The DLC includes 3 “custom and fully-tuned” variants of the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, and is available now for download to all Xbox Live Gold members.

With the latest update, Zune HD adds Audiosurf: Tilt, PGR: Ferrari Edition, Lucky Lane Bowling, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, Piano and Checkers. These are all free game that will be available on the Zune Marketplace. While the games are free, players are forced to watch a short ad before the game starts, which is okay, considering they’re free games.

With the release of RedLynx’ Trials motor cross game, the developer hurried and uploaded its own game to popular BitTorrent sites, with one feature missing from the game: leaderboards. RedLynx then hoped that the pirates would love the game and miss leaderboards so much that they went out and bought the game.

Did it work? Well, they don’t really know, but there’s definitely a lot of folks playing Trials without leaderboards, that’s for sure.

Have you been wondering why it’s been 5 years since a Gran Turismo hit the scene? Well, according to Polyphony Digital that’s exactly how long it’s taking to develop Gran Turismo 5, not to mention the fact that it cost about $60 million.

News comes to us from Gran Turismo 5 developer Kazunori Yamauhci who was questioned how much money it cost to develop the highly anticipated title. After answering the question he let us know that the title required that much money and this much time to “get it right”.

So, it looks like we will be seeing a very very polished game when GT5 makes its way onto store shelves sometime next year.

via joystiq

Back in July we let you know that Need for Speed Nitro would be hitting store shelves for the Wii and Nintendo DS on November 16th. Today, EA has announced that the game’s development has gone smoother than expected and the game now has a release date of November 3rd.

If you’re a fan of the Need for Speed series and are looking for a hardcore racer, this most likely isn’t the game for you. However, if you’re a casual player looking for a fun racing game to play then you should definitely check out Need for Speed Nitro. I mean, it is for the Nintendo DS and Wii, after all.

via joystiq

While 2009 is drawing to an end, and with all the great AAA titles only weeks away, keep in mind that 2010 is going to see more top-notch titles released than the last few years. Here are 20 games that should/will make an impact next year, and while a lot more games are coming out, we obviously couldn’t include them all — our list grew from ten games to twenty games simply because even we were surprised how many title are lined up for 2010. Here’s our 20 games for 2010, in no particular order.

Postal 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Running With Scissors, Q2, 2010)

The original Postal was both hailed and damned for its controversial content, and the sequel, Postal 2 only made it better (or worse, if you’re a politician looking for some media attention). Postal 3 will expand on the sandbox style gameplay, and will even feature director Uwe Boll (who made the 2008 Postal movie) in a cameo role.

APB (PC, Xbox 360, March 2010)

After developing Crackdown for the Xbox 360, which has since become a cult classic on the console, Realtime Worlds shifted all their manpower to APB (All Points Bulletin), a revolutionary MMO set in a huge city where players battle each other as either law enforcement agents, or criminals. A kind of GTA online, as creator David Jones (the man behind GTA) is noted saying APB is “the bastard child of everything we’ve been striving towards over the 15-20 years”.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, March 2, 2010)

Battlefield: Bad Company almost managed to perfect something no other FPS had done before: creating a fully destructible battlefield, where walls would no longer provide infinite cover — one tank shell and you better be looking to hide somewhere else. Coupled with a single player campaign and a solid multiplayer, Bad Company has been one of the most played FPS on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Bad Company 2 will bring “destruction 2.0″, taking destruction to a whole new level, this time, entire buildings and towns can be leveled to the ground.

Heavy Rain (PS3, February 2010)

Heavy Rain has been highly anticipated ever since it was first showcased at E3 2006 for the PlayStation 3, the film-noir, thriller-styled game will feature an intertwined storyline, with four playable characters, all looking for a serial killed going under the name “The Origami Killer”.

Halo Reach (Xbox 360, Q4 2010)

The next chapter in the Halo series and Master Chief’s battle against the Covenant was unveiled at E3 2009, without any further details other than the game would be the last Halo game to be developed by Bungie. Owners of Halo 3: ODST will have a chance to check out the game’s multiplayer beta in the middle of 2010, by then we should have more details on Reach.

Red Steel 2 (Wii, February 16, 2010)

The original Red Steel was the very first Wii game that was revealed, and rode a wave of anticipation until its release — as a Wii launch title — where it showed a flawed control scheme, dated visuals and uninspiring gameplay. Red Steel 2 is said to correct all those issues, and will require (and be bundled with) the Wii Motion Plus accessory, giving it a true 1:1 control input, paving the way for some great sword fights. We sure hope so.

Crysis 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Q4 2010)

The original Crysis is still bringing even the most powerful PCs to their knees, and is still hailed as the best looking game available, at least if a tropical island is what you crave. Crysis 2 continues the story where the original left off, and will use the new CryEngine 3, creating an even more immersive world. There aren’t many details of the game yet, but one thing is for sure: start saving for a new PC rig.

BioShock 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, February 9, 2010)

BioShock took the gaming community with storm in 2007, offering an amazing look at the steampunk/retro-futuristic world of Rapture, coupled with a story similar to Half Life, and in BioShock 2 — which takes place ten years after BioShock 1 — players can take control of the infamous Big Daddy, and will be able to step outside of the underwater city of Rapture. On top of that, BioShock 2 will include multiplayer as well, bringing a whole new dimension into the series.

Alan Wake (PC, Xbox 360, March 2010)

Alan Wake was originally a title known for its pretty visuals, actually, gorgeous visuals, but it soon became apparent that the game had much more to offer, as it showcased the first gameplay bits at E3 2009. It’s a psychological thriller, and draws inspiration from Twin Peaks and countless Stephen King novels, and is one of the most anticipated original games of 2010.

STALKER: Call Of Pripyat (PC, February 2010)

STALKER, and its expansion pack, was a promising action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world of Chernobyl, but both games were hammered by technical issues and a merciless difficulty. Call of Pripyat is set to correct those issues, and is set to become a more accessible game for both action and RPG fans. On top of that, the game will utilize new DirectX 11 technologies, offering an even more grittier-looking Chernobyl than before.

Crackdown 2 (Xbox 360, March 2010)

Crackdown was one of the sleeper hits on the Xbox 360, where some gamers eagerly purchased the game only for the bundled-in Halo 3 beta. They soon found out that Crackdown was a viable GTA contender, with its own unique style and gameplay. Crackdown 2 was revealed at E3 2009, and is set to expand on gameplay and destruction of Pacific City, complete with a new visual overhaul.

Deus Ex 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Q4 2010)

Deus Ex and Deus Ex 2 have pretty much solidified their cult status among gamers, and especially, fans of dystopian cyberpunk. Deus Ex 3 will take place in 2027, 25 years before Deus Ex, so its views on a cyberpunk culture might dwindle a bit, but we’ll see — developer Eidos Montreal has yet to release any screenshots or videos of the game.

Max Payne 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, March 2010)

The original Max Payne and May Payne 2 were hallmarks of noir storytelling in vidoegames, and when the new look and feel of Max Payne 3 was announced — with a new, bald Max — taking place in Brazil, loyal fans to the series got worried. After all, what’s Max Payne without a gritty New York City, rain, and lots of voice over acting? It’s even got a new developer, and the original writers are not on board. Lots of things can go wrong, but new developer Rockstar Vancouver seems to be on top of things, both story and gameplay wise.

God Of War 3 (PS3, March 2010)

God Of War has been one of the most successful franchises on the PlayStation 2, and it was never a secret that Sony was bringing the third game in the series on the PS3. If screenshots and gameplay videos are anything to judge the final product by, PS3 owners have something very special waiting for them next year, as God of War 3 is looking to be the biggest PS3 release of the year, second only to Gran Turismo 5, perhaps.

Gran Turismo 5 (PS3, Q2 2010)

Arguably the best racing sim franchise in history, Gran Turismo 5 will flex its muscles in beautiful high def for the first time, and it’s getting increasingly difficult to differentiate GT5 screenshots from real life photos of the cars. Compared to arch rival Forza 3, GT5 will have over twice the amount of cars (950 vs 450 in Forza 3) and more racing tracks as well. In addition, GT5 will include both NASCAR and World Rally Championship racing options.

Supreme Commander 2 (PC, Xbox 360, Q3 2010)

Supreme Commander, the spiritual successor for one of the greatest RTS games ever, Total Annihilation, revolutionized the way the battlefield was viewed, with a huge map that could be zoomed in and out to any point, effortlessly. That feature alone took gameplay and multitasking to a whole new level, and the game even had a proper support of multi-monitor setups. Supreme Commander 2 was unveiled during E3 2009, and takes place 25 years after the ending of SupCom: Forged Alliance.

Mass Effect 2 (PC, Xbox 360, January 26, 2010)

One of the many games delayed from late-2009 to early-2010 due to the clogging of several AAA titles this year, Mass Effect 2 continues the story from Mass Effect, this time, it’s a lot darker, according to the developers at BioWare. The game features an updated combat system, improved AI and more detailed characters and animations.

Army Of Two: The 40th Day (PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, January 10, 2010)

While the premise for a great co-op game was laid out in Army Of Two, poor execution and AI crippled the gameplay. The sequel, like all sequels should, will try and make up for those shortcomings. The 40th Day will feature refined controls, the ability to use human shields and to fake a surrender in order to outflank the enemy (meaning you better trust your teammate).

MAG (PS3, January 25, 2010)

MAG (short for Massive Action Game) is trying something no other FPS multiplayer game has been able to pull off before: massive 256 tribes and matches. It’ll feature 128 players per teams, divided into 8-player squads, 4 squads into a platoon, and 4 platoons into a company (8*4*4=128, see?). With 256 players on the map, MAG is set to deliver some of the most intense and frantic combat yet, and will offer detailed stats and rankings, where higher ranked players will be able to command the battle and give orders to individual squads and platoons.

Rage (PC, PS3, Xbox 360 & OS X, Q4, 2010)

Id Software’s first original game in decades, Rage is a fusion between a first person shooter and a racing game set in a post-apocalyptic Mad Max styled world. It’s built on the brand new ID Tech 5 engine, and will ship on 3 DVDs for the Xbox 360 and PC versions, while the PS3 edition will ship on one Blu-ray disc. Id Software legend and Rage developer John Carmack revealed that the game takes up a whopping 1 TB in space when not compressed. 3 DVDs don’t seem that much of a big deal now.

Honorable mentions: LA Noire, Fable 3, Far Cry 3, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Ghost Recon 4, Guild Wars 2, Command & Conquer 4, Thief 4, Dead Rising 2 and Just Cause 2.

Forza 3 offers 400 cars and 100 tracks, all built from scratch with a brand new game engine. Remember Forza 2, how the cars all had “jagged edges” because of no anti aliasing? Well that’s gone, as the cars are beautifully rendered (Turn 10 claims 10 times more polygons than Forza 2 per car, with full damage modeling as well) and the game runs at a constant 60 frames per second. technically, things are certainly looking good. The gameplay however, is where Forza 3 really shines.

The gameplay was already top notch in the previous game, and Turn 10 did a good job at recognizing what was good and what needed more help. Forza 3 can be approached by racing newcomers to veterans of the genre, and each will find the game satisfying, thanks to its detailed customization features. It’s very easy to drive, and the sense of speed is really good. The AI isn’t as challenging on the first two settings, especially in the beginning of your career, but it’ll give you a good fight most of the time. The career mode is lengthy and takes place over several seasons. As with Forza 2, after each tournament (and there are plenty of those) you get awarded a car — in addition to credits — that you can use for the next tournament and so on. And just like in recent racing games, there’s a rewind feature that lets you rewind a few moments in case you crash at the last turn, which, with this being a racing game, will inevitably happen. However, Forza 3 offers and unlimited amount of rewinds, which means some of the tension that always accompanies high-speed, high-stake races is gone. All things considered, if you played and are familiar with Forza 2’s gameplay, you’ll feel right at home in Forza 3.

In Forza 2, you could paint your car not just whatever color you wanted, but you could create custom designs and even trade and sell your car in the online marketplace. Forza 3 features all of that and some more, including now, for the first time, you can sell and buy custom designs instead of the whole car. So if you want that cool custom logo, you can just spend a few in-game credits (not real money, mind you, this isn’t EA) and get it on your favorite car. The multiplayer portion is as solid as it always was in Forza, and coupled with the new cars, tracks and new customization features, it’s even better to race against real-life opponents online.

Overall, Forza Motorsport 3 is a must have for any racing fan, whether you’re into arcade or simulation, you’ll find plenty to do in Forza 3. And until Gran Turismo 5 comes out, Forza 3 will solidly sit on the throne of racing games.

The Good:
Great selection of cars and tracks
Solid gameplay
Great customization features

The Bad:
Rewind feature prone to abuse
Career mode can get repetitive

Overall score: 9/10

EA has just announced that the demo for the recently released Need for Speed: Shift is set to drop for the Xbox 360 and Playstation this Thursday, October 1st.

Included in the demo is the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps racetrack along with one set in the middle of London for you to try out the below 6 cars:

• 2006 Lotus Elise 111R
• 2006 Pagani Zonda
• 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10
• 2008 Nissan GT-R
• BMW M3 (E46)

The game is already out so once you play the demo and fall in love, head over to your local retailer to snag a copy.

via gamesareevil

Just a quick update here — It was recently made known that the single player demo for Forza Motorsport 3 has been released for Xbox Live and clocks in at a modest 1.25GB. There haven’t been very many details regarding the content featured in said demo but if you want to find out just head over to the Xbox Live Marketplace, click on New Arrivals and snag the download beucase it is free, after all.

The actual game, however, will be out exclusively for the Xbox 360 on October 27th.

Need For Speed Shift is the 13th Need For Speed game, and it appears that this time, the developers were looking to just get it right, not re-invent the wheel (pardon the pun). The career mode begins by throwing you on a track alone in a BMW, in order to test your skills (the game adapts the difficulty when you complete the track). While that’s a great idea, it’s frightful when you’re driving the first time, the controls are all over the place and you feel like quitting before even completing the first lap. Suffice to say, the first impression is rather bad. After fiddling with the setting and learning to proper handle the cars, it gets better, but we would have expected a better learning curve from such experienced racing developers.

The career mode includes 150 racing events, but you’re not forced to complete all of them before advancing to the grand tour, which kinda feels like a short cut. During each race, you get stars (points), not only for finishing, but for stuff like achieving the highest speed, or going through corners the right way or causing your opponents to spin or crash. It means that even if you don’t finish first, you can still accumulate enough to advance. The opponent AI is very aggressive, even on the easiest difficulty, and will often ram you and spin you off track, even if it doesn’t always seem like the most realistic thing to do. One thing the game excels at, is the sense of speed when you’re driving. The faster you go, everything seems more and more frantic, especially if you’re inside the driver cockpit.

The game is trying to be both a simulator and arcade racer at the same time — the controls are tight and every little mistake is punished, yet you’re encouraged to force your opponents to crash and to do slides and drifts, which, at least with the default setting, will almost always go wrong. It’s in the middle between simulation and arcade, it’s got the worse of both worlds. The game support 8 player online multiplayer, and here it’s even more confusing, as it always seems as the main objective for everyone is to just ram into each other get get points that way. I had a difficult time completing one single online race where everyone acted somewhat “decent”.

Technically, the game isn’t the best looking; the cars aren’t that detailed and the selection of cars isn’t that big to begin with. The tracks on the other hand, look great and are aplenty of. The online mode ran smooth, even though the experience wasn’t that great. If you long for a great driving game this holiday season, we’d recommend Dirt 2 over NFS Shift any day, but if you’re an NFS junkie, it’s still worth it.

The Good:
Great sense of speed
Lots of detailed tracks

The Bad:
Steep learning curve
Not that many cars
Unrealistic opponent AI

Overall score: 6/10

The top 10 chart:

1. 1: Need for Speed Shift
2. 2: Guitar Hero 5
3. 3: Dirt 2
4. 4: Batman: Arkham Asylum
5. 5: Wii Sports Resort
6. 6: Wet
7. 7: The Beatles: Rock Band
8. 8: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
9. 9: Wii Fit
10. 10: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010

10: Avatar (November 15)

James Cameron’s upcoming sci-fi epic Avatar has been in production for years and sci-fi fans around the world are looking forward to its December premiere. The game adaptation, developed by Ubisoft, uses the same technology as the film, and will be in 3D as well.Very little is known about the game, mostly because it follows the movie closely, which itself has been a tightly kept secret.

9: NBA 2K10/NBA Live 10 (October 6)

The rivalry between NBA basketball series NBA 2K and NBA Live has been ongoing for several years, and for the 2010 versions of the respective games — which will be released on the same day — the stakes are even higher. 2K Games and EA have added a ton of new features to their games, which will make this years line up even more compelling to basketball fans around the world.

8: Aion: The Tower of Eternity (September 22)

Korean developer/publisher NCsoft is known for creating lots of MMOs, from Lineage, to Guild Wars, to the failed Auto Assault. Aion is their latest creation, and unlike many other MMOs, the main attraction here is that combat will, for the most part be airborne. Unfortunately however, unlike Guild Wars, Aion will be subscription based, and will cost $15 a month to be a part of.

7: Halo 3: ODST (September 22)

Halo 3 ODST (”Orbital Drop Shock Troopers”), doesn’t follow the main protagonist Master Chief, instead, it centers around an unknown soldier, “The Rookie”, who crash lands on a hostile planet and must find his teammates. While it’s not a true sequel, rather something in between Halo 3 and the upcoming Halo Reach, it’ll most certainly satisfy hard core Halo fans this holiday season.

6: Assassin’s Creed 2 (November 17)

Assassin’s Creed 2 features an all new setting: Venice during the Renaissance in the 15th century, where the player will not only have the opportunity to roam free around the city by jumping from rooftop to rooftop, it’ll also have the option of swimming in the countless canals. Even cooler, your weapons and gadgets will be made by none other than Leonardo da Vinci, who has been recreated in the game.

5: New Super Mario Bros. Wii (November 15)

New Super Mario Bros. for the DS was a mega hit for Nintendo, and true to company nature, it’s releasing a NSMB game on the Wii, which will be a sequel to the DS game. It’ll feature four-player multiplayer gameplay throughout the single-player campaign, and will include Wiimote motion capabilities (although players can still play the “classic” way by holding the Wiimote horizontally).

4: Forza Motorsport 3 (October 27)

Forza Motorsport 2 was the ultimate racing sim on the Xbox 360, and Forza 3 will take that to a whole new level, with over 400 cars which are ten times as detailed as in Forza 2, and 100 tracks as well, all built with a brand new graphics engine. The single player mode will include over 200 events, ranging from racing, to time trails and even drifting competitions.

3: Left 4 Dead 2 (November 17)

Despite the outrage among hardcore Left 4 Dead fans that Valve was doing a sequel only a year after the original game, lots of Left 4 Dead fans are eagerly awaiting the sequel, which brings four new survivors, a new setting and a lot of new weapons, including chainsaws and other melee weapons.

2: Borderlands (October 20)

Gearbox’ Borderlands was originally announced back in 2007, and was pretty much left alone until earlier this year, when an all new art style of the game was revealed. It’s a first person shooter with RPG elements and a “drop-in/drop-out” co-op mode in single player, set in a “Mad Max” type environment. Players will have a choice between four different characters, each with different abilities and skill trees.

1: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (November 10)

The sequel to the best selling FPS game in history has a lot to live up to, from compelling single player campaign to fully fledged multiplayer, and it looks like Modern Warfare 2 will accomplish all of that, and then some. It’ll build on the classic MW multiplayer formula by offering even more unlocks and bonuses, including perks that are now upgradeable.Even the visuals have greatly improved, with an updated version of the engine that will provide even more detailed worlds than before.

Inside the box you will find the 250GB Xbox 360, of course, in addition to 2 wireless controllers, an Xbox 360 headset and Forza Motorsport 3. American gamers need not get excited as this SKU is currently exclusive to the European market when it drops on October 23rd for £249.99 or about $413.

In Dirt 2, you play as a rookie race driver who’s competing with pros (all from the real world Rally Series), and the campaign follows you through tons of races and competitions. It even starts fairly emotionally, as you’re given your first car, which is none other than the Subaru Impreza that the late Colin McRae drove. The campaign is fairly long and your competitors are quite good — but not too good. The difficulty can be adjusted before each match, and as something new in the series, you have a “flash back” feature, where you can turn back time a dozen seconds, which is paramount when you make a bad turn just before the finish like and lose the number one spot. It’s a great feature, however, it’s not prone to too much abuse, as you have a maximum of five flashbacks on the easiest setting, and even fewer on the harder settings. The campaign mode has some 100 events, some of which comprise of multiple races, but it’ll still give you about 10 hours of gameplay. In addition to that, there’s an online multiplayer mode, which is well executed and a lot of fun to play, however, there is no split-screen multiplayer mode, which is kind of a shame.

There are 35 cars in the game, all which can be upgraded and tuned before each race. If a tack has a lot of long, straight parts, you can adjust the transmission to give you a higher top speed instead of faster acceleration, and vice versa, if it’s a track with plenty of turns, you do the opposite. Best of all, everything is easy to explain and simple to use, and you’ll quickly get a hold of it. In Dirt 2, you can not only drive standard rally cars, but trucks and buggies too — which are quite fun. All cars feature damage and deformation as you bump into other cars and rocks, however, you can adjust so that the damage can impact the performance of your car, or simply be cosmetically different. One of the things that stands out compared to the predecessor, is the AI. Your opponents are some of the most believable in a racing game, and you constantly get a feeling that they’re “real” folks who are trying to win the race just as you. Occasionally, just as you will, they’ll gamble too much and crash. Another great update is the co-driver, who’ll give you accurate directions and criticize you if you’re doing bad, and should you smash into something, you’ll hear them scream as well. It can get too repetitive, but it does the job well, as you will rarely be looking at the minimap, and instead just listen to your co-driver.

Technically, the game looks gorgeous, runs smooth at a constant frame rate, and exhibits almost no bugs and glitches. The little details like the dust gathering on the car as it progresses though the race are great touches. If you’re into racing, not just rally, Dirt 2 is simply a must have game.

The Good:
Great campaign mode
Visually stunning
Online multiplayer

The Bad:
No split-screen multiplayer

Overall score: 9/10

The video itself runs at 60FPS so you’re really going to be able to see just how good Gran Turismo PSP’s graphics really are. Unforunately, you’re going to have to wait until October 1st to actually get your hands on the game.

Head over to Eurogamer to peep the video, here.

via kotaku

• Mystic Silver PSP-3000
• Gran Turismo
• Exclusive car download – Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
• 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo
• Music voucher good for 10 songs

The bundle will retail for $200 and will hit retail stores on October 20th. The standalone version of the portable Gran Turismo will be available on October 1st to coincide with the release of the PSP Go. The game will be obtainable both in UMD format and as a download via the PlayStation Network.