Crave

(Credit: Microsoft)

2009 is suddenly a holiday of racers. If you don't believe that, consider the trifecta that have been unleashed upon us already: Need For Speed: Shift, Dirt 2, and Microsoft's holiday tentpole Forza Motorsport 3. All of them promise realistic physics, blazing speeds, and tons of customization, but NFS: Shift and Dirt 2 are multiplatform, while Forza Motorsport 3 is an Xbox 360 first-party exclusive. For my money, though, I'll take Forza 3. After playing all three, the newest Forza has, surprisingly, won me over--not with realism, but with fun.

I say surprisingly because "simulation racers" generally lie in a calcified place among the hearts of the mainstream gamers: the hundreds of factory-immaculate car models and pitch-perfect world racing circuits, along with the endless class licenses and intricate engine tune-ups, can turn most gamers off completely. Right here in the CNET offices, I told a colleague I was playing Forza 3, and that I actually enjoyed it. "Really?" he asked, somewhat disbelieving. It's assumed that Gran Turismo and Forza will be inaccessible to those who don't appreciate racers, just like Madden often erects a wall between NFL fans and gamers and the rest of the world.

I am a casual racer, and Forza 3 sucked me in.

Its first success was employing a calm British man to talk to me. Much like LittleBigPlanet, a gentle voice of authority (although in this case, not Stephen Fry) welcomed me, showed me the basic ropes, and told me everything was going to be all right. Rather than worry about detailed car controls and under-the-hood tinkering, a simple press of a few A and B buttons got me right into a season-long circuit of races. The voice tutorials gently tailed off naturally, until I had the ropes completely. Suddenly I realized that I had been playing for several hours, and was itching to complete just one more race challenge to unlock more credits. That's when I realized that, fundamentally, Forza 3 is a success. ... Read more

Hopefully, we'll get a US release date shortly after the Japanese launch.

(Credit: Polyphony Digital/Sony)

The lack of a hard release date--or even projected timeframe--has been a bit of a sore spot for Gran Turismo fans when comparing GT5 to Forza Motorsport 3. Well, those days are almost over, as Sony has finally announced the next installment in Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo racing series will go on sale in March 2010. However, that is specifically the Japanese release date, leaving us in the dark as to whether we will get a concurrent North American release or if we'll have to wait a bit longer.

Six months (or more) is quite a wait to get your PS3 racing fix, especially with Forza 3 releasing next month on the Xbox 360. But the GT faithful have waited five years, so what's a bit more? To help tide you over, here's a video montage of live and in-game footage of Mercedes-Benz's gull-winged SLS AMG, which the automaker has just announced will be featured in the game.

Gran Turismo PSP: worth the hype?

(Credit: SCEA)

In case you haven't noticed, the PSP is getting its game on--or trying to, at least. With a solid software push this year and a revamped PSP Go, Sony's solidly performing yet still second-place handheld is trying to reinvigorate its flagging game library as of late. And, sensibly, the focus is remaining on successful PS2 and PS3 ports. Gran Turismo and, more recently, the MotorStorm franchise have been great examples of first-party Sony success. They're A-level titles, and at last both are making their debut in PSP form in just a few weeks, costing $39.99 and being made available in both UMD and downloadable formats. We received download codes for both titles and gave them a thorough go here at the office, but the results may surprise you.

Scott:
I had heard tons of hype for years (since the original PSP launch in 2005, in fact) about Gran Turismo going mobile. This long-expected virtual vaporware became incredibly tangible for us this week, and will be available to everyone else October 1. I was excited, even though I'm not utterly wild about the hard-core tuning that lies at the heart of GT's automotive fetishism. I do like racing games, and the PSP hasn't had a really good one in quite some time.

Gran Turismo (PSP)

As a result, it surprised me to find that Gran Turismo was pretty boring. That's not a knock on the car models or the race tracks or the graphics in general: they're all crisp and smooth and well above average. The problem is that the game itself, in trying for realism, moves at a pace that on a small screen feels like a crawl. Watching your Audi slowly accelerate to 60 mph and take gradual turns with proper braking is the anti-Mario Kart, and not in a good way. It can be soporific, even hypnotic. While the casual nature of the races could amount to a nice mobile break from a busy day, the intensity of Gran Turismo feels like it's moved completely off the map.

That's not to say the game isn't without some great features. ... Read more

The Xanavi/Nismo GT-R GT car is featured prominently in the Gran Turismo screenshots.

(Credit: Polyphony Digital)

Polyphony Digital usually plays its cards pretty close to the vest when it comes to releasing details about its Gran Turismo series. So, I was pretty stoked when I got a news release titled "First Official Gran Turismo 5 screenshots." I waited with baited breath as the images downloaded. Hurriedly, I flung open the attachments only to be greeted with a handful of images of the GT5's fancy menu system. Really? Talk about disappointing.

Ironically, we've already had more than a few good looks at GT5 in action, despite Polyphony Digital's weak attempts at teasers. We already know that the PS3-exclusive will feature 1,000 vehicles, damage modeling and rollover crashes, and online racing with voice chat. Heck, we even knew about the game's capability to flood YouTube with your weak sauce replays.

First official Gran Turismo 5 screenshots

In fact, about the only thing we don't know is when we can expect to be able to play the game. Although to be fair, we're not so sure that anyone at Polyphony Digital knows either.

So, come on Poly-Dig. We've already seen the goods. Stop being such a tease and give us the full monty.

Ouch. That looks painful.

(Credit: Screenshot by Gamersyde/Polyphony Digital)

Forza has it. GRID has it. Heck, even Need for Speed has it. We now have video proof, coming out of Gamescom 2009, that Gran Turismo 5 will finally get damage modeling.

Of the 1,000 vehicles available for play in GT5, 170 of them will be "premium" models that feature full interior modeling that is affected by vehicle damage. The remaining 830 vehicles will be standard models that only feature external damage. Check the video below to see a Subaru Impreza STI rally car getting its door literally blown off.

There's a rumor that the new physics engine will also allow for vehicle rollover, which should put GT5 back on a level playing field with Forza 3 for crash realism and there are rumblings that the cockpit camera can use the PS Eye peripheral to track your head.

(Via Gamersyde, Kotaku)

Comic browsing on your PSP.

(Credit: GameSpot)

A new, slimmer PlayStation 3 wasn't the only news to come out of the Sony press conference at Gamescom in Germany Tuesday. There were also plenty of announcements about the PSP and PlayStation Network that weren't completely expected.

First, the PlayStation Network will get an overhaul beginning September 1. New features and a more logical navigation are among the updates. A "What's New" tab highlighting new PlayStation Store releases will also be accessible directly via the XMB (cross media bar).

There was also a lot of news regarding the PSP. Along with the PSP Go, October 1 will also bring the launch of PSP Minis, a new series of bite-size games. These titles will be more affordable, in addition to smaller in size (all games will be 100MB or less). PSP Minis will debut with 15 titles, totaling 50 by the end of 2009.

The PSP will also be getting a Digital Reader in December with various comic book publishers onboard to offer content. Marvel will be providing Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four comics to start, with Wolverine, Captain America, Iron Man, and the Hulk all to follow. Compatibility with other Sony readers and more digital comics publishers will be announced soon.

Sony also disclosed that the company will have more details on the PS3 motion-sensing controller at next month's Tokyo Game Show. In addition, customers who preorder Gran Turismo 5 for PlayStation 3 will get a free download of the portable version, Gran Turismo PSP.

The fire hose extends by around 65 feet and has an on-off handle for "burst mode." Click on the above photo for more images.

(Credit: M&M Automotive)

What happens when you mix a fire engine with a 193 mph supercar co-designed by the makers of Gran Turismo? Well, if these pictures are anything to go by, you get the fastest, coolest emergency vehicle in the world. Apart from Thunderbird 1, of course.

The Nissan GT-R ultra-rapid response emergency vehicle was modified by M&M Automotive to offer some serious firefighting abilities. Its two rear seats were removed to make room for a 13-gallon tank secured by a roll cage, while in the trunk, there's a medium-pressure (20 bars) extinguisher system and winding device for a 65-foot hose. According to Nissan, the car will dispense both water and foam, and can fight fires for approximately two minutes on a single tank.

Nissan GT-R gets firefighting abilities -- photos

The car was built specifically to patrol the iconic Nurburgring race track in Germany's Eifel region, where hundreds of amateur drivers try their luck on the high-performance circuit every year. Accidents are, understandably, quite commonplace, so having a fast emergency vehicle on hand is a smart idea. Ordinary fire engines would take ages to reach an accident, but, despite carrying an extra 440 pounds of firefighting equipment, the GT-R can lap the twisty 13-mile Nordschleife circuit in less than eight minutes.

Car geeks the world over will tell you the GT-R is the perfect car for the job. Not only is it ludicrously fast, but it also has all manner of high-tech gizmos to help the driver arrive in a hurry.

PlayStation 3 exclusive gaming rundown--screenshots

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As Sony starts to make a push for the holiday season with a new bundle and rumors of slimmer hardware, we all know that exclusive software remains as the biggest selling point for any console.

We recently showcased a handful of Xbox 360 titles that will be available only on that console. Now it's time to take a look at what the PlayStation 3 has to offer in the coming months.

PlayStation 3 owners already enjoy franchises like Resistance and Ratchet and Clank, but will finally get a taste of some series that have yet to debut on the PS3.

There are also a few titles we left out just because information on them is still very scarce. While we're excited for exclusive titles like The Last Guardian, we're not sure of a release date.

Click through to see our slideshow of exclusive titles for the PlayStation 3. Be sure to check out our Xbox 360 feature and stay tuned for our look at exclusive titles for the Nintendo Wii.

While Sony didn't necessarily dazzle us with unannounced exclusive titles, the company definitely cemented the console's beefy lineup with a handful of live demos. Kicking it right off was gameplay footage of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, expected this holiday season. What some call the "male Tomb Raider," Uncharted 2 was quite possibly the best-looking game of the conference.

(Credit: Gamespot)

Next up was MAG, a game teased at last year's E3 promising 256 online players at once. We were treated to a live demo that accomplished the feat featuring players from all over the world. MAG is expect this fall.

Sony Computer Entertainment of America President and CEO Jack Tretton then briefly mentioned Rockstar Games' Agent, claiming the title could only be possible on a PlayStation 3. Unfortunately no footage or release date was given. Two developers from Ubisoft then showed off Assassin's Creed 2, though the game will not be a PS3 exclusive. It will be available this holiday season.

(Credit: Gamespot)

While we all knew Final Fantasy XIII was coming to both Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles in 2010, we had no idea that Final Fantasy XIV was in development, let alone an exclusive PS3 title. A trailer for the game noted the next chapter in the story would take players online as well.

Sticking with the theme of "play, create, share," Modnation Racers will allow users to customize racetracks, cars, and racers very much in the vein of LittleBigPlanet. Gamers can also design their very own tracks to share and play with other PS3 owners--a demo that made us immediately think of Sim City.... Read more