It’s been an agonising test of endurance for Gran Turismo fans, but after years of delays the wait is almost over and the game will finally be in your hands in less than a month’s time.

Or at least it would have been if it hadn’t been delayed yet again. Yes, the widely publicised November release date is sadly no more – Mr. Pedantic Yamauchi must have spotted some stitching that was out of line on the leather upholstery in one of the car models, halting production immediately. Fortunately, Gran Turismo 5 was proudly on display flexing its polygonal muscles at this year’s Eurogamer Expo, so I gladly took it for a spin with the knowledge that it may still be a while before we are united again.

GT5 was certainly one of the leading attractions of the Expo, attracting quite a crowd whose expectations have now spanned over six years. I too will admit that it was one of the highest priorities on my checklist of games to play, as I scurried along to the inviting stand as soon as I entered the showroom.

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MotorStorm has remained one of my favourite racing series for the current console generation with its winning formula of brutal off-road racing, so it was with great excitement that I got to sample Evolution Studios’ latest instalment in the franchise MotorStorm Apocalypse at this year’s Eurogamer Expo.

As well as managing to get my own hands-on with the game on the crowded show floor, I also attended a Developer Session presentation hosted by Matt Southern and Paul Rustchynsky, lead designers of the MotorStorm franchise, to gather additional snippets of information about the game.

Read on to find out if MotorStorm Apocalypse is looking like it has the horsepower to obliterate the opposition.

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Dear oh dear, it’s the news Gran Turismo fans didn’t want to hear, but according to the US PlayStation Blog Gran Turismo 5 has been delayed once again and will be released “this holiday season,” missing its target November 2nd release for North America.

The following statement was posted: “We sincerely apologize to GT fans for the delay, however, creator Kazunori Yamauchi and the team at Polyphony Digital want to make certain they are creating the perfect racing experience, and we are confident that this ambitious game will exceed expectations when it launches.”

Update: the Euroepan PlayStation Blog has also confirmed that the delay will apply to European territories as well, but affirmed that the game would be available “before Christmas.” At this rate it will be a miracle if the game ever arrives this century.

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F1 games of the past have largely been hit and miss. In the late ‘90s, annual F1 games were sultry staples of the racing genre, but ever since Sony acquired the license there has been a steady decline in the quality and level of interest towards the genre. Then there’s the sport itself which, to be honest, has done little to captivate me over the years. More often than not, I will watch the opening laps of a race only to nod off or vacate the TV as the initial bustle dissolves into an uneventful ritual. I’m, therefore, not what you would call a hardcore enthusiast.

2010 has seen a major turning point for F1 however with revised rules and racer rivalries, and as popularity for the sport has been reignited, Codemasters picked their timing well for the release of F1 2010, the direct sequel to the Wii-exclusive F1 2009 and the first F1 game on the PS3 since the mediocre F1 Championship Edition.

It’s been four long years since Championship Edition, but since the license was handed over from Sony to Codemasters in 2008, anticipation for their first foray into the glamorous world of F1 has been mounting for its deprived fans. Renowned for their consistently critically acclaimed racing titles such as Race Driver and the more recent DiRT series, can Codemasters’ take on the sport deliver the same racing thrills of the past for both seasoned F1 followers and rookie racers alike?

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A new trailer has been released for the Criterion’s forthcoming Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, once again highlighting the range of ludicrously powered supercars and the equally preposterously police cars that will be available.

The trailer also provides a further glimpse into the long-winding tracks from the past and the new Autolog feature for online play that allows you to connect to others and display your friend’s stats.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is slated for release November 16th in North America and November 19th in European territories.

It’s long been known for some time that Polyphony Digital managed to secure a deal with the popular BBC motoring show Top Gear for Gran Turismo 5 that will bring full episodes and the iconic Top Gear test rack into the game. Not wanting to feel left out, Turn 10 has now also struck a deal with the BBC to release exclusive Top Gear content for Forza Motorsport 3.

As a result, a re-release of the game entitled Forza Motorsport 3: Ultimate Collection has been announced for release in October and will include all of the previously released DLC (which will bring the total car count to over 500), along with exclusive Top Gear DLC consisting of the “Stig’s Garage Car Park,” a 90 minute video and a Top Gear Xbox Live Theme.

Hit the jump for full details.

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A new trailer featuring apparent gameplay footage from Criterion’s upcoming Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit has surfaced from today’s Gamescom event.

The video predominately serves to highlight the benefits of the special edition version of the game, which will include an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and Ford Shelby GT500 as exclusive unlocks, as well as unlock the Chevrolet Camero SS, Porsche Cayman S, Audi TT RS and Ddoge Challenger  SRT8 from the start.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is currently slated for release on November 19th.

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Disappointing news for racing fans: the expansive open-world racer Test Drive Unlimited 2 will be off the road until Q1 2011, consequently missing its intended September release. The developers are citing a need to apply “a few extra months of polish” in order to ensure “that we deliver a robust and reliable online service from the day we go live”. First Driver: San Francisco and now this.

Still, if it’s any consolation there are still more than enough high profile racing games to look forward to this year: Gran Turismo 5 and Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit are the obvious frontrunners, along with Codemaster’s F1 2010 and WRC 2010 from Black Bean Games.

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Gran Turismo 5 will finally be making its grand entrance out of the showroom this November, and Polyphony have announced today some special edition versions of the game for Europe.

Unlike the American equivalent however, there will be two seperate bundles to choose from – you can find a complete content listing and pricing details after the break.

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After several hints throughout this week, Codemasters have unveiled their new reveal trailer for the forthcoming Colin: McRae: DiRT 3, courtesy of the ESPN X Games. DiRT 2 was one of my favourite racing games last year, so the announcement of a sequel already is exciting news indeed. I only hope this new instalment adopts a less Americanised approach than its predecessor, but fortunately Codemasters have hinted it will have  British vibe this time round.

Racing driver Ken Block, who narrated DiRT 2 with no personality whatsoever, looks set to feature once again as the trailer depicts him putting a Ford Fiesta rally car through its paces across a South African dirt track before joining a Ford RS200 in a race on snowy terrain, a locale that was sorely missing in DiRT 2. The teasing trailer comes to a close  by having the Fiesta drifting around an exploding truck, most likely hinting at a new race event for the final game.

As the trailer proclaims, DiRT 3 is set to be released next year.

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Today brings some bad news for fans of the Driver games. Word got out the the fifth installment in the series, Driver: San Francisco, has been pushed back to Ubisoft’s fourth quarter (January to March 2011).

This news was discovered when some super sleuths combed though Ubisoft’s estimated sales report. According to the report, Driver: SF has been pushed back in order to avoid the “competitive market at Christmas.” Read more… »

Disney Interactive has announced that the Hollywood-inspired racer Split/Second will be ported over to PSP this winter, and will retain the same OTT power-player sequences that made it such a stand-out title in the genre. While the game will sadly not feature online multiplayer, local multiplayer for up to four players has been promised, along with an extra track and additional challenges that were not featured in the original.

Despite my best efforts to persuade you to buy it, the original Split/Second achieved underwhelming sales so it will be interesting to see how it will perform on a new platform, not to mention how the sensation of being in a big budget movie will transpire on a smaller system.

Split/Second is due for release on PSP this Autumn – check out the newly released screenshots after the break.

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