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McLaren's expanded eSports program includes mobile racing games
McLaren is enamored with eSports -- so much so that it's expanding the scope of its program. The 2018 edition of the Shadow Project promises to be more "open and inclusive" than you might expect, letting you compete for virtual motorsports glory not just with die-hard PC racing simulators like iRacing and rFactor 2, but more forgiving experiences like Forza Motorsport on the Xbox One and even a mobile game, Real Racing 3. It may seem counterintuitive for a performance car brand to accept competitors who may only ever play casual titles, but there's reasoning here -- it's not about the games so much as the intellect involved in playing them.
Real Racing 3 finally gives players a taste of live competition on iOS
Real Racing 3's time-shift multiplayer mode was a great addition to the game, but the latest update for iOS makes playing with friends even better. Now, aside from being able to face the car ghosts of your friends' pasts to beat their records, four players can hit the virtual tracks for some real-time racing. As a nice plus, both the refreshed Android and the iOS apps now include playable digital counterparts of the McLaren P1 plug-in hybrid and the next-gen Lamborghini Veneno, though they cost a pretty (in-game) penny. If you're hankering to digitally drive certain BMW and Ford models, it may be best to look elsewhere -- otherwise, head over to iTunes where the game remains free to download and play.
EA's Real Racing 3 adds Ferraris and a new circuit
EA rolled out a solid update for its popular Real Racing 3 app earlier today. The update adds new car options (specifically a trio of Ferrari vehicles), a new track and a number of new gameplay options. The full changelog reads: • New Cars – for the first time in Real Racing, get behind the wheel of magnificent Ferrari vehicles: the FF, the 458 Italia, and the V12-powered F12berlinetta • New Track – experience the sweeping turns and blistering straights of Spain's famous Circuit de Catalunya • Time Trial Ghost Challenges – learn from the best, compete with Friends and start new racing rivalries • Meet The Crew – hire Crew Members to earn R$, Fame, and Servicing bonuses • AI Improvements – better collision avoidance and faster times through the first corner • HUD Customisation – tweak new settings to personalise your racing experience • Lap and Sector Times – precise performance comparison Again, this marks the first time the fine automobiles of Ferrari have been available in the Real Racing series. I can only imagine how pumped Eddy Cue is about that. Below is a video highlighting some of the gameplay, and if that piques your interest, you'll be glad to know that the title is free on iTunes. Of course, being a freemium game, you'll have to make a few in-app purchases to really unlock the game's full potential.
Big updates coming for Skylanders, Real Racing 3
We've got news of two major updates coming to high profile iOS games recently. First up, Activision's Skylanders: Lost Islands (the iOS town-building title based on the very popular toy/game series) just got a new substantial update, featuring Facebook integration, and lots of new companions to place in your town. There's also a new feature called "#1 fans," which will have players finding little extra creatures to add power to their current Skylanders. If you have a little fan in your house, make sure to update the free app soon. And second, EA's Real Racing 3 is getting a big update as well, with new tracks, new cars, and an official version of the Dubai Autodrome, a real racing location over in Dubai. That update, just like the game itself, will also be free, and should be out soon. Both of these games are already very popular, and these updates should make them even more so.
Real Racing 3 updated with new cars, Hunter mode
EA has released the first major update to Real Racing 3 on iOS. Among the improvemts is a new play mode called "Hunter." In this mode, you must overtake another car in only a single lap. EA has also added some new cars, including the Chevrolet Cobalt SS and Camaro ZL1. Best of all, the game now allows users to save their progress in the cloud, which means you can play on your iPhone and pick up the game on your iPad with no progress loss. Here's the complete list of updates: New manufacturer – Chevrolet! The Cobalt SS and the Camaro ZL1 join the lineup. New event type – Hunter! Chase down the hunted car and overtake within one lap. 100+ new events! Total number of events now exceeds 1,000! Cloud Save functionality! Transfer your save data between devices. New social features! See who is online and compare how your friends are doing with the statistics leaderboard. Check your TSM mailbox for the latest friend notifications. Improved tutorial and main menu. Numerous additional improvements, fixes and performance optimizations. Real Racing 3 is a fremium game. You can download it here.
Daily iPhone App: Real Racing 3 is a showcase of the best (and not quite) that iOS has to offer
Here's the bottom line on this one, right away: Real Racing 3 is an amazing game, and EA has put it on the App Store for free. Go grab it and be awed, right now. That said, I do have one issue with this game, and it's that I'm actually a terrible driver. I do fine on real roads at less-than-deadly speeds. But whenever I play a racing simulation game like this one, where real racing vehicles are modeled on real racing tracks, I always drive way too fast, brake way too late and I spin out on the track as the rest of the pack flies by me. It's a personal problem, I know, but personally I prefer arcade racers, or another genre completely. I still enjoy playing Real Racing, though, just because it is such an excellent showcase of what's possible on iOS. This time around, Firemonkeys (who I'd really rather see making another Puzzle Quest, but whatever) has outdone itself, with some gorgeous graphics and some very impressive social features. Even in standard campaign races, you see your friends and their Game Center icons driving around you, and all of the standard social services are seamlessly integrated into the game. There's no shortage of racing to do here, and you could (and some people will) probably play for years trying to lock down all of the top spots in the various tracks and time trials. One of the biggest controversies about this game pre-release has been its freemium mechanic, and it is sort of a pain: You need to pay for repairs to your vehicle, which presents a drain on your in-game currency (that you can of course fill with IAP if you choose), and when you choose to upgrade a vehicle, each upgrade is done on a timer, which means you don't get the fruits of your upgrade right away unless you spend some in-game gold, also available via real money. In practice, it's somewhat annoying, but not unbearable at all. I don't necessarily like paying to repair after every race (especially since, as previously stated, I am not the most gentle driver), but in general, there seems to be enough money to go around without having to dive into IAP. You can also buy new cars and tracks with real money, and while those prices are relatively high, selling extra content in a freemium game isn't a new idea by any means. The biggest wrinkle is that when your car needs a major system repair, you're forced to wait on racing with that car, or you can pay a real-money currency to complete it quickly. That can be a real pain, especially if you only have one or two cars to race (so save up and buy a few cars right away). And shame on Firemonkey for including a mechanic like that, meant to serve their publishers rather than their players. But for the most part, it looks like EA at least found a safe balance here: The freemium system isn't exceptionally heinous, and having the game released for free means those excellent social features will always be populated with plenty of players. Real Racing 3 is a gorgeous game, a perfectly designed game (at least while racing), and probably the best example, at this moment, of what an iOS game can be. The freemium hooks do drag the experience down a bit, but that seems appropriate for this time and place, given how much of an effect the iOS platform has had on models like this. You should download this one, for free, without question, if only to experience that first race for yourself and see what Firemonkeys has done with Apple's devices. After that, whether you cough up more in-game currency or even real money is up to you. I plan to play a whole lot without spending a dime, and I'll be easy to spot: Just look for the beat-up car spinning out in the dirt.
Real Racing 3 to be free-to-play, takes its place in EA's higher gaming pantheon
The Real Racing series has been a staple of mobile gaming, at least in some circles. However, EA now sees the game as big enough to matter for the entire brand, full stop -- and it's willing to make Real Racing 3 a free-to-play release to snag as wide an audience as possible. When the Firemonkeys-built sequel reaches Android and iOS on February 28th, it will follow the stereotypical freemium model, where any purchases are solely to unlock content sooner, including repairs now that there's a damage element. The team suggests that free-only play won't be a grind, however, and a rare I-go-you-go multiplayer racing mode should keep many of us entertained without a cash outlay. It's doubtful that RR3 will suddenly take on the stature of a perennial blockbuster like Madden, but the switch in business models shows EA treating mobile as more than just a sideshow.
