Gaming

Hot on the heels of last week’s new tour packs, Evolution Studios have finally pushed out their smartphone application to the masses with the official Driveclub app hitting iOS and Android storefronts yesterday afternoon. Initially promised for launch in October 2014, the app’s core functionality allows players to track in-game challenges they are currently competing in and accept recommended challenges from around the Driveclub community.

We asked, and you answered. Last week, Track of the Week was opened to community suggestions, and the response was better than we could’ve even hoped. There are sixteen ribbons of tarmac waiting for players to enjoy, all plucked from the GTPlanet Track Database. You can drive any or all of them, but only one will get the TOTW title this weekend.

The US Race Car Pack is now available for Project CARS in a continual effort by Slightly Mad Studios to keep the WMD-powered game feeling new with monthly content.

Hot on the heels of the news of PC-based Apex spin-off, Turn 10 unleashed the long-awaited Porsche Expansion Pack for Forza 6 today. The pack spans six decades of the storied marque’s history, from the 1955 550A Spyder to the Le Mans-winning 2015 919 Hybrid. It also ups the track count, introducing Virginia International Raceway to the lineup with seven different layouts, as well as both night and rain variations.

Following the accidental Need for Speed leak by EA’s Twitter earlier this week, Ghost has dropped full patch notes on what to expect from March’s update – aptly named ‘Hot Rods’.

It seems that recent indicators regarding a possible expansion of Turn 10’s ultimate seller Forza Motorsport to the PC platform are really becoming something to rely on. According to a cached version of an article at The Seattle Times (which was quickly deleted, though the details have now been made official), Turn 10 and Microsoft are working on an exclusive for Windows 10, titled Forza Motorsport 6: Apex. The game will appear this spring.

One of the two announced DLC packs for the popular rallying title has just become available for download on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam. Ringing in at $9.99, the Rallycross pack features two new cars (Hyundai Veloster Turbo and Ford Focus RS09), one additional course to race on (Hell Norway) and seven new career events.

In light of the recent news that console-goers will have to sit tight for just a little bit longer to experience the acclaimed racing title, development continues on both ends to improve the game. Earlier this month Kunos revealed plans to completely overhaul the game’s complete library of racing venues, courtesy of improved laser-scanning technology.

2016 will see Nissans of all manner of shapes and sizes take to the track all over the globe once more, as the manufacturer, aided by the NISMO Athletes, aim to top a hugely successful 2015 with 34 drivers across 14 series.

A premature tweet from EA’s UK Twitter account has unveiled an interesting addition coming soon to NFS 2015’s roster – a hot rod!

Week 20, here we are! For this, the final staff-selected TOTW (read up here on how you can help choose next week’s track), we’re moving away from the Death Valley setting of last week’s track to the woods of Vienna. Welcome to Wiener Höhenstraße. At least, the first part of it…

Community Bounty Hunter is a divisive topic in the land of Forza. While some welcome the challenge it provides, others are frustrated by the limitations imposed on game content through the event. Case in point: this month saw the feature return to the series, with a classic Aston Martin Vantage up for grabs (returning to the game after last being seen in Forza 4).

You may have noted a distinct lack of Track of the Week this… week. While #20 is indeed incoming – it will be live later today – we’re changing things up after that. That’s right: starting with TOTW21, each week’s track will be picked by you, dear readers.

The already-pleased Project CARS community is going to be delighted even further, as Playseat revealed information regarding their newest product: the appropriately-titled Playseat Project CARS gaming seat. Needles to say, the product was developed in collaboration with Slightly Mad Studios, the creator of the popular racing simulator. The studio is responsible for decorating the seat with handmade stitched Project CARS artwork and popular visuals that identify their simulator.

New seasonal events are now available in Gran Turismo 6. This week’s events are the usual fare, a combination of super lap and drift trial challenges featuring rear-wheel drive non-race cars, 4WD rally cars, and non-race cars.

As you’ve no doubt gathered from the title, there’s a bit of unfortunate news to report: Kunos Simulazioni and publisher 505 Games have announced that Assetto Corsa’s venture onto consoles has been postponed. While it will no longer release as originally intended, the new release dates have been confirmed to be June 3rd for Europe, and June 7th for North America.

Driveclub’s latest batch of DLC went live last night with paying players being treated on both car and bike fronts. Let’s take a deeper look at what the packs include:

Have you ever entered a racing series, only to lament your initial car selection? Sure, Car X looked so appealing during pre-season testing, but a few races in, you had eyes only for Car Y. It’s the classic green-grass scenario, really. The boys over at GTPlanet’s Weekly Race Series have solved the problem with Special Event XVI: why pick one of three cars, when you can just drive all of them instead?

By announcing two new DLC packs, of which one is certainly going to boil the blood of rallying enthusiasts, Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO is putting up a good fight to remain competitive alongside DiRT Rally.

Looking at my in-game statistics for Driveclub, you’d be forgiven for thinking I’m a superfan of the title. Maxed out XP, all Elite levels achieved, platinum trophies for both vanilla DC and the Bikes expansion plus more accolades than a war veteran. There’s no doubt whatsoever – no current generation game has even came close to the time I have played Evolution Studios’ middling racer (outside of a certain kart racer). I’ve raced in over 2,000 events, earning every single star.