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DOT establishes 10 autonomous vehicle proving grounds
So far, testing autonomous vehicles on city streets has had mixed results. Uber's plan did not go over well in the company's hometown of San Francisco, but cities like Phoenix and Boston have been a little more receptive to the idea. Now, to solve some of those bureaucratic headaches and foster a little more collaboration at the same time, the US Department of Transportation has laid out 10 autonomous vehicle proving grounds where research teams, automakers and startups can try out their technology before it hits the streets.
Ford first to test self-driving cars in Michigan's fake city
The University of Michigan recently built the 32-acre "Mcity" proving ground so that automakers could test autonomous vehicles with zero risk to the public. Since the faux city is in US car country (and far from Silicon Valley rivals like Google), it's only fitting that it was broken in by a small Dearborn outfit: Ford. The automaker tackled Mcity in its latest Fusion Hybrid self-driving car, freshly equipped with four LiDAR sensors for real-time 3D mapping. While Ford has tested its vehicles extensively on public roads, "every mile driven [at Mcity] represents 10, 100 or 1,000 miles of on-road driving in terms of our ability to pack in the occurrences of difficult events," said U of M professor Ryan Eustice.
Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk getting in-game ad treatment
Anyone who's spent even a little time rocking out to Guitar Hero III has likely noticed the game's heavy-handed approach to product placement, with stages littered with cans of Red Bull and billboards hocking everything from Axe Body Spray to Pontiac. The whole thing feels oppressive and graceless as even the game's underground rock venues are reduced to feeling like props to corporate shilling. And things are likely to get worse before they get better, as Activision today announced that it has inked a deal with Microsoft-owned Massive to provide in-game ads in not only Guitar Hero III, but Tony Hawk's Proving Ground as well. The two titles have been added to the growing Massive Network advertising collective, which also includes Activision's Transformers adaptation, and will made to include "contextually relevant" dynamic ads. Interestingly, it's unclear if this partnership extends to all versions of the affected (afflicted?) games, or just those for Microsoft's console. What is clear, however, is that as games are now a big business, more and more companies are beginning to get in line for their slice of the money pie, and while game companies and advertisers reap the benefits of this arrangement, gamers are left holding the controller wondering just when their games became interactive commercials.
Tony Hawk talks Wii Fit board as a controller
Tony Hawk knows a trick or two on them there wheelie boards. That's probably why he got a whole line of games bearing his name. And, following the release of his latest title, Tony conducted an interview with Eurogamer to discuss the new game and, more interesting to us Wii-loving folk, the new Wii Fit peripheral and Channel coming from Nintendo. As if you didn't think about its use for skateboarding titles yourself ...So, Tony thinks it could be done, using the Wii Fit board as a control device for his game. "I think it's possible to incorporate the Wii Fit board into one of our games, but it would change the control scheme dramatically and we'd have to figure out how to make that work," he comments, further adding "So I don't know yet."While we'd argue that performing ollies and navigating a skater's route in the environment could easily be done with the device, we wonder if we would have the ability to successfully bust big chains using the Wiimote in combination with the board, as we can easily do so with a more traditional controller setup.
WRUP: Busting phat grinds edition
How good does it feel to have a traditional Tony Hawk game finally release on the Wii? It feels good to us, or, rather, it will feel good when we give the game a rental this weekend. We're fairly certain that should the title lack any kind of engaging controls that maximize the use of the Wiimote and nunchuk, the Tony Hawk formula itself is something that will make up for it, as we enjoy it in and of itself (sheesh, we've bought almost all of them). Since we can't skate well like Eric Koston above or any other professional skater, we like pretending we can in video games, at least.Any of you checking out Proving Ground or one of the other releases this week? What are you going to play?
Fanpoll: skate vs. Proving Ground
It's been a long time since we took a Fanpoll around here, and it's high time we start doing it again. What better way to start than to pit the video game skateboarding champ versus its newest rival? With the release of skate, many skateboarding fans have found themselves grinding right past Tony Hawk's Project 8. Well, Tony's back with Proving Ground, which just released today. So, here's our question to you, which game is better, Proving Ground or skate? Give us your feedback in the poll after the break. We'd prefer if you only answer once you've actually tried both games, but there's not exactly much we can do to stop you.
Wii releases for the week of October 15th
This week, plenty of games are waiting for eager new players to pick them up and save them from the boring life of sitting on some store's shelf. The most notable title for us is the latest entry in the Tony Hawk franchise, Proving Ground. It's a return to the roots of the franchise and nothing like Downhill Jam. We can't wait to see how it plays on the Wii.Releases for the week of October 15th are: Tony Hawk's Proving Ground Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Mercury Meltdown: Revolution Rockstar Games Table Tennis Avatar: The Burning Earth Backyard Football Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night Victorious Boxers
Complete roster of skaters for Proving Ground
Being fans of the Tony Hawk franchise of games, we're anxious to get our hands on the newest title Proving Ground. 1UP was so kind as to publish a complete roster of skaters in Proving Ground, allowing us all to glimpse who we'll be busting 360 kickflips in the future. The roster looks a lot like the last Tony Hawk game, so die-hard fans of the older titles might be missing some of their favorites (oh, how we still miss you, Jamie Thomas!). 1Up even has some short bios, including screens, of the skaters in-game, for your viewing pleasure.
Activision confirms Tony Hawk demo around Thanksgiving
If you can't read French, let us do the dirty work for you. According to PlayFrance, Activision has announced that the newest Tony Hawk game, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, will get a downloadable demo onto the PlayStation Store a little before Thanksgiving. If you've got a US account but aren't quite sure when those crazy Americans celebrate turkey day, this means to expect a demo around the third week of November.This is all well and good, but we can't forget that it is another Tony Hawk game. A lot of people have been saying that his titles have grown more and more stale throughout the years, so putting a demo up is risky. On the other hand, perhaps there is a lot of promise in the title and placing a demo up proves it. We'll see if Proving Ground really lives up to its name, or proves that it sucks, in November.
Today's which-one-is-evil comparison: Skate versus Tony Hawk
We've played Skate, and we've seen Tony Hawk's Proving Ground. Today's video picks compare the latest trailers for both games.Admittedly, we think the two titles can coexist, at least for this year. Skate is a completely different control experience, while Tony Hawk is the latest in a solid franchise. We can see both games appealing to different -- or even the same -- gamers.And we're glad Skate is here to keep Tony Hawk honest. Do we really expect a 1.0 game to dethrone Tony Hawk-we-stopped-counting-version-numbers? Maybe not, but competition should make them both stronger.See the new trailers after the break.
Video: Proving Ground is all about choices
"Life is about choices. They define who you are. Each path, every turn. It's your decision. That's what it's all about." Believe it? Well, that's what the main theme in the debut trailer for Tony Hawk's Proving Ground is all about, choices. You'll be able to create a skater that reflects the kind of person you want to be, whether you're going for the rockstar mystique or just doing it for the pain. It's an interesting concept, but the gameplay footage doesn't look all that graphically impressive. Give the trailer a watch and consciously compare what Mr. Hawk has to offer with EA's Skate. What are your thoughts?
Forget Downhill Jam, Wii gets proper Tony Hawk game
That's right, Wii owners will now get to waggle and wiggle in a genuine Tony Hawk game come this Fall. Announced for all platforms known to man, GamePro has all the deets in their next issue, but we do know a few things. For one, it's called Tony Hawk Proving Ground and will allow players to create "epic skate videos," hang out in a customizable Skate Lounge where friends can skate around, along with seamless single player and online integration. Let's hope that goes for the Wii and not just the other consoles it's available on.[Via Joystiq]
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground unveiled, apathy ensues
Tony Hawk ... the franchise that just won't lie down and take a nap. Every month or so we get a new trick from this franchise and, frankly, we're tired of it. When the announcement rolled in about the new Tony Hawk's Proving Ground we smirked and thought to ourselves: "yes, this is a proving ground to see if you're a viable gaming franchise, still." Other than that, complete apathy.Anyway, this new title to be released on the PS3 and 360 sports some revamped multiplayer, video editing, new modes (Nail-the-Trick was named), and a class system. Class system? For skaters? What, will one guy be pumping out buffer chants while the tank skater takes on the big tricks? Or will there be a homeless skater next to a sharp-looking business executive skater? We are interested to see how the multiplayer is changing and how in-depth the video editing tool will be. We'll keep you posted as information becomes available.
Prove yourself in new Tony Hawk title
Has your appetite for new-gen skateboarding games not been whetted by clips from Electronic Arts' Skate? Activision has just sent out a press release unveiling the latest Tony Hawk game, entitled Proving Ground.New features with full-featured editing tools and visual effects for creating "epic skate videos," a customizable Skate Lounge where you and friends can skate around together, and seamless single player and online integration. There will be skateable terrain altering and more Nail-the-Trick moves.Proving Ground is slated for release later this fall for Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PS2 and Nintendo DS. GamePro is dedicated their next issue to the game. Has anyone already received their copy of the issue in the mail?%Gallery-3120%[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
