Racing

Kaz Yamauchi, creator of the Gran Turismo series has commented that rival game Forza Motorsport 2 for the Xbox 360 is far ahead of GT5 in terms of features. He then goes on to say that while Forza wins in terms of features, GT5 is more focused on core values and setting the highest standard possible. Here is his response to the question:

Kikizo: Could you give us your opinion on Forza MotorSport 2 for the Xbox 360, and in particular, the ability to reskin your car in very great detail - are you going to have this degree of superficial car customisation in GT5?

Yamauchi: Straight off the bat, I think that in terms of feature sets, Forza is ahead of us. They have more options, you can do basically anything. We take a different approach obviously - we try to concentrate on what are the core values for a racing game, and we try to elevate those standards up as high as we possibly can. I am having difficulty trying to explain the differences, but one way you can look at it is, you can buy a watch that is super multifunctional, but economical, or a watch that is reduced in functions, but premium - higher end.

Kikizo via Maxconsole

The Project Gotham Racing 4 demo has been unleashed on Xbox Live. The demo allows players to race three exotic cars and two bikes through the streets of Macau and a snowy Nürburgring. It also includes a Nürburgring Snow Challenge and PGR Arcade Events.

via Major Nelson

Scheduled for a multi-platform release on September 28, Sega Rally Revo is the latest arcade rally racer in the series. This trailer features the Canyon environment, one of the 6 dynamically deformable terrains in the game.

In between cigarette breaks at Leipzig, EA were showing off their latest NFS installment. While the trailer showcases some of the fine damage modeling, detailed environment and sweet tyre smoke in the game, we’re told you can expect even more in terms of strategic AI in this one.

Ubisoft today announced Nitrobike, a new title from Left Field Productions, the developers of Excitebike 64. Given how much Excitebike 64 kicked ass, I’m a little surprised Nintendo have let another publisher snap up what is clearly the spiritual successor of their neglected IP - and is almost certain to kick ass.

The press release was fairly short on details - apart from a scheduled November release, and more importantly, the confirmation of online play. Oh, and a quote from Jay Cohen, vice president of publishing at Ubisoft:

Ubisoft is thrilled to be introducing the first Motocross game available for Wii. Nitrobike’s fun and fast-paced gameplay is sure to be a hit for Wii owners.

There’s definitely no shortage of arcade racing games available these days, and with everyone still reeling from E3 information overload, and a refreshed appetite for a number of hugely anticipated blockbusters, we’d forgive you for not having noticed Flatout: Ultimate Carnage - the official underdog of the Xbox 360’s 2007 line-up.

It’s an unfortunately timed release - the European release hit stores just a week after the much-anticipated Forza Motorsport 2, and the upcoming North American release on October 2 puts the title in competition with Halo 3 and GTA IV among others. Australia gets their taste a little earlier on August 1, but they’ll almost certainly be too busy trading Pokemon to notice, or care.

We’ve had our hands on a final build for a few weeks now, and can safely say if you’re looking for an arcade racer that doesn’t feel as fake as Ridge Racer and Colin McRae: DiRT, Flatout: Ultimate Carnage could be your thing. Full review after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »