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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.
MMObility: How the mobile market is trying to change MMOs
My brother called me the other day to tell me that he had just beaten me in Real Racing 3, an EA title that has drawn some criticism for its use of microtransactions. I enjoyed the heck out of the game, and it seems that EA is not worried about the criticism thanks to the overall positive response to the title. I asked my brother about the in-game purchases and he didn't really know what I was talking about. It was only more evidence that the rest of the market -- especially the huge mobile market -- doesn't really appear to care about persistent worlds or immersive lore. The fact is that pseudo-MMOs or games that are barely on the edge of MMO are MMO enough for many people, even people like my brother, who is no stranger to MMO gaming and has spent years in and out of World of Warcraft raiding and leveling. I was going to write about a game called Raft Pirates for this column, but when I started to look at it, I realized that it didn't quite seem like a "real" MMO, and so I asked the developer to define the game for me. The response I got back only added to my confusion about where the mobile market is going. So in today's MMObility, I want to continue the discussion I started last week, but this time I'll like to look at how the mobile market is keeping things muddy.
EA mobile: People like free-to-play, detractors a 'vocal minority'
Most players like the free-to-play model, according to Nick Earl, senior vice president of EA's mobile and social All Play label. Those that disapprove of free-to-play, like those who recently decried EA's use of microtransactions in Real Racing 3, are a "vocal minority," Earl told GamesIndustry.biz. "Ultimately the numbers would show that they and others all support the freemium model better."Detractors were "annoyed" by the lack of a one price "all-you-can-eat" model, he said, "But at the end of the day, they're going to pay to eat, if that's their choice. And they're happy doing it." Enough players are happy enough, evidently, that none of this year's EA All Play titles will opt for the traditional single price model.Earl's statements mirror similar sentiments shared by EA CFO Blake Jorgensen earlier this year. Jorgensen noted that players are "enjoying and embracing" the microtransaction model, and that all future EA mobile games will feature in-game purchases of some kind.
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 melts rubber Feb. 28, will be free-to-play
Real Racing 3 will arrive on iOS, Android and Kindle (via Amazon's App Store) on February 28, developer Firemonkeys has announced. The newest installment in the popular, visually impressive series will be free-to-play. The title promises "46 licensed vehicles covering 3 classes, a 22 car grid, real world tracks, 8 varied event types and 900+ events."As you might expect, not all of that content will be free right away. Though players will be able to unlock all content for free over time, they can also skip the rigmarole by simply purchasing cars and tracks with real cash, according to CNET.
Real Racing 3 coming in 2012 from Firemonkeys [Update: Trailer]
The first game from recently merged developer Firemonkeys is Real Racing 3, the developer revealed moments ago during EA's Summer Showcase event in San Francisco. The racing sim was revealed for iPad during the event and is slated for launch in 2012.The third installment in the originally Firemint-developed franchise is going bold with new never-before-seen features in the series' history, such as real-world tracks – including Laguna Seca and Indianapolis.As a member of the EA family, Firemonkeys also has use of the Porsche license, which they intend to make use of, along with other licensed cars from Audi and Dodge and other unnamed companies.
