DUDE! It is a freakin’ blue Playstation 3! Did you read that? A BLUE PS3! Oh, and it gets better. This special “Titanium Blue” PS3 console is part of a special limited edition Gran Turismo 5 console pack. So not only do you get the blue console but you also get the limited edition version of Gran Turismo 5! Are you excited yet? Well, allow me to burst you’re bubble… There is no official word yet if this console pack will be available in the US or if this is a Japan only deal. Hopefully we’ll get some confirmation on this soon! Did I mention that its BLUE?!
Check out this new gameplay video from F1 2010 by Codemasters. The new video reveals what “race day” will be like in game at tracks like Suzuka, Melborne, and Eau Rouge at Spa. The best part is the game is officially available for pre-order now!
For most of the X Games 16 rally events I was either down in the dirt shooting pictures or up in the press box live tweeting until my fingers bled so I missed the treat that television viewers got: A trailer for DiRT3 featuring Ken Block’s MWRT 2011 Ford Fiesta rally car!. In case you didn’t know the development team behind DiRT3 (Codemasters) is the same group bringing us the up coming F1 2010 later this year. So right after we finish up our first season in F1 2010 we’ll get to start up our 2011 rally season with DiRT3! Awesome!
Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am really not big on the Facebook games. You’ll never find me playing Farmville, Cafe World, Mafia Wars or any of that stuff. It is not just a personal thing either, I’ve seen what Farmville addiction can do to people! However, I’ve come across a Facebook game that I think I can actually get behind (and probably become addicted to). Its called Car Town and it was developed by Cie Games based right here in Long Beach, CA.
Car Town is similar in a lot of ways to other Facebook games that are currently being played but the big and important difference is that instead of tending a farm, running a restaurant, or expanding your organized crime syndicate Car Town is all about earning money to buy the cars you want by playing games and doing “jobs” and also using the money you earn to fix up the cars you own. You can race your cars against your Facebook friends, deliver pizza to other friends to make money, even enter car shows. There is a ton of customization available in the game as well from the cars to your own avatar.
Right now the game is still in beta testing, but since someone thinks I’m cool I had a chance to test it out before its release. We’ll continue to bring you updates on Car Town until its full launch which should be coming soon!
The Evolution-X is another awesome racing sim seat from Playseat America. My favorite thing about this model is that you can get it in alcantara but its over $200 less than my favorite WRC licensed Playseat. So you still get good quality, and alcantara but with a smaller hit on the ol’ wallet! It is a total win-win!
Check out the newest development diary from the brains at Codemasters. In this edition they take us through the process of creating authentic representations of all the F1 tracks and each car on the grid for the upcoming F1 2010 racing game. Awesome!!
Take a look at how Codemasters is incorporating weather not only into the look of their new F1 2010 game but also making it a part of the strategy as well. It is awesome to see how many details and nuances are being placed in this game to enrich the experience. I can’t wait for this game!!
For me, one of the most memorable parts of E3 2010 was getting the invite to the upper-deck of the massive Sony exhibit to get a personal tour of Gran Turismo 5. Car and game enthusiasts alike have waited for this game for what seemed like an eternity. I was lucky to get the opportunity to be among the first to try it out thanks to my friend and former co-worker Chris Hinojosa-Miranda as well as my new buddy SCEA Executive Producer Kyle Shubel (’sup Kyle!).
After our days working together at C16 Magazine Chris moved on to SCEA in Santa Monica to become an Associate Producer for Gran Turismo PSP and Gran Turismo 5, thus solidly securing his place as the object of my envy! Jealousy aside, it is pretty sweet to know someone on the “inside” and almost every year at E3 since he landed there I would catch up with him to get a little more insight about GT5. However, the one thing I could never get out of Chris was a release date, until now! In what is easily the biggest story of E3 to anyone who loves cars is that Gran Turismo 5’s release date was finally announced as November 2nd 2010!
Fast forward to a few moments later and I am making my way upstairs to the media demo level of the Sony compound to play Gran Turismo 5 with Chris and Kyle. When I finally got to play I had two major surprises literally dropped in my lap: The first surprise came when Kyle told me that Gran Turismo 5 will be playable in 3D! A racing game in 3D is something that has never been done before and whatever you’re imagining the experience as in this moment I can assure you it is even better in action! As soon as Kyle showed me how to activate the glasses I was instantly taken back by what I saw. Gran Turismo 5 in 3D is easily one of the greatest gaming experiences I’ve ever had period. I realize the gravity of that statement and that’s still only the first surprise I got!
The second was another way that the developers discovered to bring the player even deeper into the game. Combined with the Playstation EYE peripheral Gran Turismo 5 employs head-tracking when in cockpit view. This means if you turn your head the game’s perspective will turn along with it. Want to check your side mirrors to see who is on your tail? Simply turn your head and look in the mirror! The idea is so simple but when its actually executed it will blow your mind!
After spending some time with the game I got Chris in front of my camera to get down to some of the meat and potatos of Gran Turismo 5 like the number of tracks, number of cars, online play, and the big question “what took so long?” You can see all of that, as well as the official E3 2010 trailer below.
Interview with Associate Producer Chris Hinojosa-Miranda:
With all of the E3 buzz that Gran Turismo 5 generated with the finally announced release date of 11/2/2010, and the further buzz of Turn 10 Studios creating a Forza 3 one off game with Microsoft Kinect utilization, there was another huge racing game that totally flew under the radar. Not only that but I totally learned of it by chance myself. Allow me to tell you the story…
It was the first day of E3 2010 and the LA Convention Center was saturated with thousands of international journalists and enterprising video game enthusiasts who found their own way into this strictly industry-only event. As soon as I got in I made a bee-line for the Microsoft booth to find any reps from Turn 10 Studios so I can dig up any new developments if any for Forza 3.
As I walked past the various game kiosks within the Microsoft area I was stopped in my tracks by someone playing what appeared to be an open-wheel racing game. Upon closer inspection I realized the race car that the player was piloting was none other than a McLaren-Mercedes MP4-25 with Jenson Button’s helmet just within view! A glance up at the corner of the flat screen confirmed it; I was looking at a genuine F1 game for the Xbox 360!
I immediately interrupted the gentleman playing the game and asked the who, what, when, where, and left out the why because that was the least of my concerns. It turns out that Codemasters, the creators of Dirt, Dirt 2, and Grid turned their attention towards bringing F1 racing back to the hardcore consoles (Xbox 360 and Playstation 3) as well as the PC and it would be called F1 2010. After chatting with the man at the kiosk for a few minutes and spending a few more minutes playing the game myself I set up an appointment with the game’s developers to get even more information.
Fast forward a day and a half later and I am in a room with the two leaders of the F1 2010 development team: Senior Producer Paul Jeal and Chief Game Designer Stephen Hood. It was at this point that the both of the gentlemen began to blow my mind as they explained what they created. I will attempt to break down the presentation to you so that you can see why I am so excited about what I saw.
What is it? As I mentioned before, Codemasters is the team behind the massively popular rally games “DiRT” and “DiRT 2″. They also created “GRiD” and a long line of racing games before those three. Paul and Stephan decided that the best game-plan (no pun intended) for tackling an F1 game would be to use the same “game engine” (Google it) used for DiRT 2. With a solid platform to build on the two focused all of their creative energies to creating something technically, visually, and even emotionally accurate to true Formula 1 racing.
What should you expect? When you finally get your hands on a copy of F1 2010 I think it will be safe to say we can expect a robust experience. Paul, Stephan and their entire team spent time with virtually every team on the F1 grid including drivers, team principals, and engineers to make sure they fit every detail, subtlety and nuance into their creation. Every team on the grid this year will be in F1 2010 including all the new teams such as Mercedes GP, Lotus, HRT, and Virgin. Each race car for each team is also modeled exactly to aerodynamic spec so you will not see the same tub and wings on every car with a simple livery switch. If you drive Jenson Button’s MP4-25 you will see the extra air scoop on the front nose and etc.
You can also expect to follow at least most of the major FIA rules when driving and that includes pit stop procedures. You will have to make sure you get on the speed limiter when you enter the pit lane and you will have to hit your marks or else you’ll run over the jack man. Also per 2010 rules the pit crew wont re-fuel your car but you will have to look after your tires and make sure that during a dry race you do at least one stint on the option tires. Also, if you get a little too aggressive on track you better believe you will get a black flag from the stewards. Oh, one more thing… The rules will still apply when you are racing online. This means that unlike GT5 or Forza 3 when some jackass decides he wants to win the race by running you off the road you’ll have more recourse than just trying to catch up and spin him out. The computer will put the hammer down and make sure you get justice.
Now if you scroll down you’ll get to see the part of the presentation that they let me film (more on that later) and hear about most of the features from Paul and Stephan themselves.
What I couldn’t show you: When the presentation started I got to see one of the best parts of the game. As cool as it was, this part was not totally approved by Codemasters yet so I was unable to film or take pictures of it. However, no one said that I could not tell you about it! The biggest difference between F1 2010 and F1 games in the past is that in addition to the racing Codemasters wants you to “experience” what it is like to be a Formula 1 driver. When you are in career mode you start off in a first person perspective view inside your trailer. Your PR agent is sitting at a table across from you and you’re free to explore your trailer and even go outside to talk to your teammate. You will even notice photographers and fans waiting behind the ropes in front of your paddock. That environment will dynamically change depending on how you do over the course of a season or which team you are driving for. If you are driving for Toro Rosso there may not be as many fans waiting for an autograph. But, if you happen to drive for McLaren-Mercedes you’ll see a flood of screaming fans and ravenous paparazzi just waiting to get a piece of you. This part of the game is so deep that I couldn’t possibly explain it all here but trust me when I say it will really make you feel like you have made it to the top rung of world-class racing.
When will it come out? This was the last but most important question I asked the guys from Codemasters. Based on what they told me, F1 2010 will hit stores in the US by September of this year. We will try to give you all the latest updates on the development of this game until it hits shelves this fall!
First there was the Porsche replica Fanatec steering wheel, then the Ferrari replica wheel by Thrustmaster, now Lamborghini has joined the mix as gaming peripheral company Atomic Accessories in Italy obtained the Iicense to produce a Gallardo replica steering wheel. It seems like almost all the super-car bases have been covered when it comes to video game steering wheels. Now, I’d really like to see wheels from the more rare exotic cars. How awesome would it be to play Forza 3 or Gran Turismo 5 with a Bugatti Veyron wheel?!
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