Joystiq

Road Rash revisitation artwork surfaces on former Bizarre artist's portfolio

David Hinkle — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:50:00 EST

Back in 2006, EA was exploring the idea of a new Road Rash game. Aside from the video evidence that surfaced back in late 2009, we now have some new concept art and mock-up pieces to ogle from Liverpool-based artist, Richard Cook -- after leaving EA, Cook spent a few years working with Bizarre Creations on The Club and Blood Stone.

Being back on the job market has brought some attention to Cook's portfolio; these pieces seem to suggest EA was aiming to have big environmental set pieces in the game (the tornado above and a speeding train are a few), with one piece of concept art in particular showing a branching path where players could potentially take different routes in a level.

Sadly, it looks like this is all we're going to see on this version of Road Rash. The project was canceled back in 2006 and the studio responsible, EA Warrington, has since been shuttered.

[Image credit: Richard Cook]

Road Rash revisitation artwork surfaces on former Bizarre artist's portfolio originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Test Drive Unlimited 2 director reveals plans for beta and bikes

David Hinkle — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:00:00 EST

There's a lot of news on Eden Studios' sequel, Test Drive Unlimited 2, coming out of Spain today. VG247 attended the event and spoke to the game's director, Alain Jarniou -- he had a lot of new information to impart.

First, players will no longer find themselves bound by their automobiles. In the sequel, it will be possible to run around on foot and interact with the game world "in specific places." An example given by Jarniou is the pre-race: in the first game, there was simply a lobby for players to interact in before they got down to business. In the sequel, it's an in-game place where avatars stand around and interact.

He also revealed that plans are underway to offer an open Test Drive Unlimited 2 beta. "Right now, the plan is to have an open beta of TDU2. The difficulty of having a demo for a game like this is the fact it's a huge island, and a huge amount of data. It's not the best way to show the game. So yeah, for now the plan's an open beta."

Finally, Jarniou promised bikes will be available in the game -- just "not for the day one version." He says that the developer rebuilt the way cars handle from scratch, as Eden Studios wasn't totally pleased with how that worked in the first game. "So we decided to start from the beginning," he said, "and we now have a new handling for the cars, and we want to, of course, [do the same] for the bikes."

Test Drive Unlimited 2 director reveals plans for beta and bikes originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Criterion details Burnout Paradise DLC that never was

David Hinkle — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:30:00 EST

You gotta give it up to Criterion Games. Throughout the lifespan of Burnout Paradise, the developers at Criterion worked their buns off to give us all kinds of juicy DLC, from a new island to explore, a new game mode, right down to motorcycles and many, many car packs. Now, the company has prepared a lengthy diatribe documenting some of the updates that never got off the ground.

For one, did you know that Criterion initially planned to have motorcycles vs cars? Yep, sure was planned -- and did you know that Criterion wanted to create a whole series of islands, not just the one? The devs even wanted to give players the ability to go to the moon, complete with lunar challenges for Freeburn addicts. Also: the planes thing wasn't an April Fool's joke -- the dev actually wanted to add them (and other vehicles) into the game.

Overall, it's a pretty great read, if only to show you just how committed the studio was to the game and raising the bar for DLC in general.

Criterion details Burnout Paradise DLC that never was originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What an updated Road Rash might've been

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:10:00 EST

Don't you wish there were a motorcycle racing game where you could beat your opponents mercilessly while passing them at high speeds? There is, friends. It's called Road Rash -- and it's wonderful. Superannuation spotted a nearly three-year-old "pre-vis" version (read as: mock-up) of a current-gen Road Rash on YouTube (found after the break), which presumably never got past the drawing board at the long-closed EA Warrington studio.

We can't be sure if the tantalizing bit of video is of an actual working game or just a video depiction of what those involved hoped the game would one day look like, but we're not so sure that matters -- it's quite enticing either way. A recent trademark filing by the publisher certainly indicates something may be in the works for the once mighty motorcycle series. We've contacted EA for comment on the company's plans for the IP and will update this post if we hear more.

[Via Superannuation]

Continue reading What an updated Road Rash might've been

What an updated Road Rash might've been originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Burnout Paradise getting motorcycles, night driving this August

Jason Dobson — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Driving

The Burnout franchise, visceral as it is, has always shied away from real carnage by removing the human element altogether, what with cars driving and mangling each other as if channeling Herbie. That looks to be changing, however, with Criterion announcing a planned update to the game this August codenamed "Davis" that will introduce motorcycles -- complete with human drivers -- to the crash-centric streets of Paradise City.

According to the developer, the bikes will get their own modes and challenges, as well as new locations designed to suit their two-wheeled shenanigans, though we hope against hope for the ragdoll hilarity that would be the game's Showtime mode for those riding a bike. In addition, the update will also see the sun setting on Paradise City for the first time with night time racing, no doubt increasing the number of head-on collisions as motorcycle enthusiasts skid along the pavement at record distances.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Burnout Paradise getting motorcycles, night driving this August originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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