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Mario Kart DS Holiday Bundle In Hot Rod Red
Posted by Oscar M. Cantu Categories: Driving, Nintendo DS,
Here comes another bundle from Nintendo, once again for the Nintendo DS. If you have yet to pick up a DS, it doesn’t really get much better than this. For $150 USD, you get a “Hot Rod Red” Nintendo DS along with the Mario Kart DS cartridge, decals to pimp your DS, and a checkered wrist strap.
Read More 
| Kotaku
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Burnout 3 > Burnout Revenge (Or, My Burnout Revenge Impressions)
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Driving, Features, PlayStation 2, Reviews, Xbox,
Not trying to start any riots or anything, but what the hell did EA do to the Burnout series? Burnout 3 was a nice, solid 10. It was a game that I could pick up and play with friends, and something that even my wife enjoyed - trust me, that is an accomplishment. That being said, I have been looking forward to the release of Burnout Revenge, but it seems that the series has digressed a bit from what made it great in the first place.
My biggest gripe is with the Crash Mode. EA has removed the distinct goals and obstacles which made the game fun and strategic. Gone are the multipliers, cash icons, and ever-so-frustrating (but in a good way) heartbreakers. In their place is a clunky “golf swing” mechanism used to boost your car from the get go. You need to hit the A button twice on this meter, and if you do it wrong, you stall or end up with a busted engine. It certainly takes the casual gamer a bit of getting used to, whereas with Burnout 3 you simply needed to press on the accelerator to move. Go figure!
The real goals are now gone, because you have no idea really what kind of traffic to expect. Even worse, the preview takes forever. Burnout is supposed to be about speed - so why the hell do I need a preview of the track, and then a reversed preview that I can’t hit A to skip through? I don’t! Adding to the frustration is the fact that if you are doing a multiplayer Crash Party, you no longer have the option of picking one car and having no choice but to stick with it for the entire time. You now get to preview the track, then choose a car before each crash trial.
Now, the actual racing tracks have been improved, but the edge-of-your-seat feel has been obliterated. In Burnout 3 you had to avoid every obstacle if you wanted to win. That meant you had to watch out for cars in all lanes and in cross traffic, along with other barriers like walls and such. Now, you can just boost away. If there is same-direction traffic ahead of you, you can literally hit it as hard as you want, and you won’t see a hint of destruction on your car. Half of the traffic that would have caused a ruckus on you in the previous game is now all of a sudden your friend. This is due to EA’s new “traffic checking” feature. Basically, you can now use same-direction traffic as a weapon to dish out punishment on rival racers. To me, it just makes the game a bit too easy.
Am I crazy? What do you think of the new Burnout?
Toy Test 2005: Burnout Revenge Hands On
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Driving, PlayStation 2, Reviews, Xbox,
At Toy Test 2005 in Seattle I was able to get my hands on the newest demo of Burnout Revenge. There were quite a few more challenges available to try out than there were at E3, and I must have put a good 30-45 minutes or so into the Toy Test version. One thing that has totally impressed me about Revenge is the sense of speed that the game provides. I am a big fan of Burnout 3, and I thought that the sense of speed in that game was unmatched. Burnout Revenge, through its much improved graphics and more realistic vehicles, provides a level of speed that can only be described as insane.
The crashing challenge in Burnout Revenge is a bit different than what fans are now used to. You are graded as the crashes take place, rather than having to wait until all is said and done before seeing the final tally. The different scoring multipliers have been eliminated in Burnout Revenge, which was a bit disappointing to see. In Burnout 3 it was always ruckus when a few friends were gathered together and one person got a 4x multiplier, only to hit the Heartbreaker before the end of their turn.
During the races, you are now able to take down just about any small vehicle on the road, whether they are your competition or your traffic. This was a complaint that I had in Burnout 3, only because it was inconsistent that you could take down your opponents, but if you hit another car of similar size, you ended up in a tragic accident. Very nice to see. The other major addition to overall gameplay is that when you take down a rival, you become marked for “Revenge”. This means that driver will target you until they take you down. The same happens when you get taken out. The marker above the rival changes from yellow to red. Take them down, and you get extra points. Burnout Revenge is set to drop on September 13, 2005.
Burnout Revenge is definitely looking good - obviously the Xbox version is prettier than its PS2 counterpart, but the real loser here are those who only own the Nintendo Gamecube. You are missing a real winner here.
Latest Gear Live Videos
For the first time ever, the Ridge Racer franchise will be playable online when Ridge Racer 6 hits store shelves at the launch of Xbox 360:
“Ridge Racer 6” takes the celebrated racing series online for the first time with Worldwide Online Multiplayer Battles through Xbox Live. Utilizing a Worldwide Player Matching system, players can match up against drivers from around the world in intense head-to-head drift racing match ups. Players can also upload their personal records from the game’s Time Attack mode to see how they stack up against the rest of the world in a persistent Leader Board and download ghost data to virtually race against friends or test their skills against the best in the world. To complement the online “Ridge Racer 6” community, new game content such as new cars will periodically be made available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Nice to see the Xbox Live Marketplace features being talked about in advance. Through micro-transactions, gamers will be able to purchase a new car or track. Call me a pessimist, but I am just a tad leery of how these things will be priced. Any predictions?
Read More | ProG
The biggest surprise out of this lineup is a Ridge Racer game straight for launch. This game was scheduled for a much later 2006 release. I wonder if the game is ahead of schedule or if this is a rush job on Namco’s part. For a full list of 2005 Namco games on all platforms, click below.
Read More | Pro-G
Nintendo Wi-Fi Theatrical Trailer Debuts
Posted by Alex Grahmann Categories: Driving, Portable/Mobile, Wireless,
Nintendo has chosen to begin the mainstream hype of its upcoming Wi-Fi service with a 1 minute trailer that will be run before copies of The Fantastic Four, The Dukes of Hazzard, Bad News Bears, Stealth, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Island. The trailer, titled “The Sad, Agonizing Tale of Bhunvan Ganguly,” will run between July 29th and August 25th. Rather than a detail-laden explosion, Nintendo has decided to employ some cinematic subtlety to generate interest. However, the ad does feature footage of the online Mario Kart DS and stresses world-wide connectivity. Be sure to catch the trailer on the big screen, or at online at the link below.
Read More | IGN
Get a chance to play one of our favorite racers right now by heading over to Best Buy and snatching the free demo disc. According to one Joystiq reader, Best Buy stores are handing out these demo discs free of charge. Run down to your local Best Buy before they are all gone.
Read More | Joystiq
Burnout Legends is coming to a Portable Playstation near you this September and features one of the most entertaining game types well known to the serious – road rage. As many people know, this game combines speed and destruction in a game that becomes highly addictive and fun. Now this same game type will be available in a portable form very soon. EuroGamer has the trailer available for download for your viewing pleasure. You will need a BitTorrent download client such as Azureus to download.
Read More | Burnout Legends PSP Trailer
Project Gotham Racing 3 is one of the most highly anticipated next gen game that has sparked up its fair share of controversy. Aside from the E3 trailer and the short clip we saw when the Xbox 360 was unveiled on MTV, Gamespot has a great teaser trailer on this upcoming game. Of course, this game is not done yet so don’t expect these images to be from actual game play. Just remember not to blink, or else you’ll miss this “high speed trailer”.
Read More | Gamespot
Burnout is one of those games that is just plain fun to play - and keep playing. Its stylized destruction-centric gameplay approach is always a blast – even if you only play it to cause the AI’s cars to crumble into pieces. Burnout: Revenge is the sequel many people are waiting for which will be released later this year for the PS2 and the Xbox. GamePlayMonthly has some nice screenshots of both versions that are looking mighty promising.
Read More | GamePlayMonthly
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