Monday Wii Update: Monster Kings And SPOGS

Another Monday is upon us, and Nintendo is here to brighten our morning with the latest releases for WiiWare and the Virtual Console. Take a seat and place your napkin in your lap as Nintendo lifts the lid on their silver serving tray, revealing...

SPOGS Racing for WiiWare (1,000 points) is an arcade racer featuring what looks like Pogs stuffed into tires. Hmm. The rubber-encased cardboard circles take on other rubber-encased cardboard in a contest of driving superiority, using power ups that I am sure make as much sense as the game concept itself.

Meanwhile, in the past, the Virtual Console gets King of the Monsters for the NEOGEO (900 Points), the classic monster brawler that lets you pit not-really Godzilla against kinda-Megalon against each other in a battle royale to end...Japan, really.

Judging by that SPOGS screen, I'd say the VC is the clear winner this week, unless you're a giant fan of Pogs, in which case you are viewing this through a temporal portal from the 90's.

Racing Equity Probably Announced

Microsoft Thinks DS Is "Very Viable Platform"

Microsoft does not have a handheld device, which, you know, probably is a good thing! Why? It can put games on the Nintendo DS and get its brands out to people who may not or may never own an Xbox 360. Take Viva Piñata, which is getting DS title Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise. Microsoft-owned developer Rare has been working on the title as well as other DS games like Diddy Kong Racing DS. Says Rare's Joe Humfrey:

They put the Viva Piñata franchise on TV to reach a broad audience, they put it on PC to reach a different broad audience, and they're doing the same thing with the DS. They're trying to widen the audience of the franchise, basically... They see DS as a very viable platform.

Honestly, if Microsoft wants better odds at cracking the Japanese market, it really should release its exclusives on the DS. We hear the DS is popular in Japan. Xbox 360, not so much so.

MS sees DS [Eurogamer] [Pic]

First iPhone Game Redacted Review

Freeverse dropped us a note to let us know that they've released a "preview" of one their iPhone game Wingnuts Moto Racer, a heavily redacted preview.

Turns out that the developer, best known perhaps for their work on Marathon: Durandal for XBLA, is under an NDA with Apple and can't talk about the game just yet.

There are still some tidbits to be found on the site though.

Activision and System 3 are teaming up to launch Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli later this summer for the DS, Playstation 2, Playstation 3 and Wii.

The sim racer will include more than 15 international racing circuits, multiple gameplay modes and support up to 16 players in a series of challenges that include circuits and hill climbs.

The developers also say that downloadable content will be "continually released" for the game, including official team and car rosters which can be updated at the state of each season to reflect real-world lineups. They also plan to release downloadable cars, tracks and customization options on a monthly basis.

The game will be shown off to the public at the Montreal Grand Prix from June 6th to 8th in playable kiosks located in the event's Fan Zone.

Insane-Looking Mexican Road Race Gets Video Game

I confess, I know nothing about the wide world of racing sports. But Activision is apparently more knowledgeable than I, as it's announced an official Score International Baja 1000 off-road racing game for the Fall. In development by Left Field Productions, who did the Dave Mirra BMX titles for PlayStation 2 and Wii, Score International Baja 1000 is slated for PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and Windows PC.

Oh, wait, Fahey just told me to look it up. Fi-i-ine. Seems the Baja 1000 is an annual off-road race that's been held in Mexico on the Baja peninsula since 1967, with mixed vehicle classes and hazardous conditions created by evil spectators. Wow.

Looks like the game will have more than 90 different vehicles of all different types that can take heavy damage over the course of the race. Activision's Dave Oxford says it will make you "feel the speed and heart-pounding conditions." Isn't that why I drank six cups of coffee this morning?

Full release follows the jump. Oh, and the image in this post is a homage by artist Eric Hermann - I think it should be the official box art, don't you?

We Can Imagine A World Where Turn 10 Develop PGR5

Speaking last week with Kikizo, Microsoft's Shane Kim has been asked about the future of the Project Gotham Racing series, now that creator Bizarre have up and left. His response should help out any 360 racing fans who are yet to put 2+2 together:

...you know, we have a great internal racing studio in Turn 10, the creators of Forza Motorsport. And our goal is to roll the studio so that they can do more creative execution within the racing space. So you can imagine a future where they would develop a new version of Project Gotham Racing.

Shane Kim Interview [Kikizo]

Codemasters scores another one for its racing lineup - the Colin McRae: DiRT and Race Driver: Grid creators acquired the exclusive rights to develop Formula 1 racing games for console, handheld and PC. The deal will let Codies feature all Grand Prix circuits, teams, cars and driver likenesses in its titles, with the first of these to launch in 2009.

Calling the license "the jewel in Codemasters' racing crown," the developer-publisher said that snagging the license is a victory for its proprietary EGO game engine and a vote of confidence in its leadership in the racing game segment. As Formula 1 develops more international circuits, it's looking to expand its consumer reach, and seems to have chosen video games as an avenue.

Full release follows the jump.

Goodbye, Project Gotham Racing 4, You Will Be Missed

Gran Turismo Racing Academy Announced

Details are very sketchy, but SCEE and Nissan just announced the GT Racing Academy, which will give gamers a chance to show if they can drive in real life like they do in Gran Turismo. Every step of the academy will be filmed and later made available on the Playstation Network.

It sounds like it's connected to a contest that will give two luck people a four-month, real-life racing tutorial and then have them participate in the Dubai 24-hour race in January.

The vids will hit starting the PSN on May 23rd.

PlayStation Day Conference [Eurogamer]

Jason Priestley, who Nintendo was kind enough to remind us is an actor, hit up this weekend's launch of Mario Kart Wii at the Nintendo World store in New York. While there he took on fellow actor Chace Crawford of Gossip Girl fame in a bit of Mario Karting. If that fat cat smile and double chin is any measure it looks like Priestley totally schooled the kid. With a wheel too!

Sega Racing Studio Lives On With Codemasters

The news that Codemasters has reached an agreement to take control of the recently closed Sega Racing Studio in Solihull England is much more exciting if you think of it in terms of an adventure romance film. Three years ago Codemasters employees, along with some from Rare, Criterion, and Rockstar, were lured away to Sega Racing Studio by the promises of new racing IP adventures and fabulous treasures. Three years later the studio steps into quicksand and Sega is too uncaring to help, leaving them sinking, hands raised above their heads as the quicksand slowy obscures their vision. Then, at the last moment, a hand reaches down and grabs the studio's wrist pulling them free of the mire...it's Codemasters! They never stopped loving their wayward employees. Cue Peter Cetera's "For The Glory Of Love" as they hug. Not a dry eye in the house.

"In seizing this opportunity, we have created additional resources to escalate our plans in the racing segment," said Rod Cousens, chief executive, Codemasters. "We hope to welcome more than 40 people to the company and we have enjoyed the full co-operation of our friends at Sega in making this happen.

New Baja Trailer: Try to Control Yourself

Sega Puts The Brakes On Its Racing Studio

The studio that Sega built specifically to work on its driving franchises has been shut down, reports Develop Magazine. Established in 2005, pulling in talent from UK area development houses like Rockstar, Criterion and Codemasters, the studio only got its hands dirty with one racer, the commercially stalled Sega Rally Revo.

If there's new Daytona, Virtua Racing, Enduro Racer or Sonic R title in the works at Sega, it won't be from this group of 60-odd fellows. Develop cites no known reason for the closure, but we'll just chalk it up to general Sega luck.

Sega Racing Studio closed [Develop]

Topps, the purveyors of candy treats have just launched a little racing web based game to help promote the upcoming Speed Racer Movie, Speed Racer Candy Tracks The game is exactly what you'd expect from the title, a racing game with a Topps candy tie in. The tie in coming from a massive onslaught of in game advertising for all of their products from Bazooka gum to Ring Pops. The tracks may be pink and candy coated but this Flash game already seems ten times more interesting than the bore fest that is Speed Racer the Video Game. I'm sorry, but having to tack on "the Video Game" at the end automatically puts it on my "don't buy list."

Topps' Speed Racer Candy Tracks Game [Topps]

"It's exciting being on the cover of NASCAR 09," says Gordon. "The game is as real as it gets and it's been great being involved with it on this level. I look forward to helping gamers in NASCAR 09."

On the Future of Racing Games

Oh, the racing game: whither your future? NextGen rounded up some heavyweights of the genre to talk about the past, the present, and the future of racing games. Nigel Kershaw, game director at Evolution Studios, Gareth Wilson and Gerard Talbot, lead designers on the Project Gotham series, Guy Wilday, studio director at Sega Racing Studio, and Gavin Raeburn, executive producer on Codemasters' Dirt all sat down for a roundtable chat on the state of racing games. Operating on the premise that 'while other genres have rapidly evolved ... racers seem stuck in the same old routine of race upon tournament,' they get down to business:

Actually, I kind of fear for racing games in the future. Look at last year - there's been so many quality games that aren't racing games. Even me, as a racing game lover, there's a lot of good games I'd buy ahead of pretty much any of them, even though there's been quality there, too. I do worry that it might become an extremely niche area unless we work out a way of making it become more massmarket.

It's an interesting interview with several well-pedigreed people in the industry. Even if you're not a racing game fan, it's an enlightening look at one part of the industry that has traditionally been a staple, even if it's lost a lot of its luster these days.

Is Racing Gaming On Its Last Lap? [NextGen via RPS]