MotoGP 24

Unlike many annual sports titles MotoGP developer Milestone strive for meaningful improvement with every iteration, and MotoGP 24 is the biggest leap between versions since the Italian studio took over in 2013. Principal of these changes are bike physics, especially the feel of the rear brakes into corners and the stability of the 2-wheeler as you accelerate out. Competition is fiercer too: adaptive AI and penalties dished out from stewards to any rider on track – not just the player – fosters centimetre-close, front-wheel-to-rear-wheel racing.

]]> 605140 https://gamingbolt.com/wrc-10-test-drive-unlimited-solar-crown-news-coming-over-next-10-days https://gamingbolt.com/wrc-10-test-drive-unlimited-solar-crown-news-coming-over-next-10-days#respond Mon, 12 Apr 2021 14:37:24 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=475673

Nacon has some new details for its current and upcoming racing titles to reveal as part of Nacon Racing Week. Over the next 10 days, it will provide news for WRC 9 along with its follow-up WRC 10. Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown and RiMS Racing are also set to receive new information.

WRC 9 released last year to decent critical acclaim (check out our review here) so there may be details on new content or paid expansions. Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown was unveiled in July 2020 and confirmed to focus on luxury cars while providing 1:1 recreations of islands to explore. It’s being developed Kylotonn which also handles the WRC series.

Meanwhile, RiMS Racing is a motorcycle sim racer which looks to offer a super-realistic experience and precise riding controls. Developed by Raceward Studio, it’s currently slated to release in Summer 2021 for the UK on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC. Stay tuned for more details and, hopefully, new gameplay for all of the above in the coming days.

Buckle up racing fans because we have some thrilling news over the next 10 days! #NaconRacingWeek pic.twitter.com/HxWFtPngtP

— Nacon (@Nacon) April 12, 2021

If you’re coming into this as a returning player, you may initially be disappointed by what you see. There’s very little that’s different, at least at first glance. The game’s interface is very similar to previous games. The structure, menus, and mechanics behind the career mode are similarly unchanged. While this does make it easy for returning fans to know exactly where to start, it’s more of an issue than anything else. The menus and interface have always been clunky, and WRC 9 is no exception. Navigating the menus for the career mode especially can be clunky and unintuitive, particularly if you’re playing on consoles like I was. The controls and interface never quite feel natural. It’s one thing to make incremental changes, but leaving the interface completely unchanged wasn’t the best call.

"It’s not perfect, and returning fans may find it plays things a bit too safe in some areas. But overall, WRC 9 is a solid entry in the series."

The game suffers some other issues on the technical front as well. Load times, at least on consoles, were a bit longer than I would have expected. It can definitely get a bit frustrating waiting through them, especially with the repetitive soundtrack. The music is generic, and doesn’t really seem to fit the atmosphere of the sport. This is a minor complaint, for sure, and you can mute the music if you want, so it isn’t really a big deal. But it doesn’t make those long load times any less irritating.

WRC 9 also has some other technical stumbles as well. For the most part, the visuals are solid. Cars look great both on and off the track. The lighting and weather effects are similarly solid. And the damage modeling for the cars is impressive. The environments also look good, especially when viewed from a distance. Up close, there are some hiccups, particularly regarding aliasing, but it’s nothing too major. It’s not gonna win any awards for its visuals, but they look nice and get the job done well enough. But where the issues really lie here is the audio. Beyond the aforementioned soundtrack, the sound design in general is lacking. Most of the cars sound identical to one another. The game’s audio mixing is also strange, with some sounds coming through far louder than they were likely intended to. At times the audio would even cut out on me altogether. This is especially true of the car audio. Engine and impact sounds would sometimes glitch and just not play. These issues aren’t game breaking, but they are strange, and they definitely bring the game down on a technical level.

But that’s not really the important thing here. What matters in a game like this is the driving. Thankfully in that regard, WRC 9 is a strong contender. The cars handle well, and the controls for driving are simple to pick up. The game does a great job of simulating all of the different factors and conditions that can affect your handling during a race. Different cars handle differently, as do different types of terrain. WRC 9 does a particularly great job here. The different environment, terrain, and weather effects are absolutely stellar, and they are simulated perfectly. Snow has no traction, and slipping and sliding is a regular occurrence. Mud and rain affect your grip, and it’s easy to get bogged down in thick mud if you aren’t careful. The game does a wonderful job handling the interactions between your car and the environment. Everything behaves in a realistic way, difficult to manage, but consistent in that difficulty. The physics are really top notch in this regard.

"What matters in a game like this is the driving. Thankfully in that regard, WRC 9 is a strong contender."

WRC 9 also does a good job of making the different cars feel distinct from one another. They all handle a little differently, with different acceleration, traction, weight, center of gravity, and a whole host of other factors. You can also tweak your cars, allowing you to further modify your car’s handling to suit your preferences and the needs of the track. The customization is as deep as you’d expect from a game like this, and it’s really well done.

WRC 9 isn’t hurting for content, either. Games like this can sometimes have a tendency to be a little light on things to do. Thankfully, WRC 9 has plenty to offer. The career mode is the meat of the game. It’s a strong experience. While in the career mode, you take on the role of both manager and driver. You set up your crew, hiring different specialists, making contracts, and setting up your event schedule. Then you hit the track. All of this is in the goal of moving up the standings to qualify in the titular WRC, the World Rally Championship. There’s a lot to keep track of, and it can be daunting for new players. But the game offers a surprisingly deep tutorial for first time players that explains the ins and outs of career mode. It still doesn’t quite help with the clunky interface, but it’s a big help regardless.

Aside from that, there’s the usual quick race options, where you pick a track and a car and immediately enter the competition. Season mode allows you to participate in a rally without having to worry about the crew management aspect of career mode. It’s a nice intermediate option between career mode and quick play. Challenges require you to complete certain objectives on a preselected track with a preselected car. Meanwhile, the multiplayer options come in both an online and split screen option. I will always praise the inclusion of split screen multiplayer in games these days. It’s a dying feature, but it’s always a welcome one. The online events serve as an online equivalent to the single player challenges. And finally, the esports mode allows you to challenge yourself and other players in a high stakes competitive environment. This mode even comes complete with its own rewards and unlockables.

"WRC 9 isn’t hurting for content, either. Games like this can sometimes have a tendency to be a little light on things to do. Thankfully, WRC 9 has plenty to offer."

WRC 9 isn’t a ground-breaking experience. It suffers from the same long-standing UI issues that have plagued the franchise for ages. And from a technical perspective, it’s far from perfect. The sound design in particular is a major culprit here. But the game delivers in spades where it truly matters. The actual racing in WRC 9 is top notch, rewarding skill and practice in a way that feels true to the sport without feeling punishing. Ample content, meanwhile, ensures that you don’t get bored while putting in those practice hours. If you’re looking for a high skill, off-road racing simulation, WRC 9 is your game.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

WRC 9

Can’t or won’t wait for DiRT 5? Maybe Nacon’s WRC 9 can fill that rally racing void. Developed by Kylotonn, it’s the official title of the 2020 FIA Rally World Championship season. It includes all of the calender’s rallies along with three new rallies set in Kenya, Japan and New Zealand. All of the WRC 2, WRC 2 and WRC J drivers and cars are here, and players even get two modes. These are the League system for challenging friends and Co-Driver mode for co-op play (which could make for some fun chaos and ruined friendships). WRC 9 is out on September 3^rd for Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC with Xbox Series X and PS5 versions coming later.

Marvel’s Avengers

Announced more than three years ago, Marvel’s Avengers is releasing on September 4^th for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Google Stadia (though Deluxe Edition owners get early access on September 1^st). The story begins with the Avengers being disbanded before fast-forwarding to several years later with AIM hatching some nefarious schemes. With Kamala Khan aka Miss Marvel, players will reunite our heroes and attempt to stop AIM’s plans. Featuring six playable heroes at launch, each with their own unique abilities in addition to beat ’em up style combat, Marvel’s Avengers promises a hefty amount of War Zones, Drop Zones, Story missions and much more at launch. Things won’t end there though as new regions, heroes and story content will arrive post-launch.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2

Tony Hawk is back, in a way. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2, in essence, is a ground-up remaster of the first two games with support for 4K and 60 FPS. This alone is great since it includes all of the pro skaters (albeit aged to reflect the current times), levels and most of the soundtrack from the original games. However, Vicarious Visions is also adding new skaters, challenges and tracks, expanding on the experience even more. All of this along with Create-A-Park, Create-A-Skater and local and online play – what more could you want? Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 is out on September 4^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning

Tis the month for remasters and Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is one of the more anticipated, especially given the tumultuous fate of the original game. Players assume the role of the Fateless One in the Faelands with the goal of stopping the Tuatha Deohn and potentially rewriting fate. In the process, they’ll unlock several different classes spread out across three core stats, partake in heaps of side quests, and tear foes apart with some neat hack and slash combat. Out on September 8^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning features improved graphical fidelity and all of the DLC along with the base game.

eFootball PES 2021 Season Update

Contrary to what EA Sports is doing with the FIFA and Madden franchises, PES Productions will simply be updating the player data and rosters for eFootball PES 2020 while also adding three new ambassadors in this update. Referred to as the eFootball PES 2021 Season Update, it launches on September 15^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC for $29.99. In the meantime, the development team will focus on next year’s sequel which is built specifically for PS5 and Xbox Series X. It may be a long wait but those having fun with PES 2020 and simply needing a roster update are in luck.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds

First, the good news: 2K Games is taking a break from wrestling sims this year to put the time and care needed into WWE 2K22. Instead, however, it will publish an arcade-style wrestling game with power-ups, over-the-top moves and cartoonish characters developed by Saber Interactive. At $40, WWE 2K Battlegrounds is promising quite a bit, whether it’s a full-fledged Career Mode with pre-made characters, over 70 wrestlers to play with (and more coming post-launch) or numerous online modes. We’ll see if it turns out to be even more good news for the franchise when it releases on September 18^th for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch and Stadia.

Mafia: Definitive Edition

After the debacles of Mafia 2 and 3’s Definitive Editions, you couldn’t be blamed for wanting to ignore Mafia: Definitive Edition. Thankfully, it’s a ground-up remake of the original, one that features a new lighting engine, remade cutscenes, new story sequences and gameplay elements like motorcycles and more guns. Also, judging by gameplay footage thus far, its performance looks good while the revamped visuals are sharp and capture the spirit of the original. Mafia: Definitive Edition is currently slated to release on September 25^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC so we’ll find out just how well it fares in due time.

NBA 2K21

Despite all the controversies surrounding monetization, the NBA 2K series continues to see success. NBA 2K21 arrives on September 4^th for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia, with the return of MyTeam Unlimited and Card Evolutions (with some changes here and there). There’s also the opportunity to apparently play for “Championship Rings”, whatever that means. Sure, the next-gen versions will have more content, including a larger soundtrack, but they also costs $10. If you need that basketball fix, then NBA 2K21 might – heavy emphasis on might – be worth looking into.

Spelunky 2

The aggravating yet wholly entertaining and revolutionary Spelunky is finally seeing its sequel release this month. Spelunky 2 doesn’t try to reinvent its predecessor’s gameplay so much as expand it, heading to the Moon and offering more dynamic living stages to engage in. New areas, characters, items and traps coincide with branching paths, animal mounts, base camp building, liquid physics and improved visuals for the ultimate roguelite platformer. It’s out on September 15^th for PS4 first with the PC version coming a few weeks after.

Crysis Remastered

The original PC benchmarking game has returned, sadly without the Warhead expansion. Nevertheless, the delay from July to September has done the first person shooter well. A recent trailer showcases stellar 8K textures, SVOGI for global illumination, depth of field, motion blur and ray-tracing for both normal and water reflections. How much has changed gameplay-wise remains to be seen but graphically, Crytek is looking to make an impact. Crysis Remastered arrives on September 18^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

The popular rally series focusing on smaller cars will release later this year with its latest entry, WRC 9. The game is sure to give those looking for this type of racer a new jolt, and as is often the case nowadays, there are some bonus goodies to come along with pre-orders and additional editions of the game. Publisher Nacon has detailed those for us today.

As part of a press release from the publisher they outlined what you could expect to get from pre-ordering and the newly unveiled Digital Deluxe Edition. Those who pre-order the game will receive the Audi Quattro A2, the double world champion in both Drivers and Manufacturers categories in 1984.

There will also be a Digital Deluxe Edition that includes early access to the game 48 hours early, a bonus car in the Toyota Corolla WRC, the Barcelona Super Special Stage and starting with some extra experience in the game’s career mode. Outside of the game, you’ll also receive a 3 month subscription service WRC Plus, which airs all stages of the season as well as driver profiles and expert analysis. You can read full details through here.

WRC 9 will come out on September 3rd for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. A version will come later for PS5, Xbox Series X and Switch. You can also check out some of the game in the New Zealand stage through here.

Times like these are trying, of that there is no doubt. That’s why sometimes it’s nice to just turn your brain off and go playing in the mud. That’s what is promised with the upcoming WRC 9, which was announced earlier in the year. The game is all about off road racing, focusing on smaller and speedier cars such as the Ford Fiesta or Toyota Yaris. It also seems you’ll be able to race around New Zealand this year, too.

As announced in a press release from NACON, it was confirmed that one of the rallies you would be able to take part in is Rally New Zealand. It will be returning to the FIA World Rally Championship after being absent for 7 years. You’ll face various challenges in the coastline and wild lands of Auckland. This will join Safari Rally in Kenya and Rally Japan as the three new rallies this season.

WRC 9 will release September 3rd for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC (exclusively on Epic Games Store). The game will also come to Switch, Xbox Series X and PS5, but dates have not been pinned down for those versions yet.

The world sure is in quite a state right now with the global pandemic coronavirus, so it’s nice to get down and dirty with some old school racing fun. WRC 9 was just announced to once again put us in the seat of the FIA Motorsport series of the same name. And it’s going to be coming to next gen as well.

You can see the announce trailer below as released via Xbox. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of gameplay, and it seems to be what little there is comes from the previous game in the franchise, WRC 8. That garnered high praise for its fun racing as well as strong campaign, so hopefully 9 will be similar. The game focuses more on smaller cars, such as a Ford Fiesta or Toyota Yaris, blazing on the off roads.

WRC 9 will release September 3rd for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC (via the Epic Games Store exclusively). Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X versions will also come, with more details coming later.