Driving

Publisher Codemasters is best known for its driving games like Dirt and most recently Grid. Today the company announced its newest racing game Fuel, which represents a bit of a departure from its previous efforts. One difference is the use of a third party developer, French company Asobo Studios. Another difference is the open world setting for the game; the press release claims the game world is over 5,000 square miles.

There's even a storyline for Fuel; it takes place in an alternate timeline where natural resources are scarce and climate change has altered the landscape. Racers try to win not money or fame but fuel supplies. Fuel also promises a full dynamic weather system with day and night cycles, rain, tornadoes, sandstorms, blizzards and other hazards. Fuel is currently scheduled for released for the PC and other platforms in 2009; meanwhile Codemasters has released the first developer video for the game.

Download the Fuel HD Developer Introduction Video (110 MB)

The second in a series of Need for Speed Undercover trailers takes on the style of a documentary interview with a police officer and why he joined the Tri-City police. It looks like Undercover might use a stronger story element than seen in previous releases of the racing game. Need for Speed Undercover is currently scheduled to release November 18, 2008.

Download the Need for Speed Undercover HD Teaser Trailer #1 (4 MB)
Download the Need for Speed Undercover HD Teaser Trailer #2 (31 MB)

Electronic Arts has been keeping a lid on new info for Need For Speed Undercover, the next game in the long running racing game series. Today the publisher issued a press release with some info on the game including its planned release date; November 18 in North America and November 21 in Europe.

As we previously reported, film actor Maggie Q will be featured in the game as she plays Federal Agent Chase Linh, "a seductive handler who recruits and guides players as they go undercover." Your player character is trying to infiltrate a crime syndicate and the game gets you inside their group by having you go on jobs and compete in races. According to the press release, Need For Speed Undercover "re-introduces break-neck cop chases, the world's hottest cars and spectacular highway battles."

Welcome to Freeware Friday, a weekly column showcasing excellent games that you can play free of charge!

After a few weeks hiatus, Freeware Friday is back and better than ever! And this week, it's to showcase possibly one of the best freeware racing games of all time. Yeah, I know, normally I do action and platforming and whatnot, but this game is incredible to no end! It's freely available just about anywhere, has excellent community support, great modding tools, and is just downright incredibly fun to play. The fact that it's on Steam (meaning you can obtain it incredibly easy anywhere) just furthers its incredible gameplay. I am, of course, talking about the phenomenon that is Trackmania Nations Forever.

Russian publisher 1C Company has announced a deal with GamersGate that allows the digital distribution portal to feature many of 1C's upcoming games, reports IGN. The agreement, which covers 13 titles, spans the third quarter of 2008 through quarter one of 2009.

GamersGate CEO Theodore Bergquist is delighted with the deal, believing that carrying many of 1C's most anticipated and popular titles "will ensure that GamersGate has first dibs on carrying strong titles from their portfolio."

1C Company International Sales Director Nikolay Baryshnikov echoed the sentiment, saying that the deal "is a great opportunity to deliver our games to players all over the world."

Big Download had the opportunity to go hands-on with a number of 1C's titles that will be featured on GamersGate, including Necrovision, Hummer 4x4, Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason, Death Track Resurrection and Men of War.

Electronic Arts has sometimes used known models and actresses as leading ladies for their Need For Speed driving game series. Brooke Burke voiced a role for Need For Speed Underground 2, Josie Marin played a role in Need For Speed Most Wanted and Emmanuelle Vaugier had a similar role in Need For Speed Carbon. Today the company confirmed via an email invite to an upcoming press event that actress Maggie Q will have a role in the newest installment Need For Speed Undercover.

Born in Hawaii, Maggie Q first became a well known actor in Asia before starring in US films like Mission Impossible III, Balls of Fury, Live Free or Die Hard and most recently Deception. There's no word yet on what role she will be playing in the new Need for Speed game which is expected to be released this fall.

Shacknews is reporting that Good Old Games, CD Projekt's digital distribution source for classic PC games, will be delaying its beta, which was supposed to launch on August 1. Additionally, GOG marketing VP Tom Ohle has said that, due to a "huge response to the site announcement," GOG has been forced to rethink its beta plans -- namely, the beta has been changed from closed to open, and should launch in a few weeks.

Though anyone who signed up for the beta will receive access to the GOG site, Ohle is hesitant to confirm whether or not all participants will receive a free game. "We're not sure if we're going to be able to offer everyone in the beta a free game, but ...we're definitely offering everyone who's signed up early access to the site."

GOG is still taking sign-ups for the beta, so if you haven't submitted your email address, do so now -- you'll get beta access at the very least, and possibly a free classic game of your choice.

Big Download recently interviewed Ohle, who divulged a thorough explanation of all that GOG will offer. With its line-up of classics such as Fallout, Fallout 2 and Descent, GOG is still scheduled to launch in September.

We've been hearing rumors about a new entry in the Need For Speed racing game series for some time but so far Electronic Arts hasn't officially confirmed that they will release a new game this year in the long running franchise. However it looks like EA is building towards an announcement on the game which is rumored to be titled Need for Speed Undercover.

There's apparently a teaser trailer going around that is a mix of live action and CGI car racing that leads to a web site called whichroadtotake.com. That teaser site has what looks like a police interrogation room with two people going at it. We don't know exactly what's going on but we think EA will make an official announced in the next few weeks.

[Via Blue's News]

Midway's line-up of games for 2008 continues to get pushed back to next year. Earlier this month we reported that the open world action game This is Vegas had been delayed until next year and now Kotaku reports from the San Diego Comic-Con that Wheelman, the action-driving game "starring" Vin Diesel, won't make its fall 2008 release date either.

Citing the need for more development time the game is now due for release in the first quarter of 2009. That basically means there will be no PC games from Midway released in 2008. Ouch. It looks like the publisher is putting all of its marbles behind its latest Mortal Kombat game for its holiday 2008 lineup.

Sometimes the most interesting games are the ones that aren't on your radar. Pulse Track, a recent release on Kongregate, hasn't gotten much attention from the community. It's interesting control scheme and hypnotic graphics definitely make it worth your while, though. Click to steer to the left, and don't click to steer to the right. You must try to stay on the track as much as possible, for if you are off it too long, you lose. As you stay alive longer, the track gets darker and darker. That's the entirety of the gameplay. It's a simple game, but definitely fun and definitely worth checking out.

Have you ever played a shooter and thought, "this game would be infinitely more awesome with about 3 million weapons." Good news, Borderlands from Gearbox Software has you covered ... well, kind of. Touting the largest array of weaponry of any first-person shooter before it, Borderlands kind of cheats when deciding what is considered a new weapon. Those different scopes added to a sub-machine gun? Those all count as different weapons. Different ammo capacity? Totally counts as a new weapon. Different colors? Count it. So, while Borderlands doesn't have a million different weapons it does offer some highly customizable weaponry. You'll need it all to survive this one which is a cross between Mad Max and Stargate. Looking for more? Check out the E3 2008 trailer available for download today.

Download the Borderlands E3 2008 trailer now!

Microsoft hasn't gotten a lot of PC game titles to support their Games For Windows Live features but Empire Interactive has just confirmed that their PC port of their Xbox 360 arcade racing game FlatOut Ultimate Carnage will join the rather exclusive list of PC titles to support the Live platform.

While it doesn't appear like the PC port will have cross-platform multiplayer with its Xbox 360 counterpart (only three games, Shadowrun, Lost Planet Colonies and Universe at War: Earth Assault have supported that feature) the PC version of the game will include support for all the other Live features including achievements. Empire plans to release the Bugbear developed FlatOut Ultimate Carnage for the PC in August in Europe. So far there's no word on a US release for the game.

Welcome to Freeware Friday, a weekly column showcasing excellent games that you can play free of charge!

This is a first for me. Over the past few months, I have espoused the virtues of a wide variety of freeware games, from shooters to strategy games. Never, however, have I talked about a browser game. This week marks the first, and definitely not last, time that I'll be showcasing a browser game. When a game is as good as Off-Road Velociraptor Safari, one must share it with everyone. Plus, with most of our staff at E3, Off-Road Velociraptor Safari is perfect for them! Just don't expect many browser games to make it onto Freeware Friday.

Vin Diesel is one handsome actor (cue Saturday Night Live sketch memory). Hey, the person behind the Riddick series of movies (and the game) continues to work in movies but he's also got the upcoming Midway action-driving game Wheelman on his docket. Diesel isn't just in the game; much like his work on the Chronicles of Riddick title he is actively involved with the development team in the design of Wheelman.

Midway recently sent out some new screenshots of the game where Diesel will lend his voice and likeness to a character described as an law enforcement agency who goes undercover as a "wheelman" getaway driver to expose crime in Barsalona, Spain. The game is due for release later this fall for the PC and other platforms.

So have you been itching for a game that recalls the Easy Rider era of the 1960s? Well, it's good news for you lot today as Deep Silver has just announced Ride to Hell, a new title from their own internal development studio that's set to be released in the second quarter of 2009.

While no screenshots have been released yet, Deep Silver claims that Ride to Hell will attempt to bring an authentic 1960's biker feel to gamers. Players will drive several vehicles in the game's version of the American West in a free roaming world. The promise of dealing with biker gangs, hard drinking and experiencing the 1960's hippy music scene is also promised. It sounds different but specific gameplay details are still lacking.