E3 has been 'the' event for announcing the newest games and tech. E306 was the year that the PS3 was announced, E305 the Xbox 360 was announced and E395 (the first E3 event held) the Playstation and Nintendo Virtual Boy were announced. E3 was, and is, the most important event on a gamer's calendar. Some new (and sometimes daft) technology is announced here, such as Microsoft's Project Natal announced this year. E309 was a very successful and jam-packed event after the downsizing of 2007. Could this mark the rebirth of E3? Goin' by what we've seen this year, hell yes! Anyhoo, on to the racing, what we're here for!
Forza 3 (Xbox 360): This wasn't really a surprise. If it wasn't a new PGR, then it was sure as hell going to be this. If Microsoft's attempt at avatar kart racing didn't appeal to you, this should. Turn 10 Studios didn't show too much gameplay, just one track and some production cars. No sign of racing cars yet, but it is expected. Onto the figures: 400 cars from 50 manufacturers and 100 tracks. Also featured is an in-car view, a first for the series. Interesting cars seen are the Aston Martin DBS, the Alfa Romeo 8C Competetzione, Nissan 370Z and ofcourse the Audi R10. Release is expected to be on October 27, 2009.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjgDAg7XDqw"]httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjgDAg7XDqw[/ame]
My view:
Well this game is going to be hard pressed to out-do the astounding quality of Gran Turismo 5. With much less cars and tracks (from what we can tell) they will have to make up for it with gameplay and fun factor. This is something they could do as their formula has worked for them in the past. It's pretty clear that they are not aiming to create a fully fledged sim. Still, they did say in the press confrence "we have been at the forefront of
physics simulation" or something along those lines. Infact, everything they said just made their game up to be the next Gran Turismo. Sure it looks beautiful and fun, but no matter what they say, they have less than the competitor... And that's a fact. I have also lost respect for both the game itself and the playerbase. Just take a look at this. Thos the the Championship Gaming Series World Final, these are meant to be the best in the world. Just take a look:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIxH1iBqgwc&feature=PlayList&p=70A1B2BFE2A71F0E&index=0"]httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIxH1iBqgwc&feature=PlayList&p=70A1B2BFE2A71F0E&index=0[/ame]
The driving shown here is simply outrageous. We need proper sim racers represented in these kind of series' <Rant over>.
Gran Turismo Mobile (PSP):
Well, after holding our breath, here it is. The official announcment of Gran Turismo Mobile, a title hinted at nearly 4 years ago. People really wanted to hear about GT5 and weren't too into the PSP titles, but thedetails revealed about this gam are simply staggering.
800 cars and 35 tracks (with 60 layouts). This game has more cars than GT4, it even has
twice the cars of Forza 3! No gameplay shown, but there are screenshots around (gamespot.com) and I can tell you this, the game is no slouch. Looks pretty good for a PSP game (the trailer does not represent gameplay). he game will be released on October 1, 2009. It will be a PSP Go launch title.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ-ftK3DLeg"]httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ-ftK3DLeg[/ame]
My view:
I have to say, Polyphony Digital know how to deliver a product. Thos game is jam packed with more than many other games out today, and on a handheld. It will fill the gap between now and GT5 nicely, and with unique features such as car trading between other GTM users and GT5, this will give you something to aim for. I can't wait
Gran Turismo 5 (PS3):
Here it is, the big daddy. There were rumors of GT5 not making an appearance at this years E3 and this was looking to be the case through the course of the Sony press confrence,until they showed of a small trailer of GT5 near the end. What we beheld was something that made Chuck Norris flintch. It showcased damage, NASCAR, WRC and some new tracks (I could only recognise Indianapolis and the Top Gear test track). This made me, for one, excited. It had shown everything I'd ever wanted. Damage and WRC in GT5 spec. Nothing on figures at the moment, but can we expect "over 9000!" cars? Only time will tell. No release date announced to everyone's surprise, but the indications are pointing towards a Spring 2010 release.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2uQ2ayvvWY"]httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2uQ2ayvvWY[/ame]
My view:
:drool:
Multiplatform:
DiRT 2:
I welcome any Rally game, but DiRT was just not up to the standard I'm used to with the Colin McRae rally games. It was an arcade game. Way to easy, cars had so much grip, you had no choice of tyres (computer made it for you) and the graphics were a little odd looking. But it did have a lot of cariety in classes, and a great career mode. With DiRT 2 they are making it a more American game. It will feature more rallycross stages and a LOT of in-game advertising. I can't wait though, looks a lot of fun. Codemasters are Americanising many of their racing games now which isn't necessarily bad, but certainly a far cry from previous titles. Ken Block is the new mascot for DiRT 2, as Travis Pestrana was for DiRT. See what I mean? The game is still under the Colin McRae series but could Codemasters change that in future? I hope not.
NFS: Shift:
NFS:Shift is an attempt at racing rather than street-racing. It seems to be more realistic, but the core remains the same. Win, and get a name for yourself. As Bradley Wint showed in the news, there is now a driver Profile which accompanies this hypothesis. If you tend to bump other cars, you get a smasher rating, like the bad guy. You race clean, such as passing without causing damage, you will become the nice guy. As it's more of a profile, I don't know how this fits into the actual racing element. Still, the game looks pretty immersive and there are quite a decent amount of cars to choose from. As for tracks, there are not too many, unfortunately.
So... In racing alone, we can see that E3 was a big hug for everyone. It showed quite a lot to us simracers for a wide range of preferences. Rallying, street circuit racing, NASCAR/Oval and racing on the Go (see what I did there?:victory
. Well, that's really all I can say about that. I have a race now, so I'm going to have to wrap up. I hope to post some more news in my spare time over the summer. So, in the words of Jeremy Clarkson "goodnight!".