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Gran Turismo Sport – Porsche Trailer #2 An extended version of the trailer that announced that Porsche and Gran Turismo were finally going to officially meet, has been released. And this time we get the red car’s version of events of that fateful meeting on the Nordschleife. Lasting just over 3 minutes and devoid of any music to interfere, this new cut shows even more footage from the interior view of the car as it hounds the other, and displays why the replays of Gran Turismo are so highly regarded. Watching the car work as it is shown between being planted on the tarmac and slicing through the corners, to fighting to keep control as it reaches the limits of adhesion where the tail then wants to break out, is made that much better when it looks as good as this. As mentioned previously, this trailer has no soundtrack other than the engine noise and exhaust note and it might just be a placebo effect, but this sounds better compared to the one from about a fortnight ago in my opinion. One area where I feel I notice a difference is the interior engine sound, it appears more muted. And the part that really makes me think this, is at the moment where they enter the Karussell. This new video doesn’t seem to have that waspy sound I tend to compare to. Again this might be just me hearing things that aren’t there, but I love good sound in racing games, and I think, there is a difference between them. Captured in 4K at 60fps, the trailer is a treat for the eyes and there is plenty on show here for everyone to make up their mind on. I am really hoping Gran Turismo Sport will raise the bar for GT games from now on, as competition is fierce in this area and as we have seen elsewhere, a name can only go so far until people realise that there is better out there. [gallery type=rectangular" link="file" size="seven-post-image" ids="6888,6889,6890,6891] Gran Turismo Sport is still set for a 2017 release and will be available on PS4 and PS4 Pro.

Project CARS 2 Special Editions Are Pretty Special In today’s gaming space, special editions and pre-order bonuses are fairly routine and let’s be honest, not that special at all. There are some exceptions to this but generally it’s run-of-the-mill cheap extras that are usually provided. This is not the case at all with Project CARS 2. As rather fitting for a team called Slightly Mad Studios, they and Bandai Namco (shoutout to Lee ‘Pizza and Games’ Kirton!) have revealed the various special editions that are going to be available. Showing a high degree of respect towards their fans, the lowest version of these, called the 'Limited Edition', will be the same price as the Standard copy and will include the game (O RLY?!), steelbook case, stickers!, and an exclusive ‘Japanese Cars Pack’ that comes with four models from those of Honda and Nissan. A step up from that is the ‘Collector’s Edition’. This is where the cool stuff starts to come in, as inside the very nice looking Collector’s Edition Box there is everything that the 'Limited Edition' has as well as a Season Pass Download Code that entitles holders to the non-purchaseable ‘The Motorsport Pack’, a 200 Page Art Book, some Esport Live VIP Pass that gets you preferential treatment at real-world events, and an awesome looking 1:43 scale diecast McLaren 720S, in one-off SMS-R Stealth Satin. However, for as incredible as the ‘Collector’s Edition’ is, there is one other, and it is rightly called the ‘Ultra Edition’. Limited to only 1000 copies, this is the dog’s dangly bits of special editions, as contained within its Ultra Edition Box is the game, steelbook case, stickers!, DLC, Season Pass, Esports VIP thing and the Art Book from those above. And as good as all that is, we now reach a whole other level, as on top of all that, there is an individually numbered cap and a McLaren 720S sketchbook. This details the development and design of the car itself, with never-before-seen sketches, models, clays and renders, giving readers an in-depth look at how McLaren’s new supercar came to be. Wait is that it? I hear you say. What about that sweet little model the Collector’s get? Well dear reader I have left the best to last, as there is a model in this one but it’s not a cool little 1:43 scale version, instead for your major purchase, you get a 1:12 scale version!! The majority of people have probably seen 1:18 scale models for the most part in shops and perhaps in car showrooms, and even model collectors tend to prefer this size (yep, I do) due to the price to size ratio, and so a model car this size is absolutely nuts! But it is also phenomenal too, as this thing looks soooooo good. The satin black and orange colour scheme really is striking. And so if you are not loaded enough to put in an order for the real machine, well then this could be the next best thing. It will cost a pretty penny but for a change, it does actually look like you will get a good amount of worth for your hard-earned moolah. With E3 on the way and the halfway point of the year approaching fast, a release date other than LATE 2017, should be heading our way in the very near future. Project CARS 2 is due out before the end of 2017 and will be available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. [via Projectcarsgame.com]

Forza Horizon 3 PC Improvements We were told back in April that an important update for Forza Horizon 3 on the PC was coming at the same time as the new Hot Wheels expansion, and to the relief of some on PC that promise was kept. These improvements are available to all on PC through the free automatic title update/patch that comes alongside the expansion and delivers “critical improvements” in CPU performance/thread affinity, adds more graphical options, and expands wheel support. We have observed that a large portion of players are CPU limited when trying to run Forza Horizon 3 at high frame rates, including locked 60 FPS and unlocked. By analyzing telemetry, we have developed targeted optimizations for this group of affected players by increasing the number of concurrent threads used by the render architecture. It gets quite technical in some of the explanations and I recommend reading the source for the full breakdown, but the core of it all is to improve the experience for those on PC who have not been having a fun time of it, or to increase the performance of those who are able to play but know/feel they should be getting more. We have updated our threading affinity model to make better use of all available cores. Along with this change, we have added a new graphics option to disable the new model, should you prefer. The Minimum Specification has also been lowered and a new ‘Very Low’ preset is available for those with systems that are therefore capable of running the game even if not at super sleek graphics levels. Extra graphics options with ‘Very Low’ settings are also added to help get those extra few frames out where possible. Forza Horizon 3 - New Minimum Specification CPU: i3-4170 @ 3.7Ghz GPU: NVIDIA GT 740 | AMD R7 250x VRAM: 2GB GDDR5 RAM: 8GB Hard Drive Type: HDD Resolution: 1280 x 720 Increased wheel support is also provided through this update, with all of the following now being able to be used to pilot (and crash) your vehicles in the game. Forza Horizon 3 – Expanded Wheel Support Logitech Driving Force GT Logitech MOMO Force Feedback Racing Wheel Logitech G920 Logitech G29 Logitech G25 Logitech G27 Fanatec ClubSport Wheel Base V1 Fanatec CSV2 Fanatec CSR Thrustmaster TS-PC Thrustmaster T150 Thrustmaster T500 RS Thrustmaster TMX V1 Thrustmaster TMX V2 Thrustmaster T300RS Thrustmaster TX 458 Edition Thrustmaster TX 599 Edition Thrustmaster TX Leather Edition Thrustmaster TX F1 Edition Thrustmaster TX GTE Edition Thrustmaster RGT Hopefully this does help a large number of you who have been unable to enjoy your games, and if it does, and you want to tell someone or show off your photo mode images, then we’d love to have you (and your teeth) join us on our community forum. [via Forzamotorsport.net]

Forza Horizon 3 Hot Wheels – Looping The Way! It’s time to get loopy Forza Horizon 3 players as the Hot Wheels expansion is now available, coming in at around a 3GB download. This, the second expansion for the game, revealed in the latter stages of April, introduces a whole new style of play and complete change of direction (quite literally!) to the typical racing formula. And because of this, it would be fair to say that there has been a bit of a mixed reaction from people towards it. However, for a number of those who were unsure, a lot of their worries were removed with the stream held at the Hot Wheels offices on Monday. As with the footage that was shown, it was easy to see just how fun this was going to be (yes I know that rhymed). Also evident, was that this was no lousy, no effort cash-in, as the tracks, their details, and the additional cars, were at the high level that is known and expected from a Forza title. Really, the workmanship that's gone into the creation of the tracks to make them look like the actual thing, is quite extraordinary. Viewable too, was the challenge and some of the chaos that awaits players: Be it falling off the edge of the track when aiming for that perfect line through a corner, completely missing the other side of, or barrel rolling long jumps, carrying too much speed and driving over the wall-edge, taking a wrong turn, or perhaps getting t-boned at a cross-section, it was all there, and it brought the realisation that this is actually Hot Wheels but, done in a semi-realistic manner. And sure, there’s speed power boosts, but hey, how else are you going to stick to 90 degree surfaces or loop-the-loop, if you’re not carrying some seriously deranged speed? Forza Horizon Hot Wheels – Car List 1969 Hot Wheels Twin Mill 1972 Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T E49 2005 Hot Wheels Ford Mustang 2007 Toyota Hilux Arctic Trucks AT38 2010 Pagani Zonda R 2011 Hot Wheels Bone Shaker 2012 Hot Wheels Rip Rod 2016 Jeep Trailcat 2016 Zenvo STI Plus a Barn Find! Diehard interior view drivers get an extra bonus too. As a couple of the Hot Wheels cars will have them needing to tackle these layouts without being able to see what is in front of them that well, let alone the dizziness and confusion felt when going through the loops or round some insane camber. Now tell me that doesn’t sound fun! Understandably there will still be those out there who will not want the expansion or will not like that their Expansion Pass is made up of this, but seriously if you are in that latter camp. Go download the content and give it a go, or better yet if you have kids let them have a shot as that’s what’s great about this. It let’s us all, be kids. Forza Horizon 3 Hot Wheels is out now on the Microsoft Store for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. It is available as a standalone purchase, or is included as a part of the Expansion Pass. [via Forzamotorsport.net]

First Look At NFS 2017 Need for Speed is back in 2017 and the first official look at the game has been released, along with small bits of info in relation to the direction it is heading. For starters let’s get one of the main points out of the way, there will be cars... sorry, couldn’t resist that one. No, the one major surprise is that always-online is NOT a requirement for the single player experience in NFS 2017. Nothing said about whether online multiplayer can be played offline too, but we'd reckon that will be a definite no, for obvious reasons. Modern-day NFS qualities such as customisation, police pursuits and epic jumps, will again feature, with the team at Ghost seemingly more excited about just watching what players will do in the world that they deliver, rather than telling them, what to do. The main info drop will be coming in June as EA PLAY gets closer but even now we have been given some minor details, albeit lacking in any real concrete info, there are some tidbits about what we could expect with this one. Not least with the one and only image that has been shared. Where immediate impressions seem to hint that your character may be stuck behind a fence, or maybe starts off from a dive of a Motel. (in case you were wondering just like we were, the sign does indeed flash). A Nissan 350Z can be seen on the other side of this fence, whether it is yours or one of a choice for your character will remain to be seen, however that car has been a heavily requested (why?) one from the NFS (muppet)base so at they'll be happy. With 2015's Need for Speed being mainly set in the dark and gloomy night, it is telling that the first image of the game we see is lit up by a bright sun. Now whether this is a sunrise or sunset I don't know but players have been vocal about bringing back the day and perhaps this is another acknowledging nod to their wants, from Ghost. How the game environment may be is another thing that we get a small nudge in the ribs at, with this interesting mention within the blog post: We’re dialing (sic) up the action and allowing you to tear up the tarmac, and dirt, to your heart's content. Now, in my insane mind I take this to mean we get to pilot diggers and heavy machinery, but as was pointed out to me on our twitter by @RahulMendes, it is more likely pointing to the inclusion of more dirt/off-road-oriented or rally cars, which is extremely exciting if it turns out to be true. Mind you, the DUB-spec Hummer on 12 foot tall spinners tackling a rocky pass, maybe not so much. And if we think some more about this, is it possible that this game will have a large environment with varying surfaces... or maybe even be open-world? Either way, we will be watching this game like a caffeine-drinking eagle, and are eager to see what Ghost have been able to do with another two-year development cycle. If 2015's Need for Speed is anything to go by, then it's probably going to be a damn fine game. [via Need for Speed.com] Updates * May 10th 2017 - cleaned it up a bit as it was a bit stupid in places