As Forza 4 was released on the Xbox, PS3 users rejoiced in the ‘Spec 2.0’ update given to Gran Turismo 5. Alongside this release, developers Polyphony Digital released the first paid-for pack of downloadable content for Gran Turismo 5. The downloadable content, or ‘DLC’ for short, featured the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium along with a few new cars, a kart … [Read more...]
F1 2011 patch makes game playable online again
Despite being a fantastic game, F1 2011 has felt incomplete until now due to a bug that ruined the online racing. Thankfully though, it has now been fixed. For the uninitiated, players could set up their cars' springs at a certain stiffness (called the 11/11 bug, you can probably work out the ratio) and receive stupid levels of downforce, enabling them to dominate online races … [Read more...]
F1 2011 review 9/10
First of all, an apology. This review is late in comparison to a lot of other sites around and there are two main reasons for this: Firstly, we didn’t get a preview copy of the game, and second, it has taken a while to get used to. I didn’t want to rush out a review until I had the chance to play the game properly - I wanted to be able to say what it’s really like and to do … [Read more...]
Gran Turismo 5 major update and makeover
Forza 4 is coming out shortly, and by complete coincidence, Gran Turismo 5 is now getting a makeover. In what Polyphony Digital are calling a screamingly unsexy “Functionality Update”, there are some major changes afoot. So is it going to be snog, marry or avoid? The early signs are it may be a candidate for marriage, and the date is already set for 11th October. GT5 is … [Read more...]
The five most exciting things about F1 2011
We here at ORD love F1 2011, which is impressive considering it’s not even been released yet. But with the game’s launch less than two weeks away, we thought we would share with you the top five reasons our collective pants are so wet. 1. Revised handling model Don’t take this the wrong way, F1 2010’s handling was great but there were a few glitches. For example, you could … [Read more...]
Safety Car confirmed for F1 2011
"Okay, okay… Safety Car is in this years' game… Going to be awesome!!" tweeted Steve Hood, the lead designer at Codemasters for the forthcoming F1 2011. In doing so he confirmed for the first time that the much-rumoured inclusion of a Safety Car had indeed been given the go-ahead. Codies’ communications manager Andy Gray then posted a picture of the virtual Mercedes Benz SLS … [Read more...]
F1 2011 secrets revealed on Twitter
Detailed information about inclusions, tweaks and updates for the forthcoming F1 2011 have been few and far between, but Steve Hood, Chief Game Designer for F1 2010/11, has revealed many snippets of information via his Twitter account (@T4RG4) not mentioned in official press releases. Hood is preparing for the first public screening of the game at Gamescom 2011 in Cologne, and … [Read more...]
Do we need a safety car?
Since the brilliant F1 2010 was released, Codemasters have also been inundated with fans’ requests for the inclusion of a safety car in the sequel. Indeed, if 1994’s Indycar Racing 2 managed to include one running on MS Dos, surely the inclusion on one of today’s superconsoles or superfast PC’s is long overdue. However the inclusion of the safety car is not quite as cut and dry … [Read more...]
F1 2011 preview
After waiting so long for a good F1 game, it seems like the past year has flow by pretty quickly – mainly because I’ve spent most of it playing F1 2010. But as Codemasters’ BAFTA-winning bestseller approaches its first birthday, some fledgling official details have been revealed about its younger brother: the appropriately-titled F1 2011. And unlike the Schumacher brothers, … [Read more...]
Codemasters Dirt 3 review – 4/5
As fans of my work will know (hello mum), I was a big fan of the original Dirt, but less so of it's sequel. So here's the difficult third album - it has to keep the original 'rally' fans happy and still appeal to the slick, polished Americanised variety showcase that was Dirt 2. And I’m pleased to say it generally straddles the delicate balance between the two quite … [Read more...]
Grab a friend and get your console covered in Dirt 3
The Colin McRae name may have disappeared from the box, but Codemasters’ rally series is coming back with a bang. After the critical acclaim of Dirt 1 and the lukewarm reception for Dirt 2, the arrival of the Dirt 3 on May 24th is a make-or-break moment for the series that debuted back in 1998. This is now the eighth in the ‘Colin McRae Rally’ series, barring the bonus version … [Read more...]
“Your Ambition Outweighs Your Talent”
“Your Ambition Outweighs Your Talent” Ok hands up – who has got overexcited at the start of a race, braked too late for the first corner and punted someone off? Oh good, it’s not just me then. We’ve all done it. Not that I meant to, and I am very sorry to those that I hit… I just got a bit… ambitious. As Casey Stoner said to Valentino Rossi after The Doctor lost control of … [Read more...]
GT5 – Not a test of endurance
Gran Turismo 5 has come in for much criticism regarding the amount of time and effort it takes to finish. To achieve 100% completion and a coveted Platinum PlayStation trophy, players must win every single race and time trial in the game, own a thousand cars, take a picture of a building and achieve the nigh-impossible task of winning a race by just one hundredth of a … [Read more...]
Gran Turismo 5 – the best key cars to own
Like Jungle, Gran Turismo 5 is massive. Because it’s so big and there are over a thousand cars to choose from, it’s pretty easy to waste valuable time and effort buying and tuning cars that aren’t quite up to scratch. There are many specific cars that must be bought and won along the way to GT5 glory, but these are the five that I think are the most useful, how much they … [Read more...]
GT5 B-Spec mode and other animals
GT5’s B-Spec mode is a curious animal. A curiously thick animal. So what is it? For the uninitiated, B-Spec is essentially a very basic manager mode in which you have to play the whole game over again, only this time instead of driving, you get to watch the AI pootle your hard-earned cars around races that are twice as long as the originals while you tell your robot driver how … [Read more...]