in theory, but its implementation is inconsistent; with enough experience, you'll know exactly which corners you can take advantage of and which you'll need to play straight.

As with the console game, up to 12 players can hop online to race in the PC version of MotoGP 08. Actually getting online is confusing, and neither the game manual nor the game itself does a particularly good job of explaining the process (you need to fill out a form on the game's loading menu). Still, once you're online, network performance is decent--even if the lack of features leave you wanting. You can only run races one at a time--there's no option for virtual championships where players can run multiple races for points--and can only bring your Career mode bike into a race if the host allows it. Even when using custom bikes, however, there's not much in the way of customization; you're stuck with the actual team leathers and bike paint schemes, as well as a series of unique helmets from which you can choose. In an era of customization in such games as Forza 2 and Midnight Club: Los Angeles, next year's MotoGP game simply must have more options for making your rider appear unique.

The game's system requirements are modest, and on the Intel 2.13 GHz machine we ran the game on, the frame rate was solid throughout. That said, the game has its graphical high and low points. Best of all is a thrilling sense of speed (especially on such long, straights tracks as Shanghai and Mugello) that really puts you in the seat of the rider. Unfortunately, decent speed doesn't make up for certain tracks that are simply a bore--with plain backgrounds and sometimes grainy asphalt textures that aren't impressive. New details, such as the night race at Losail, and the brand new Indianapolis GP track set at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway are great additions to the game. The hardcore fans will also find a lot to like with the game's audio presentation; not only is there a big difference among the 125cc, 250cc, and MotoGP bike engines, but individual constructor bikes have an engine sound all their own.

A slightly more approachable learning curve coupled with a great deal of challenge means that MotoGP 08 provides enough to keep you busy for months to come while not being as punishing on new players as the previous game in the series. Now that the series has moved to the next-gen consoles and the PC, the real work begins. Next year's game must primarily make sure that it has the same suite of offline and online features that players have come to expect from modern racing games. There's a lot to like in MotoGP 08's meat-and-potatoes approach to two-wheeled racing; here's hoping that next year's game offers a more extended menu.

Cool:
Three different series of bikes provide some nice variety
Excellent handling physics
Great track list
Fine sense of speed

Poor:
Game physics are sometimes haphazard
Career mode only lasts five seasons
Limited online options
Very little bike/rider customization



See also on Car Games To Play:
colin mcrae dirt 2

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 announced

After a year and a half after the release of the next game in the Colin McRae rally series, which was hot prefix to the title - DiRT, Codemasters announced sequel not the series, but specifically the game - Colin McRae: DiRT 2.

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The title will remain the name of the legendary riders Colin McRae, not so long ago died in a plane crash (helicopter crashed). Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is created in versions for Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS and PSP.

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will continue to develop the theme of races on different location, in particular, on off-road. The game is created on the basis of further developed version of the game-engine EGO, which was used in the original DiRT, and in recent GRID. The developers promise to improve the game for all options and pay great attention to multiplayer - all as usual.

The release of Colin McRae: DiRT 2 to be held next year.

Need for Speed Undercover Returns To Its Roots

www.gamespot.com
Need for Speed returns to its roots with hokey cutscenes, wild cop chases, and solid racing action.

For the most part, the reaction to the last few Need for Speed games was the same: "Why aren't they more like Need for Speed Most Wanted?" "Where are the cheesy cutscenes and the over-the-top cop chases?" It seems as if EA heard those cries, because for better or for worse, Need for Speed Undercover feels like Most Wanted.


In Undercover you play the role of...wait for it...an undercover officer. Along with agent Chase Linh, played by the attractive Maggie Q, your job is to take down a group of street racers that have somehow become involved in an international smuggling ring. The story is told via campy cutscenes that fail to capture the charm of Most Wanted thanks to uninteresting characters and a predictable plot. Having a story provides incentive to make it through race after race, but the whole "this is cheesy so it's cool" thing feels kind of forced this time around.


Like many other Need for Speed games, all of your racing will take place on the streets of a fictitious open-world city--here it's the Tri-City Bay area. You'll start with a lousy vehicle, but it won't be long before you're able to snag a pink slip to a nicer ride. As you progress you'll earn cash, which can be used to unlock (50+) new vehicles from manufacturers such as Nissan, Dodge, Cadillac, Ford, Porsche, Lamborghini, BMW, Aston Martin, Mitsubishi, and more. If you're into tuning individual aspects of your ride or purchasing individual parts you can do that, but if you're not into tinkering you can purchase an upgrade package and be on your way.


Not only will you earn money for winning an event, you'll earn driving points for dominating it--basically beating it really, really bad. You can power up a number of your driving attributes, but they don't have a noticeable effect on how your car handles. As long as you drive fast you'll probably dominate, but there are occasional races where you'll totally obliterate the time needed to dominate an event, but you'll still lose to the CPU. The game also encourages you to drive with style and drift, draft, and drive really close to other cars, but other than increasing your nitrous there's little to gain from doing so. That said, the new J-Turn mechanic, which lets you bust quick 180s, is invaluable when chasing down rivals or evading the cops. You'll use it because it's useful, though, not because it gets you heroic driving points.


The cops are back in full effect in Undercover, and for the most part, their return is welcome. The challenges in which you must ram and take out a certain number of police cars are great fun, as are the challenges where you must cause a certain monetary sum of damage. Of course, you don't always have to ram cars to take them down; you can also run into log trucks, electrical towers, billboards, and more to leave a little surprise for your pursuers. It's too bad that some odd quirks hamper the cop chases. The environmental hazards that you can unleash certainly look cool and are effective, but quite often you won't see any police cars get hit by the objects, yet when the cutscene ends the cars are trashed. Sometimes you won't have to do anything at all to evade police--the game says "go" and you stay still and nobody finds you. Cops are capable of laying down spikes, but you can go the entire game without them ever doing so. The biggest problem, however, is that the cops don't do much other than bang on the side of your car and yell at you, so if you last long enough they sort of fade away on their own. This makes the chases less challenging than they could have been and also makes them feel artificial, like you're just fulfilling some sort of time requirement until the game decides you've done well enough to escape.

Undercover isn't just about messing with the Man. There are events where you need to maintain a lead for a specific amount of time or get a certain distance ahead of your opponent. Sometimes you'll have to shake the cops while trying to keep a stolen ride in pristine condition, and there are checkpoint races and circuit races as well. There's not a whole lot that's original here and the races are generally extremely easy--you might not see another car for an entire race once you've cleared the starting line. They're difficult on occasion, but this is usually because of the choppy frame rate, which is often dreadful on the PlayStation 3. It's not as if Xbox 360 owners are getting a smooth, fast frame rate, but it's significantly better than the PS3's slide show, which is often so bad that it makes the otherwise great-handling vehicles a chore to drive. What's odd is that there's really no obvious reason for the game's poor frame rate; the city doesn't look much different than those in Carbon and Most Wanted, and the car models have aliasing issues.

That said, the game does do a few things very well. The online cops and robbers mode, where the robber tries to pick up money and take it to a drop-off point while another person plays the cop and tries to ram them, is quite a bit of fun. But mostly what the game gets right is its pacing. The races are short--sometimes as short as 20 seconds, and almost never longer than five minutes. Another cool thing the game does is it lets you instantly jump to the closest race by pressing down on the D pad. If you want to find a specific event you can press up and you're taken to a GPS map, where you can instantly go to the race of your choice. It'll save you a lot of needless backtracking, and combined with the short races, makes sure that Undercover never gets boring.

If you're one of the many people who loved Need for Speed Most Wanted, flaws and all, you'll find a lot to like in Undercover. It's not very original and the slow frame rate is a downer, but there's no denying that it's just good fun to run from the cops and wreak havoc on a city in the process.

Cool:
* Plenty of cop chases
* Instantly join races with press of a button
* Isn't long before you're driving a cool car.

Poor:
* Lots of quirks and nagging gameplay issues
* Emulates Most Wanted, but doesn't necessarily improve upon it
* Story isn't much to get excited about
* Frame rate isn't great.



See also on Car Games To Play:
need for speed pro street - smoke in eye
motorstorm pacific rift - blast to play

Pure - Delivers Off-Road Thrill Ride

www.gamespot.com

Car Game that doesn't blaze many new trails, but this off-road racer still delivers an intense, tricked-out thrill ride.

All-terrain vehicles are something of a niche interest, but you don't need to care about them in the least to enjoy Pure. All you need is an appreciation for breathtaking environments and intense racing action. In Pure, Black Rock Studio has crafted an accessible, wildly tricked-out game that may feel a bit familiar, but it pulls off its concept so well that you won't mind feeling like you've danced with this lady before.


In fact, Pure has more in common with EA's SSX series of snowboarding games than it does with your typical ATV racer. At the heart of Pure is a system that rewards you for pulling off spectacular tricks with the ability to boost. Performing tricks is simple--you just push a button and a direction on the thumbstick as you soar through the air--but the built-in risk-versus-reward aspect keeps things interesting. Pulling off longer, more complex trick combinations nets you more boost, and you can tweak your tricks with a shoulder button or simultaneously flip your ATV forward or backward to dramatically increase the payoff. But if you don't finish the trick before you touch ground again, you'll wipe out and lose boost, not to mention valuable seconds. And the game's presentation makes it all very visceral. Not only do the tricks look totally insane, but the way the ground flies up to meet you creates a real sense of danger. This makes successfully completing your trick milliseconds before you land exhilarating, while wiping out will have you wincing in vicarious pain as your rider goes tumbling across the rough terrain.


There are three event types on offer. Sprints are the most technical: These short races around small, tight tracks provide scant opportunity for pulling tricks. The focus on maintaining your speed and sticking to a smart racing line keep sprints fast-paced and fun. In freestyle events, tricks are all that matter. You keep going until your rapidly draining gas tank is spent, linking tricks to rack up multipliers and score big points. The tracks are decked out with ramps to provide more opportunities for catching big air, and power-ups are liberally scattered around that refill your gas tank, add a multiplier to your score, or instantly hook you up with the ability to perform a special trick. (More on those in a bit.) Freestyle events are the weakest of the bunch because the trick system--while robust enough for the race modes--isn't as compelling when you remove it from that context and make it stand on its own.


Standard races are the most interesting events because they balance the finish-line focus of the sprints with the need to pull tricks and earn boost. And, you'll need to make some important decisions on the fly. As your boost meter builds up, you earn access to more complex trick types, which, in turn, earn you more boost, so there's constantly a trade-off at work. Boosting is often necessary to pull ahead of your opponents, but draining the boost bar costs you the ability to pull off the more advanced tricks. It creates a surprisingly complex dilemma. There's added incentive to max out your boost bar because doing so will give you access to a special trick. Special tricks are the most outrageous in the game, involving physically impossible (but nonetheless awesome) stunts, such as standing on the seat of an ATV and doing a backflip as it soars through the air. Pulling off one of these tricks will refill your entire boost bar, but they take several seconds to complete, so you'll need to catch some serious air. Landing one of these tricks at a critical point in a race can make all the difference, so it's fitting that they're neither easy to earn nor to perform.


Pure's main mode is the World Tour. Here, you'll start off competing on ATVs with relatively weak, D-class engines, and these early events can be a tad too easy, but the competition gradually heats up as you rise through the ranks. The later stages, which find you racing faster models against more aggressive opponents, are also consistently thrilling. You choose from one of six riders, but there's no functional difference among them. It's all about the ATVs, and as you complete events, you'll constantly unlock new parts for your ride, which you can put together, piece by piece, in the game's garage. Armchair grease monkeys will appreciate the number of customization options Pure offers, while others might find it almost silly--many of the parts have no effect on performance, and your opponents aren't going to take the time to admire your taste in radiator scoops or handle-bar guards. Still, too many customization options certainly beats too few, and the game's autobuild option, which lets you toss together a ride optimized for race or freestyle events just by holding down a button, means you can avoid the business of ATV construction altogether if you'd like to get right to racing.

Aside from the World Tour, you can hop into any single event, though you'll need to unlock tracks in World Tour before you can access them. And the online play, which supports up to 16 players in an event, is outstanding. Even in races with 16 people on the track, the action stays fast and smooth. Again, though, you'll need to unlock performance parts for your ATVs in the World Tour mode to access them in online ATVs, which makes jumping right into online games a recipe for defeat.

Despite taking loads of inspiration from the SSX games, Pure capitalizes on the fact that it is, in fact, an ATV game. Although the action here is far from realistic, the physics feel convincing--your ride will dig into the terrain as you slide through curves, and the dirt roads that make up many of the tracks feel as rough under your wheels as they look. The tracks offer an excellent amount of variety, both visually and structurally--the hairpin turns through the airplane graveyard at Ocotillo Wells in California provide a sharp contrast to the gentle curves that take you through the lush coastal landscape of Kosa Phi Island in Thailand. And the tracks have alternate routes you'll discover that can shave seconds off your time, which makes familiarizing yourself with them rewarding. Still, the action isn't without its rough edges. It's not always clear where the track ends, so you may find yourself going out of bounds and being penalized a few seconds of time when you thought you were just taking a shortcut.

Pure's visuals are nothing short of breathtaking. Every detail, large and small, contributes to bringing the environments to life, from the grass and flowers right underneath your wheels to the roaring rivers you might see frighteningly far below. Your ride also realistically kicks up dirt, splashes through puddles, and leaves tracks in its wake. (Nearly every level has helicopters hovering overhead, and, of course, helicopters make anything more epic.) And the game creates a thrilling sense of speed, without any noticeable drops in the frame rate, even when the screen is filled with other riders. The game's sound is great as well. The raucous rock songs on the soundtrack by such artists as Jeff Beck, Wolfmother, and The Futureheads seem to have been chosen with care to create a cohesive backdrop for the action. The whine of the ATVs is authentic, and there's a sickening sinking sound that makes the game's insane jumps that much more likely to induce vertigo. The only problem with the game's sound is that the narrator tends to repeat basic tips ad nauseam, but thankfully, you can shut him up at any time.

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions are almost indistinguishable from one another. The 360 version has achievements, while the PS3 version lacks trophies; on the other hand, the larger shoulder buttons on the Dual Shock make it ever-so-slightly more comfortable for tweaking tricks. Ultimately, if you know more people playing one version or other online, that's the one you should choose. Pure isn't the most original game out there, and it might have been nice to see it build on the trick system in SSX instead of just copying it wholesale. But nonetheless, its focus on tricks, boosting, and larger-than-life jumps over gorgeous environments pays off. This is an exciting racing game that seriously delivers on its promise of high-speed, high-adrenaline action.

Cool:
* Breathtaking environments
* Trick system is straightforward and compelling
* Good track variety
* Excellent online play

Poor:
* Doesn't offer much in the way of originality



See also on Car Games To Play:
car games to play - speed racer
MX vs ATV - untamed car game that has a lot to keep you busy

Codemasters - Race Driver: GRID

http://www.itreviews.co.uk

The latest game in the evolution of the Race Driver (formerly known as TOCA) series makes some interesting tweaks to the standard racer formula. Perhaps the most novel concept is the addition of flashbacks. One minute you're roaring down the tarmac towards a hairpin, and the next you're crouched in a bush in Vietnam, sweat trickling down your eyebrows in the stifled and humid silence. And then you T-bone into an advertising hoarding.

Of course, this isn't how a Grid flashback works. What actually happens is you can access a replay menu at any time during a race, rewind the action and time travel back to a point before you tried to take that left-hander a touch too fast and ploughed into a crash barrier. It might sound a bit cheesy, but it's actually a really handy feature, particularly when you don't know a track well. You can only use flashbacks a few times per race, so it doesn't trivialise the difficulty level too much.

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And those who refrain from using them completely get cash bonuses for skilful driving on top of race winnings. In the career mode this money is used to purchase new cars, and the reputation points also accrued through victory grant the player access to more prestigious, big purse events.

There are many types of different race events, from muscle car street races to Formula 1000 on proper circuits. You might be asked to test drive a car for a race team, partake in a drift race (where sliding around corners scores points), perhaps a carnage-filled destruction derby, a touge (head-to-head racing on narrow mountain roads), or indeed a shortened version of Le Mans itself.

You'll need to build up a large garage of different cars to tackle all these racing styles, not to mention handle some basic management duties such as choosing sponsorships and employing a team-mate driver. The career mode is very well thought out, with the variety of races always keeping you on your toes.

When it comes to the actual driving itself, Grid surprised us with handling that was more arcade-like than we were expecting. On the normal difficulty level, it's possible to crash into barriers and other vehicles without worrying too much about damage.

But don't think that Grid is a completely no-brain driving experience, as wheel-spin and counter-steering must be dealt with: it sits comfortably somewhere between simulation and arcade. The game is quite adjustable, too, so if you turn the default driving aids off, it becomes a lot more difficult to take those corners swiftly.

The handling of the various cars differs considerably, and you feel the weight of the bulky muscle cars, not to mention hear the roar of their engines. Our only complaints are that drift racing is quite tricky to get the hang of, and the Formula 1000 cars seem a touch too light and twitchy (but once you've acclimatised to this, they become drivable enough).

Mention should be given to the excellent sound and graphics, particularly the latter. Grid boasts superbly detailed vehicles and backgrounds, fantastic crash and damage modelling, plus a slight blurring effect that generates a real sense of speed when your foot's to the floor. The game is stylishly presented throughout, with commendable details such as some genuinely useful pit crew chatter (telling you the time difference to the car ahead, for example) and a clear mini-map of the track which shows the exact angles of approaching corners.

Chuck in some impressively lag-free multiplayer action, with ranked races and leaderboards for the pros, and casual instant games you can jump into for everyone else, and you've got yourself a bubbling cauldron of racing goodness.

Cool:Grid is graphically impressive, stylishly presented and a compelling mix of simulation and high-speed arcade action. The career mode is also engaging and the net code is smooth. A worthy race game indeed.

See also on Car Games To Play:
grand theft auto iv - the whole city will be ours!
burnout paradise - one of best car games
atari - gtr 2
car games to play - gran turismo 5

Need For Speed: Pro Street - Smoke In the Eye

In the Need for Speed: Pro Street there are no huge, neon shining cities. There is no crazy police, appearing so ably at the peak time of arrival. There is no variety of areas; each of them has its own memorable architecture and design. There is no trail of the past tricky routes, with dozens of "secret" passages, which could save some seconds. Instead of all this, the players have proposed formal competitions at the boring stadiums.

Traditionally, we play as a faceless hero with name Ryan Cooper. Just as before, he began his career with the bottom, hoping to become an absolute champion of professional street-racing and get the throne of the current king - Rio Watanabe. Towards achieving the dream our hero need to win dozens of tours, divided into several different kinds of competitions, and win the next stubborn Rio’s friends, each of whom is the "King" in its discipline.

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Now, we have madly looking career map, on which there are a lot of graffiti sketches, symbolizing the stages of the competition. The central "backbone" of this map is a number of key events, completing which we open access to side branches of tracks. Crowned the map a crown, each of which prong represents separate competition with one of the vice of Rio.

Regarding the side branches of tracks, it is also not so simple. Each station of the map represents one day of racing, which contains several different types of races, and we need to win in most of the competitions. In this case, players are awarded with money and give the right to choose a prize marker. However, you can try to get a certain number of points, to become a "dominant" racer and get a bit more cash and the right to choose the second marker.


In order to refresh the process of racing somewhat, we get competitions from time to time, in which all racers have at the very same cars, where wins not an amount invested in the car money but skill. Such races have no particular difficulty as special interest as well. The only plus of that kind of entertainment is the a car.

Despite the variety of types of competitions, are indeed different from one another are only four: Drag, Drift, Grip and Speed Challenge. Moreover - every type of competition requires an appropriately configured car in our garage. If you want you can configure almost any car from one type of race to another, but some cars obviously not intended to participate in Drag or Drift. Thus, it is the best to have in the garage on the car for each type of races, and from time to time to change them with more powerful models.


Existing kind of races in the Need for Speed: Pro Street, are modifications of old, familiar types of competitions. Grip - this is a normal race. Speed Challenge forces going through a control points with a maximum speed. In Drag now added a mini-game called "rubber burning". Before starting the race we should make a smoke with tires, so that the car has gained a better grip the road. To get the necessary "degrees" learn very quickly. And it was here where we can admire of smoke effects, which developers are so genuinely proud of.


Regarding Drift, changes affected mainly the car traffic physics. And all would be nothing but tracks are very short - only one left from the track leads to lose all advantages and restart. Besides, points are charged only for the speed and duration of sliding.

There are a lot of changes in garage as well. For the first time in the series concept of "aerodynamics" separates in its own direction. Now a shape has a direct impact on the behavior of the car on track. Changing the various parts of the body, now you can increase / decrease the maximum speed of the car. Another matter that the reality is the indirect attitude - often the changes are outside the logic.

To configure the car more subtly developers suggested already familiar "tuning-shop", in which you can manually adjust the dozens of parameters. And, of course, as before, each of the 55 available cars can be painted into all the rainbow colors, apply hundreds of vinyl, and sponsorship logos.


The most significant innovation in the game is the availability of computer assistants and the introduction of reliable model of damage. Instead of choosing the level of difficulty we can stay on one of the options of artificial intelligence. The easiest level of using silicon "navigator" for the full the car starts braking before most steep turns, minimizes the possibility of a collision. On average difficulty interference of computer are not so obvious. And at a maximum difficulty assistants disabled. The car really starts to behave in a different, far more realistic way. After Underground and Carbon it’s so unusual to see true physics in NFS.

With regard to cars damage model, it leaves a dual impression. On the one hand - an opportunity to honestly smash our car: all these crashed rear-view mirrors and bumpers look very natural. On the other hand the system is not balanced. Easy to scratch the opponent at the track at a speed of 50 km/h, cost for the repair the same amount as a serious collision with the border "in the forehead". The amount of repair often exceeds the prize for the first place, it looks as mocking isn’t it? For the first time in the past few years, we try to keep the car accurately, using brake before you faster opponent. And unique NFS drive with reckless speed fades away.



But all that stuff. Most importantly, do not have enough game - this spirit of competition and diversity. After the first 50-60 runs becomes frankly boring. At the level of complexity lightweight opponents did not represent any threat. All reduced to the formula "prokachay wheelbarrows and victories". At a more complex - not so much have to compete with other participants, but with itself. As a result, the only factor heated interest in the game becomes… passage of similar routes for unblocking the new machines or spare parts.

Sounds in the Need for Speed: Pro Street does not offer anything new. The engine roar, and brake chatter, and sounds of collision sound as in last part with minor modifications. Despite extensive list of artists, there is a lack of truly interesting melodies, although the role of background music soundtrack performs confidently. But what is really annoying is boring voice of commentator, who dictates the same phrases time after time. Disable him you want in half an hour.

But graphically game flourished… Car models have become more detailed, paints more naturally, textures better. Depending on the time of day and weather game engine shows a very different picture with natural, living shadows. It is a pity that there is no place to apply this beauty: dozens of similar stadiums do not give the game graphic to show us all its beauty.

Conclusion:
There are a lot of changes in the Need for Speed: Pro Street, but a small variety of game modes, boring arenas and the emphasis on realism deleted the main game feature - the crazy drive of Need for Speed. Playing the game we have to cope with boredom mostly than with opponents.

Cool:
• Beautiful graphics
• Wide range of car models
• Ability detailed settings car
• Interesting multiplayer

Poor:
• Sameliness of tracks and game modes
• Quite passive opponents
• Madly looking career map
• Damage system is not balanced
• Boring commentator
• Ordinary music tracks


See also on Car Games To Play:
Burnout Paradise - One of the Best Car Games to Play
The MotorStorm - all in Heat, Mud, Dust and Sweat!
Grand Theft Auto IV - The Whole City Will Be Ours!
Car Games To Play - DiRT

DiRT

Another car game to play we have a look at will be the DiRT. DiRT it is a mood game, blinding with first-class graphics and magnificent natural landscapes. It is beautiful, and this is its main advantage. It breathes with freshness of green forests, dry dust of desert, warm summer rain and cold English fog. The sun played on a smooth bonnet of our car, past rushing across rocks, trees, houses, and comes a strange feeling of permissiveness. There are stay no car, no risk no rules, just desire to get maximum from the engine, and driving on the mad speed on unreliable forest cutting, having risk to smash into first tree so far, adrenaline soaked each our cell.

Surprisingly, as the series has changed. Mate Colin McRae has taken over the race ideas from crazy Burnout, some good ideas from MotoStorm and absorbed the essence of them, but maintaining its own soul. We have all the same familiar rally race, only even more arcade, fast, dynamic and entertainment. It has excellent graphics, excellent models of cars, time races and complicated tracks, which twists on the complex terrain. Boulders and trees are happy to take unwary riders in their tight embrace. Do not coped with driving, and a moment later, the car gets serious bodily damages. Fly off the wheels, doors, hood, and glass cracks. You might go on race or you mightn’t. Mistakes are forgiven only on a minimum difficult level where even fatal crashes are not too serious. In other cases, careless driving may compel replay track because of damages received direct affect not only to appearance of our car, but on the behavior of it on the track as well.


There are a lot of vehicle in DiRT we have to ride in. Sports cars, jeeps, and trucks, buggy - a total of 46 titles offer their services to us for the trip to the most beautiful tracks in Europe, America and Asia. A variety of natural landscapes is enormous, and each of them creates a special mood thanks to smart visual effects and great working with lighting.


Colin McRae series has never been a simulator, but not down in absolute arcade game as well. However, modern time impose its own rules of games: want to sell - make it easy. That's a typical 3-button race, fast and dynamic. Gas still need to be released sometimes, but using brake event is not often. Cars brake almost instantly and speed for a second. With all this managing of cars is varying dramatically. This is particularly noticeable among the classes: when we race the same track at different car, we'll need to accustom ourselves to the new rules, in a new way to enter the turns, take into account the changed situation of inertia and center of mass. For example, where sport cars make cool dashing, truck with a trailer will make hippopotamus slow turn so as not to roll over.


Playing rally race mode we don’t have rivals. There's only road; convoluted, difficult road that must be passed as quickly as possible. Who has shown better results is the winner. The main enemy here is a turn. Over time, you begin to distinguish between them, divided them into "coward", "difficult", " sly", "boring", etc. Each generates its own classification. Because of balanced difficulty regimes each player could find rivals for themselves level. Than easier difficulty of the game more wickless the car becomes and so silly becomes rivals. With professionals difficulty we have to tolerate the failure of the vehicle after a pair of accidents.


Career Mode in DiRT has more than hundreds of tracks, which are divided into six types. Because of the huge number of tracks, cars and diversity of existing regimes, the career mode is still always fresh and do not forget to give more new landscapes, weather effects, new conditions of the competitions and, of course, provides with new car models. Over the prizes riders get currency, for which they can buy better cars, plus new colors for them as well. The higher level of difficulty, the more money offer as a prize.


In addition to career mode, DiRT offers to take part in the championship, or in a separate mode Rally World where we can drive on our favorite tracks as many times as we like. The project offers a huge content for a single game mode, which is diverse, interesting and fascinating, where classic rally next to the jolly races on off-road tracks. Let me say, there are two different games in one package.

Unlike single game multiplayer game looks a little bit undeveloped and empty. There is only normal race game, with the possibility of sending our records online. Why the developers do not leave group buggy tours on off-road tracks!? It is a pity.


Conclusion
DiRT brings only a title from the Colin McRae series. Fans may be disappointed a little bit, but others will have at its disposal excellent arcade race, which is playing simply and with great fun, gives excellent visual effects and variety of tracks, cars, regimes, natural landscapes. Only the steering wheel is not useful here. Just take your gamepad in the hands and let’s go, racing on the best tracks I’ve ever seen, breaking you car, and swallowing dust of prairies. It is only a pity that the multiplayer mode is not as good as the single game.

Cool:
• Magnificent, high-tech graphics
• A great number of highly detailed tracks
• Large variety of cars from different classes
• Long, and interesting career mode
• Exciting off-road races with rivals
• Excellent cars damage model


See also on Car Games To Play:
Burnout Paradise - One of the Best Car Games to Play
The MotorStorm - all in Heat, Mud, Dust and Sweat!
Grand Theft Auto IV - The Whole City Will Be Ours!