The holidays come for auto freaks several times a year, and we call those times auto shows. But with the motor show calendar on break for the summer, we got an unexpected injection of octane from this year's E3 video game expo. As if it weren't enough to catch a glimpse at such promising upcoming releases as Forza Motorosport 3, Gran Turismo 5 and Codemasters' FUEL, we've now got another one to add to our shopping lists: Need for Speed SHIFT.

Although previous installments of the NFS franchise focused on outrunning the po-po and tricking out imports, as our thumb-cramped compatriots over at Joystiq found out just this past March, SHIFT promises to deliver a pure racing simulator. EA has now released the full list of cars (including such highlights as the Lexus LF-A, Pagani Zonda R, Nissan GT-R SpecV, BMW M3 GT2 and Audi R8 LMS) and tracks (including the Nürburgring, Laguna Seca and Willow Springs) that'll be included in the game, along with a pair of videos that we've posted after the jump. Check 'em out, and prepare to lose sleep.

Getting tired of driving over the same virtual circuits over and over again? Sure, it's a good way to get to know a track, but if can get tiresome. That's why Codemasters – the game studio behind DiRT, Grid and the upcoming F1 series – is releasing Fuel.

The arcade-style racing game boasts a Guinness World Record for the most virtual terrain in any video game: a whopping 5,560 square miles of drivable turf. To design the digital turf layout, developers took the entire Western United States and put the best into the game, encompassing everything from city streets and desert highways to switchback country roads and snowy mountain passes, in all manner of weather conditions.

The paddock of vehicles includes motorbikes, race cars and trucks, but they're all fictitious, so if you're looking for a realistic racing simulator, look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you're looking for an old-school arcade game with a virtually endless array of tracks, this game's got your name written all over it. Check out the video after the jump and the high-res screencaps in the gallery below. Fuel releases for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Windows on June 5.



[Source: Codemasters]

Start saving your sick days: Codemasters is working on the next generation of Formula One racing games, and the future looks fast. The software development company responsible for such favorite racing titles as DiRT, Grid and the TOCA series obtained the rights to make the game from Formula One Management, which previously licensed the rights exclusively to EA Sports and Sony. So while previous incarnations of the official F1 game were available only on Playstation systems (PS2, PS3 and PSP), Codemasters' new game will be available across all the major formats. So if you've got a current gaming console at home, you'll have a crack at playing the new F1 sim.

Codemasters has revealed that the game will be released in two stages. First up is F1 2009, a simpler form of the game that will be available for Nintendo Wii and Sony PSP. F1 2010 will follow next year in high-definition format for Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PCs, taking full advantage of online gaming communities for head-to-head competition over the internet. Lewis Hamilton, whose contract with Sony expired in 2006 along with their exclusive rights to the game, will be headlining the new Codemasters franchise. look for the game to include all the latest F1 tech, including KERS, slicks, the latest aero rules, and all the latest tracks, including Singapore (above), Valencia and Abu Dhabi. It's times like these we're thankful that we work from home.

[Source: Autosport]

It's like a dream-come-true for tifosi everywhere, hearing the words "Ferrari" and "free" in the same sentence, but Ferrari has posted a free racing simulator on their website. Ferrari Virtual Race can be downloaded straight from the automaker's website, allowing PC users to pilot a virtual 599 GTB Fiorano, 612 Scaglietti or 430 Scuderia of their very own.

Word has it you'll eventually be able to add a Ferrari California or F430 to your stable if you so choose. Apparently you can pre-configure those models and save them when they're released down the road. And in case you think this is a simplistic, watered down, bargain bin app, know that it will offer head-to-head online action for those so inclined. You can download Ferrari Virtual Race by clicking the link and registering at the Ferrari website.

[Source: GT Channel]

When playing car racing video games, do you find yourself choosing vehicles or brands that you've owned in the past? We are definitely guilty as charged on this count, but it seems that this sort of logic works the other way too. People that play popular games like Gran Turismo and Project Gotham Racing have shown an affinity towards real-life vehicles that they used in the gaming realm. Subaru WRX or Mitsubishi Evolution anyone?

Financial Post researchers recently conducted a brief study that put people in front of gaming consoles running car racing simulators. Other people were placed in separate rooms where the games were being broadcast, but not played. Afterward, both groups were surveyed, and the results were eye opening. Those that played the video games responded that they were 50% more likely to purchase vehicles that they used in the video games than those that just watched.

Sure, these results don't necessarily prove anything, but automakers and advertisers have certainly taken notice. Current estimates put the in-game advertising market at $1.8 billion within the next few years.


[Source: Financial Post]

Imagine riding along in your family's car as a kid. Your hand is out the window and slicing through the air as you explore the concepts of drag and lift. As a child you might work that hand to rise and fall around the objects on the horizon, dodging treetops and ducking below bridges in the distance. Some German students apparently had this experience, and now they've taken that basic premise and added more cowbell. The result is Carcade, a scrolling video game concept that uses a webcam and laptop to scan the view out your car window and use it as the interactive background for a spaceship adventure. It recognizes and uses the objects in the view out your window as obstacles, instantly incorporating them into the action. It even adjusts game play speed according to vehicle speed. It's all pretty amazing work by the crew of Andreas Nicolas Fischer, Martin Kim Luge and Korbinian Polk. Watch the Carcade demo after the jump and let us know if you wouldn't have liked to waste away your family's road trip playing this game.

The cloak on the GT by Citroen has been pulled back again to reveal a little more sheetmetal. Call us crazy, but we have the feeling this car is going to put the "Whoa, that's wild..." back into concept cars. This little corner shows off two vastly different personalities: look at the center structure and it could be any pleasant Frenchmobile -- a 2CV even; scan out to the sides, and it's got the kind of vicious appendages of a predator. Then there's that diffuser hanging out there like an arctic steppe, mirrors that are 18 inches long, and a tapered rear end that can't possibly stay planted without some aero aid on scaffolding. For all we know, the car could be hiding nine or ten other personalities, as well. We can't wait to see it.


[Source: ZerCustoms]

Click above to view video after the jump

The trailer for Need for Speed: Undercover is out, and it is 60 straight seconds of "We want." The in-game texture looks primo and the storyline sections are a nice mix full-motion and rendered video. We have no idea what the game involves yet, so we can only hope that EA has restored some of the buck-wild madness that was missing from Need for Speed: ProStreet. We do know, however, that not only have police chases returned, but the boys in blue appear to be driving... R34 Nissan GT-Rs. So if as the sultry voiceover in the trailers says, "This is all going to come crashing down," it looks like you'll have a whole lot of fun making rubble. Follow the jump for the video, and check out the Need for Speed site for a couple more. Thanks for the tip, catgirlshyla!

[Source: EA]

Way back in nineties, this particular blogger had to get rid of his PlayStation because he was spending far too many nights on GranTurismo. Something about knocking a tenth of a second off our best time in the Mazda Demio was as addictive as air. Last Friday we spent an hour in front of the pre-production version of Midnight Club Los Angeles, and we've gotta admit... we're getting the itch for a PS3. Replacing several different cities for one highly detailed rendering of Los Angeles, the new Midnight Club is all about racing wherever you want -- in LA -- and however you want. Follow the jump to find out what's new and hot, and check out the gallery of hi-res screenshots below.

The Lotus Evora, which you can't drive on real streets yet, has already been driven in GT5. Attendees at the British Motor Show got a chance to put Lotus' latest over the kerbs, thanks to a tie-in between the folks at Hethel and those at game developer Polyphony. If you didn't attend the show, fear not: you can be pretty sure there'll be a version of it in an upcoming batch of downloadable content for GT5 Prologue.


[Source: Autocar]