Amid the Extreme E collaboration, the Forza Horizon 5 Series 10 update features four classic Porsches up for grabs. One of them is the #23 Porsche 917/20 that I won from this series' wet season playlist.
Donning the unique "pink pig" livery, the 917/20 uses the teachings of its Le Mans-winning predecessor while complying with Group 6 specifications. Although it qualified in 7th place, brake failures ruined its first-and-only race appearance. It is currently on display at the Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen Museum.
Since I got a pass for my Hot Wheels experience, how about taking the ancient 917/20 on the perilous turns of the Hot Wheels park for a change? This should be fun, I can tell. With that, let's roll the tape.
As Forza Horizon 5 is on its 10th series update, a special collaboration is underway and it's Extreme E we're talking about.
First and foremost, what is Extreme E? From the makers of the ABB FIA Formula E, Extreme E is a zero-emission extreme offroad championship where teams from all walks of the world are driving an all-electric extreme offroader through the world's harshest terrains, most are impacted by climate change.
Each team consists of one male and one female driver and teams must compete in two qualifying rounds. The top three qualifiers will make it to the Semi Finals, where two will make it to the finals. The middle three will take on the Crazy Race where the first placer will have a spot in the finals. The bottom three, meanwhile, will have to make do in a Shootout race with no progression in sight.
During the race, each driver can activate the Hyperdrive boost, which is similar to Formula E's Attack Mode, which gives them a power increase for a set amount of time.
The top two finishers at the Semi Final and the Crazy Race winner will be the ones racing in the Finals and whoever crosses the finish line wins.
That's the mechanics of Extreme E and now, let's get to know the vehicle in question; the ODYSSEY 21. Built specifically for this sport, it features two electric motors capable of producing 536HP of power as well as niobium-steel tubular chassis donned in a flax-based composite body shell.
There are ten Extreme E vehicles from the 2022 season up for grabs and to kick off your Series 10 adventure, the producers provided the #99 Chip Ganassi Racing vehicle for you to purchase at the Autoshow.
The #99 GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing team is comprised of drivers such as Sara Price and Kyle Leduc. Chip Ganassi Racing is known for its involvement in IndyCar and IMSA and their campaign in Extreme E is just the start for the Pittsburgh-based team.
The Chip Ganassi Racing vehicle is the first of the ten Extreme E vehicles to unlock and while this one is available to purchase in the store, the remaining nine are prize cars up for grabs.
Having fought my way through the first batch of Extreme E challenges, I won the first two Extreme E vehicles of the Series 10 playlist; the X44 one and the XITE one.
X44 is an Extreme E team that was run by seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton. It is comprised of Cristina Gutierrez, the first Spanish female driver to tackle the Dakar Rally in 2017, and rally legend Sebastien Loeb.
XITE Energy Racing is formerly known as Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team. It was made in collaboration between Hispano Suiza and XITE ENERGY and it features Tamara Molinaro and DTM veteran Timo Scheider.
With the quick introductions done, it's time to give the first batch of Extreme E machines a quick drive against offroaders, ICE or EV alike, across Mexico's toughest terrains. Roll the tapes.
Now that's what I called EXTREME OFFROADING!
The way I see it, I think this is only the beginning of the Extreme E fun and games, and with three Extreme E machines in my collection, expect more to come as Series 10 progresses.
Forza and Hot Wheels are back again with the arrival of the Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels Expansion and it's going to be so much more thrilling than the previous Hot Wheels adventure back in Forza Horizon 3. So, what's it like to be in The Great Racetrack in the Sky?
Onto the great racetrack in the sky that is known to be the Hot Wheels Park, you are sampling the Hot Wheels Bad to the Blade, a futuristic-looking, jet-inspired, racing machine designed by Fraser Campbell and was showcased at the Hot Wheels "Fearless at the 500" to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Indy 500. With a 1.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged motorcycle engine and the wing-and-ground effect that generates 2646lbs of downforce, it's capable of 230mph of top speed.
Driving the Bad to the Blade across the Hot Wheels Park, you will experience what's to come in the park; from the lush flora and fauna of Forest Falls, the deserted landscape of Giant's Canyon, and the frozen volcanic landscape of The Ice Cauldron, every perilous stunt is waiting for anyone ready to take on the Hot Wheels Park, leading up to the Nexus, the Horizon Hot Wheels Outpost.
With that, welcome to Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels!
At the start of your Hot Wheels journey, you've been given the Baja Bone Shaker, the off-road version of the iconic Bone Shaker toy car imagined by Abe Lugo. As you pass the Rookie Qualifier, you've been given the first batch of B-Class challenges to take on. Your goal is to score lots of medals before advancing to the next rank. The Major Missions are the quickest way to earn medals while Minor Missions earn less. Aside from medals, there are other prizes awaiting such as cars, outfits, and more goodies.
Anyway, now that I told you everything about what to do in the Hot Wheels Park, it's time to showcase my FH5 Hot Wheels debut. Ready?
Now that's what I called the first impression.
Enjoy your stay at Hot Wheels Park! If you haven't got the expansion, be sure to buy one right away or if you're a Premium Edition owner, it's yours for free. Anyway, welcome back to the world of Hot Wheels.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country is ready to mobilize its nuclear war deterrent and for any military clash with the United States, state media reported on Thursday, amid signs the North could conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.
Kim made the remarks during a speech at an event to mark the 69th anniversary of the July 27 Korean War armistice, which left the two Koreas technically still at war, according to the official KCNA news agency.
The confrontation with the United States posed nuclear threats since the conflict required the North to achieve an “urgent historical task” of beefing up its self defense, Kim said.
“Our armed forces are thoroughly prepared to respond to any crisis, and our nation’s nuclear war deterrence is also fully ready to mobilize its absolute strength faithfully, accurately and promptly to its mission,” he said.
The speech came after Seoul and Washington officials said Pyongyang has completed preparations to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.
South Korea’s unification minister handling inter-Korean affairs said on Tuesday there was a “possibility” of the test in time for the anniversary, though a military official said there were no immediate signs for it.
North Korea is likely to face stronger sanctions including measures aimed at curbing its cyberattack capabilities if it goes ahead with the test, South Korea’s foreign minister said on Wednesday. Read full story
In the speech, Kim said Washington continues “dangerous, illegal hostile acts” with South Korea against the North some 70 years after the war, and seeks to justify its behavior by “demonizing” the country.
The North has long accused the United States of double standards over military activities and pursuing a hostile policy towards Pyongyang, saying it hampers a restart of talks aimed at dismantling the country’s nuclear and missile programs in return for sanctions relief.
“The duplex act of the United States, which is misleading all the routine actions of our armed forces as ‘provocation’ and ‘threat’ while holding large-scale joint military exercises that seriously threaten our security, is literally a robbery,” Kim said.
“That is driving bilateral relations to the point where it is difficult to turn back, into a state of conflict.”
Kim denounced South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol administration, saying any attempts to preemptively incapacitate the North would be met with a stern response and “annihilation.”
“I once again make it clear that North Korea is fully ready for any military confrontation with the United States,” Kim said.
North Korea in recent months has tested hypersonic missiles and missiles that it says could carry tactical nuclear weapons, narrowing the time that Seoul would have to respond to a pending attack.
