Fancy trying out a vintage motocross game from 2004 for nothing right now? MX Unleashed is free on Xbox games with Gold right now, although the discount hasn't been officially announced or promoted anywhere. We're not sure whether it's an error or not, as MX Unleashed was officially made available for free with Xbox Games With Gold between August 1st and 15th, 2020. … [Read more...]
TT Isle of Man 2 Announced In A New Video
BigBen Games and Kylotonn have revealed a sequel to TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge will be coming in the first few months of 2020 for the PC and consoles, with TT Isle of Man 2 announced in a new video. And the best news from the surprise announcement trailer is that the motorcycle physics have been completely rebuilt for what they claim will be 'ultra-realistic' behaviour, … [Read more...]
Video: ‘Bikes!’ Part 1
How do you survive the wait for a new bike racing season? What else but games?! Join us for Part 1 of 'Bikes!' http://youtu.be/22VOhjFkBEQ Despite a wealth of racing categories, a long history and excitement that at least matches anything from four-wheeled pursuits, motorbike games have a chequered past. For all that two wheels can offer, game releases over the years … [Read more...]
Jeremy McGrath’s OffRoad trailer
New update patch for Gran Turismo 5 due for release on Tuesday
The next patch release for Gran Turismo 5 will be on Tuesday, February 7th, as confirmed by Kazunori Yamauchi via Twitter. It should arrive after the online service maintenance period, which is currently scheduled between 03:00 and 04:00 GMT, during which time you won't be able to connect to any of the online services - likely to affect U.S gamers more than the UK we'd … [Read more...]
Revive these racing games: #1 TT Superbikes
The first in a series looking at classic racing games which really deserve a current generation update features TT Superbikes, a game which still has gamers eager for a sequel posting on the official forum 6 years after it was released for the Playstation 2. How often can you say that about a non-MMO game? The reason for the fanatiscism is simple - TT Superbikes was the … [Read more...]
Gran Turismo 5 news: Frame rates, music and motorcycles
Gran Turismo 5 may have been delayed, but that hasn't stopped a lot of news coming thick and fast about the game... Gran Turismo 5 frame rates drop below 60fps: The head of Polyphony Digital, Kaz Yamauchi has apologised in an interview for the fact that the game will occasionally drop below 60 frames per second at 1080p resolution. It was apparently a major factor in … [Read more...]
The stuff racing dreams are made of
Racing games have come a long way since I was a youngster. My first experience of gaming in any form was a variation on ‘Pong’. I’m not sure who made it, but it was almost certainly possibly nearly identical to this. By the time I experienced my first racing game, things had developed a little, but only a little. My first console (I say mine, I didn’t buy it myself as I was … [Read more...]
Time for the commentary to cease
Often confusing, irritating and hilarious in equal measures, commentary in racing games has for too long been appalling. The PlayStation’s F1 ‘97 was legendary for all the wrong reasons. Murray Walker is, in my opinion, the greatest commentator of all time in any sport, but the game made him out to be some kind of maniac hell-bent on listing who the top-ten drivers were at … [Read more...]
Why TOCA shouldn’t be mediocre
I unashamedly loved the ‘TOCA’ series. TOCA Touring Car Championship was my first game when I got a PlayStation. TOCA 2 was still my favourite game by the time I upgraded to a PS2, and was only superseded by TOCA Race Driver. By the time Race Driver 2 came out I had upgraded my PC with the very latest software (remember Windows ME?) and bought myself a steering wheel in … [Read more...]
Inspired by the Isle of Man TT? There’s only one videogame to buy!
The Isle of Man TT races are currently underway, marking the 105th anniversary of the legendary motorcycle races (there was actually a car race in 1904, but we won’t count that). As I write, the likes of Bruce Anstey, John McGuinness, Ian Lougher, Ian Hutchinson, Keith Armor, Adrian Archibald and more are doing unbelievable speeds on the 37.333 Mountain Course, with 264 … [Read more...]
The demise of the two-player split screen
I've had some great gaming memories over the years - completing Metal Gear Solid, blowing up my sister in Bomberman, winning the Champions' League on Pro Evolution Soccer, failing to complete Metal Gear Solid II, defeating Dr Robotnik (who is this Eggman these days?) and spending hours and hours racing against my friends in various guises. Lotus II, Domark's F1, the original … [Read more...]
From franchise to gaming dynasty
So, what does it take to go from a hit racing simulation, to a franchise, to a dynasty? In a word, “vision.” Making a video game into a hit simulator is hard enough. Taking a one hit wonder and making it a franchise, even harder still. Going from solid franchise to an era leading dynasty within the genre becomes extremely difficult for any game, simulation or not. Ultimately … [Read more...]
A risk of online racing – EA to shut NASCAR 09 servers
Console racing games might not carry the physical risk of racing, but they do have risks nonetheless. And one is that the time and effort you may have spent will be for nothing when someone turns off the game server. Which is the case with EA to shut NASCAR 09 Servers (along with those for NASCAR 08) That's what will happen for anyone playing Nascar 08 on the Playstation 2, … [Read more...]