Let's just come right out and call this the Year of Resurrected PC Games. So far in 2009 we've seen iPhone recreations of Civilization, Command & Conquer, Doom, Myst, and even the ancient Lemonade Stand. Earlier this month, Gameloft brought back one of my favorites: Driver. I know, I know, the game first appeared on the PlayStation, but it's the PC version I remember. Set in the '70s (with a funk-a-licious soundtrack to match), Driver casts you as an undercover cop trying to expose a national crime ring. That, of course, is simply an excuse to get you behind the wheel for madcap missions across four cities. Driver is like a playable version of the classic car-chase scene from "Bullitt"--and you're Steve McQueen.
The Need for Speed series returns to the iPhone with NFS:Shift.
(Credit: Screenshot by Antuan Goodwin/CNET)
EA Mobile has released the second iPhone game in the Need for Speed series: Need for Speed Shift.
You may remember that we took a look at Need for Speed Undercover not too long ago and found it was a fun, arcadelike take on racing with a decent number of fully customizable vehicles. Shift is an evolution of that game but with more realistic racing physics in place of the hokey storyline. Also new to Shift are customizable racing views. Users can now select between chase-cam, hood-cam, bumper-cam, and cockpit views. The cockpit view is unique to the vehicle you're driving, but unfortunately there are no working gauges. The cockpit view is also the only view that features damage modeling in the form of a windshield that gets more messed up the as you hit things.
This Nissan Z features an accurate interior, but no working gauges.
(Credit: Screenshot by Antuan Goodwin/CNET)On your first outing with Shift, you'll be treated to a quick tutorial that teaches you how to drive with an iPhone. Shift pretty much plays like Undercover, but with a few key differences. Its steering is still controlled by tilting. The vehicles still auto-accelerate and brake when the screen is tapped. However, the race-breaker, slow-motion feature is gone and the controls are supposedly more realistic. In practice, this means that you can no longer win races without touching the brakes and that the transmission is now manual, which can be frustrating for novice users who just want to drive.
Fortunately, there are driver aids that can be activated that automatically brake and shift for you and assist steering that make your ham-fisted inputs smoother and more accurate. Users who want an easy to play, arcade-style racer can turn on the driving aids and win a few medals on the bus ride to work; and users who want more of a racing-sim experience can set all systems to manual for more control over the game. Driving aids or not, drifting is maddeningly difficult this time around. I prefer the drifting mechanics of Undercover.
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The Gumball 3000 is just one of the stranger races held yearly around the world.
Every car enthusiast worth his or her salt wants to attend events like the Indy 500, 24 Hours of LeMans, and Monaco Grand Prix, or, for fans of classics, the Monterey Historics, Goodwood Revival, or Mille Miglia Storica. But these are generally expensive propositions even for spectators, and forget about participating if you're not an excellent race driver or millionaire, preferably both. Cars are about glamour and going fast, sure, but life is about getting there and enjoying the ride along the way. This collection celebrates some lesser-known automotive competitions for which humor and good old-fashioned fun are essential elements.
With one exception, you can actually enter these events for low-four-figure sums at most, and for some of them that includes the purchase (or construction) of the actual race car itself. So grab a helmet, build up a sleep reserve, and get ready to have some cheap fun with a bunch of like-minded lunatics. Owning a race team isn't just for Roger Penske anymore.
(Credit:
The Press Democrat)
When it comes to speed radars, why should police officers have all the fun? Santa Rosa, CA-based Pocket Radar, Inc. has engineered a palm-sized speed radar for those curious about the speed of moving objects.
Tattletales might enjoy aiming the device at motorists or speeding cops, but Pocket Radar is intended for more serious applications.
In an interview with the Press Democrat, co-founder Steve Goody explains that it can also be used by hockey, bike racing, horse racing, and soccer fans. "It has an application for any sport with a moving object," he said.
Steve Goody, Chris Stewart, and Grant Moulton spent four years building the product which will release in spring 2010. The three founders are Silicon Valley veterans who hail from companies like HP, Cisco Systems, and Agilent Technologies.
At $199-249, it's likely only die-hard fans will purchase the radar. However, athletic trainers might find it useful in training, as a prototype is already used by a local baseball coach.
There's a reason you always see coin-op racing games lined up two, four, or even eight in a row: It's a lot more fun to race against live humans than AI opponents.
Unfortunately, only a handful of otherwise excellent iPhone racing games offer multiplayer modes. And most of those limit you to local competition via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi--only a couple offer online multiplayer.
I'm happy to report that Asphalt 5--sequel to the mega-popular Asphalt 4: Elite Racing--has joined the ranks of online-multiplayer racing games.
It's a good thing, too, because the Asphalt series suffers from a problem I have with many racing games: once you fall behind the AI drivers, it's nearly impossible to catch up.
But human opponents are just as error-prone as you are, so the competition feels fair and, most importantly, real.
After signing up for a free Gameloft account (which you can do in-game), I hopped into an online race and was quickly matched up with five other drivers. One dropped out mid-race (jerk),
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Test-drive six 2010 VW hatchbacks in Firemint's free Real Racing GTI.
Firemint's Real Racing is one of the top-rated and most popular racing games in the App Store, but at $6.99 it's also among the priciest.
Alas, there's no lite version you can test-drive before you buy, but Volkswagen just unveiled the next best thing: Real Racing GTI, a free, VW-oriented version of the game.
Specifically, you get all the same visually stunning championship-racing goodness, but with just three tracks and half a dozen 2010 GTI hatchbacks.
This slimmed-down Real Racing offers three game modes: Quick Race, Time Trial (which lets you post race replays on YouTube!), and career-oriented GTI Cup Championship. (The full game offers more cars, tracks, game modes, etc., including local multiplayer.)
As Jason Parker wrote in his review, near-perfect controls set this game apart from other iPhone racers: "The sensitive accelerometer steering in Real Racing somehow gets it just right. This is due, in no small part, to the autobraking feature that teaches you the ... Read more
(Credit:
Kotaku )
A hard-core racing simulation fan from Japan has created this very rudimentary (yet somewhat cool) DIY driving station out of PVC pipes, a wooden plank, and cable ties. While it doesn't look as polished as its video game arcade equivalent, this skeletal concoction is actually very functional, complete with a steering wheel and foot pedal mounts, plus folding capability for easy storage.
One important point we'd like to highlight: this driving station has nothing to do with Gran Turismo (which is a PlayStation exclusive) as claimed by game portal Kotaku, since the pictured steering wheel is manufactured by Microsoft and designed for its Xbox 360.
Click here for more DIY driving stations.
The driving station can fold up for easy storage.
(Credit: Kotaku)(Source: Crave Asia via Kotaku)
Shrek Kart offers movie-themed racing fun, but don't expect any talking.
Ever since Mario traded his running shoes for a four-wheeler, go-kart games have been a console staple.
Witness Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D for the iPhone, which debuted in 2008 (shortly after the App Store launched) and has been a top seller ever since.
Now comes Gameloft's Shrek Kart, which casts everybody's favorite ogre in the Mario/Crash role for some fairy-tale-themed fun.
Actually, you can race as Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, Puss in Boots, or any of 10 movie characters--each with his or her own vehicle and special ability. (Shrek, for example, can "break wind" to breeze through walls that would otherwise slow him down.)
Though noteworthy for offering 15 total tracks, 11 power-ups, and four single-player modes (more than Crash Bandicoot on each count), Shrek Kart plays pretty much like every other kart game.
Make no mistake: it's visually stunning and tons of fun, but where's Mike Myers? Where's Eddie Murphy? It would be great to ... Read more
Audi's electric e-tron gets digital in PlayStation Home.
(Credit: Audi)Automakers are like forum trolls. Every time you turn around another one of them is yelling, "First!"
This time it's Audi claiming to be the first carmaker to develop its own virtual area in Sony's PlayStation Home. Audi Space, as it will be known, will come on line in late 2009. Audi Space will at first feature an Audi TV channel delivering video content relating to the German automaker.
In December of '09, Audi Space will be expanded to include Vertical Run, a futuristic racing game featuring Audi's e-tron concept. Players will collect electrical energy that will presumably be untamed by the e-tron as they race for the highest possible speed. Be the fastest and you could earn a place for your Home avatar in the virtual Audi apartments, located in a large tower in the center of Audi Space.
Audi Space will be a 3D area where players can explore the Audi brand.
(Credit: Audi)"Most young people gain ... 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.
In fact, about the only thing we don't know is when we can expect ... Read more
