Cars

If you're anything like me, driving exotic cars has become passe. My everyday car is a Bugatti Veyron, and on weekends I drive a 1936 Cord 810 Phaeton. They're okay and all, but seriously, there have to be dozens of other people on the planet driving those cars. I long for something special. Something one-of-a-kind. I long to drive the kind of hero cars you can only find in Hollywood movies... and video games.

Unless you're lucky enough to work as a performer at Universal Studios, you'll probably never drive the Ghostbusters' Ecto1, but at least you can pretend in games. Below please find my highly personal list of movie and TV super-cars, and the best games in which to drive them.

KITT from Knight Rider -- If you've ever wanted to sit inside a poncy British butler, KITT. is the vehicle for you. Filled with personality and an Old World fussiness, KITT was always a bigger star than that poser David Hasselhoff. The best place to drive KITT is in Knight Rider: The Game, a forgettable, mission-based driving game where all you do is tool around in the black, super-teched out Trans Am. But don't take my word for it: Check out this ancient review from Extended Play. Nice hair, Adam Sessler!

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If you're in the mood for some hot car chases, police pursuits and other automotive mayhem, the new Need for Speed Hot Pursuit video has all of this and more. You'll be racing with up to eight of your friends online, as either a cop or a racer, and enjoying 100s of miles of awesome tracks and road.

Check it out:

Here's an interesting rumor: Activision is putting out a NASCAR game. When last we heard of the racing league's video game rights, they were held by Electronic Arts, but last year, EA said they had "no plans right now" to put out any more NASCAR games. We hear (through VG 247) that Activision plans to put out a NASCAR game, and that a game announcement is "imminent."

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In an article about Chrysler's upcoming care line, The Wall Street Journal unveiled an interesting game related detail. The company may release a Call of Duty: Black Ops themed Jeep, and --spoiler alert--the Jeep will be the "Hero" vehicle in the game itself. Jeez, product placement much, Activision?

Here's the official description from the WSJ:

"The Jeep Wrangler’s Sahara model will feature a hard-top that can match the color of the vehicle’s body. The interior has been changed to allow more flexible storage areas and heated seats. The Wrangler will also be the “Hero” vehicle in the Call of Duty: Black Ops video game due out next month. To celebrate, Jeep will produce a limited-edition Call of Duty Jeep. CEO Mike Manley – without comment – rolled out a concept Jeep –pickup truck hybrid that is all Jeep in the front. He didn’t say if Chrysler is considering building it."

So let's say Jeep does decide to sell the CoD concept Jeep -- are you buying? Do you think anyone else would pick one up? It seems like the bro-riffic transport offered by Jeep Wranglers doesn't really mix with the hardcore gamer crowd who would want a video game branded vehicle, but maybe I'm mis-reading things. What do you think?

Source: Wall Street Journal

When Need for Speed Hot Pursuit launches across platforms on November 16, you'll have the option of picking up a special edition of the game that will come with six exotic cars to race, right out of the box. The limited edition will cost exactly as much as the unlimited edition, but will give you an advantage in the early goings of the game, as you won't need to level up to drive these autos.

The Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Limited Edition delivers these exotic whips:  Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, Ford Shelby GT500, Audi TT RS Coupé, Chevrolet Camaro SS, Porsche Cayman S and Dodge Challenger SRT8. The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and Ford Shelby GT500 are only available in the Limited Edition – and will not be available at any other time.

For those players who miss the opportunity to pick up the Limited Edition, the Audi TT RS Coupé, Chevrolet Camaro SS, Porsche Cayman S and Dodge Challenger SRT8 can be unlocked by leveling up in the game.

Sandbox style racing and lifestyle game Test Drive Unlimited 2 has been delayed until early 2011. The reason: To make the game better by tweaking and refining the all-important multiplayer aspects of the game.

"To date, Test Drive Unlimited 2 has generated great media buzz and incredible excitement amongst gamers and fans of the franchise," said David Nadal, Studio Manager of Eden Games. ”By moving the title’s release date to early 2011, we will be able to further advance the game and take into account consumer feedback to help ensure we deliver a great online lifestyle racing experience.”

I played this one at E3,  and while it wasn't my favorite game of the show, no doubt it's a very ambitious title. So I'm not surprised by the delay.

Who among you was waiting for this one?

How can Gran Turismo 5 get any better at their real driving physics? The only way to find out is to check out the Comic-Con 2010 preview for GT 5, in which we get way in-depth about the realest driving experience short of actually getting into your 1996 Saturn and taking a spin.

EA and Black Box's racing MMO Need for Speed World will be available for download on PCs on July 27.

Since racing is all about getting a good start, NfS has you covered: You can download the "starter pack" today for $20, which will give you access to $20 worth of in-game currency, full access up to level 50 and a bunch of power-ups like Nitrous and Traffic Magnet to get you up to speed.

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Creative Director Martin Edmonson takes us through the hilly streets of the city in Driver: San Fransisco, the latest incarnation of the popular Driver series with upgraded drive handling, iconic car chases and more.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 may be the driving game you're looking for... if you're the kind of person who likes driving around in expensive cars in a tropical paradise. Surprisingly, G4's Stephen Johnson is not such a person. In his E3 2010 preview, Johnson says:

"Test Drive Unlimited 2 offers thousands of miles of roads and trails on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza and Oahu, Hawaii as a free-roam worlds, open to multiple players, as well as a ton of licensed cars including exotic vehicles like the Gumpert Apollo hypercar and your standard issue Lamborghinis and Ferraris. There's a cool weather effects, a day and night cycle and even vehicle damage. You basically drive around, sightseeing, issuing instant racing challenges to your pals, or competing against AI cars. If you'd rather a story, there's a whole plot mode as well. You can even own and decorate a home and invite your pals over. Pretty much a car-lifestyle MMO."

Make sure to check out our updated Test Drive Unlimited 2 preview from E3 2010.

Get ready to race! We played Gran Turismo 5 at E3 2010, and brought back our impressions. Sterling McGarvey says...

"GT5 will boast over 1000 vehicles, divided into standard and premium cars. Kazunori showed off a trailer that highlighted the 800 standards, including classic cars and rally vehicles. The vehicles cover the majority of cars previously included across the entire GT series, but they've been optimized for the PS3's graphics shader. He then went into great detail on the 200 premium cars and the physicality of models. Both types will feature physics-based damage, as well as body scratches, dents and dirt. Premium class vehicles, however, will also feature separation of panels and vehicle deformation, plus fully modeled interiors that accurately recreate the real thing. Just to prove his point, Kazunori showed off pictures of real life vehicle components, such as a wheel, the engine bay of a Lamborghini, a Nissan GT, and a Super GT car, complete with harnesses and wiring. It's hyperreal in comparison, and helps you realize why the game has taken so long: the level of perfectionism on display is jarring. "We worked too hard on this; it's almost better suited for next gen of PlayStation," Kazunori said. Don't get any ideas, please."

Check out our E3 2010 preview of Gran Turismo 5!

Ubisoft dropped some precious, precious details on Driver: San Francisco at E3 this year, revealing that the game will offer two different kinds of retro action. The first kind of retro: Nostalgia for the original Driver games. John Tanner, the protaonist from Driver is back, and the enemy from Driver 2, Charles Jericho is back too.

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Looking for a more exotic Forza Motorsport 3 ride? Jump on to Xbox Live for The Exotic Car Pack (400 MS points) to grab the latest speed machines to have at your disposal like the SSC Ultimate Aero, the Guinness World Record holder for the fastest street-legal car. Check the trailer below and click through the cut for the full list of vehicular land rockets.

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In the video below, Morgan Webb talks to Associate Producer Lip Ho about the new multiplatform racing game, Blur. Find out about track locations, power-ups, Boss Cars, offensive weapons, defensive shields and more in this X-Play preview of Blur. It's like Mario Kart meets Gran Turismo.

In other words: awesome time!

Noticing a lack of games on the market that feature cars, Atari this morning announced Test Drive Unlimited 2.

Developed by Eden Games, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is described as an MOOR or Massively Open Online Racing game that features "rare, desirable cars" and puts players in "a persistent online environment" that promises to revolutionize multiplayer racing communities by offering teams, achievements, and other "creations."

Other features include vehicle damage, weather effects, day and night cycles, and a new island to explore -- the last game featured over 1000 miles of roads in Oahu, Hawaii, so there's a pretty high bar-of-awesome to clear here. The announcement release promises: "Unlike any other driving game, TDU2 blends the open world experience with realistic vehicles and performance dynamics." Along with the racing, the game will allow players to "define their online persona through the customization of their vehicles, and the acquisition of property, clothing and all the accouterments of a luxurious car-based lifestyle."

I can't stand people who have car-based lifestyles in the actual world, but that may be because I drive a 10 year-old Saab and wear broken aviator sunglasses I bought at Rite Aid. But game-wise, I'm thankful that TDU 2 features car damage. I don't know about you, but I can't stand playing a racing game where cars don't show actual damage after a crash. I won't play them. In the real world, you can't get in a 15 mph smash without it totaling your car or at least necessitating a new bumper, but game-cars flip off cliffs and don't even damage the paint. It takes me right out of the game world, especially in racing games that strives for realism in physics and car designs.

No release date has been announced, but the game will be out on the PS3 and 360.

What do you think? Are you excited for this one?