Jalopnik Car Pack Available now
The latest round of Forza 3 DLC is out. Jalopnik is a Gawker Media blog that focuses on everything car-related. Naturally they’ve partnered with Forza to bring a hot new lineup of cars to the game in the for of DLC. The Jalopnik Car Pack which contains 10 cars will set you back 400 Microsoft points (A$6.60).
Jalopnik Car Pack includes:
2008 MAZDA FURAI
2010 HONDA CIVIC TYPE R MUGEN
2009 #40 ROBERTSON RACING FORD GT
2010 ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE
2011 BMW Z4
2010 AUDI TT RS
2010 #33 RSR JAGUAR XKR
2010 PORSCHE 911 SPORT CLASSIC
2010 ASTON MARTIN V12 VANTAGE
1992 BUGATTI EB110SS
More @ ForzaMotorsport.net
Forza Update
Forza fans shouldn’t forget there’s a major patch due for release in the next 24hrs. Codenamed Title Update 4 (TU4), the patch will be rolling out between 2AM and 4AM PST. There’s lots of changes coming, best to read all the info over at ForzaMotorsport.
Will you pay for games and apps 3 times ?
In a demo a Tech.Ed Middle East, Eric Rudder showed how a single project (in this case a game) could be published and run on 3 entirely different platforms. Running on Windows, Xbox and Windows Phone 7 which all have different input mechanisms – keyboard and mouse, controller, touch-screen and accelerometer, this begins to get very interesting.
This gets a whole lot more awesome when you find out that your game/app can sync across platforms. So hit the save point on the Xbox, run out the door and continue playing on your phone. Someone should sort through the old beyond 2000 footage, this technology is probably in there somewhere. It sounds like futuristic and probably will be some ways off before you get a triple-platform app in your hand.
My biggest question out of this is the pricing model. Are we expected to buy the game 3 times to get ultra-portability ? It’s important to also recognise that this isn’t functionality everyone wants. So building it into the price of the first purchase will hurt those who only want it on one platform. For the right price, those that want ultra-portability should pay for that feature, but at a subsidised price. Maybe after the primary purchase, you could then pickup the same app/game on the other platforms for 5-10% of the original cost. I think that’s a model that would work.
For a $100 Xbox 360 game, you should be able to get the PC version for an additional $10 and maybe an additional $5 for the mobile version. Currently pricing models don’t recognise that people game in different places, when in reality that’s very true. Imagine if you didn’t have to make the console vs PC choice, but could have the game on both for an affordable price. Crazy thought right ?
More @ Engadget
3rd Borderlands DLC available now: General Knoxx
The next chapter of the Borderlands Saga is upon us. With new guns, class mods, vehicles, missions, enemies this DLC is the biggest yet. Add to that the fact the level cap increases from 50 to 61 !! Available on the Xbox a couple of days ago, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is now available for PC as well.
At US$9.99 it’s great value. By the way, if your playing with mates, one purchase will get your up to 5 installs
Grab it from https://store.gearboxsoftware.com/
Return to Rapture, Bioshock 2 available now
The much loved immersive horror story that is Bioshock is back for round 2. The story line jumps forward 10 years from the original, with all the action housed in the gorgeous underwater city of Rapture. After the success of the first Bioshock, this game is loved by many, will the sequel live up to the high expectations ?
There’s already reviews starting to surface, Kotaku posted theirs about half an hour ago. Go check it out, or head over to the official site – http://bioshockgame.com
Bioshock 2 is available now on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC (Games for Windows).
More @ Delimiter
GT5 demo, so many issue
This morning the demo of Grand Turismo 5 was unleashed on the PS3. The last time we seen anything from the GT franchise was GT5: Prologue, released March 27th 2008. Given we’re about 18 months on, the expectations for this were high. The demo / time trial contains 1 track, 1 car (Nissan 370Z) and two race modes – Untuned or tuned.
Naturally the cars look great, but that’s a requirement at this point. Unfortunately this demo disappoints on a number of fronts. Despite seeing videos online showing it off, there is still no DAMAGE. I’m at a lost to explain why this is. I remember watching a video with the game developers a couple years back who said until they could do damage properly, they wouldn’t include it in the game. However recent reports and videos show the GT damage engine is actually built. So where is it ? This is after all meant to be ‘The real driving simulator’.
Bizarrely there is no reverse gear. I drive manual in driving games, and usually when you change down 3,2,1, N, R is the norm. In the demo 1st gear is the lowest.
No skid marks – Grabbing the handbrake or sliding around the corner leaves no marks on the road. It might sound like a small issue, but when every other racing game does it (because it represents reality), it’s very noticeable.
Driving on a seemingly flat plane of grass results in your 370Z becoming a paint shaker. Rocking violently back and foward like it was off-road.
No replay speed controls. While you can choose from a couple of cameras, you can’t skip forward or reverse in the playback of the replay. Hell, you can’t even pause it.
I expect (hope) that all these issue are resolved by the time the final game rolls around.. some time in 2010, but it is clear the production schedule is way off track.
It shocks me how badly Grand Turismo dropped the ball on this franchise. They used to be the innovators and pillar of the racing game industry, unfortunately, my advice is to go get Forza 3.
Breaking: PS3 launching HD video service this month !!
Titled ‘PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service’, it seems PlayStation has a little something up their sleeves to rival Xbox’s new Zune Video Marketplace. The PS3 is set to launch it’s very own video streaming service this month ! Movies will be available in both standard and high definition and available as rentals or to purchase.
There’s no pricing information yet. Check out some snaps below.
Available to rent or purchase in HD or SD. ![]()
Your favourite Hollywood and local movies
Available on the PS3 and PSP
Introducing PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service ![]()
Coming November 2009 to PlayStation Network
The video is available at the top of the stairs in the Mall of PS3’s Home.
Update
It is still yet to be confirmed this will be available in Australia.


