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'Driveclub' online features shut down March 31st, 2020
Driveclub has struggled despite its early hype and eventual refinement, and now Sony is ready to end its troubled saga. The company has announced that the servers for Driveclub, Driveclub VR and Driveclub Bikes will all shut down just before midnight British time (about 7PM Eastern) on March 31st, 2020, and that it will stop selling games and their add-on content August 31st, 2019 at a similar time. Any single-player components will still work, but that's the problem -- as the name suggests, Driveclub is an inherently social game.
‘Onrush’ is a racing game with no finish lines
Normally, a race requires a finish line. In a game like Forza Motorsport or Need for Speed, you're tasked with hurtling between two points or completing a certain number of laps before your opponents. Not so with Onrush, the next title by racing specialist Codemasters. Instead, you're fighting for points in a range of bombastic modes centered around a chaotic swarm of drivers. Outrageous crashes occur every second alongside ridiculous speed boosts and a death-defying medley of jumps, flips and barrel rolls. It's like the peloton in cycling's brutal Tour de France mixed with Mad Max and a monster truck rally.
Codemasters snaps up 'Driveclub' developer Evolution Studios
It was a sad day when Sony decided to drop Evolution Studios from its pantheon of first-party video game developers. Following the announcement, it was unclear what would become of the company best known for creating Driveclub and the MotorStorm franchise. Well, now we have an answer. Codemasters, another racing specialist in the UK, will be picking up the company on April 25th. It'll create something of an independent super-studio, with Mick Hocking, co-founder of Evolution, taking on the role of VP Product Development at Codemasters.
Sony closes 'Driveclub' creator Evolution Studios
You likely saw this coming, but it's still sad to say: Sony has confirmed that it's closing Evolution Studios, the developer behind both the MotorStorm series and the troubled Driveclub. The tech giant isn't saying exactly what prompted the closure (we've published its full statement below). However, it tells us that the shutdown followed reviews of "short and medium term" plans, and that it's devoting attention to studios that will be in a "stronger position going forward." In essence, it didn't see Evolution's work leading to a bona fide hit in the near future.
'Driveclub' spices up its racing with superbikes
Like Driveclub's arcade racing, but miss the two-wheeled adventures of Evolution Studios' earlier MotorStorm? You might just get the best of both worlds. Evolution has taken the wraps off of Driveclub Bikes, a standalone game (also available as an add-on) that brings superbikes into the fray. The core mechanics will be familiar if you're a veteran of the PlayStation 4 racer, of course, but the switch to motorcycles can't help but alter the experience. Is Bikes going to change your mind on Driveclub if you were soured on it at first? Probably not, but you can download it today -- it might be worth a look if you want to know whether or not the franchise has turned a corner.
Behind the wheel of Logitech's G29 Driving Force controller
While gamers are still waiting for any official word on a PlayStation 4 entry in the venerable Gran Turismo series, there's still plenty of racing to be done on Sony's current-gen console. The recent release of Project Cars and the steady maturation of Driveclub (following its botched launch) are just two examples of the PS4's racing options. Into this growing genre comes Logitech with its $400 G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel -- the latest in its long-running G series of steering wheel controllers. While owners of the older (and non-PS4-compatible) G27 wheel may be disappointed that the company has opted to replace it, Logitech's latest entry (released alongside an Xbox One-focused sibling called the G920) could be worth the sizable asking price.
'Driveclub' finally reaches PlayStation Plus on June 25th
Remember how Sony promised you a free version of Driveclub with your PlayStation Plus subscription about, oh, two years ago? You'll finally get to claim it this week. The Plus Edition of Evolution Studios' PS4 racing game is launching on June 25th, giving you a chance to see what all the hype was about. Sony is taking care to avoid the server meltdowns that plagued the retail game's debut, too. On day one, you'll only have guaranteed access to offline play -- internet races will gradually roll out to make sure that this socially-oriented title works as advertised.
'Driveclub' lets you race Rimac's ultra-rare electric hypercar
For most of us, ultra-realistic racing games like Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport are as close as we'll ever get to driving the world's most luxurious motors. We've drooled over Rimac Automobili's Concept_One electric hypercar for years, but given that only eight have ever been made, our chances of getting behind the wheel seem pretty slim. Now, the EV has been added to Driveclub, giving you the chance to thrash the high performance racer around Norway, Scotland, Chile and more. If you need a reminder, the $980,000 car boasts a carbon fibre body and 1088 horsepower, which can take you from 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds. Its green credentials might be irrelevant on a virtual racetrack, but hopefully you can appreciate them all the same in Evolution Studios' (no longer broken) racer.
Even Sony thinks that day one game patches are getting out of hand
Being forced to wait for several hours for a day one update to download takes the shine off buying a new game. What began as a way for developers to make some last-minute fixes has now enabled them to ship half-finished products and fix them long after purchase. It's become such a problem that even Sony's Jim Ryan agrees that the trend of massive, time-consuming patches has gotten out of hand, and is pledging that the company will "tighten up" its practices in the future.
Taking laps with the Thrustmaster T300RS racing wheel
Let's get this out of the way up front: The market for the Thrustmaster T300RS is incredibly narrow. At $400 (the price of a PlayStation 4!) it's far beyond an impulse buy and demands you're taking every aspect of your living room racing experience Very Seriously. That's something I discovered when the company sent me a demo unit to try. You see, at Casa de Seppala, my couch sits about 6 feet from my 65-inch TV. In between those two are an area rug and a coffee table I got for $75 on Craigslist. It's an awesome setup for movies and every other game I've played, but when it came time to put the T300RS through its paces, I couldn't figure out if the wheel was ill-suited to my space or vice versa.
Driveclub Japan update live now with 3.3GB of new tracks, fixes
Driveclub's Japan update – featuring a new online multiplayer mode, gameplay improvements and five new Japan tracks with 11 variants in all – is available now on PS4. The update, coming in at 3.33GB, is free and will automatically download when launching the game. All Driveclub updates so far total 5.87GB, Evolution Studios writes in a Facebook post. The new online mode is a multiplayer time trial, and the five new Japan tracks are as follows: Nakasendo (2 variants), Lake Shoji (2 variants), Asagiri Hills Racetrack (3 variants), Takahagi Hills (2 variants) and Goshodaira (2 variants). Gameplay updates include weather improvements, changes to AI drafting behavior, the option to race without crowds and other track infrastructure, and a number of bug fixes. A handful of add-ons are due out January 27 - 29, including the free Icona Vulcano download, the paid Apex Expansion Pack – five new cars, 11 new events and five trophies – the Sakura Tour Pack with 11 new events and five trophies, and two new livery packs. [Image: SCEA]
Driveclub gets free Japan track DLC later this month
Evolution Studios revealed that Driveclub players will receive a free set of Japan DLC tracks as part of an update launching later this month. The pack includes the new Nakasendo challenge, a lengthy point-to-point race featuring trackside cherry blossom trees and other traditional Japanese aesthetic elements. The track is one of several arriving in this month's update, and a collection of new cars, including the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Centennial Edition, will accompany the launch for Season Pass buyers. A full runthrough of the Nakasendo track is available here. A more specific release date for the free DLC is not yet known. [Image: Evolution Studios]
Driveclub's Redline DLC deploys this week in Europe, Dec. 22 in North America
Driveclub's next Season Pass expansion pack will take a lap in Europe one week before it hits North American shores, developer Evolution Studios announced via Facebook. The upcoming Redline DLC adds five new vehicles, including Renault's Alpine A110-50, McLaren's F1 LM, the Ferrari 458 Speciale, the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, and Mercedes-Benz' SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive. The pack also adds 11 Tour mode events and a handful of new unlockable Trophies. The Redline expansion launches first in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand on December 17. A North American release will follow on December 23. [Image: Sony]
We're paying for broken games, and it's unacceptable
There was a time when you bought a game, pulled it out of the box, popped it into your device of choice, and that was it. In today's video game industry, however, a single game isn't even the end product. Now we have downloadable content and expansion packs – and don't forget to buy the season pass so you get it all for a nominal discount. Never mind just pre-ordering your games either, now we can pre-load them, guaranteeing access the very second a game becomes available. And the pre-order bonuses, bestowing us with trivial costumes or weapons, or maybe even some extra levels that will inevitably be sold after launch, despite being billed as pre-order "exclusives." Even without these premium additions, the game you bring home isn't the static creative work it once was. Developers and publishers are free to update their games now, patching out unforeseen problems or even adding fan-requested improvements. It's good that issues can be resolved, but the darker side of this is the now infamous "Day 1 Patch." These crucial updates are applied on launch day, providing fixes so last-minute that they couldn't make it onto the discs before they were pressed (or even onto the downloadable code, for that matter). The implication of the Day 1 Patch, of course, is that the game in the box, or sitting in your Steam download queue, isn't actually finished. The troubling part, as 2014 has proven, is that even after you've applied that patch, you can still wind up with a broken game. Not only that, but if the marketing has done its job, you have a broken game for which you have already purchased additional content. Maybe you paid a little extra for a special edition. You're a savvy shopper, so you saved five bucks on future DLC with a season pass. In today's climate, it's easy to plunk down $100 on a game before you've played a single minute of it. If said game doesn't work, all you've got is a fancy SteelBook case, a useless download token for DLC and maybe a plastic tchotchke for your desk. And that's assuming you didn't pre-order digitally, in which case all you have is a broken game and no hope of a refund.
Weekend deals include GOG bundles, Shadow of Mordor, Wii U bundles, 3DS XLs
Should you be looking for a few good gaming deals, this weekend holds plenty of promise. For starters, Good Old Games is finishing off its Big Winter Sale with an encore offering of every daily bundle that was featured in the two-week sale. Deals focused on The Witcher, Rayman, Prince of Persia series and others can be had, with titles ranging in support for PC, Mac and Linux platforms. Flash deals and general discounts will also be offered until the sale's conclusion later today at 2pm GMT. If you're willing to deal with limited availability of physical goods, deals on several notable console games are also available to the swift; Among Amazon's batch of sales is Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Xbox One) for $27.99, Driveclub (PS4) for $34.99, Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox One) for $44.99, The Last of Us: Remastered ($29.99), Forza Horizon 2 and Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One) for $39.99, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 (Xbox 360, PS3) for $14.99. Xbox owners can also snatch up Destiny (Xbox 360) and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Xbox One) for $30 apiece from the Microsoft store. Lastly, leaked details concerning Target's weekly ad suggest that starting on Sunday, the retail chain will offer the 32 GB Wii U with Super Mario 3D World and Nintendo Land for $250. Shoppers should also be able to pick up a 3DS XL for $149.99. [Image: GOG]
Sony 'embarrassed' by Driveclub's launch, UK boss says
Driveclub's launch has been rocky, pockmarked with severe server issues, a stream of patches and the delay of the game's free PS Plus version. With all of this in mind, Sony UK Managing Director Fergal Gara told IGN that he and the Driveclub team are "embarrassed" by the game's performance so far. "It's a disappointment," Gara said. "When you lay your soul out as being '4ThePlayers', then what you certainly don't want is games that are not fully ready. It certainly wasn't any ill-intention on behalf of the team. It's ambitious as a game; they're as embarrassed as we are and all you can do in those situations is say sorry. We apologize to any players affected and are doing our damndest to make things right. So that's what we've been doing and the game is pretty near-complete now. We don't want to introduce the PS Plus Edition until we're confident the servers can take the load." In our review, we noted that it was "an infuriating slog to race against" Driveclub's AI, and the game's true joy hinged on its online functionality: "To truly enjoy Driveclub and ignore the demands of its abusive AI, you have to form or join a racing club with friends online." Sony America President and CEO Shawn Layden previously said that Driveclub's issues stemmed from the developer's inability to fully test the game's online systems. "In a connected world, you can't effectively test in your house or in your beta group what it means to have 50,000, 100,000, 200,000 users hit your service," he said. "And the guys [at the studio] are struggling with that. It's throwing up things they had not anticipated." [Image: SCEA]
Driveclub patch restores challenge functionality, rain forecast for tomorrow
Evolution Studios has issued another patch for its socially-focused racer, Driveclub. A post to the game's official Facebook page states the update has "made major improvements to online play," adding that racers should "now see that challenges are back up and running for everybody." Joystiq's Sunday morning test drive was indeed populated with functional community challenges, allowing clubs and friends to take on rivals in track and time-based trials once more. A second patch is scheduled to launch tomorrow, and while the full details regarding its effects will be held until then, a video within the related Facebook post offers a glimpse of a rain-slicked drive. Despite improvements, the team is still working to "reach the capacity levels" needed to support Driveclub's companion app and a PlayStation Plus version. The latest updates continue a string of patches trailing from Driveclub's launch, which have been persistent enough for Evolution Studios to offer up two DLC packs to fans to make up for their troubles. [Image: Evolution Studios]
Why are so many video games broken at launch?
Allow me to begin with my very best Andy Rooney impersonation: When I was growing up, there was no such thing as a "day one patch." I went to Video Station on Saturday with my parents -- if I was lucky -- and came home with a single rented game for the weekend. James Pond or Bubsy the Bobcat or Blast Corps or whatever. Maybe I'd have to blow out the cart, or erase the last renter's save file before playing whatever game I rented. Let's imagine a similar scenario today: You go to a Redbox kiosk or GameFly mails you a disc for your Modern GameBox™. Upon inserting said disc, your GameBox turns on and begins installing the game. The wait begins. It's now several percentage points in and ready to start running. You hit the button. "An update is required to play this game." This is when you take a moment to swear under your breath. This is "the future"? Now imagine your next step is finding out that multiplayer is broken, or that the game won't load, or that it barely runs. You've got our current situation.
SCEA boss: 'You can't effectively test' for games like Driveclub
Wondering why Driveclub, a game that has required several post-launch fixes, didn't receive more testing to make sure everything was running smoothly before it was pushed out the door? According to Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) President and CEO Shawn Layden, it's because games like Driveclub, which focus heavily on online communities, can't be effectively tested. "In the development cycle, we try to do all things. In the development cycle, we try to test against every possibility. We have a [Quality Assurance] team, we have a QA plan. You do a beta test, you scope against that," Layden recently told IGN. "But now, in a connected world, you can't effectively test in your house or in your beta group what it means to have 50,000, 100,000, 200,000 users hit your service. And the guys [at the studio] are struggling with that. It's throwing up things they had not anticipated." Layden noted that progress reports from developer Evolution Studios show continued improvement, and called the problems experienced so far a "hiccup." For their part, Evolution has been quick to apologize for Driveclub's issues, going so far as to offer free DLC and extending Season Passes. [Image: Sony]
Driveclub update adds photo mode, three new tracks
Evolution Studios updated Driveclub yesterday, adding a photo mode option as well as three new tracks. Players can now press the right side of the DualShock 4 controller's touch pad to enable photo mode, then use the system's sharing features to send their pretty car screenshots across the web. Driveclub's three new tracks, which include reversed variants, are located at Yedapalli in India, Los Pelambres in Chile and Wester Ross in Scotland. The developer posted the patch notes to Driveclub's official Facebook page. The update also added support for two upcoming expansions, the Ignition Expansion Pack and Photo-Finish Tour Pack. Both pieces of DLC will launch on November 25 in North America. Driveclub's latest update featured changes to corner and collision penalties as well as corner cutting "for balancing purposes." In addition to new menu and club functionality, the update also introduced "a number of minor bug fixes, performance improvements and usability tweaks." Driveclub has been plagued with server connectivity and performance issues since its October launch. [Image: SCEA]
