Speeding onto an iOS device this Winter is Need For Speed: The Run, the iOS version of the popular console racing game.

As expected, players will find themselves in a race from San Francisco to New York across five distinctive parts of the US. There’ll be speed races through the desert alongside careful drifting around tight corners. Numerous real-world stock cars will be on offer with upgrades to speed, acceleration and handling all possible.

Healthy competition between friends will be encouraged with Autolog support keeping track of how each player performs. As a fan of the system on consoles, it’s an immensely addictive service. Who can resist challenging their friends after all? There will also be Origin support, a common trend with recent EA titles.

Take a look at the screenshots and gameplay trailer below. Need For Speed: The Run is looking pretty luscious indeed. It’s out sometime this Winter.

Racing to an iOS device near you later this week is Race of Champions, an app that hopes to be the most ‘technologically advanced racing game’ on the App Store.

Arriving 28th October, in time for the weekend, Race of Champions is the game of the competition of the same name. It’s a race in Germany in Decemberthat pits the world’s greatest drivers against each other. A series of head-to-head races involving identical cars on a parallel track, the focus is on the drivers and their abilities in order to be crowned ‘Champion of Champions’. Cars are swapped round between heats in order that drivers have to prove themselves using a variety of different machinery.

The game offers a very similar experience by the looks of things with developers Invictus supplying us with a teaser trailer and set of screenshots to excite racing fans across the world.

We’ll be sure to take a closer look at Race of Champions in time for its release date this coming Friday.

NuOxygen has just released “The Racing 3D Flight Simulator,” Ikaro Racing HD for iOS devices, and it’s looking pretty neat. Players will race through a diverse set of environments (and 22 tracks), from sprawling cities to winding canyons, jockeying for first place. It won’t be easy, but it makes winning that much more satisfying.

The game is designed to steadily increase in difficulty, so that players adjust naturally to the curve. It’s meant to be more pleasant than panic-inducing, with cameras that highlight the beauty of the landscape or the details of the planes so that the visuals can truly be appreciated. Of course, spending too much time drinking in the details are a good way to end up face-planting into an obstacle. A danger that becomes even more real when the dynamic weather system opts to replace those clears skies with a thunderstorm.

Ikaro Racing HD was designed with the iPad 2 in mind, but it’s also available for most other iOS devices. It just requires some tweaking in the options menu first. Aspiring air jockeys can grab it off of the App Store right now for free.

FREE!

Ikaro Racing HD

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-10-15 :: Category: Games

Console gamers will almost certainly have heard of the Burnout franchise. It’a a racing game series that focuses on causing havoc and destruction much more so than keeping to a tight racing line. Experienced through various different methods, the latest instalment is that of Burnout Crash!, recently released on Xbox Live Arcade and Sony’s PSN and now announced for iOS.

The iOS release of Burnout Crash! is set to allow players to ‘wreak as much havoc as possible by causing massive multi-car pile ups for mega-points’. Players can use Crashbreaker explosions and in-air aftertouch controls to steer their wreck into oncoming traffic, just like other games in the series. To reinforce the high score aiming side of the game, there’ll also be Autolog support to enable players to connect, compare and compete with their friends.

Using intuitive taps and swipes to steer vehicles and trigger explosions, Burnout Crash! should provide an ideal and fun experience across three game modes, 18 traffic junctions and six different locations. Children of the 1980s will be particularly excited to hear the 80s based soundtrack featuring the likes of Vanilla Ice and Gloria Estefan.

No set release date has yet been given for Burnout Crash! but holiday season suggests it’ll be before the end of the year. We’ll keep up to date on any developments.

Source: EA

For iOS gaming fans, one of the most exciting things about new operating system releases is how the new features will be implemented by upcoming games. A classic example of this is with Mini Motor Racing, set for release this year and with a bunch of iOS5 based features thrown in.

The title has been in development for much of this year with a gameplay trailer released back in March. Clearly a lot of effort is being put into it.

Mini Motor Racing promises a heck load of different options. There will be 20 different tracks plus day and night races to make for a lengthy single player campaign encompassing a series of race-circuit cups. 4 different vehicle types – sports, hatch, big-rig and pick-up – will be available. Multiplayer support for up to 4 players will also be included with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity as well as Game Center and Open Feint support for leaderboard racing. Plus, for those after the flexible touch, a variety of control settings are also possible.

For devices running iOS5, there’s the most exciting side of things: iCloud and AirPlay connectivity.

All race data from the game will be stored online through iCloud, meaning users can pick up where they left off regardless of what device they choose to play Mini Motor Racing on. This information includes racing stats, race circuit progress status, unlocks, achievements and best lap times.

The AirPlay functionality means that players will be able to mirror races from the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 to the TV screen for an even more exciting experience.

Mini Motor Racing is already shaping up to be something special with some fantastic looking visuals so hopefully these new iOS5 based features will cement the game’s position as an enjoyable Micro Machines style experience.

We’ll be sure to keep up to date on Mini Motor Racing‘s progress. For now, check out the screenshots and trailer below.

As we’ve seen, the iPhone 4S and iOS5 has been announced and with it has come a whole bunch of different features for app developers to implement in their products.

Historically, it’s always been Firemint and the Real Racing series that has been first to introduce such features such as iPad 2 optimization and 1080p output. It’s no different this time round with numerous features being added to Real Racing 2 and Real Racing 2 HD.

As predicted earlier in the year, AirPlay support will be added so that players can stream the game to their HD TV. Dual screen functionality will also be possible with real time racing telemetry on the iPad 2 or iPhone 4S.

More entertainingly is the addition of Party Play for 2 to 4 players, enabling players to play split screen local multiplayer over AirPlay.

Besides such revolutionary features, there’ll also be numerous visual upgrades to ensure that Real Racing 2 is still a cut above the rest.

Check out the Party Play trailer below. It’s looking pretty impressive.

The update is set to go live in time for iOS5 and the iPhone 4S release.

$2.99

$6.99

Real Racing 2 HD

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad

Our Rating: :: REAL FRUSTRATING
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-03-11 :: Category: Games

$2.99

$4.99

Real Racing 2

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Our Rating: :: FANTASTIC
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2010-12-16 :: Category: Games

There’s a second update ahoy for owners of top down street racer, Death Rally, and it brings with it some great new features.

Besides the usual mixture of bug fixes and minor improvements, there’s a new track, Eureka, which offers slippery thrills galore with an icy theme and unique camera to boot. You can now collect track parts in order to unlock new levels which makes for a great touch. There’s an in-app purchase on offer too with the ‘Shadow Man’ out to help your progress.

Most interestingly of all is that of the new backup system which means you can restore your game progress based upon your Game Center information. It’s the kind of feature I, and no doubt many others, would like to see in more titles ensuring you can continue your game regardless of which device you switch to. Particularly convenient considering Death Rally is an universal app, working on both iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad.

The update is available now for all previous owners of Death Rally, otherwise the app is priced at $2.99.

$0.99

Death Rally

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-03-31 :: Category: Games