The History of Racing Games
1974-1979
Racing games’ heritage is a proud and illustrious one that dates back over four decades. Unsurprisingly, the 1970s saw a number of firsts for the genre as developers got to grips with arcade technology whose broad range took in a black and white, single-screen offering through to Sega’s high-speed Grand Prix classic.
1980-1985
As the golden age of the arcade got into full-swing, developers raced through a series of technical checkpoints on the way to creating some pioneering titles whose impact can still be felt today. Board games, cartoons and motion control were just a few of the spin-offs of early 1980s racers.
1986-1990
The late 1980s saw racers diverge as new sub-genres and driving experiences were introduced alongside an increasing desire to capture the stylish chic of exotic supercars. Simulations jostled with off-roaders and 26th Century hover cars as the excitement on home console began to rival that found in the arcade.
IGN’s UK Daily Deals: Mad Max Under £35
Mad Max including Ripper DLC is only £34.95 at The Game Collection.
- Mad Max (PC) - £12.24 with 5% off code when you Facebook Like.
Guitar Hero Live is available for pre order now at Zavvi for £69.99.
Bungie Offers Another Preview of Destiny’s Update 2.0
Bungie has taken to its weekly update to offer a preview of Destiny update 2.0 that’s due to hit ahead of upcoming expansion on September 8, ushering in Year 2 of Bungie’s sci-fi massive multiplayer game.
The 2.0 update will require 18GB of hard drive space on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and 10GB on Xbox 360. PlayStation 3 users will require 20GB, and only 10GB once the update is installed. While full patch notes will be released next week, a preview of what’s going to change is listed in full below.
According to this week’s Bungie update, a Crucible Preview Event will take place from September 8 to 14 and current Vanguard/Crucible marks will now convert into faction commendations on September 15.
9 Important New Details from Star Wars Aftermath
Editor’s Note: This feature includes major spoilers for Aftermath, the new Star Wars novel set after Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens. I’ll try to be vague where I can, but I highly suggest
first (It’s quite fun!) and then coming back to discuss all the juicy details and Episode VII speculation.
Star Wars Aftermath is finally here, and with it, the first big (official) look at what's happening after Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
Aftermath is unique in that it does tell one connected story with new characters, but every few chapters it takes a 2-3 page break to share tiny glimpses of what's happening throughout the galaxy. In these moments, author Chuck Wendig (working with Lucasfilm) shines light on the future of some of the series' most beloved characters: Han, Luke, Boba Fett, and more.
Fallout 4 Has More Dialog Than Fallout 3 and Skyrim Combined
Fallout 4’s voice recording has officially wrapped and there’s a ton of it.
According to Bethesda Game Studios' official Twitter, more than 111,000 lines have been recorded and that’s more lines than Fallout 3 and Skyrim had combined.
Many years of #Fallout4 voice recording complete! Just over 111k lines. More than Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim combined. pic.twitter.com/hwNu2GNg5m
Rock Band Dev Launching New Game on Fig
Harmonix has announced its next game will launch on Fig, a new crowfunding platform.
The Rock Band and Dance Central developer did not reveal any details on what the new game might be but it does expect to launch the game on Fig towards the end of 2015.
Fig was formed by former Double Fine COO Justin Bailey and its primary purpose is to support video games by “combining benefits of gamer pledges, investor interest and expert curation.”
In addition to Harmonix crowdfunding with Fig, Harmonx Chief Creative Officer Alex Rigopulos will join Fig’s advisory board.
Finn Action Figure Reveals New Star Wars Dialogue
Warning: potential spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens below.
British actor John Boyega will play Finn with an American accent in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Some panting aside, we've yet to hear Boyega deliver a line. But the talking Finn action figure confirms the accent and reveals several cool pieces of dialogue from the upcoming movie (you can also hear Boyega recite the lines in character and in the form of a toy):
- "The name's Finn and I'm in charge now"
- "We go back to Jakku, we die" (shouting)
- "Stay low and put up the shields" (shouting)
- "We need cover - quick!" (shouting)
Hear Kylo Ren Speak for the First Time
Warning: potential spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens below.
We've heard Kylo Ren speak for the first time, and he had some very interesting things to say, especially when it comes to the Jedi.
Until now, Ren – one of the key antagonists in Star Wars: The Force Awakens – has been surprisingly quiet, not speaking in any of the trailers released so far. But with the Star Wars toys about to go on sale, we got to play around with the talking Kylo Ren figure which recites multiple lines from the upcoming movie.
Here's every phrase we could coax out of him (if you watch above, you can hear Driver deliver the lines, plus hear Ren's slightly synthesised voice):
Big Changes Behind the Scenes at Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige almost quit recently over internal strife regarding the massive budget for the upcoming epic Captain America: Civil War, a battle said to have been a long time coming between Feige and Marvel Entertainment CEO Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter.
It was reported last weekend that Feige would no longer answer to Perlmutter but rather Disney Studios boss Alan Horn going forward. Then came rumors that Marvel Studios' Creative Committee -- a brain trust of Marvel execs and talent, including Joe Quesada and Brian Michael Bendis, who have a say on Marvel Studios' creative and economic decisions -- was effectively being scuttled, at least where it comes to Marvel's film division.
Stephen Colbert Test Show Info Reveals New Direction
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert premieres next Tuesday, but test shows are providing a glimpse at what's to come.
CNNMoney conducted interviews with attendees of recent test shows--episodes that aren't meant to air and give Colbert and his writers and crew a chance to try out material and format.
One attendee called Colbert "genuine" and said he didn't carry his "goofy persona" from his Comedy Central show. One bit is said to have played with that history, as he took a lie detector test to answer "Who is the real Stephen Colbert?" Another bit took shots at presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's evasive responses, which one viewer said "felt like an old Colbert thing." The test shows conducted interviews as well, with Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher and U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins.