Opinion Piece

With the April update for Gran Turismo Sport, players can add another Toyota road car to their garage. This brings the total up to 18 Toyota models in Sport. No other modern racing game comes close to that figure, with some even missing the brand altogether. It forces us to ask the question: does Toyota have a console-game exclusivity deal with Polyphony Digital?

Is bringing back a former nameplate acceptable? Ask an enthusiast this question and you’ll probably hear that it’s sacrilegious. But is reusing a moniker really an issue? We don’t think so — at least for the most part.

We are not fans of Forza Horizon 4’s Festival Playlist, introduced in Series 7. However, after a backlash from the community, it looks like Playground Games is exploring a patch to make it more palatable. The question remains though, is it enough to fix it?

“Play your way.” This was the phrase often associated with Forza Horizon 4 in the months leading up to the game’s release. However, in recent weeks this concept changed. No longer is it play your way, but rather play Playground Games’ way.

To think, it could’ve all ended up as a film festival.

The month is May 2010. Just four weeks before E3, one of the biggest games ever is about to launch: Red Dead Redemption. However, the month will be fondly remembered by arcade racing game fans for another reason.

I have a friend named Chris. I’ve known Chris since grade school; my earliest memories of going to his house involve wading through a garage filled with motorcycle parts, gear, and a Honda VTR1000F. His dad raced for Honda and Suzuki in the ’80s, which to a couple of eight-year-olds may as well have made him a superhero.

Just lately there’s been a lot of talk of electrification in cars. Not just electric vehicles, but hybrid power systems too.

DLC has changed the way we play games. Gone are the days where you buy a ‘finished’ product on release as additional content and Season Passes become more prominent in each new release. The racing genre naturally lends itself to embracing this new delivery model, since there will always be ‘that’ car or track fans plead for inclusion. Arcade, semi-sim or full-blown simulation — regardless of the sub-genre we have examples of developers and publishers outlining extensive DLC plans and asking for your premium to make it happen.