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FlatOut dev launches crowdfunding campaign for Next Car Game
Bugbear Entertainment is independently crowdfunding Next Car Game, a smash-em-up, derby-style racing game due out in early 2014 for PC, and possibly headed to next-gen systems if the campaign raises enough money. Bugbear is a Finnish studio responsible for the FlatOut franchise and Ridge Racer: Unbounded. Bugbear's site offers pre-orders of Next Car Game, which will drive development. Pre-orders get early access to the game this year and these players will provide feedback that will shape Next Car Game's final touches. There's no set amount that Bugbear needs to raise to finish Next Car Game, but if it gets 10,000 pre-orders, it'll launch a playable "sneak peek." Right now the pre-order tiers are at lowered prices, starting at $25 for the game, early access and exclusive wallpapers, and topping out at $100 for an exclusive car, the soundtrack, your name in the game and other digital goodies. An alpha version of Next Car Game will be released regardless of how much money Bugbear raises. The studio considered Kickstarter, but it ran into a few roadblocks. "We wanted to do a Kickstarter!" Bugbear says. "But it turned out to be tricky for non-US citizens, and Finnish law prohibits raising money for commercial purposes. We still wanted to show everything we've got right now, so we chose to set up our own pre-order site immediately! If you're thinking of holding off purchasing until the possible, speculative Kickstarter – please don't! We're sure we'll make it worth to you to jump on board immediately."
Steam Weekend Sales include Darksiders, Command & Conquer, Flatout
If you managed to get through the Steam Summer Sale without taking out a loan, Steam's weekend sale has sizable discounts to move you closer to that reality help you celebrate. The Darksiders series is 80 percent off and can collectively be snatched up for less than $13. The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are 75 percent off, meaning you can also binge on the entire series for $13. The modern portion of the Command & Conquer series is 70 percent off, leaving Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Command & Conquer 4 and their expansions at $6 apiece. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars proves itself as a non-conformist and asks for $9. The Flatout series is 75 percent off and totals to $10. Lastly, first-person sci-fi puzzler Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals is a measly $1.25. Even if you splurge on everything involved, you should be in good shape. The real question is: Will you be able to say that after the onslaught of games coming later this year?
Steam weekly: They Bleed Pixels, Papo & Yo, Shuggy, Waking Mars
Steam's weekly deals kicked off yesterday, but players in the US were probably too busy lounging poolside with a plate full of hamburgers to notice – and hey, Steam users outside of the US could have been doing the same thing. It's cool; we don't judge. This week's Steam deals last until June 3 at 10 a.m. PT, and it's a big batch: Greed: Black Border, Waking Mars, Papo & Yo, They Bleed Pixels, The Guild 2, Angry Birds Space, The Adventures of Shuggy, Flatout: Complete Pack, Worms: Ultimate Mayhem and Tower Wars. All of these games are up to 75 percent off, clickable here. And again, Steam's news post says these deals last until a day in the past, this time "May 3." Don't tell anyone, and maybe we'll get these super sales for an entire year.
Week-long deals join Steam rotation
Steam will now hold week-long deals in addition to daily deals, midweek madness and weekend deals. All of these deals, naturally, are designed to make one's wallet implode in on itself in a singularity of savings.The first batch of games on discount for a week include FlatOut ($1.87), Steel Storm: Burning Retribution ($2.49), Alpha Prime ($1.25) and Karateka ($4.99). We now await the inevitable month-long Steam sales and blue moon specials.
PSP Fanboy review: FlatOut: Head On
It might look like Burnout, and even play like Burnout. But, Burnout it ain't. Head On lacks the refinement, speed and fun of Criterion's critically acclaimed franchise. Instead of solidifying its core gameplay, Head On relies on gimmicky mini-games that offer a thin veil to distract the game's ultimate shortcomings.At first, we were impressed by the trailers released for the title. However, we're sad to admit that Head On falls short of the visual fidelity found in its initial videos. Textures and environments are muddy, but even worse: the framerate suffers quite a bit through the experience. For a racing game, this is rather unacceptable. The questionable physics and grip of the cars does little but detract from a game that touts its destructible environments.%Gallery-9545%
FlatOut demo arriving on February 22nd
Eurogamer has learned that a demo version of FlatOut: Head On will be released on February 22nd. The racing game takes clear inspiration from the Burnout series, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The demo will consist of three levels from the Carnage mode - one Race, one Destruction Derby and one Ragdoll Stunt. The full game features around 40 different cars, nine gameplay modes, and four-player multiplayer. We can't wait to give the game a test drive. [Thanks, Joe!] %Gallery-9545%
FlatOut still looks good in new video
FlatOut: Head On may have missed its original January release date, but it still looks good. IGN has a few new videos that showcase the beautiful graphics of the upcoming racer. Yes, it might look a lot like Burnout, but that's never a bad thing. We're pretty psyched for it, and can't wait to see it in PSP's incredible March line-up.
FlatOut: Head On gets new March release
Originally scheduled for a January release, this upcoming PSP racer features some stunning graphics and high velocity racing gameplay. We were psyched for this release, but when it mysteriously didn't show up on its release date, we wer bummed.Empire Interactive announced today the title will be making a March release. In America, you'll see it on March 11th. In Europe, you'll see in on March 14th. Stay tuned for more.%Gallery-9545%
FlatOut: Head On features some intense graphics
Wait, this is a PSP game? That question crosses the mind when looking at this brand new gameplay video. The quality looks akin to a console Burnout game, and the emphasis on bodies flying out of crashed vehicles certainly gives it a more ... visceral feel. Color us surprised.
The first PSP images of FlatOut: Head On
Here are the first images of Empire Interactive's upcoming FlatOut: Head On. The racer seems to draw some heavy inspiration from EA's prized Burnout franchise -- but is that such a bad thing? It's been a while since we've seen a high octane racer on the system, so maybe this will help satiate the thirst of racing fans. Maybe.%Gallery-9545%
FlatOut demo finally hits U.S. and Canada
Available in Europe for some time now, the FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage demo has finally arrived on the U.S. and Canadian Xbox Live Marketplace. Previously, we were impressed with video footage from the game, so it will be nice to finally give it a test drive. FlatOut, if you don't know (or haven't guessed from the Ultimate Carnage subtitle), is a particularly violent racing game, full of death and destruction. Go fire up the old Xbox and give it a go. If you like what you see, expect the retail version to hit the shelves next month.
Juiced 2 demo squeezed out of Live, FlatOut
Attention demo lovers, we've got brand new, fresh squeezed demo for you this morning. What in the world could that demo possibly be? Chances are, you've already read the headline and you know it is, in fact, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights. If street racing imported cars on hot nights is your thing, you'd best download it and check it out. If you do, be sure to come back here and tell people what you think. If you happen to live in Europe (and we know many of you do) you'll probably also want to check out the FlatOut demo that just released too. Now where is that The Darkness demo, hmmmm? [Thanks, Joachim Bertelsen]
Flatout crashing onto PSP
Firing Squad is reporting that Warner Bros. Interactive will be bringing the driver injuring Flatout to PSP. Flatout Head On will not be developed by series regular Bugbear Interactive, but instead Six by Nine will be doing the honors. The previous Flatout games were somewhat Burnout clones, but with an emphasis on dirt road racing, and driver hurling mini-games (not unlike Sony's Pain). This fall we'll find out if Flatout Head On can compete with the PSP racing pack. [Thanks, Joe!]
FlatOut: UC video is utterly destructive
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage may be the most accurately titled video game in history. Seriously, watch this video and tell us it isn't flat-out ultimate carnage. We've got crazy football themed "launch the body through the field goal" mini-games, then we have the same concept applied to long jumping, diving, and bowling. That little guy gets put through a lot. Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the positively massive pile-ups. If Forza 2 is a little too "simulationy" for you, we imagine you'll probably get a kick out of Flatout: Ultimate Carnage. Watch the video and tell us what you think.
Today's crashtacular video: FlatOut
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage is nearly ready for the Xbox 360, and a new trailer gives a glimpse of the reckless action. These sorts of driving/crashing games are tough to judge from a trailer clip -- or misguided soundtrack -- so we're holding our applause or disappointment until trying the title. But we won't let that stop you from heaping on the hype, or dousing it like Kaiser Soze blocking a makeshift fuse. What do you think? Watch the trailer after the break.
FlatOut Achievements collide
The FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage Achievements are now available for your perusal. There are 45 Achievements, with two of them secret. Most of them have creative names, similar to Gears of War's Achievement set. The one that sort of sticks out for us is "Go That Extra Mile" where you have to drive one thousand and one miles. It still has your standard affair of single player completion and displays of multiplayer competence. Are you going to race through this title when it comes out?
FlatOut Ultimate Carnage golden; hits UK shelves on 22nd
Empire Interactive and Bugbear Entertainment have announced that FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage has gone gold. On top of that, the game will be available June 22nd in Europe. With an effective trailer that came out earlier, this game should definitely whet your appetite in the combative racing genre. Hopefully it will hit the North American market in the near future. Are you going to pick this up when available in your region?
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage trailer flies under radar
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage also has a trailer that's on Marketplace that hasn't been mentioned elsewhere. It's 75 MB and does a much better job of conveying both what the game will actually look like, and the gameplay found within. It starts off with the same footage as the teaser, then goes on to show a bunch of racing, environments, and destruction. We'll do our best to ignore the crashbreaker at the end, because this trailer actually does its job of getting us interested in a game while showing real footage. Give it a look and tell us what you think.
Video: FlatOut in game footage
InsideGamer got an exclusive first look at in game footage of FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage, and posted it for our viewing pleasure. It runs at 3 minutes and 30 seconds, and shows a semi-off road race through the countryside. The problem is we've been known to make unfair comparisons of random racing games to the Burnout series, but we can't resist ourselves. This looks a lot like Burnout 3: Takedown mixed with some Revenge. It even uses similar fonts in the HUD. Perhaps we're just seeing things because we can't wait to see more of Paradise. Video available beyond the rainbow, or rather, the "Read" link. [Thanks, MarvinBeez]
Video: FlatOut Ultimate Carnage teaser
Godfree over at Gamertagradio posted up the first teaser trailer for FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage. It shows a very nice street racer, which could be classified as a Toyotsubishi SuprEclipse flying off the gate down the straightaway only to be t-boned by a muscle car, then proceed to get dog piled in a rather larger crash with multiple vehicles. According to the accompanying press release the collisions are all using the in game engine. It ends with a shot of the title screen, and the rag droll driver flying into a pile of his fallen comrades, complete with a cheap laugh to finish it off. So, do you think FlatOut will live up to it's subtitle, or are you going to get your crashing fix from *cough* Burnout?
