Driven to drool: The best upcoming racing games
As racing is a mainstay in the videogame industry, a new batch of driving games and racing-oriented gear is revealed every year, much to the delight of car enthusiasts. Some of them aim to achieve a realistic driving experience while others opt for a lighter take with cart-style, physics-be-damned fun.
That said, only a few stand out from each year’s crop, boosted by the requisite improvement to graphics and odd twists on time-worn expectations.
After cruising the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center last week, we’ve narrowed down five driving games and gear that grabbed our attention during the annual gaming extravaganza.
Forza Motorsport 4 (Microsoft; Xbox 360, Kinect; October 11)
Fourth in the Forza Motorsport series, this Microsoft-published racing simulation aims, as always, for realism and includes the virtual likenesses of some of the world’s most coveted cars. We’re talking Ferrari Testa Rossa and Ferrari Enzo; Lamborghini Reventon; Aston Martin Vantage; Jaguar XFR; Mosler MT900S and Mercedes Benz SLS AMG.
New to the series is Kinect compatibility in which the Xbox 360’s add-on, motion capture camera is used optionally in “Autovista” mode. With it, you sit comfortably on the couch and “air drive” with your hands grabbing an imaginary steering wheel to control the car.
This Kinect mode will also track your head movement so you can look around or into a turn independently from where you’re actually steering the car. Fairly cool, save for the fact that you still have to keep your eyes fixed on the TV screen, which is somewhat contrary to the point.
You can also walk around any given car, ogle its lines, open the doors, and literally kick the tires, a feature all the more appreciable when you consider all the aforementioned supercars in the house.
Need for Speed: The Run (Electronic Arts; Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, 3DS, iPad, iPhone, PC; November 2011)
With a long and formerly lauded history, the latest Need for Speed plays to a basic premise: you steal a car and take part in an illicit, cross-country race. While making your way from San Francisco to New York City, you’re chased by members of the mob, who relentlessly pursue you along with the police.
Getaway cars include the Audi R8 V10, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Super Snake, Ford Taurus SHO Police Interceptor, BMW M3 GTS, Pagani Huayra, Mazda RX-7, Nissan GT-R, Aston Martin V12 Vantage and Porsche 911.
Alfa Romeo 159 Ti - News
The contrivance allows players to “shift” from car to car — think “out of body experience powered by Google Maps” — picking from any old car on the road but preferably something like the available Alfa Romeo: 159 Ti, a Bentley Mulsanne,
Non cambia in modo sostanziale, ma la 159 model year 2011 si ripresenta ai nastri di partenza con tessuti interni più pregiati e dotazioni più complete, offrendo inoltre nuovi pacchetti tra cui quello denominato Ti dell'esemplare in prova che,
ALFA ROMEO 159 SW 1.9 JTD150 16v TI , 84248 kms. , Noir , garantie: Autoexpert 12 mois , année millésime 2008. Equipements: Anti-blocage des roues,Régulateur de vitesse,ESP,Antipatinage,Radio CD,Jantes Aluminium,Direction assistée,Radar de recul
Az Alfa Romeo zászlóshajójának, vagyis a 159-esnek pedig különösképp kijár a tisztelet, ezt pedig hihetetlen érzés volt a saját bőrömön is megtapasztalni. Nem is csoda, hogy az autó effajta pozitív megkülönböztetéssel bír, hiszen megjelenése már első
C'est tout à fait honorable pour cette longue berline de 4,63 mètres pour 1 536 Kg. Le break suédois ne rejette que 119 g/km là où une Alfa Romeo 159 SW Ti est à 137 g/km (l'italienne offre toutefois un peu plus puissance). La BMW 316d Touring 115ch
Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon 2.0 JTDM TI (2011) CAR review | Zero Point
First DrivesHere’s the thing about the Alfa Romeo 159: it could be launched today and I’d wager you and I would be slavering over it. You’d be hard pressed to believe this is a six-year-old design, so shapely is the 159’s style. And the 159 Sportwagon estate is equally desirable – those Design Giugiaro badges on the flanks seem very deserved.
That’s the trouble with Alfa Romeos. They tug at the heart strings. Always have, probably always will. We tested the latest Alfa 159 Sportwagon 2.0 JTDM with 170bhp and, in its optional pearly red (not pictured), it gathered more attention in the office car park than any other car nearing the end of its life has any right to. There’s still a bit of a wait, as the new Alfa Romeo Giulia launch has been pushed back to 2013.
photo : carmagazine.co.uk
So the Alfa Romeo 159 has an abundance of style. Does it have the depth of skills to back up those slinky looks?Sadly when you look beyond that Latin visage, some of the 159 package is beginning to feel its age. From the moment you plip the key, only to hear ominous Subaru-style beeps that’ll alarm your neighbours, you realise some of the tech onboard is, ahem, a little old tech.
Sink into those fab, grippy front seats (standard on our top-dog TI trim) and it’s a mixed bag. The dashboard feels a few years behind the latest C-class and A4, although we note the 2005 3-series is feeling its age now too (it will be replaced in 2012). It’s to do with the 159’s cheaper plastics (ours sported light scratches around the gearlever); the chaotic ergonomics with the Alfa sat-nav mounted down low practically at knee level; electronic read-outs seemingly from the 1990s; passenger footwell carpet that fell loose revealing floorpan behind; and a multimedia screen that feels a little too Halfords for our liking. The sat-nav functionality is way behind the competition and the Bluetooth failed to pair with my Blackberry.
It’s not all bad news. The dash top has a pleasingly soft squidge to it, while the driving position is reassuringly good, the driver’s seat tipping front and back for plenty of choice. Time to do the road test review bit.
How does the Alfa 159 JTD drive?Start up the 2.0 JTDM and you immediately notice how well behaved this common-rail diesel engine is. We shouldn’t be surprised; the Fiat group did invent common-rail diesels a decade ago, and they continue to produce some cracking oilers in all shapes and sizes.
Alfa Romeo 159 Ti - Bookshelf
Quantum of Solace, Land Rover Defender, for Your Eyes Only, Alfa Romeo 159, Another Way to Die
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Alfa Romeo 159 Ti
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2007 Alfa Romeo 159 TI - Top Speed
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