by GrathiusXR:

©2009 Arthur Kotsopoulos

White knuckle racing from go-to-whoa

It’s been a frantic last couple of months for racing fans on the Xbox 360, with great racing titles such as Race Pro, NFS: Shift, Forza 3 and also Codemaster’s Colin McRae: Dirt 2.

The sequel to first iteration, Colin McRae: DiRT, which was released back in 2007, Colin McRae: Dirt 2 features the same great formula of DiRT yet expands even further on it with new features such as race types/styles, a brand new menu layout and a whole new scheme of interactivity in how the game plays  throughout the Career Mode.

This time around Colin McRae: DiRT 2 follows the more mainstream circuit style as visually represented by the easy to navigate menu layout accessed from within your own personal Racing Motorhome.

• Colin McRae DiRT 2 Video

Adoring fans watch on in your pit area

Everything from game options, achievement tracking, to all the various race events are all neatly spread around your character’s caravan in different locations which actually makes sense.

All the information regarding your vehicles, the upgrades and unlockable liveries reside outside the caravan in your own pit area, where the crowd of savvy fans are messing about behind the barricades.

At first I sat and thought I had seen this all before and it reminded me a lot of Need For Speed: Pro Street and how the racing scene was portrayed in that game.

Design your very own tats- or is that tarts… – whoohoo

Colin McRae: Dirt 2, however, takes the scenes of Pro Street and the menu layout of Grid and combines it into one, which strangely enough works very well and is a breath of fresh air in the genre.

All the menu layouts aside, I’m sure you are all wondering how the game actually plays in relation to the previous Colin McRae: DiRT, and from my point of view I’m sort of sitting on the fence with this one. I purchased and played Colin McRae: DiRT on the PC back in 07 when it was released and loved it.

Gettin' dirty for fun-n-money

The cars felt like they had weight to them, damage was superb and it didn’t feel as if any car was just going from start to finish like it was on ice.

With Dirt 2 however, especially in the 1st tier of races, I felt somewhat cautious to really let go and ‘gun’ it around corners, or have any sense of speed. This was due mainly to my car almost instantaneously spinning out the moment I drove into that area.

This resulted in some frustrating moments especially when I had used up my single Flashback already in a previous lap. It left me wondering if I had just had a memory blank and that Colin McRae: DiRT actually handled the same way. So I set about asking several fellow gamers who had recently played Colin McRae: Dirt 2.

Their responses were that it actually felt great to play, that the cars had a sense of weight to them and they had no trouble with any cars spinning out on almost every corner. So I took these answers with me into my next playthrough, thinking that maybe once I hit the faster cars and different races, it would change.

To my surprise it did! Money is of course required to progress, and it is extremely easy to build up a large amount of it. Especially when hitting the later stages of races in places such as London, Baja, Morocco, Croatia, and Malaysia.

Let's go bunny hoppin'

This all helps you upgrade the various cars you gain or buy during the course of the game. It wasn’t until I hit the better cars that I felt like they had some weight to them.

I felt that racing became more fun and challenging and it’s where the game picked up and became a lot more fun,  reminding me how enjoyable and different DiRT was back in 2007.

The sequel holds up its end of the bargain as well, which surprised me, seeing as how many sequels over the recent years don’t seem to do as well as their predecessors.

Colin McRae: Dirt 2 features a whole flurry of new race mode, such as Gatecrasher which sees you smashing small yellow polystyrene foam panels laid out on the track to accumulate more time to reach the finish line, the Raid events which put your trucks against fellow AI trucks.

Then there’s Land Raid, which is where you get to throw both your Baja Buggies and Raid Trucks around in an off-road racing environment.

It’s good to see some new race types and it definitely helps to accommodate the various tracks and scenery that are in Colin McRae: Dirt 2, many of which weren’t as present in Colin McRae: DiRT, but for me, it felt like something was missing.

Not only does Coln McRae: DiRT 2 not feature any Hill Climb events, I was a bit worried to see there weren’t as many Checkpoint races as I had expected.

Hmmm - looks like a hill-climb to me!?

I’m not a massive fan of Rally, nor do I watch every WRC event, but I know that checkpoint races are a dominant event in the rally scene and for it to not be as featured in Dirt 2 saddens me a bit.

It doesn’t ruin the game though, it just lowers my expectations of Colin McRae: Dirt 2 being the rally racer.

But nonetheless, it still is a good racer. The graphics department has had a nice update to the new more powerful Ego Engine, the environments and car models looks better than they ever have, with several of the damage features being carried over from Codemaster’s Race Driver: Grid, which is another good thing actually, because they work really well in the rally scene.

Some other nice new features which have been added is the ability to become friends with your fellow ‘real life rally racers’ within the game – [Ed: Now ain't that just cosy]. Such as Ken Block and Dave Mirra to name a c0uple. The more you race with them the more they throw across some friendly banter during races until ultimately wanting to become your “Life Long Friend”.

It’s a nice initiative but for me it wasn’t as fleshed out as I would have expected seeing as no matter how aggro I was in races, smashing, bumping and nudging, they will NEVER stop being your friend. So there is no real incentive to drive fast and carefully in every races to ensure the win- instead you can crash, smash and barge your way through each race.

• Ken Block gets all sideways at El Toro Gyhmkana

This detracts from the overall career experience as there is no real penalty to your actions, but in Multiplayer- well that’s a different story. Colin McRae: DiRT only featured a multiplayer in the way of limited Time Trials, which was one of the games main negatives with fans, but in Dirt 2 all that has been rectified big time.

Come fly with me, fly fly away ...

A fully fledged multiplayer option is now built into the game in which you can race up to 7 others on any track in any race type available in the game, which is always a blessing in any racing game.

Here is where you can do all the dirty driving you want and the only consequence is the negative opinion of your fellow racers and being known as the dirty cheat.  But then the game is called Dirt….

©2009 Arthur Kotsopoulos

“8.5/10

“Average press score according to TestFreaks: 6.9/10″

• Other Games in this genre with discounts for all OXCGN readers

I’ve neglected my PS3 for almost a solid month now. All I’ve done with the machine is download demos and watch TV on DVD. But today, it’s time to check out some of the free stuff. First up: Wet.

The title screen greets me with “Get Ready for Monkey Business!” Really? Wet hasn’t exactly charmed me yet. I’m expecting a Stranglehold clone. Could choose crappier games to imitate, I guess.

Well I’ll be. So far, it’s EXACTLY like Stranglehold. Gangster-y cut scene, bullet time shootout, slide-happy dual-wielding.

Not sure how much more there is to this demo, but I’ve about had it. On the plus side — controls seem a bit more elegant than Stranglehold’s. Then again, I’ve yet to kill an enemy by shooting them in the junk from some absurd distance.

Moving on to Colin McRae: Dirt 2. Whatever happened to racing games? At some point it started seeming to me like there’s not much to them. That hasn’t changed. Gorgeous game, and I like the powersliding, but I’ve no patience to spend honing the perfect line through the Baja time and again.

So now. I have absolutely no idea what Mini Ninjas is, but it looks cute. And boy, is it. Just started playing and I’m enamored already.

Oh my god! I just possessed a chicken! This game is officially being considered as a future purchase. I think it’s best I return to the demo at some later time in order to give it my full attention. Looking forward to reading reviews upon its release on September 11th.

Lord, I’ve got four more to go. Think that’s enough for today. Maybe I’ll check out the rest next week. Hopefully by then I can get back to more of my regular posting schedule and some slightly deeper thinking. Until then…

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4

For Lego Harry Potter it was always a case of when rather than if. After numerous leaks from employees at Travellers Tales Activision has finally confirmed the games existence and has confirmed that its release will come sometime in 2010.

No doubt some careful consideration went into the choice of period this would cover in order to ensure that they provided us with plenty of content, but at the same time making sure that they could sell us the same thing in 2011, with a few new bricks included.

So whats in store for gamers picking up the latest Lego experience? Well lets be honest you don’t really have to ask, it will be the same as the previous entries except this time everything will have a Harry Potter style no doubt. Cynicism aside though it will no doubt be a quality, if not overly challenging experience. Check out the announcement trailer below:

Colin McRae Dirt 2

Batman Arkham Asylum

Eidos and Warner Brothers have today confirmed that the Joker will be downloadable from the PSN on the games release and can be used in any of the games challenge maps.

Its a nice change to see the PS3 getting some exclusive content and Angry Gamer is just hoping that this games lives up to our expectations.

Army of Two: The 40th Day

Bueno, hoy voy a dejar de lado la tele para centrarme en un videojuego. Colin McRae Dirt, un juego indispensable para aquellos adictos a los juegos de coches.

Me lo compre en el Media Markt de Asturias por solo 9€, para la consola xBox 360, aunque fuera de esta oferta, se puede conseguir por unos 15-19€ dependiendo de las tiendas, ya que es ”classic”. También  está disponible para PC por unos 10€ aproximadamente y para Play Station , aunque en este último caso, sale un poco más caro, ya que todavía no ha sido catalogado como ”platinum” y cuesta unos 30-35€.

El juego tiene unos gráficos increibles (con mi pantalla de 20″ con componentes HD, así que para poseedores de televisores de 40″ y HDMI, seguramente el realismo será total), y un sonido muy real. Además los accidentes de los coches son reales y es notable la pérdida de potencia cuando el coche está dañado.

Como todas las sagas Colin McRae, este juego es de Rally, y además tiene la posibilidad de conducir buggies, camiones, y pick ups como los del Dakar, haciendo el juego todavía más completo.

Citroen Xsara en el juego

Si hay algo malo que decir del juego, es que, por lo menos, en la versión de xBox, el modo multijugador es solo por xBox live, y no hay posiblidad de jugar dos jugadores desde la mismsa consola. Además no tiene todos las etapas del WRC, sólo algunas como las de España, Reino Unido o Alemania. Se echa en falta alguna en nieve por ejemplo.

Pese a eso, el juego es increible, y por el precio al que se puede conseguir, irresistible.

Ya estoy esperando el Colin McRae Dirt 2, que se espera que salga en Septiembre de este año

Colin McRae Dirt
Colin McRae: DiRT combines death-defying offroad action with precision control and tricked-out intensity. It’s diverse and exhilarating off-road action, with official cars on tracks based on real roads and locations around the globe. Race in sensational gravel, mud and dirt events the world over. Intense point-to-point races take players further off-road than ever before.

* Wide variety of off-road and rallying disciplines including Rally, Hill Climb, Rally RAID, Rally Cross & the CORR desert series
* Photorealistic tracks painstakingly recreated from real-world location photography and satellite data
* Incredibly detailed models of 46 licensed vehicles bring the action to life
* Online play that allows 100 players to compete against one another
* Stay in control or watch as your car dramatically crashes into a barrier and barrel-rolls, crushing every panel and spewing debris across the track

System Requirements
—————————————-
TCP/IP mode (2-100 players) Requirements
Broadband internet connection required – 512kbps + Recommended
TCP/IP Network
—————————-
Minimum Specifications
—————————-
- Windows XP
- DirectX 9.0c
- Pentium 4 @ 3.0GHz or Athlon 64 3000+
- 1GB RAM.
- Graphics Card: GeForce 6800 / Radeon X1300 or above
- DirectX Compatible Sound Card

Recommended Specifications
—————————-
- Windows XP/Vista.
- DirectX 9.0c
- Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.66Ghz or Athlon X2 3800+
- 2GB RAM.
- Graphics Card: GeForce 8800 or Radeon X1950
- Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Sound Card.
—————————-
Supported Graphics Cards
—————————-
Shader Model 3 is a MINIMUM REQUIREMENT for this game.
- ATi Radeon x1300, x1600, x1800, x1900, x1950
- nVidia Geforce 6800, 7100, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950, 8800

Codemasters Announce Colin McRae: DiRT 2

by XboxOZ360:

©2008 Grant Smythe

Finally, confirmation that my predictions were correct with regards to this franchise continuing and the second iteration arriving in 2009. I’d been predicting this since the release of the first one but many doubted it due to no mention of it and the sad fact of Colin’s death not long after the original game shipped.

It’s great to see this finally well under way, and as soon as we get a preview code of the game, we’ll do a visual preview and put it up for all our racing nuts who come here every day. If you’re anything like me, you’ll welcome this game with open arms, as it is sure to be a huge improvement on the first game. Which by its self was an amazing piece of work with their first Neo Engine.

The Neo engine has now given way to the EGO Engine, which is the engine behind their brilliant cross arcade come semi-sim GRiD, which really did deliver what Codies said it would. Fast, action packed “racing”. So expect a lot when Colin McRae: DiRT 2 rolls out in 2009.

Plus don’t forget to register for all news and info at their Official DiRT 2 Website now.

From their press release:

The game’s going to include loads of off-road events, taking you all over the world. This World Tour will have you competing in aggressive multi-car and intense solo races at extraordinary new locations.

Exhilarating new events include the edge-of-control canyon racing of Utah’s “Creek Trailblazer” event, the treacherous muddy tracks of the “Rawang Rally Run”, set in the rainforests of Malaysia, and the “Battersea Battle” of London, where rallycross night races are staged in and around Battersea’s iconic disused power station, transformed into an industrial amphitheatre of racing.

The Game will be powered by the third generation of the EGO Engine’s award-winning racing game technology, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will benefit from tuned-up car-handling physics system and new and improved damage engine effects. It will also be upping the ante in the visual stakes as well, by having cars and tracks twice as detailed as those seen in Race Driver: GRID!

“Rally has attracted new stars and a new style that makes it more vibrant and exciting than ever before; it’s right up there as a premium extreme sport, attracting fresh crowds and a new confident attitude,” said Gavin Raeburn, senior executive producer, also known as Uncle Chewy on the forums.

More Styles of Off-Road Racing

Expanding on the variety of race styles, players can also expect a wider selection of race formats, inspired by authentic contemporary off-road solo, multi-car, and multi-class racing. ‘Rally’ returns reinvigorated with all-new edge-of-your-seat courses through hazardous new locations, the hugely popular ‘Rallycross‘ also features for close battling racing in spectacular new settings.

Raid, the reinvention of DiRT’s Rally Raid, will offer wide open point-to-point stages for multiple competitors to race the heavier off-road vehicles on terrain filled with natural obstacles. Trailblazer is the new hill climb event that will take drivers downhill too and there’s more to be announced…

Faster, More Powerful Cars

Covering seven vehicle classes, You’ll get the keys to powerful vehicles right from the off! As an example of what we are talking about, the opening drive in the game is the Group N Subaru; essentially making the ultimate car from the original game the starting point in the sequel, and the metal gets faster and even more impressive from there.

Tour The World

Immersing yourself in the World Tour and delivering a true feeling of progression, you’ll travel the globe in your own RV; the interior of which will form both the game’s front end and the gateway to new locations. As illustrated in the trailer video, at each location the RV will park up ahead of the race event, with the awaiting scene visible through the windows.

Full Online Play

In addition to the World Tour, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will come complete with full online functionality that will be core to the overall experience, with head-to-head competitive online play and new social features to engage the racing community.

Sign up for the drive of your life at http://au.codemasters.com/dirt2, and race over to the Dirt 2 forums to discuss all the latest news and game features!

©2008 Grant Smythe

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Colin McRae Dirt  (c) Codemasters

Date: 21/10/2008
Size: 2 DVDs
Game Type: Rally / Offroad Racing
Protection: Starforce 4

Game Notes
~~~~~~~~~~
Colin McRae: DIRT™ is set to be the most diverse and exhilarating off-road racing experience ever with sensational gravel, mud and dirt events the world over. Events will include the series’ intense point-to-point races and then take players further off-road than ever before.
Race in challenging heavyweight 850bhp cars, drifting on the loose gravel and high-speed blind corners of Hill Climb events along perilous cliff edges. All 12.4 miles of the world famous Pikes Peak International is included, with over 150 precarious turns to negotiate through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
How about engaging in multiple car races with Dakar-style trucks and super-powered 4×4s on the toughest desert terrain in Rally Raid competitions? Then there are Rally Cross events, switching between dirt and road racing, where the competition is always tight, fast and collisions with your opponents are inevitable.

Install Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Mount or Burn iso.
2. Install
3. Install included Update 1.2 from crack folder.
4. Copy crack.
5. Play and regret that you didn’t save money to buy a new pc!
6. Thanks Reloaded for crack.

Por: Carlinhos Jazz

Ficha:
Nome do jogo: Colin MCrae Dirt
Data de Lançamento: 19/06/07
Produtora: Codemasters
Gênero: Corrida/Simulador de direção

Requerimentos:

Requisitos mínimos:

Processador de pelo menos 2.0 GHz;
Pelo menos 1 GB de memória RAM;
Placa de video com pelo menos 256 MB de RAM;
DirectX 9.0c;
8.0 GB de espaço livre em disco
Não é compatível com placas de som ou video onboard.

Requisitos recomendáveis:

Processador Intel Core 2 Duo 2,66 GHz;
2,0 GB de memória RAM;
Placa de video com 512 MB de RAM.
10.5 GB de espaço livre em disco
Roda em Windows XP, Vista

Gráficos ultra-realistas é pouco

É incrível como os jogos de corrida conseguem criar inovações em diversos estilos. É facil lembrarmos de vários jogos de corrida que fizeram história, que deixaram sua marca na memória dos jogadores por inovarem em gráficos, jogabilidade, missões, minigames, batidas e explosões. Há uma vasta gama de jogos de corrida e a nova geração precisava de um game de peso ao ponto de nos mostrar o quanto um jogo de corrida pode ser realista sem perder o foco principal; A diversão

Quando se fala em jogos de corrida que possuem gráficos realistas podemos associar aos games da série Gran Turismo. Dirt tornou-se um concorrente à altura. Cada detalhe do cenário, dos veículos, da natureza (Ventos, sombras, lama etc..) tudo foi minuciosamente preparado de maneira a deixar uma beleza única ao game. Uma má notícia aos jogadores de PC é que o jogo só funcionará com todos os detalhes em uma placa de video de 512MB T_T. Jogando em uma placa de 256MB eu tive que diminuir a resolução, mas mesmo assim apesar de ter melhorado, precisei diminuir um pouco as qualidades de som e imagem para poder correr sem as pequenas travadas. Se você for jogar no PC tenha uma boa configuração para usufruir do total poder do game sem queda de frame.

Sobre as corridas os destaques ficaram por conta dos replays que mostram com perfeição a influência da terra sujando os veículos, do vento batendo do pára-brisa e da lama grudando no carro. Os veículos são idênticos aos reais e as diversas possibilidades de câmeras agradam a todos os gostos dos jogadores. Por dentro dos veículos os painéis de velocímetros, volantes e marchas são diferentes de acordo com o veiculo escolhido. Um detalhe que me incomoda às vezes é que o céu aparecem em cor verde escuro… pode ser por causa da placa ou porque tive que diminuir a qualidade gráfica, mas se você puder jogar na configuração correta irá se surpreender ainda mais com os detalhes.

Controle seu veículo nas mais variadas pistas

Como já citei antes sobre Gran turismo, a jogabilidade é praticamente a mesma em questão de controlar os veículos. O game é muito dificil quando se trata de corridas contra o tempo pois exige que o jogador faça das curvas pistas retas para chegar ao checkpoint em um tempo ridiculamente pequeno. Já quando se enfrenta a máquina em pistas de corridas com vários concorrentes a disputa fica ainda melhor. Carros batendo em você caso não consigam espaço para ultrapassar, batendo em outros veículos deixando uma brecha para você etc… tudo em pistas que já fazem os automóveis voarem a mais de cinco metros de altura dependendo da velocidade e capotar umas cinco ou seis vezes deixando para trás uma imensa quantidade de estilhaços de vidro, portas, capô rodas e etc…

Todas as batidas causam danos de maneira realista e variam de acordo com o cenário e com a velocidade. Quanto maior o choque, maior será o dano causado, podendo te excluir do evento com apenas uma única batida.
Infelizmente nos níveis maiores a dificuldade torna-se quase impossível de ser superada, principalmente jogando no teclado, que não disponibiliza um controle total como o joystick. Talvez jogar com um controle volante seja a melhor opção. Quem achava o Gran Turismo difícil vai achar Dirt no mesmo nível também.

Som: Apenas motores

O som do game deixa a desejar em questão da trilha sonora. Não possue BGM de qualidade como os demais concorrentes. Tudo o que se ouvirá serão os roncos dos motores e algumas conversas via rádio. O barulho pelo menos não deve em nada. Experiemnte jogar com o volume bem alto e com a qualidade de som máxima e você se sentirá dentro de um verdadeiro automóvel de Rally em pleno campeonato.

Replay Imenso, Diversão Imensa

Outro quesito que não deixa queixas é o Replay. São ao todo quase 200 pistas variando entre os mais diversos cenários de asfalto e terra. Algumas corridas contra o tempo (Time Trial) e outras contra concorrentes. Há o modo Multiplayer para os jogadores online também. No Modo single Player o jogador poderá participar do modo Carreer onde poderá começar sua carreira, ganhar dinheiro para destravar novos veículos, novas pistas e etc…
Há ainda alguns modos de rally onde o jogador apenas escolhe os veículos e pistas para fazer algumas corridas sem compromisso. Ideal para pegar os comandos do game.

Prós:

Realismo único, efeitos do cenário influenciam diretamente na corrida.

Replay muito longo, com diversos estilos de pistas e cenários.

Contras:

Dificuldade muito alta.

Exige um PC com Alta configuração

Notas:

Gráficos: 10
Som: 7.5
Jogabilidade: 9.0
Replay: 10
Diversão: 9.0

Nota Final: 9.0

XBOX 360

Colin Mcrae – Dirt (12 år)

Bioshock (18 år)

FIFA 08

MotoGP 07

Football Manager 2007

Flatout – Ultimate Carnage

One of the standard features of racing videogames is the replay.

Oddly, it has proven remarkably difficult to get right though the reasons for this are pretty obvious. Most replay systems miss or diminish the best action or fail to make your heroic efforts appear heroic by using the wrong camera at any given moment.

The genre-leading replay system belongs to Sir Geoff Crammond’s legendary Grand Prix series. (What is Sir Geoff up to these days?) The reasons the replay system was so good? It tended to replicate the camera positions as used by the Formula One Administration that broadcast the races on television. The choice of cameras ran into double-digits. The action could be rewound not just dumped back at the beginning. However, these aren’t the most important reasons why the replay system in Grand Prix was so good.

The most important aspect was that the computer could intelligently choose a camera and the action to focus on with a mode that remains virtually unique in replay systems: the Director. At any point, you could press a button and the computer would decide what to show and how. It did this by looking at the flow of the race and highlighting a close battle or watching the leader complete a couple of laps or focusing on an accident.

I’m not saying that the replay system always chose the right camera but I am highlighting that a decision was made over which camera to use. In most replay systems, the camera choice is entirely arbitrary. At any given moment, the number of camera positions which make your driving look amazing are far less than the number of optimum camera positions. Therefore, most replay systems tend to not present your driving or any specific action with an optimum camera position. Grand Prix makes the strongest effort in any replay system to choose an appropriate camera.

The only thing the Grand Prix replay system lacked (that could have been reasonably added) was, funnily enough, a replay system. Television broadcasts follow the action but if something cool happens like an overtake or an accident, it is replayed from different angles. This never happens in any racing game replay. (The slow motion cameras in the Need for Speed series are not replays.)

The Grand Prix replay proves such a remarkably convincing system that you could practice delivering a race commentary and pretend you were Murray Walker. It’s not as easy as it looks, er, sounds. Just ask James Allen. Which, I believe, requires a few quotes from the great man:

“…and there’s no damage to the car… except to the car itself.”

“and I interrupt myself to bring you this…”

“This is an interesting circuit because it has inclines, and not just up, but down as well.”

“Only a few more laps to go and then the action will begin, unless this is the action, which it is.”

“This has been a great season for Nelson Piquet, as he is now known, and always has been.”

“And the first five places are filled by five different cars.”

The mighty Grand Prix series replay function even did something else that a lot of replay systems do not: it used the same keys in gameplay and in replay to change the camera.

It is surprisingly uncommon for a replay system to use the gameplay key for change camera. Some games, like Colin McRae: DiRT and the Forza Motorsport series, use a menu to change cameras in the replay. Some games, like the Gran Turismo series, just use an entirely different button configuration (and make sure they don’t tell you about it).

The reason for this is, well, it’s not terribly obvious. The only explanation, and it is one that doesn’t hold any water, is that the programmers of the replay systems will frequently be entirely different from the main gameplay team.

Which leaves the question: why don’t replay coders use the same buttons as everyone else?

(Screenshots, erm, borrowed from Gamespot’s Grand Prix 4 coverage.)