Rockstar has sent through the Oz box art for its upcoming racing title, Midnight Club Los Angeles. Unsurprisingly, it contains a shot of a car and... a Classification Board sticker! Heart-pumping stuff, I know.

I've included a larger shot after the jump, if you'd like to use it as a centred wallpaper or something.

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Reader John E writes in to give us a heavy dose of not news. "I was driving on the freeway with some friends and we saw a Samba De Amigo truck driving around", according to his e-mail. "I haven't seen anything on this anywhere else on the web, so I'm not sure what it's for". (OMG, does that mean we have an exclusive?!)

We know what it's for John: making us seriously consider purchasing a commercial truck with bright red rims and Samba de Amigo branding, then having a custom horn installed that blares "El Ritmo Tropical" at anyone whose driving technique we disagree with.

Want to give the latest game in the Midnight Club series a whirl? Rockstar has let us know that it's taking an exclusive pre-release demo around Australia (well, Sydney and Melbourne so far) to give fans and curious gamers a look-see. It'll feature the Saleen 302E, which I believe is a car.

Here are the dates:

30th August: Shadow Wars - Manning Bar Sydney University
13th-14th September: Auto Salon - Newcastle entertainment centre
25th-28th September: Royal Melbourne Show - Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
Epsom Road, Ascot Vale
4th-5th October: Auto Salon - Melbourne Exhibition Centre Southbank

Oh Brucie. Brucie, baby. You've gotta lay off the bullshark testosterone. It's fucking you up. Upstairs. Like, you need to be aware of some things, things you're forgetting. You're a fictional character. You live in a videogame. You are not a real person, and you most definitely should not be popping over to the real world and posting your not-real car ads on our real-world car sale sites. It'll confuse the kids.

2002 BMW M3 Coupe [AutoTrader, thanks dlindenb!]

Now here's a car engine that is sure to provide hours of family fun entertainment! Kotakuite Zooie sends us this photo of a Toyota that reflects the owner's driving love of the original NES.

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The new March car pack for Forza 2 hits later this week. On March 19 Forza-heads can pay 400 points to get 13 new vehicles including the new Audi S5 and the 2008 BMW M3. Also included is the Lamborghini LP640 and the Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

To help promote the game the developers will be holding a little in-game competition this weekend and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday Xbox Live will be randomly giving away prizes, including a racing wheel and autographed copy of the game, to people who play the game.

Hit the jump to check out a gallery of the new cars and the full list.

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There are no casual Gran Turismo "fans". There are people who hate the series, avoiding it at all costs, and there are others who adore it, and would set their teeth on fire while kneeing themselves in their own balls if the game's license tests demanded it of them. They're that into it. If you're part of the latter camp, you may be interested in these, a GT5: Prologue soundtrack and an adorable little GT5 toy car.

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Gran Turismo 5 Prologue hits stores in North America on April 17 for $US 40, it will also be sold as a digital download for the same price on the Playstation Store. If you buy the disc version it comes packed with an extra behind-the-scenes high-def video called "Beyond the Apex".

The precursor to GTA5 will include 60 vehicles, 16 car online races at 60 frames per second and 1080p HD support. The game also supports online racing events, an in-cockpit view with real-time gauges and human animation and support of the vibration Dualshock controller.

"Ten years following the introduction of Gran Turismo(TM) on PS one(R), Gran Turismo 5 Prologue delivers the most realistic and technologically advanced racing experience on any platform," said Jeff Reese, director, software marketing, SCEA. "With 1080p graphics, revolutionary online features like Gran Turismo(TM) TV and the new in-cockpit racing view, the world'sbest-selling racing franchise will once again set the standard for racing games."

The game will launch with Gran Turismo TV, a dedicated online channel on the Playstation Network that will include worldwide motorsport programming.

Is it just me or is everyone else getting confused with all of these demos and prologues? I'm not sure if this is the best way to roll out a triple-A title. Hit the jump for the official fact sheet and a batch of new screens.

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That new Hummer HX concept? Totally a Warthog rip-off, we all know it. Or is it?! Yes. Of course, it is. Even though Carl Zipfel, GM's director of exterior design for the concept ride on display at the North American International Auto Show, denies finding inspiration in Halo's staple vehicle, we believe the side-by-side comparisons of the two remove any doubt that Hummer has swiped. Did anyone else notice both have four wheels? The designer even admits to being "an Xbox guy", telling mLive that several of the vehicle's designers play Halo regularly.

We will not stand for these lies, Zipfel! Give the Bungie design team their due and all associated royalties should the car come to production. We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it any more, etcetera, etcetera.

Hummer denies Halo influence on HX concept [mLive]

It appears that the perfectly manicured pair of hands in the shot above may be the only ones to have ever gone hands-on with the PSP port of Gran Turismo 4. IGN is reporting that Gran Turismo 4 Portable has been canceled "by the vendor," a fact learned when a staffer received a call from retailer GameStop on the matter. The game, which was announced in 2004 by way of simulated screenshots and UMD and box mock-ups, was layed into 2006. It was pretty much never heard from again, despite Polyphony Digital head Kazunori Yamauchi say that the team was still working on it.

There hasn't been confirmation yet from Sony Computer Entertainment, but we plan to bug them until we get a solid non-confirmation that the game does or does not exist in some form. Yeah, we're looking for something as substantive as GT4 PSP itself!

Gran Turismo 4 Mobile Cancelled? [IGN]