Within the latest Nacon Connect, a number of things were shown relating to racing games, but the largest of those is news on Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown. Both WRC 10 and RiMS Racing had new trailers to show off a bit more of those games, along with Session – the skateboarding game that aims to portray the sport as accurately as possible in videogame form.

Along with those came a trailer showing off the Life label, with the first five business management sims set to be releasing from said label. I’ve already had my eye on one of them from the initial label reveal in March – Hotel Life, since it’s focused upon a type of simulator not really seen in games. Along with that comes Train Life, Chef Life, Surgeon Life, and Architect Life, which all have focus on more common types of sims, but could still prove to be worth a look at.

Each game seems more focused on the hands-on management style as seen in Thrillville than having players being the eye in the sky. While there isn’t a game attached to everything you place in the world, there’s still a lot of interactivity within them. Hotel Life sees you showing guests to rooms and making sure they’re happy until you’re able to hire others, with Chef Life seeing you making the meals and serving them. I’m confident each of them will offer something new for the type of business they are simulating.

For Session, I’m still unsure on it. I love some extreme sports action, but this one seems like it will be a more technical game than the likes of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. It’s available on Xbox Game Preview and Steam Early Access at present, with the description touting True Stance Stick controls – where each analogue stick of the controller represents a foot of your character.

Also from that description – and the thing that is making me consider it, is that the primary goal of the game is to express yourself how you want. That to me sounds like there’s no objectives, making it a true sandbox for this type of game. At present, there’s only one map to explore, but new ones will be added over time. I’m… sure I’ll consider it at some point. I could never turn down a chance to explore, and the New York map looks to be a good one.

The racing games were good ones. I’ve already had a bit of experience with RiMS Racing thanks to the Steam Fest demo in June, which had me confident it would be a good game even if I never got the hang of things. Probably should have spent a bit more time with it. This event confirmed that there is a collaboration happening which brings the Bloody Beetroots brand into the game through their music and as one of the drivers. Or at least customisation options with their branding on it.

WRC 10 is set to be a celebration, with the event bringing Sébastien Loeb to talk a bit about his history and how much of that you can experience within the game. With such historic moments being represented in the game, that brings in the tracks and vehicles from those eras too. This one comes along soon after RiMS with a start of September release. While I won’t be getting it, I can recognise that this is sure to be a big release for fans of rally.

The big one for me was Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown, and with Nacon Connect we finally got our location reveal. Hong Kong Island. It’s smaller than any location we’ve had in a TDU game, but time will tell if this one is more representative of that location. From the trailer, I’d say it probably is. While I’m not too familiar with Hong Kong Island, there’s a lot of mountainous terrain seen, along with a city running along the entire north of the island. And in the distance, the name tags that appear show even more urban areas to be visiting.

We also know of more details surrounding the game – including the fact it will be an MMO. A massively multiplayer online experience that will no doubt see plenty of people enjoying the delights of the world while competing in both the Solar Crown tournament and the clan war that is brewing. There’s two clans to pick from – the Streets and the Sharps – which will more than likely serve any team-based gameplay.

As for the release date, it’s set as September 2022, which should give plenty of time for this to be the best it can be. As stated within the Connect, this is the start of learning all about the game, so there should be more information coming this year. We know the where, so I want to be knowing more about the what. Sure, I’ll be busy exploring the world, but there’s still events to take part in – and those are what will draw people in.

I’m happy with what I’ve seen from the Nacon Connect this year. There’s a lot to be looking forward to, and I’ll soon be getting stuck into some of that. While the racers will be second to the Life games until Solar Crown arrives, I’ll still be keeping an eye on those other games, as it’s entirely possible I might just bite for one or two of them.

Images Taken From:-
Hotel Life: A Resort Simulator Steam Store Page
Test Drive Twitter Page