LPL, New Zealand’s esports provider, is excited to be putting their grand final events live on stage in 2019.

The Star Insurance LPL Pro Project CARS 2 ANZ Championship is wrapping up next Thursday (23rd of May, 2019) with an intense live final at SKYCITY perfect for motorheads and esports fans of all ages!

Over the course of the last 6 weeks, 16 racers from Australia and New Zealand have been logging on, revving engines and racing on iconic tracks such as Fuji Speedway and Ruapuna from the comfort of their homes. Now the top 8 will be flown to Auckland to put the pedal to the metal and race the digital version of the iconic Bathurst track in front of a live audience. The event will also be broadcast live on SKY Sport and Twitch.tv.

If you love fast cars and great entertainment and want to see what esports is all about, come and see our top 8 live on stage on their final night of the series, get involved in the action, and see your ANZ Champion crowned. Try some delicious Mammoth Supply Co. on the house, grab a picture with the FLAVA Radio team, and give sim racing a try for yourself thanks to Playtech. We’ll also be crowning a separate Grand Final Bathurst Champion too – racing sim fans won’t want to miss it!

The live final will take place at the SKYCITY Theatre on Thursday 23rd May 2019. Doors open at 6pm for a 7pm start time. Get your tickets from Ticketek or at the box-office in the SkyCity Theatre foyer on the night.

Plus thanks to OLA all ticket-holders get a FREE* cab ride to or from the venue on the night.

The post LPL are bringing LIVE esports to Auckland NZ’s CBD appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Kiwi esports broadcasting company LetsPlay.Live are excited to announce the first season of the LPL Pro Star Insurance Project CARS 2 ANZ Championship for 2019 – fuelled by Mammoth!

Over 30 racers from across Australia and New Zealand have competed online in the open division over the past few weeks, racking up points on the leaderboard. However, only the top 16 drivers could qualify for the chance to compete live on SKY TV and Twitch in the LPL Pro league.

Contestants will be competing across 7 weeks for a share of the $6,000 AUD prize pool and the title of ANZ Champion. Welcoming in new faces to the league as well as fan-favourites from past events, this televised season is sure to get motorsport fans’ engines racing!

LPL are thrilled to welcome back headline sponsor Star Insurance to the league following a successful Project CARS partnership in 2018. They also welcome aboard Mammoth Supply Co. who will be supplying players, crew and fans with icy cold flavoured milks throughout the league.

“Once again we’re very happy to be a major sponsor, connecting with like-minded people who are at the forefront of innovation. LetsPlay.Live is a great fit for us. Our Star Enthusiast range of insurance products, including Star Project & Performance, Star Vintage, Star Classic and Star Motorsport are typically purchased by esports fans who appreciate the customised experience we provide. Star creates extraordinary insurance for Kiwis with exceptional vehicles,” says Nicholas Baker, Chief Executive Officer at Star Insurance Specialists.

“We’re excited to be joining LetsPlay.Live for this championship, and we’re looking forward to the action getting underway. Mammoth is a great choice for gamers with a range of drinks to fuel you at the right moments, so we’re looking forward to this being the start of a great partnership” says Margaret O’Sullivan, Director of Marketing at Fonterra Brands NZ.

Fans can also look forward to opportunities to score themselves some great giveaways and promotions throughout the tournament thanks to these sponsors.

The Project CARS 2 ANZ Championship series will premiere Thursday April 11th at 7pm NZT on SKY Sport and on LPL’s Official Twitch Channel . The season will continue every Thursday for a total of seven weeks of high-octane esports action.

The post Announcing LPL PRO PC2 Season One 2019 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

There is quite a spectrum of racing games out there, that vary from the silly arcade style kart racers to the strict accurate sims. Project Cars hits the ground, pushing the extreme strict end to further than any other major racing games had, giving an immense amount of depth for those looking for it. Now amongst a lot of racing games releases, Project Cars 2 has launched to do the same as its predecessor.

For anyone who hasn’t dabbled with the first Project Cars game, it takes the concept of a racing sim, and runs with it, to an extreme degree. You can dig deep into this game and get lost if you know as little about how cars work as I do. This can be overwhelming but fortunately it’s totally optional. The game is most suited to someone who wants to dig into this, but for anyone how doesn’t want to, you can get the game to automatically decide its specs based on how you want it to race.

Outside of this is the true brutality that a racing sim can bring. When you enter a contract based around a race type, you must complete the contract before you move on, so a badly chosen contract will have you ride it out. This is a great element of the game, it makes you think about what you want to make your way through, and it forces you to get good at different race types throughout your race career.

This wouldn’t seem so outrageous but the game takes sim to the next level, and this is included in the novel race types, such as Go Karts. I initially thought I’d start there as it would be a fun way to start the game, which was my first mistake. The nature of a Go Kart going at full speed is if you catch the edge of the grass you can spin out in seconds. This is how the game works and it’s better for it, as it makes a challenging game for many of us that forces you to get good.

The biggest adjustment is how a car reacts due to the wheels. This is the case in the obvious, catching the edge of a corner and you spinning out, but it also manifests in a frustratingly brilliant way as you accelerate. In most racing games, you hold the accelerate trigger and take off, in Project Cars 2 this can be a mistake as your car spins out. This is most notable after you slide out and must start again, holding accelerate while trying to turn can result in a wasted amount of time spinning your car out.

Customisation doesn’t appear in the form of the car modifications either. This extends to the races, race types, and better, the weather.

This covers simple things like rain and sun through to snow, which is a wonderful feature as you jam tracks such as Nordschleife with snow or a blizzard. This customisation and freedom to play is at its core and what makes this game so great.

This manifests at its best online where non-creative minds get to enjoy the minds of those who are.

The online races basically consist of timed races where you need to put up the best lap time, or laps. This is stock standard but thanks to other players getting into the customisation in races, it’s highly variable. If losing in front of other players doesn’t tickle your fancy, then you can create offline custom races, which is where I spent most of my time. Choosing your track, weather along with other variables then going to town on it is entertaining and immensely satisfying.

Project Cars 2 is a racing sim unlike others. It is difficult to get your head around if you are familiar with the more casual racers, but it worth enduring the learning phases to get into the game as it becomes rewarding to succeed. Its steep learning curve won’t be for everyone but it is enjoyable none the less.

The post Project Cars 2 (PlayStation 4) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.