Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
Do you think a lean, green electric sports car can take on a noisy gas-guzzler? In discussing the invitationals planned for Project Gotham Racing 4, developer Bizarre Creations used "Electric vs. Petrol Showdown" as one example, where you in the Tesla Roadster face off against a Ferrari Testarossa.
Can full, unadulterated speed be met without exhuming fossil fuels? It should make for a fun, philosophical monologue while you maneuver around corners. We do warn you, though, that beating the Ferrari in a race may lead to an excess in smug emissions.
A demo from Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham Racing 4 should be hitting Xbox Live soon, according to the developer (via Eurogamer). In addition to five playable vehicles (cars and bikes) that presumably will be in the full game, there will be an Arcade mode exclusive to the demo set in Macau, featuring exclusive challenges. We're a bit perplexed about the exclusive content. If it's good, why not include it in the full game. Conversely, if the content is not good, or not on par with the full game, why use it to promote the title?
A time trial for Nurburgring Snow will also be in the demo. Project Gotham Racing 4 (with Geometry Wars: Waves) is due out October 2 in North America.
As you probably expected, as you fire up your copy of Project Gotham Racing 4, lurking inside will be a new evolution of the Geometry Warsseries called Geometry Wars: Waves. This new video offers a sneak peek of what you can expect and as you can see, it's definitely Geometry Wars.
The enemies are obviously acting different (coming at you in waves, appropriately enough), but we don't see much change from the XBLA version other than that. The graphics look a little snazzier, but that could just be out imagination. So, no, it's not going to something you'll pay full price to get your hands on, but it looks like a nice perk if you were planning on picking up PGR 4 anyway.
Those hoping to steer seductively shaped hunks of metal through rain and snow should be pleased to note that Project Gotham Racing 4 is scheduled for release on October 2nd in America and October 12th in Europe. Those unsure of the Xbox 360 racer's selling points should simply read the first sentence again, noting that said hunks of metal may constitute either cars or motorcycles.
Though initially aimed for a September release, the DVD-loving folks at Bizarre Creations explain that today's two-day delay provides them with enough time to put "the finishing touches on the game to ensure it crosses the finish line at retail as the best title yet in the 'PGR' racing franchise." If you're curious as to what it is you'll be racing, peek past the break to see a list of newly unveiled in-game vehicles.
While filming a commercial for the upcoming Project Gotham Racing 4, a Ferrari F430 drifted too wide out the corner and bumped into a concrete barrier. Did a massive explosion ensue? Screams of concerned mothers from the crowd echo in our ears? Well ... not really. Very little damage was done to the car, but considering that repairing the vehicle probably costs more than we make in a year, it kind of puts things in perspective. No Gizmondo executives were harmed in the crash.
The commercial is scheduled to appear in mid-August with PGR4 coming in September. Check out another video after the jump.
Peanut butter and jelly. Cookies and milk. Cars and bikes.
Finally, Project Gotham Racing 4 brings two great tastes together. In a first for the franchise, the upcoming Xbox 360 racer will allow players to use both cars and bikes in the same race. Bizarre Creations is promising the same level of visual fidelity in the bikes as in the cars -- looking at the new screenshots released today, we're also equally impressed by the racer character models.
A new "Stunt button" will allow players to perform a "crazy move" that will earn the player the series' trademark Kudos. While some may find this move to be controversial, Bizarre Creations notes that the game "won't force you to ride bikes if you don't want to." Regardless, they think players are willing to try something new: "we expect 99% of players to take the bikes out just as frequently as the cars!"
Project Gotham Racing 4 follows the track of previous PGR titles by recreating cities on a building-by-building basis and then letting the fast cars loose. The September Xbox 360 game will include 10 total locations: New York City, Tokyo, London, Las Vegas, Quebec City, Shanghai, Macau, St. Petersburg, Nuerburgring, and the Michelin Test Track.
I got some hands-on time with a recent version of the in-progress game, with the touted weather and rain specifically being shown off. PGR4 looks and feels like it'll be a fun racer, and this time, motorcycles get to play alongside the cars.
For the second time this year, an image from Bizarre Creations' Microsoft exclusive Project Gotham Racing seriesfound its way into a Sony promotion. On a Spanish internet ad for both Kia Motors and the PlayStation 3, a virtual Kia car with a PGR license plate could be clearly observed in a scene where the virtual and real car kept fading into one another. Though it has since been fixed, CVG managed to capture the incident.
Previously, a PGR3 render had been used by Sony to promote Gran Turismo: HD on Sony's official PSP Connect site. As CVG suggested, we don't blame Sony for this ad blunder -- more likely the err came from Kia's camp. Shame on Kia, though, for realizing that this image obviously isn't "True HD"; that should've been the first red flag that something is amiss.
EA's first downloadable console title will be Boom Boom Rocket, a new rhythm game from the geometric warmongers at Bizarre Creations. The game sees players traveling through a 3D cityscape and launching rockets to the beat of the music -- the more accurate you are, the more spectacular the resulting fireworks become. Gamedaily Biz reports that Boom Boom Rocket should arrive on Xbox Live Arcade in Spring.
Chip Lange, EA's vice president of online commerce, feels they've crashed the party at the opportune moment. "Now feels like the right time. Across EA there's been a lot of internal excitement about Arcade and we're at a point where we can dedicate resources to building Arcade games. We're very excited to be entering this space. This is a great way to develop new IP and work with small development teams internally and externally to build a casual, fun game experience."
Originally thought up by EA's own Pogo casual games team, the game should be a welcome addition to the XBLA lineup, especially given the grievous lack of any other rhythm games. The fireworks in Boom Boom Rocket will be accompanied by ten original tunes from Ian Livingstone -- we certainly hope he's familiar with synesthesia.
Microsoft's X06 event started off in a thunderous explosion of news, with pieces of informative debris raining down upon the unshielded denizens of the internet since yesterday. If you're feeling clueless or overwhelmed, allow us to subject you to a helpful hail of bullet points:
Peter Jackson reveals a new partnership with Microsoft Game Studios. The king of the rings and his newly established Wingnut Interactive studio will work on an original property for the Xbox 360, as well as an unnamed Halo title. One can only hope that the crappy-game-based-on-a-movie and the crappy-movie-based-on-a-game curses cancel each other out when it comes time to play Peter Jackson's Halo: The Game of the Movie of the Game.
A new RTS, Halo Wars, is unveiled. Set in a time before the first Halo, the real-time strategy game is being developed exclusively for the Xbox 360 by Ensemble Studios. Many confused pundits take the opportunity to point out that the Xbox 360 does not have a keyboard or a mouse.
Grand Theft Auto IV will have two "epic" downloadable episodes exclusively on Xbox 360. Rockstar and Take-Two promise that the new episodes will provide "hours" of new gameplay and will be available "just months" after the game's October 2007 release. The vague wording of the announcement fails to rule out the possibility that the PS3 could receive different downloadable episodes of its own.
The next Splinter Cell game is console-exclusive to the Xbox 360 -- meaning handhelds and the PC are still fair game. Fewer people are upset by this than those who realize Splinter Cell: Double Agent isn't available on anything yet.
Bioshock is exclusive to Xbox 360 and Windows when it releases "next Spring". The wording of the press release says nothing of the game should it release during any other season following Spring. Of course, nobody likes waiting ...
Project Gotham Racing 4 is coming. And the surprise hit gamers with all the force of a linen sheet flapping in the wind.
Rare is working on a new Banjo-Kazooie game. Presumably, players are still keen on collecting all the coins, apples, music notes, beans, feathers, diamonds, pearls, potions, rings, blocks, wrenches and / or yams mysteriously floating around the finely rendered landscape.
Marvel Universe Online is announced for the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista. It's being developed by the folks behind City of Heroes -- perhaps you remember Marvel suing them for creating tools that allowed people to venture online as, err, Marvel characters.
Doom and Sensible World of Soccer join the Xbox Live Arcade lineup. The classic first-person shooter was already available yesterday for 800 points ($10). The Amiga footie title has not been given a release date yet, though the press release insists on using the word "soon."
The Xbox 360 HD-DVD costs $199.99 in North America and €199.99/£129.99 in the UK, France and Germany. It arrives in mid-November and will include the Xbox 360's Universal Media Remote and the HD-DVD version of Peter Jackson's King Kong. And with that, the circle is complete.
Congrats, scavenger hunter, you've found the secret c o d e good for one free copy of B A N K S H O T B I L L I A R D S 2: PRF4Q W798V G7JX9 2RX2W VT94G (Contest ran on 12/30/2006. The code has been redeemed.)
Console bundles are often reviled during a system's launch period, as they make it practically impossible to leave the store solely with the item you wanted to purchase in the first place. A less bungled bundle, like the £299.99 Xbox 360 package launching in the UK tomorrow, comes several months after launch and doesn't deluge you with a bunch of games, accessories and HD televisions that you weren't quite ready to spend money on yet. Eurogamer reports that the deal in question includes 2 wireless controllers, a copy of Project Gotham Racing 3 and, quite generously, a Premium Xbox 360 as well.
How efficient can a bundle be at swaying your interest? Does the higher price tag or the lack of choice make it less appealing to those in the know?
A design contest from French automaker Peugeot has spawned some massive speculation on the future release date of Project Gotham Racing 4. According to the rules, any contest winner will have his or her concept car included in PGR4, " exclusively on Xbox 360 that will be released towards the end of 2007 or first half of 2008."
Would any of this be surprising? The last three PGR games were all released two years apart (2001, 2003, and 2005) -- thus, by induction, 2007 would be the release date for the third sequel. Also, developer Bizarre Creations has worked exclusively with Microsoft for the last four years, and the entire PGR series has been Xbox-exclusive.
This "leak" is probably nothing more than an educated guess. The existence of Project Gotham Racing 4, a sequel to three critically-acclaimed racing games, is about as surprising as the existence of gravity (hey, it's only a theory). A 2007 / early 2008 release would put Bizarre right on track. However, don't hold the developer accountable if they miss a deadline set by an unrelated, outside party.
In other news, sources tell us PGR4 will include some fast cars and "race tracks." It is unconfirmed whether or not J Allard will make an appearance.
After several days of internet murmurings and a noticeable lack of response from Microsoft, a delay in Forza 2's holiday release has manifested in that cruel place often referred to as "reality." Posting on the official Forza Motorsport forums, community manager Che Chou (username "chespace") revealed that the speedy sim sequel would overtake the 2006 holiday period and that the team would not "announce a new date until X06. Gotta do what you gotta do to get things right, y'know?"
Oh, we know. Given the game's relatively brief development time (the first Forza hit the Xbox last year), lofty goals and glut of prerendered promotional trailers, the news will likely disappoint more than it surprises. The few weeks leading up to Microsoft's X06 event are sure to be filled with speculation regarding the new release date -- we hear March 2007 is pretty popular these days. In the meantime, Microsoft expects you to gaze upon the latest screenshots, one of which features a rather exciting wall.
In a moment that's sure to elicit a grin or an unstoppable urge to fling your retinas into the back of your head, a game that was released in 1981 has somehow managed to be delayed for a week in the year 2006. Konami's side-scrolling shooter, Scramble, was all set for release this Wednesday when Microsoft's elite and possibly overworked team of testers concluded that the game simply wasn't ready to hit Xbox Live Arcade. The official word reveals that "during the final testing and certification of the title, we discovered some minor issues that should be addressed. Therefore, we are going to take an extra week and fix these items to ensure a high quality game experience for all when the title does launch on its new date of Wednesday, September 13."
This isn't the first time the weekly XBLA release schedule has had to make due without a new game -- this week's replacement is a Project Gotham Racing 3UNO deck priced at 100 points ($1.25 in non-funny money). As exciting as theme decks and picture packs may be, the consistency of game releases has been somewhat shaky so far. Let's hope future XBLA Wednesdays don't have more games taking XBLA sick days. Har.
Recently there have been some rumblings that Bungie won't make another Halo game after Halo 3 which appear to be centered around a statement that Marty O'Donnell made in an interview with the BBC. In this interview, Marty says, "We all want Halo to be the great ending to an epic trilogy. We look at what Peter Jackson did with the Lord of the Rings films - which each film bettering the previous one and that is what we are aiming for." Does that mean we won't be seeing another Halo game in the future? To people who understand that making video games is a business, the rumors (which are already half-disproved) that Bungie would end the Halo franchise anytime soon are ridiculous.
The first two Halo games combined have sold 14.3 million units. That puts the Halo franchise within the top 30 best-selling game franchises of all time. Without Halo, Microsoft might as well not have bothered with the Xbox; Halo and Halo 2 sold more units than the next six best selling games on the Xbox combined (if you're wondering, these games are Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Fable, GTA: Double Pack, Project Gotham Racing, and Need for Speed: Underground 2). With a Halo movie on the way, and the facts that Halo 2 sold more units than the first and is still the #1 game played on Xbox Live under Bungie's belt, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the Halo franchise is increasing in popularity.
The bottom line is that Bungie and Microsoft would have to be stupid to end their most lucrative franchise ever after #3. We don't claim to have any insider information, we don't dispute Marty's statement and we don't deny the possibility that Bungie will create new franchises, but based on pure business logic we'd expect to see at least another two games based on the Halo universe. From a business perspective, for Bungie to dump the Halo franchise after 3 would be sheer stupidity.
Bungie jumps: Takahashi, Croal, and Totilo on the Joystiq Podcast Roundtable
Use the Force! We're giving away 5 PSP-2000 Star Wars Battlefront systems
Itagaki talks pint-sized Dragon Swords
Joystiq at TGS
All the Halo 3 news that's fit to print, and some that isn't
Listen to the Joystiq Podcast (because your ears can't read)
Posts with tag projectgothamracing
Project Gotham Racing 4 follows the track of previous PGR titles by recreating cities on a building-by-building basis and then letting the fast cars loose. The September Xbox 360 game will include 10 total locations: New York City, Tokyo, London, Las Vegas, Quebec City, Shanghai, Macau, St. Petersburg, Nuerburgring, and the Michelin Test Track.
EA's first downloadable console title will be Boom Boom Rocket, a new rhythm game from the geometric warmongers at Bizarre Creations. The game sees players traveling through a 3D cityscape and launching rockets to the beat of the music -- the more accurate you are, the more spectacular the resulting fireworks become. Gamedaily Biz reports that Boom Boom Rocket should arrive on Xbox Live Arcade in Spring.
Microsoft's X06 event started off in a thunderous explosion of news, with pieces of informative debris raining down upon the unshielded denizens of the internet since yesterday. If you're feeling clueless or overwhelmed, allow us to subject you to a helpful hail of bullet points: 
Console bundles are often reviled during a system's launch period, as they make it practically impossible to leave the store solely with the item you wanted to purchase in the first place. A less bungled bundle, like the £299.99 Xbox 360 package launching in the UK tomorrow, comes several months after launch and doesn't deluge you with a bunch of games, accessories and HD televisions that you weren't quite ready to spend money on yet. Eurogamer reports that the deal in question includes 2 wireless controllers, a copy of Project Gotham Racing 3 and, quite generously, a Premium Xbox 360 as well. 
A design contest from French automaker Peugeot has spawned some massive speculation on the future release date of Project Gotham Racing 4. According to the rules, any contest winner will have his or her concept car included in PGR4, " exclusively on Xbox 360 that will be released towards the end of 2007 or first half of 2008."
In a moment that's sure to elicit a grin or an unstoppable urge to fling your retinas into the back of your head, a game that was released in 1981 has somehow managed to be delayed for a week in the year 2006. Konami's side-scrolling shooter, Scramble, was all set for release this Wednesday when Microsoft's elite and possibly overworked team of testers concluded that the game simply wasn't ready to hit Xbox Live Arcade. The official word reveals that "during the final testing and certification of the title, we discovered some minor issues that should be addressed. Therefore, we are going to take an extra week and fix these items to ensure a high quality game experience for all when the title does launch on its new date of Wednesday, September 13." 
