At the Media Briefing, Bizarre Creations' Craig Howard and Brian Woodhouse showed off Project Gotham Racing 4. The game will include manufacturers Honda, Ducati, and Suzuki for motorcycles, which can race alongside cars, of which there are over 120. When riding the motorcycle, you can pull some fancy tricks, wheelies, endos and taunting maneuvers. On the Live side of things, for the first time, gamers will be able to share photos and videos with what's called "PGR On Demand". We can't wait to get some hands on time in the coming days.
Bizarre Creations has confirmed that they are currently working on downloadable content for their firecracker of an XBLA game Boom Boom Rocket. The specifics like price and release date are still unknown, but what we do know is that the DLC will include five new songs. Which new songs? Well, that also has yet to be confirmed, but they did hint that the new tracks will be harder and should pose a challenge to even the most experienced Boom Boom Rocketers. We'll be sure to keep our ears open and our eyes peeled for any new info that heads our way concerning the new Boom Boom Rocket DLC. Boom!
Today, Bizarre Creations released the official box art for Project Gotham Racing 4 (viewable after the break) featuring a closeup of a red vehicle sporting a PGR 4 emblem. It's quite the interesting choice for box art as we're on the fence about the design. But if you look closer you'll see something that's very interesting. Behind the PGR 4 logo is the reflection of a motorcycle blazing past the car. Does this mean that motorcycles will be drivable in the fourth edition of the PGR franchise and is this Bizarre's big exciting announcement? We aren't sure, but we'd be liars if we didn't say that we're a little uneasy about including motorcycles in our PGR franchise. Here's to hoping Bizarre Creations knows what they're doing.
Gamespot has a video hands on demo of Wii/DS title, Geometry Wars Galaxies, and while it is for a competing platform, there is one thing worth bringing to your attention. During the gameplay demo, whenever the Bizarre Creations developer pauses the game, the word "Achievements" is clearly shown in the pause menu. Also worth noting is that the selection is skipped over whenever scrolling down to "Exit Game". So, the tradition may be kept alive with a new Geometry Wars game released alongside PGR4. Either that, or else the Wii version will have in-game Achievements, which may or may not be "allowed". Either way, very interesting stuff.
When we found out that Project Gotham Racing had been used to promote the PS3 for a third time, it took every ounce of strength we could muster to avoid making a 300 "This is madness!" joke. The truth is though, this is madness. First, PGR3 was used by Sony to promote a trailer for Gran Turismo HD, then it was used again by Kia for a PS3 promotion. This time the offending publication is from Media Markt, one of Europe's largest electronics store chains, which overlays a PS3 on top of this image from PGR3. In an ironic twist, the article in question is apparently about the Playstation 3's future.
At this rate, we'll be seeing PGR3 images in the next ad for Ratchet & Clank.
Back in January Xbox 360 Fanboys everywhere erupted with laughter when Sony accidentally used an image from Project Gotham Racing 3 to promote Gran Turismo HD. Well, it's happened again, though Sony likely isn't at fault. A KIA website ad used an image of a car from PGR3 which alternated with the real version the same car. Making this even funnier is the Playstation 3 branding all over the screen. As CVG notes, it was more likely someone at KIA who made the mistake, not Sony. Still, the irony of using an Xbox 360 game to promote the graphical realism of the PS3 is just too good. The ad has since been changed, but you can see the offending image (including the telltale license plate) above.
New details regarding Bizarre Creations' upcoming Kudos-centric racer Project Gotham Racing 4, have hit the internets. That being said, they are very similar to previous reports from some European magazines. We've seen these bullet points before, and they're all good, from fist pumping to dynamic weather AI, loyal fanbases through your career, and refined Kudos system. Still, the video looks hot, and the game is excessively pretty. So with all the racingnews today, are you tempted to get the wheel so you can tailspin in the snow of Shanghai for massive damage Kudos?
Next Gen recently took a long look at Bizarre Creations'The Club. Touched on briefly before, The Club is a 3rd person action shooter being published by SEGA. We imagine many fanboys are already thinking that the Xbox 360 has enough 3rd person shooters as is, but The Club looks to offer something different. Yeah, we've heard that before, but Bizarre looks like they're set to deliver.
In the market for a 1988 Ford Granada Ghia? No, well that's not the point. Earlier this year developer Bizarre Creations prettified a Granada (called the "Granzilla") to race in Europe's Scumball 3000 rally to earn cash for the NSPCC charity. They placed 10th in the rally and earned some cash, but they want more. So, they decided to eBay their Granzilla in hopes of earning more cash for the NSPCC. According to Bizarre, the Granzilla has "2 cup holders, an engine, and a steering wheel" and is pimped out with rally stickers galore. What more could a fanboy want other than an advanced copy of PGR 4? If you live in Europe, have some extra cash, and want to help out charity head on over to the eBay auction and bid, bid, bid away. We know you love the pumpkin car.
Bizarre Creation's latest Studio Update goes into the mechanics of Boom Boom Rocket's fireworks. While it has no effect on the gameplay, it's cool to see the amount of detail that went into creating the different types of standard fireworks. On top of that, the details on what purpose they have in the musical timing, and when they are most frequently seen is also cool. Beyond the description for the types of fireworks, Bizarre also shed some light on the size of the title (around 73 MB), the level of detail in the city, and even a few of the easter eggs found in the environment. If you want to get the full skinny, click the "Read" link.
Xboxic got their hands on a Polish magazine with new Project Gotham Racing 4 pics and details. Some of the new features that the busy bees over at Bizarre Creations are implementing include vehicle models using 70 to 100 thousand polygons, improved spectators on the track, 200+ courses, and better physics in online matches to avoid turning the game into Burnout. Other cool tidbits include that the AI you race against have character, with their own styles and personality, a revamped career mode, as well as you create your driver, specifying nationality etc. For the complete list, click the "Read" link. So, is PGR4 shaping up alright in light of the new info?
As the second Xbox Live Arcade title from Bizarre Creations -- creators of Geometry Wars -- and the first Arcade title published by Electronic Arts, Boom Boom Rocket comes with considerable expectations attached to it. Geometry Wars is arguably the best title on Live Arcade and it's certainly one of the best values. It is also one of the most difficult. Boom Boom Rocket, by comparison, is a much simpler affair (for twice the price). Anyone who has played Dance Dance Revolution (or even Guitar Hero to a certain extent) will be instantly familiar with Boom Boom Rocket. As multicolored fireworks race towards a line at the top of the screen, it is the player's task to press the appropriate buttons as they pass the bar to the beat of the music. See, simple.
Boom Boom Rocket mixes up the formula slightly by sending fireworks in multiple directions, rather than straight up as in DDR. Half the challenge is seeing which firework will cross the line next. Thanks to the varying trajectories, the firework that appears on screen first won't necessarily be the first to cross the line. When multiple button combinations are flying all at once, it can get pretty hectic. Another edition to the DDR formula is the Bonus Run feature. Once your Bonus Bar is full, the Bonus Run can be activated with a pull of either trigger. This bumps the point multiplier up to x16 and makes your fireworks have more dazzling explosions. It's a simple addition, but it makes those moments a little more thrilling.
In a surprisingly late announcement, Bizarre Creations just released their second big arcade title to the XBLA ... Boom Boom Rocket! BBR offers crazy colorful visuals while you master setting off fireworks in rhythm to various music tracks. This fireworks show will set you back 800 Microsoft points and be released to the US, Canada and Europe initially with other territories to follow. We're excited to see if all the exploding fun is worth the 800 points, but knowing full well that there is no online multiplayer makes us a little cautious. No matter, that's what demos are for, so there is no reason not to give it a download. But remember fanboys, always have an adult nearby when exploding your fireworks. We don't want to hear about one of you accidentally blowing off your arms. Now, where's our lighter?
The obsessive types over at Xbox360Achievements have uncovered the full list of achievements for Boom Boom Rocket. X3F readers will recall that BBR is the second XBLA title created by Bizarre Creations (with the first being the excellent Geometry Wars) and the first Arcade title to be published by Electronic Arts. Boom Boom Rocket is a rhythm game akin to Dance Dance Revolution. Players match the appropriate button to the beat, trigger fireworks that are oh so pretty. The title contains the standard 12 achievements and 200 gamerscore points. Most of the achievements come from things like completing songs on a certain difficulty level or with a certain rating.
With the achievements revealed, could this mean that Boom Boom Rocket is close to release? We'll have to wait and see. Hit the "read" link to check out the achievements.
Today, Bizarre Creations released the official box art for Project Gotham Racing 4 (viewable after the break) featuring a closeup of a red vehicle sporting a PGR 4 emblem. It's quite the interesting choice for box art as we're on the fence about the design. But if you look closer you'll see something that's very interesting. Behind the PGR 4 logo is the reflection of a motorcycle blazing past the car. Does this mean that motorcycles will be drivable in the fourth edition of the PGR franchise and is this Bizarre's big exciting announcement? We aren't sure, but we'd be liars if we didn't say that we're a little uneasy about including motorcycles in our PGR franchise. Here's to hoping Bizarre Creations knows what they're doing.
