PlayStation 4

The third season of The Grand Tour is scheduled to drop on January 18, but for those who can’t wait to get their annual fixes of Jeremy Clarkson and the gang, you can get an early fix courtesy of The Grand Tour Game. Yes, folks, the show has parlayed its popularity into the virtual world of video games. The Grand Tour Game arrives for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on January 15. That’s three days before the third season drops on Amazon Prime. That’s enough time to prep yourselves for what is expected to be another rollicking season of fun and mishaps from our always charismatic, if not controversial, hosts.

Ride 3 is the third installment in the Ride series and one that adds more bikes, more tracks, more customization, more performance upgrades and, well, just more of everything compared to Ride 2. The developer calls the game “the most complete digital motorbike encyclopedia” pointing to the total number of models available - no fewer than 230 from 30 different manufacturers (of which over 70 are completely new to the series, not reused from previous Ride titles).

How unfair and cruel this world is… Gran Turismo Sport is the biggest letdown since Bill Clinton got some dome in the oval office. Seriously, this game flat out sucks. Sure, the graphics are good, but you would have thought that game makers would have learned from the Need for Speed reboot – no matter how badly you want it to work, strictly online car games aren’t going to happen. We don’t like them. In fact, we hate them. It’s annoying. Sure, maybe we’ll play online and race some folks on occasion, but we want a legitimate campaign, especially for a racing SIMULATOR not just some random driving\car game. It just doesn’t make sense. The guys over at Polyphony Digital should have known better, but oh no, you had to go and slaughter one of the best and most legendary titles out there. And to think, I went out and bought a PS4 for this piece of crap.

Okay, so that was a bit of a rant, but I mean, come on… The hype was real…. The feeling we got when we saw the trailers was real…. Now, we know it was all for nothing. Such a letdown and now the Gran Turismo name will be forever slandered because of this crap. Con artistry at its best – get us all hyped up, then deliver us some online-based game that is just embarrassing. There’s no car customization, VR mode doesn’t even give you points and is only you against one other car --- JUST ONE --- and the “Campaign Mode” is just your training and license tests that you have to take to race online, which you probably don’t want to do anyway.

Sony Interactive should be embarrassed, Polyphony Digital should be embarrassed, and Sony should be begging other platforms to take on Gran Turismo Sport as well because this game is going to do nothing for that exclusive games list the execs rub their nipples to every night. Don’t want to take my word for it, check out my screenshots of the Amazon reviews below, then go look at them all for yourself. Don’t waste your money.

Microsoft Xbox has the Forza franchise, and Sony PlayStation has the Gran Turismo franchise, both of which sit at the top of the racing sim hierarchy of their respective platforms. Well, this week, an all-new Gran Turismo is finally about to hit PlayStation consoles, and it’s quite possibly the best Gran Turismo game to come out of the title’s 20-year run. And, that’s saying a lot as the game has done pretty well in living up to its “the real driving simulator” slogan. Over the years the game has gotten more realistic and downright sexy as far as graphics and car availability goes, but it still never took into account things like safety – it’s kind of hard to be concerned with driver safety when you’re sitting behind a TV driving energy drinks and eating chips, am I right? – but this time around, the company developing the game (Polyphony Digital) seems to be filling in the games that Sony Interactive Entertainment and Arsys Software left over the years.

With that said, it’s been a long time coming, and I’m just as excited for this game to hit shelves as I was Forza 7 and the Horizons sub-franchise. So far, Sony has been nice enough to release a limited trial of the game – it seems almost record-breaking as it attracted more than 1 million downloads – and a few videos that include the release date trailer, the gameplay trailer, a trailer for Interlagos Circuit, a tribute video for 20 years of GT, and a video to showcase the cars that have been announced so far. Speaking of cars, we’ve got the updated list (as of October 4th) in place for you below, along with links back to all of the reviews for each real-life model we have on hand. On top of that, we’ve got images of as many cars from Sport that we could get our hands on to go with all of the aforementioned videos. So, what are you waiting for, click the “continue reading” button and get ready for the game to launch!!!

As if getting excited over the upcoming release of Gran Turismo Sport isn’t enough for gamers, Sony and Polyphony Digital just upped the ante after announcing a new limited edition Gran Turismo Sport Playstation 4 console. Turns out, this new console is even more reason for gamers to start counting the days to October 18, the date Sony stamped as the official release of both the special edition console and the game itself.

Befitting its special edition status, the Gran Turismo Sport PS4 Console is going to be offered with some pretty impressive specs. For starters, it’s going to be based on the latest Slim 1TB version of the PS4. It’ll also feature unique cosmetic features, none more prominent than the silver faceplate that bears the Gran Turismo logo. Even the matching Dualshock 4 wireless controller will be finished in silver, making it the only limited edition PS4 console that will proudly carry these colors. Those who end up buying the console will also receive a special Day-1 edition of the game, which itself comes with in-game credits amounting to $250,000 on top of some livery sticker packs, a chrome racing helmet, and 60 PS4 avatars. Those who aren’t sold on buying the console itself do have the option of only buying the limited edition controller, which is expected to be bundled with a standard edition of the game and a Grand Turismo-branded touch pad.

About the only downside to the special edition console is availability, at least as far as U.S. customers are concerned. Though pricing details have not been announced, Sony has announced that the console will be available in the U.K., Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. There’s no word yet from Sony on whether the console will hit our shores, but until it says it does, work on the assumption that we’ll be on the outside looking in as far as this special edition GTS-themed PS4 console is concerned.

The latest and presumably greatest version of the Gran Turismo video game racing franchise now has an official release date. Barring yet another delay, Gran Turismo Sport will find its way into hands of video gamers in the U.S. on Tuesday, October 17, 2017. European gamers will have to wait until the 18th, while Japanese gamers will have to wait another day for the game to arrive in their region on the 19th. In any event, the new release date now appears to be set in stone after numerous delays spanning almost a year, with plenty of Gran Turismo fans turning sour on the franchise.

The October 17 release date appears to be for realsies now. It couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time, too, considering the game’s chief rival, Microsoft’s Forza Motorsport 7 will be released two weeks earlier on October 3, 2017. It’s still unclear as to why the game has been mired in development after having an initial release date of November 2016. That said, none of that matters now because, according to Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi, the game is “entering the final stages of polishing” ahead of the October 2017 launch date. All’s well that ends well in this regard. Gran Turismo Sport is finally arriving this October, and to get you excited for its coming release, check out the latest trailer for one of the year’s most highly-anticipated video games.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we brought you the news about a new installment to the Need for Speed franchise that promised better police chases, an offline mode, and even daytime gameplay. More importantly, we’ll actually be able to pause the game for the first time since its reboot – that in itself is enough to pop champagne bottles and make it rain, right? Well, now we’re getting a look at the first official trailer and, needless to say, there are a few surprises. As promised, it does look like there are daytime gameplay and wicked police chases, but it also looks like it’s leaning a bit toward aFast and Furious-type storyline. The new game is being called “Need for Speed: Payback” and is apparently about building the perfect ride and “playing out an action driving fantasy.”

The game will be released on November 10, 2017, and those who preorder will receive the platinum car pack that includes a 2008 Nissan 350Z, 1967 Chevy Camaro SS, 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, 2016 Ford F-150 Raptor, and a 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport. But, this isn’t the only surprise that comes along with the announcement of the latest NFS game. The trailer gives us a quick but definite glimpse at the upcoming BMW M5. We only get to see the face for just a second, but it’s enough to tease us that much more.

Keep reading for the rest of the story.

When Ghost Games, a division of EA Games, announced a reboot for the Need for Speed franchise, gamers everywhere rejoiced like Jesus was coming back. Memories of relentless police chases, in-depth storylines, and car customization flashed through our minds at high speed. When the game finally hit shelves, there’s no denying that it was pretty awesome, but it had some serious flaws. The most ridiculous flaw had to be the “always online” nature of the game in that you couldn’t play an actual single-player campaign and couldn’t even pause a game – not for your mother, not to let the dog out, and not for the end of the world. And, there was another big flaw – the police chases just weren’t as good as they should have been. It was actually difficult to get your heat level up there enough to have a damn good chase. All of that is about to change, however, with a new installment of our favorite franchise. And, the best part is, it’ll be on the shelves in time for Christmas.

See, Ghost Games and EA have actually listened to the fans and is addressing all of the concerns with the next installment. We have very little to go on at the current time, but a recent newsletter promises better police chases and a single player mode where you don’t have to be online or interact with other players. After all, there’s nothing worse than busting your thumbs on a difficult race 15 times just to have a player from across the world jump in front of you and ruin it all just seconds before you win, right? And, don’t worry about losing your ability to customize your rides, either, as the newsletter promises that the “customization will play as strong a role as ever.” The most interesting thing of all, though, is the single teaser image that depicts a world that is lit by the sun. That’s right; we might not be stuck in the moonlight any longer.

So the first trailer of Forza Horizon 3 has been released. Guess what other car racing video game saw the need to drop a little tease of its own. Give yourselves a nice pat on the back if your answer is Gran Turismo Sport. Yes, E3 season is upon us and just like in previous years, a host of video game developers are dropping loads of trailers and teases to drive up interest in some of their high-profile games in development. In Sony’s case, one of those games is Gran Turismo Sport, the latest video game to come out of the long-running Gran Turismo franchise.

Gran Turismo Sport is shaping up to be a lot of the things Sony and Polyphony Digital hyped it to be when the game was announced back in May 2016. There’s a lot of the traditional elements of Gran Turismo that we’ve come to love and enjoy, but the real interesting thing about this trailer is how comprehensive it is in tackling the myriad of new features that are going to be added to the game. There’s a create-a-driver feature that allows you to build your identity and create a following akin to how real-life social media works. You can also create your own livery design. There’s also a new feature called “Scapes” that apparently lets you place your virtual cars in real-world environments. It’s like Gran Turismo’s own version of auto Photoshop. Oh, and of course, there’s a lot of highly detailed racing, none more important it seems than the “first “ FIA Gran Turismo Championships that likely came to be because of the series’ partnership with the real FIA.

Obviously, more cars and more race tracks are also expected to be included in Gran Turismo Sport. Unfortunately, the game isn’t due to be released until November 15, 2016, two months after Forza Horizon 3 hits shelves.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

With Need for Speed and Forza Motorsport 6 dominating the car racing video game headlines in recent days, it only seemed inevitable that the third leg in this tripod would create some headlines of its own. And so it is like clockwork, Sony and Polyphony Digital, the creators of the Gran Turismo video game franchise, have done just that by announcing the release date – November 15, 2016 – of Gran Turismo Sport, the latest iteration of the long-standing racing game title.

Neither Sony nor Polyphony Digital dove into the specifics of the game, opting only to say that Gran Turismo Sport will be the “world’s first racing experience to be built from the ground up to bring global, online competitions sanctioned by the highest governing body of international motorsports, the FIA (Federation International Automobile)." From the looks of things, Gran Turismo Sport will be heavily geared towards motor racing, although it will still prominently feature an assortment of production and track-only cars ranging from the new Mazda MX-5 Miata to the McLaren P1 GTR.

The game will only be available on PlayStation 4 (obviously) and while there’s still six months before it hits the shelves, pre-orders have just begin, which means that interested customers who avail of this option can already do so. There are some perks that come with pre-ordering video games and in the case of Gran Turismo Sport, those who avail of this option will also receive a three car package that includes a Ford Mustang Group B rally car, a Toyota FT-1 Vision GT Group 3 race car, and thePeugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1. Those who order on Amazon will also receive $500,000 worth of in-game credit whereas those who pre-order from GameStop will receive two extra cars in addition to the three that are already included in the car pack.

Those who want more than just the standard game also have the option of ordering the GT Sport Limited Edition package. It comes with a price of $69.99 and in addition to the game itself and all the preordering goodies, this pack also boasts of “immediate access” to cars within various race classes, $1 million worth of in-game credits, and a limited edition packaging.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

If you’re anything like our resident virtual hot shoe Ciprian Florea, you should know all about the Gran Turismo 6 Vision project. But for those of you drawing a blank right now, I’ll be happy to inform you. Dreamed up by GT game designer and pro race car driver Kazunori Yamauchi, Vision is an open proposal laid at the door of every major auto manufacturer. Essentially, it’s an invitation for designers to invent their idea of a two-door sports car for the Gran Turismo game world. The project has spawned some truly incredible creations, like the Toyota FT-1, Subaru Viziv, and Chevrolet Chaparral 2X (which, as Ciprian likes to point out, is powered by a friggin laser). Now, Infiniti is jumping into the fun with its own supercar concept.

Drawing inspiration from Formula 1 and design cues found in Infiniti’s road cars, the supercar concept you see here was plucked from the minds of the company’s design team in Beijing. “Part beauty, part beast, its shape is powerful, sensational and audacious — a mix of a track machine and the dream of our Chinese design team to create an ambitious racing language for Infiniti,” says the automaker in a press release. We agree, and would like to add that it looks totally sweet, as well.

Although the concept saw major aesthetic massaging, it also proved to be an extensive technical exercise, with real attention paid to the actual performance capabilities that a real-world version could possess. Details on these specs are available after the jump.

Update 05/19/2016: It’s been a long time coming, but the Infiniti Vision GT Supercar Concept has hit virtual showrooms and is now ready to be downloaded for Gran Turismo 6 on Playstation 3. Let’s race!

Click past the jump to read more about the Infiniti Vision GT Supercar Concept.

Gran Turismo 7 still doesn’t have a definite timetable, so in the meantime, fans of the racing video game franchise can comfort themselves with Gran Turismo Sport, an offshoot game that Polyphony Digital is developing in partnership with the International Automobile Federation.

Unlike the traditional gameplay of the entire GT franchise, Gran Turismo Sport dives straight into the world of motorsports. Gamers will be given a chance to compete in two flagship FIA-sponsored championships that will run simultaneously throughout the year, specifically the Nations Cup and the Manufacturer Fan Cup.

As their names properly imply, the Nations Cup will feature gamers who want to race for their respective countries while the Manufacturers Fan Cup will feature gamers who want to race for their favorite automaker. Both of the two championships will feature plenty of competition so picking which one suits you best is important in determining your chances of success. As an added incentive, the winners of the two championships will receive trophies from the FIA and Gran Turismo.

The format of the championships has yet to be announced because the game is currently under development. Details also need to be fleshed out before more information becomes available. According to Polyphony’s timetable, beta testing of the game is scheduled to take place in the early part of 2016.

For now, all we can do is wait for more information and watch the first official trailer of the new game. The cars may look different than what we’re used to and the driving experience will most definitely be different too. But, other than those things, Gran Turismo Sport is still part of the entire GT universe, and as such, we can definitely expect to see all the things we love about the video game franchise.

The Vision Gran Turismo project has provided quite the list of poster-worthy concept vehicles from some of the biggest automakers in the world. The 2015 Volkswagen GTi Supersport looked positively gnarly. The 2015 SRT Tomahawk was sheer and utter madness. And don’t even get me started on the 2015 Chevrolet Chaparral 2X. To this day, I still can’t wrap my head around that thing. Today, though, isn’t the day to reminisce on what’s already been launched. Today is the day all of us welcome another virtual concept to the Vision Gran Turismo roster. It comes by way of Hyundai, and it’s called the N 2025.

Like most concept cars developed for the Vision Gran Turismo project, the N 2025 is spectacular to look at. Heck, it’s the kind of car that looks better suited for an introduction at the 24 Hours of Le Mans than an auto show. But what makes the concept that much more important to both Hyundai and car enthusiasts the world over is the "N" in its name.

Specifically, the N 2025 is the vehicle that essentially debuts Hyundai’s new "N" performance division, which is set to roll out a full lineup of beefed-up road cars in the future. However, the N 2025 is technically Hyundai’s third N car, following the 2014 Hyundai i20 WRC and 2016 Hyundai i20 WRC rally cars.

But what’s important here is that the Korean brand created a stunning concept and that some of its styling and technology are likely to find their way into vehicle we might soon be able to purchase at a local dealership.

Updated 09/25/2015: Hyundai dropped a first video for its new N 2025 showing the concept car in action in its natural habitat: the Gran Turismo game.

Continue reading for my full review of the N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo Concept.

Video game tie-ins are as popular as ever these days, with major brands reaching out to virtual platforms in order to offer up their latest and greatest speed hardware for general simulated consumption. One of the latest automakers to get in on the trend is McLaren, which will make its 570S available on PS4’s DriveClub.

DriveClub is the first game to offer the 2016 McLaren 570S. The car is part of the extended RPM Car Pack DLC, which will also include the 2016 Nissan GT-R, 2015-2016 Nissan 370Z Nismo, 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 C7, and 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392.

The RPM Car Pack is part of a larger update for the game slated for parallel release. Expect several new events, a variety of new trophies and new earnable bonus liveries, as well as a free download of the 2011 Peugeot EX1 Concept. You can get all this at the end of the month on June 30th.

Watching the above-featured trailer, the 570S is looking quite good on the PS4. We start out on a lonely desert road, where the McLaren blasts its way along a snaking two-lane, its high-strung exhaust note reverberating off the high rock walls. This is followed by a series of close-ups of the engine, carbon-fiber bodywork, and carbon-ceramic brakes, demonstrating the high level of detail that DriveClub offers. Next is the obligatory ass-out drift, complete with tire smoke and rev-limiter shriek. Finally, the rain begins to fall, giving us a slow-mo view of the moisture-streaked panels.

Now, I know this isn’t in-game footage, but you can’t deny how good this looks. It almost makes me forget the new Forza Motorsport 6 trailer shown at E3…

Almost.

Fans of the Need For Speed franchise have had a rough year. It has been about that long since news came out that Ghost Games, the Swedish studio that has been handling the NFS games for EA since 2013’s Need For Speed Rivals, was laying off staff and that the layoffs would mean a delay on the next title. But now we finally have word that a new title will be brought out in the fall, called simply: Need For Speed. EA is calling this a “reboot,” which explains the return of the original name, although it isn’t explained in what other way this is a reboot.

There have been a few images so far, a couple of an older Porsche 911, a new Mustang and a Nissan 180SX, all of them with visible modifications. There is also a short video clip showing these cars racing and fleeing from the cops. Pretty standard Need For Speed stuff, and it looks like there will be some impressive graphics as well. More information is said to be coming next month, which we assume will include a longer trailer.

Continue reading to learn more about Need for Speed future reboot.

PlayStation has released a new gameplay trailer, and it looks pretty epic. What do you do if you find yourself marooned in a vast post-apocalyptic wasteland, stripped of resources and equipment, beset in all directions by war-painted psychopaths with nothing better to do than prey on the weak? The answer should be obvious – chop together the fastest, toughest, most badass ride you can, weld on as many spikes and guns as the exterior can hold, and dish out some payback.

That’s the scenario presented by the new Mad Max video game from Avalanche Studios. It hails from the action-adventure genre and has lots of vehicular combat. At Max’s disposal is a variety of four-wheeled weaponry, allowing you to create your own version of the hero’s “Magnum Opus” domination mobile. You get stuff like harpoons, mounted cannons, flamethrowers, and a V-12 engine transplant for higher speeds when ramming vehicles. Other configurable options include the chassis, wheels, body panels, paint, and body shell. Choose wisely, though, because certain upgrades may improve one aspect of the car but hamper it in others.

Use the car to explore a large, open world made up of the prototypical arid landscape you’d expect from the franchise. But be careful as you explore – some areas are more dangerous than others, with varied levels of food, water, enemies and environmental threats.

Mad Max will be released this September for the Linux, Windows, PS4, and Xbox Oneplatforms.

The 66th season of Formula 1 is now very much a thing, with the second round of the world’s top open-wheel competition scheduled to take place in Malaysia this weekend. To complement this, Codemasters has announced the release of its official video game slated to drop sometime in June.

The new racer brings with it lots new features and updates, including a total revamp of the EGO game engine, to deliver better graphics and handling physics. The engine, transmission, aero, fuel tank, force feedback, suspension and tire physics are all recreated to a new level of realism.

To help capture the atmosphere of a race weekend, F1 2015 uses a “broadcast-style presentation” for the Championship Season mode, the new Pro Season mode, Quick Race and Multiplayer. Voice recognition allows players to interact with the engineers to request things like weather updates, tire status, tire selection and aero changes. 

All of the cars, drivers and tracks from the 2014 season will be offered as bonus content, complete with the updated handling model and 2015 features. 

“The handling is a vast improvement from our previous games,” said Game Director Paul Jeal. “In particular our new tyre model is a superb step forward towards realism, letting you explore where the limit is and allowing you to instantly feel much more connected with the car. You can now experience the changes in grip caused by temperature changes, wear, car set-up, debris and weather conditions.”

F1 2015 will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. 

Continue reading to learn more about F1 2015.

Forza Horizon 2 and The Crew are fun racing games, but they don’t offer much for the player looking for a simulation racer. Forza 6 was just announced but it won’t be out until October or November 2015. If you are an owner of a new console and you want a new simulation racer, Project CARS should be the game you are waiting for. Built over several years using a huge crowd-sourced team, Project CARS is shaping up to be the most beautiful racing game ever created, and it should arrive with more cars and more tracks than any racing game that has come before. It also offers those fancy features everyone is looking for like dynamic lighting and weather.

If you haven’t heard of Project CARS, or you don’t believe my claims about it being the best looking racing game ever created, just take a few seconds to watch the latest trailer for the game here. This is using the latest build for the game, and it should be very close to final code. This shows dozens of interesting cars and locations, as well as the fancy weather the game offers.

If this is your next racing game and you own a PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or reasonably powerful gaming PC, you can snag a copy starting on March 17th here in the States. If you call Europe home, the game will hit shelves on March 20th.

Leave whatever you’re doing right now, grab that PlayStation controller and load Gran Turismo 6 ’cause there’s a brand-new car headed your way. And I’m not talking about virtual versions of real-life vehicles such as the 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo or the 2014 BMW M4 Safety Car, but the craziest Vision Gran Turismo creation to hit GT6’s race tracks. It’s the Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Concept, the 900-horsepower, laser-powered race car that will take you from naught to 60 mph in just 1.5 seconds! Please excuse my overblown enthusiasm, but I’ve been waiting to drive this monster ever since Chevrolet unveiled it at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Yes, I am aware it’s just one of those crazy looking cars we only get to drive while sitting on the couch, but that’s the beauty of GT6; where else would we hoon supercars we can’t afford and concept cars that won’t make it on the production line? And besides, the Chaparral 2X is far from being a regular Vision Gran Turismo car. Just like its predecessors, it features mind-boggling aerodynamics, a never-before-seen cockpit layout and a propulsion system that’s being pioneered for space travel. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Jim Hall is back in business and planning to lap the Nurburgring in a silly four minutes.

Moving on to getting this crazy Chevy in GT6, all you need to do is install Update 1.15 and purchase the car from the "Vision GT" area within the "CARS" section. You can also obtain it by completing a lap in the new Seasonal Event. Be careful though, the latter is only available for a limited time.

Click past the jump to read more about the Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision.