Games
You thought 2015 was a good year for racers? Wait until you see what’s lined up on next year’s grid.
2015 has already been a stellar year for racing game fans, delivering top tarmac experiences from the full-on Forza Motorsport 6 to the high-octane F1 2015, and you’ve been able to get down and dirty with the slick off-roader, DiRT Rally. Of course, with both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 getting into their strides, and as developers start to maximise the potential of both consoles, we’re sure to see even better, more realistic and more action-packed racers hit the road next year – and we’ve got just the ticket for you. Join us as we run through next year’s top racing picks that’ll make you feel like you’re a champion as you’re lifting your digital trophies.
Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo
Codemasters’ DiRT Rally has been scratching our itch for careening around hairpin turns with nothing but dirt and gravel under our tyres, but frankly, we simply want more rally action in our lives. Enter Milestone’s Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo, the next big racing project from the folks behind two-wheeled racing games such as Ride and MotoGP. Hitting Xbox One, PS4 and PC, Milestone is using its racing expertise to give its own take on the rally genre, and from what we’ve seen, it looks to be as authentic as possible. With Loeb onboard giving pointers for the game, and with over 300km of real existing stages for you to tackle, it should be a rallying delight when it hits shelves early next year.
Gran Turismo Sport
We’re all waiting for the next big Gran Turismo game, but we might have to wait a bit more: Gran Turismo Sport, the next instalment in Polyphony Digital’s supreme racing franchise, is not billed as Gran Turismo 7, nor is it a Prologue sort of demo title that has preceded past major GT titles previously. This is much more than what you’ll get from a Prologue-style GT product, and with Gran Turismo’s partnership with the FIA behind the upcoming title, you can expect that it’ll pack in some truly competitive racing action.
While details on Sport are currently slim, the PS4 racer will pack in three distinct modes: Campaign, Sports and Arcade, all ready for you to hit the tarmac with, and there’ll be a focus on online racing and virtual championships fully recognised by the FIA. It’s not quite a fully fledged Gran Turismo title, but we’re still looking forward to what Sport brings to the table, and it could help further push the world of digital racing even more forward. With a beta on the way early in 2016, we’re looking forward to strapping in with Sport when the full release is ready for the masses.
Trackmania Turbo
Fiendishly addictive racing series Trackmania is back for more high-octane thrills, as Trackmania Turbo is on the way next year. Delayed from its 2015 debut, the next instalment in the series brings all the usual fast-paced, arcade-style action that Trackmania is known for, where it’s down to you to nail the fastest time possible on a variety of tracks – or to create your own with the game’s own track builder. With a long history on PC, the franchise looks like the perfect fit for consoles too, and it seems that Nadeo agrees, as it’s partnered up with Ubisoft to bring it to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 – the first time the series will be hitting a console since 2009’s Trackmania title on the Wii. Look forward to trash-talking your mates while you’re upside down in a loop-the-loop early next year.
Drift Stage
Bathing in a ray of nostalgia and retro-tinged sunshine is Kickstarter hit, Drift Stage, which looks like it’ll be zooming into launch next year – and with it comes a glorious custom-made ‘80s soundtrack, more 3D 8-bit-style motors to drive sideways with, sunny beachside tracks and even more drift action than Ken Block can handle. The alpha builds the three-man team have been putting out before have been nothing short of fun, and we can’t wait for the final game to hit digital download destinations when it’s ready to roll in 2016.
Formula Fusion
Nintendo and Sony seem to have abandoned F-Zero and WipEout respectively, and cast them to the scrapheap to pretty much gather dust, which is why plenty of other developers have picked up the slack on the futuristic racing front. One of the most promising is R8 Games’ Formula Fusion, which looks like a true spiritual successor to the classic WipEout franchise, including many similar design choices (assisted by The Designers Republic, which helped shape the aesthetic of the original PS1 title), as well as team members behind the original futuristic racer. With the game already out on Steam Early Access, it’s also due to hit consoles in March next year. Look out for this one to help scratch that hover car racing itch..
Assetto Corsa
PC gamers have already been able to dip into Assetto Corsa, one of the slickest racing sim experiences we’ve seen in years, but it’s on the way to consoles next year, letting you get to grips with what’s been dubbed Italy’s Gran Turismo on your PS4 or Xbox One. With stunning graphics, realistic handling and plenty of motors for you to race around, it’s easily one of the top games to keep an eye on when it lands next year.
Project CARS 2
Sure, we’ve only really just had the full original game, and Slightly Mad Studios’ recently-announced sequel might not even make the starting grid next year, but we’ve still got our fingers crossed just in case it does pop up. Project CARS blew us away with its sheer attention to detail in almost every facet of the game, and that’s something we hope still remains true when Project CARS 2 finally lands. Expect even more tracks, with over 200 courses across 50 locations, with plenty packing in dirt, gravel, mud and snow. Eight different racing disciplines are expected to feature, while you can count on co-op being thrown in, and a strong focus on competitive racing. After a lengthy wait for the original, let’s hope the sequel doesn’t take as long – but we don’t expect this to land until late next year at the earliest.
Unnamed Criterion project
OK, while it’s strictly not quite a racing title, Criterion’s still unnamed adrenaline-packed game (currently known as #BeyondCars) does feature plenty of vehicular thrills (helicopters!), a major set of motors (ATVs!) to commandeer, and you can get airborne too in a wingsuit. Even if you’re one for F1-style speedy thrills, there’s still plenty to get excited about here, although if we haven’t heard about it since E3 2014. Let’s hope Criterion has more light to shine on its upcoming title soon, as we’re mighty excited about it.
