Want to get yourself a sweet ride that even James Bond would envy? Many should be familiar with the Aston Martin series, made famous with its association to so many Bond films, as well as its inclusion in some notable games this year. The manufacturers have revealed last August 16 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance that their new luxury sports car, the DBS, will be joining their prestigious line-up of sleek automobiles for this year.

Not deviating from the alluring style which has made such an impact with the Aston Martin series, the DBS sports several features which will give every automobile enthusiast something to smile about. The DBS is the first Aston Martin produced vehicle to utilize ultra-light carbon-fibre body panels. Add that to a powerful V12 engine, a six-speed transmission, an adaptive damper controlled suspension system, and new carbon ceramic breaks, this is one car that everyone will be anticipating upon its release on the first quarter of 2008.

Dr. Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer commented on the DBS, saying:

The DBS is the ultimate expression of Aston Martin's engineering and technical ability. It offers pure performance without compromise. The DBS delivers the complete driving experience and bridges the gap between our road and track cars – the DB9 and DBR9.

No prices have been revealed so far, however it will be announced at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in September. If you're interested in more specifics regarding the technical information of the DBS, feel free to click the Read link below.

 

Microsoft Game Studios just came out with an announcement regarding certain developments of Forza Motorsport 2 for the XBox 360. We are all stoked to see the full version to be released this May. For one, the car list has been expanded, revealing cars from European manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Jaguar, Bentley, Lotus, TVR, Saab, Volvo, McLaren, and more.

The developers at Turn 10 have also created a feature that they're calling the "Xbox Live Auction House." This is basically a mini marketplace where one can show off his creations or even sell them off to a global audience for in-game currency. This wouldn't be such a big thing until you consider that Forza Motorsport 2 has more than 300 cars, multiple after-market modifications and customizable paint jobs. This innovative feature is something that will have players going crazy over this game when it's released.

As a final note: those of you who have been checking the Forza website may have noticed that it looks different from before. They redesigned it to be easier to navigate around the site. Its new look is also in keeping with the site's eventual goal of providing a destination for fans to socialize and talk about racing, tuning, design, and games and car culture in general.

Months back, we reported that Glu Mobile has announced that they would develop and publish the mobile version of Project Gotham Racing. Months went by silently...until now. Glu recently unveiled just what kind of vehicles could you race with and drive in PGR mobile.

In a nutshell, mobile gamers will have the choice of driving seven of today's meanest and hottest cars. The seven cars are the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, Cadillac Sixteen, Ford GT, Honda NSX-R, Lamborghini Gallardo, AMG-Mercedes C-DTM 2006, and a Toyota GT One. Each of them cars have unique physics and engine specifications which will include top speed and horsepower. For now, here are the screens of the mobile game for your consideration.

More screens after the jump!

Test Drive Unlimited will be racing to the 360 early next month (September 5th) and the team over at Achieve360Points has posted the achievement list for the game. The game has 46 achievements that add up to the usual retail amount of 1000 gamer points. The achievements range from beating different missions and collecting cars to trying to drive 5000 miles. When the game ships it's only going to cost 39.99 which will be a treat for you racing fans; but until then go ahead and check out the full achievement list as follows:

• (20) SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 1 - Win the Gold cup in 5 Single Player challenges.
• (20) SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 2 - Win the Gold cup in 10 Single Player challenges.
• (20) SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 3 - Win the Gold cup in 20 Single Player challenges.
• (30) SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 4 - Win the Gold cup in 40 Single Player challenges.
• (40) SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 5 - Win the Gold cup in 60 Single Player challenges.
• (60) SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 6 - Win the Gold cup in ALL the Single Player challenges.
• (15) SINGLE PLAYER TIME CHALLENGES - Win the Gold cup in ALL the Single Player TIME challenges.
• (20) SINGLE PLAYER RACE CHALLENGES - Win the Gold cup in ALL the Single Player RACES challenges.
• (10) SINGLE PLAYER SPEED CHALLENGES - Win the Gold cup in ALL the Single Player SPEED challenges.
• (30) ISLAND TOUR - Win the Gold cup in the "Island Tour" challenge.
• (10) MULTIPLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 1 - Take 3 victories in multiplayer races. Only RANKED MATCHES are counted.
• (20) MULTIPLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 2 - Take 15 victories in multiplayer races. Only RANKED MATCHES are counted.
• (30) MULTIPLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 3 - Take 30 victories in multiplayer races. Only RANKED MATCHES are counted.
• (15) SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS - LEVEL 1 - Successfully complete 3 missions (Top-Model, Hitchhiker, Vehicle Transport or Courier).
• (25) SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS - LEVEL 2 - Successfully complete 15 missions (Top-Model, Hitchhiker, Vehicle Transport or Courier).
• (35) SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS - LEVEL 3 - Successfully complete 40 missions (Top-Model, Hitchhiker, Vehicle Transport or Courier).
• (60) SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS - LEVEL 4 - Successfully complete ALL the missions (Top-Model, Hitchhiker, Vehicle Transport or Courier).
• (10) INSTANT CHALLENGE VICTORIES - Take 5 victories in Instant Challenges.
• (10) SHARING CUSTOM CHALLENGES - Share 3 custom challenges in the Drive-Ins.
• (10) CUSTOM CHALLENGE VICTORIES - Take 2 victories in the custom challenges of the Drive-Ins.
• (10) CLUB MEMBER - Create a Club or become a member of an existing Club.
• (10) CLUB RACE VICTORIES - Take 3 victories in Inter-Club races.
• (10) TRADE - Buy or sell a vehicle from/to another member on TRADE.
• (20) FERRARI COLLECTOR - Own at least 3 different FERRARI.
• (20) LAMBORGHINI COLLECTOR - Own at least 3 different LAMBORGHINI.
• (15) MERCEDES-BENZ COLLECTOR - Own at least 3 different MERCEDES-BENZes.
• (10) CHEVROLET COLLECTOR - Own at least 3 different CHEVROLET.
• (15) ASTON MARTIN COLLECTOR - Own at least 3 different ASTON MARTIN.
• (10) FORD COLLECTOR - Own at least 3 different FORD.
• (10) BIKE COLLECTOR - Own at least 3 different bikes.
• (10) BEN SHERMAN COLLECTOR - Own at least 10 BEN SHERMAN items.
• (10) *ecko unltd. COLLECTOR - Own at least 10 *ecko unltd. items.
• (10) TUNER - Buy a performance pack for one of your vehicles in a Tuning Shop.
• (40) EXPLORER - Discover all the roads on the island.
• (10) EASYGOING TOURIST - Cover 30 miles (48 km).
• (25) STEADFAST TOURIST - Cover 200 miles (320 km).
• (30) TRAVELLER - Cover 400 miles (640 km).
• (35) SEASONED TRAVELLER - Cover 1,000 miles (1,600 km).
• (40) EAGLE-EYED DRIVER - Cover 5,000 miles (8,000 km).
• (20) OWNER - Own at least 2 houses.
• (30) REAL-ESTATE TYCOON - Own at least 15 houses.
• (15) SMALL COLLECTOR - Own at least 2 different cars.
• (20) AMATEUR COLLECTOR - Own at least 4 different cars.
• (25) CONFIRMED COLLECTOR - Own at least 10 different cars.
• (30) MOST VARIED COLLECTOR - Own at least 20 different cars.
• (30) EXTREME COLLECTOR - Own at least 50 different models of cars.

Creativity and uniqueness always score brownie points in a game. In Test Drive Unlimited, not only are you offered with awesome experiences and challenges, but you are also afforded this opportunity to jazz up your performance and appeal by visiting the car and bike dealers scattered all over the island. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Aston Martin are only but a few of the high-end names in dealerships you can rub elbows with, in addition to the access you'll have to the actual manufacturer's options. Here, the choice is in your hands if you'd change your rims, paint, or interiors.

Test Drive Unlimited also takes you into the glamorous world of car and bike collection, with 90 vehicles on the DVD alone, and more coming from the online marketplace. But of course, you can't just keep on collecting these toys if you don't have enough storage for them! So to add to that pimped up factor, apart from collecting those phat automobiles, you also get to collect luxury homes! The island is a pretty tight neighborhood with a tight selection of celebrity homes for that almost-celebrity lifestyle you'll be living. 60 houses on the island makes for a pretty exclusive subdivision. Of course, your character needs to be dressed for the part, so you also get to edit your appearance with the editor available in your dressing room, which contains tons and tons of your designer wears!

The game itself pretty much takes you on a ride through everyday life: dressing up, picking which car to drive (alright, so that one is more of a fantasy), driving out, and looking for ways to spice up your day. Here is where the challenges come in.

On the general map, you can find the hotspots for all the raving challenges, building, players and bookmarks. That would be on the first layer. On the second layer, it functions more as an info editor of some sort as you are able to specify specific elements you want viewed (available challenges, gained achievements, unlocked challenges, etc).

To help you get to that race you so want to conquer, the GPS is there to aid you find it in the shortest possible time, weaving you through the quickest routes for you to have that grand entrance. While the storyline may be found to be a bit reminiscent of PS2's Need For Speed Underground (you come from the airport, drive around in a borrowed car, pimp your ride at the shops, enter races and collect cars), TTU adds and offers so much more to auto racing and collecting!

With all these features onboard, Test Drive Unlimited brings in a whole new meaning of pimping up your ride, and your lifestyle!

This week's handful of Test Drive Unlimited screens show off the Maserati cars available in the game. Founded in 1914, Maserati has always been a symbol of luxury, power and prestige, nicely fitting for the beautiful tropical scenery of Oahu. The brand became legendary when Maserati introduced the 3500 GT line of cars in the late 50s. They became a real competitor to manufacturers like Aston Martin and Ferrari with the launch of this two-door coupe convertible. The 3500 GT will be one of the cars drivable in Test Drive Unlimited. The other is the MC12, a sleekly designed, powerful car with a 700 horsepower engine.

Players will be able to get their hands on the wheels when Test Drive Unlimited hits shelves in September.

      

      

  

While news of actress Emmanuelle Vaugier making an appearance in Need For Speed: Carbon has already been confirmed, an official list of the available cars in the game has yet to be released. We do have an unofficial list, though, and while this isn't final, a good number of these cars will be playable.

• Aston Martin DB9
• Aston Martin V12 Vanquish or Vanquish S (not confirmed)
• Chevrolet C6 Corvette (not confirmed)
• Dodge Challenger
• Dodge Charger (2007)
• Dodge Viper
• Ford Cobra (Shelby) (not confirmed)
• Ford Mustang (Shelby GT-500 2007)
• Ford Mustang WP (not confirmed)
• Lamborghini Gallardo
• Mazda3
• Mazda RX-7
• Mazda RX-8
• Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
• Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII (not confirmed)
• Nissan 300ZX (not confirmed)
• Porsche Carrera WP
• Porsche Cayman S (not confirmed)
• Subaru Impreza WRX STI (2006)
• Toyota Supra (not confirmed)

Want more cars? Well, lucky day! It's screenshot time.

[edit]

Sorry for the confusion. Seems "Lancer" was mistranslated to "to throw", as was "Charger". "Carrera" became "to square" and even "or" was mistranslated to "gold". Thanks to darkz, drew4237, and wekilledbambi03 for pointing out the mistakes. Again, apologies.

Atari have released a fact sheet for their upcoming Xbox 360 title, Test Drive Unlimited, today, revealing even more details on their high-octane racing thriller. Although TDU is also being released for PC, PSP and PS2, these facts apply to the Xbox 360 only, and you can probably expect to find less features in the PSP and PS2 versions.

Test Drive Unlimited is the ultimate automotive experience for car and bike enthusiasts alike. As Atari say "In the past there were racing games. Now there's Test Drive Unlimited". Visit the most sophisticated car and bike dealers to purchase new vehicles or simply take them for a test drive. Choose from all the real-world manufacturer interior and exterior options to make each vehicle one-of-a-kind. I'm reiterating what you already know, so here's the spoilers, detailed facts on each aspect of the game:

The Challenge:
Players can choose from 360 multiplayer and solo challenges, including a combined online and offline total of 125 race challenges, 44 time challenges, 51 speed challenges, 40 club challenges. And if that’s not enough to satisfy you, you can design your own course.

The Vehicles:
TDU offers a previously unprecedented choice of the world’s most luxurious cars and bikes, featuring 90 of the most desirable vehicles on the planet, including cars from Lamborghini, Ducati, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Shelby, Mercedes, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Saleen and Jaguar – each officially licensed. Additional vehicles will be made available via Xbox Live Marketplace after launch.

The Individuality:
Customise your avatar with a choice of popular branded clothes and create your own unique look with a vast range of hairstyles, colourings and the ability to fine tune all the facial features as well as performance upgrades for your car.

The Lifestyle:
Stack up the cash by winning races and completing challenges, then go beyond racing by bagging yourself a fine crib in the hills and filling your garage with sleek, sexy models of automotive art. As you cruise around the island, admiring the landscape and seeking out new challenges, watch out for convoy missions to take on, hitchhikers looking for a free ride, and even girls to pick up in order to get even more cash.

The Showrooms:
Cruise into the classiest car and bike dealerships completely furnished to precisely replicate the manufacturers’ real-life showrooms, from the walls, to the carpet and the floor plan. Purchase new rides, or take them for a free test drive. Every vehicle is rendered with incredible fidelity and boasts unrivalled interior details including full car functions such as radio, electric windows, horn and more.

You can tell that this is the Xbox 360 version. No expense has been spared in creating the most realistic driving sim to hit the Xbox 360 and probably any game console, rivaling the Gran Turismo series for the PlayStation consoles.

Much has been said about this game from Atari due out this summer. Although, the featured cars may steal the show, the core component is gameplay. In this article we will touch on achievements within the game.

Test Drive Unlimited boasts of more or less 46 different achievements. There are a lot of ways on how to earn these achievements. The best part is you can do so without even plugging in your Ethernet. Nine of these achievements can be unlocked through bringing home gold medals in single-player time, race and speed challenges. Another four by successfully completing missions such as helping drop dead gorgeous supermodels get to their destination without unruffling their numerous shopping bags or delivering packages within strict time limits.

A tourist achievement is possible by driving distances of 30, 200, 400, 1,000, and 5,000 miles during your time on the island. And if you've travelled all the roads in the island, you gain explorer achievement. Of course, there's also the most obvious of the lot which is the collector achievement, where you'd have to be the proud owner of the most luxurious vehicles like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, Ford and Chevrolet. This achievement is not only limited to cars but extends to bikes and clothing.

And what is a racing game without achievements gained through making other players eat your dust. Victories in ranked multiplayer races are good for three achievements, and after unlocking an achievement for creating or joining an online car club, you'll have the opportunity to unlock another one by winning three interclub competitions. And if you're feeling creative, you can unlock another achievement by sharing three custom challenges that you've designed.

Are you ready to race yet? This game developed by Eden Games, will retail for $59.99 and is Atari's saving grace.

As Ryan Seacrest would say, the lines are now open and time to vote for your favorite. No singing stars here, only novice car designers vying for the $2,500 prize as Atari opens the online polls this weekend for the “Be A Car Designer” contest. The  competition aims to create an image of a dream concept car and the winning design (aside from the money) will have the privilege of driving alongside motor legends Lamborghini, Ferrari and Aston Martin as a fully functioning 3D vehicle in Test Drive Unlimited.

Voting started last July 1 and will end on July 10. The winning entry will be determined by the number of valid votes from the public and by checking which one satisfies all of the rules.  We've seen some of them (including the two images above) and picking the best design won't be easy!

Test Drive Unlimited provides a lifestyle and automotive gaming experience with the hottest things on four wheels (and two wheels) to hit the world's roads. It has more than 1000 miles of photo-realistic Hawaiian terrain, a challenging single player game and a a number of online options. The Massively Open Online Racing (MOOR) enables gamers to interact with thousands simultaneously.

There are more than 100 licensed cars and bikes from exclusive manufacturers, each one fully customizable with interior and exterior details and functions to suit every gamer's fantasy. Test Drive Unlimited will be available in September 2006 for the Xbox 360.

Cast your vote for the 'Be A Car Designer' contest here.