Racing Video Games

Need for Speed: Carbon is ready to take you to the heart of underground racing. Set in the outskirts of the city, you begin by declaring a class allegiance, picking your crew, and finally, deciding which of the 50 tunable cars you want to make your own. Select a tuner, American muscle, or exotic car, and then begin your ride to the top. You may also use the "Autosculpt" feature to create a completely customized car if no existing car suits your needs. Selecting your crew is important because each member has a special skill that can help you make it to the finish line first. For example, a scout can find hidden short cuts, and a blocker can create a distraction.

Despite being forced by police to race in Carbon Canyon, the rivalry is just as fierce and the stakes are at an all-time high. The game features four areas of urban and rural pavement, and each environment is broken into sub-zones of drift, street, and duel racing for a total of 80 tracks. As you begin winning races, you will also earn territory within the city. Start losing races, and the territory is given back to the rival crew. To completely take over another group's turf, you must defeat their boss in a race. Multiplayer action is available through the Internet for gang, one-on-one, and canyon battles. ~ Gracie Leach, All Game Guide

NASCAR 07 includes all NASCAR events such as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks series, and the NASCAR Busch Series. Four modes of play include a career-based "Fight to the Top," an "Expanded Season" that allows you to compete against four players, a get-in-and-go "Quick Race" mode, and a "Kenny Wallace" side trial. The "Trial Series" features 31 different scenarios to race in that earn you gold, silver, or bronze medals used to unlock hidden drivers, tracks, and paint schemes. ~ Gracie Leach, All Game Guide

The sequel to 2003's Mercedes-Benz racer, World Racing 2 expands the driving options to more than 90 vehicles from 17 licensed auto manufacturers, including Alfa Romeo, Lotus, Volkswagen, and the original's Mercedes-Benz. The four primary game modes are mission, single race, training, and multiplayer. Mission mode features 100 challenges across venues that range from Italy and Egypt to Miami and Hawaii, with a total of more than 160 tracks.

Notable features include oncoming traffic, a damage modeling system that incorporates subtle details such as scratches and dirt, and five handling settings to accommodate both arcade-style fans and simulation junkies. As players progress through the game, their driving prowess will be rewarded with "speedbucks" that can be used to purchase new vehicles and tuning options in the areas of wheels, body, vinyl, and more. Up to four players can compete on the same system using a split-screen view. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

FlatOut 2 continues the demolition racing series with a number of enhancements over its 2005 predecessor. After selecting a vehicle from a choice of four classes (muscle, sports, pickup, and compact), players will compete against seven AI opponents that possess individual driving styles and personalities. The heart of the game is the championship mode, where the object is to enter multiple cup races, win cash prizes, and unlock new events or vehicles. Each track features an assortment of jumps, ramps, signs, alternate routes, and buildings to crash into while engaging in high-speed collisions with rivals.

New stunt mini-games are available in FlatOut 2, sporting the same twisted takes on daredevil driving as in the original game. Instead of jumping across objects or navigating through obstacle courses, the aim in each of the 12 events is to propel the driver out of the windshield and into (or onto) various targets. Players can also enter their vehicles in six demolition derby arenas, where the last car left sputtering is declared the winner. Tournaments, stunt challenges, and individual races are supported online via Xbox Live for up to eight drivers. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Get ready to lay rubber when the tree turns green, in this "Sportsman" edition of Bethesda's International Hot Rod Association-sanctioned series of drag racing simulations. IHRA Sportsman allows enthusiasts to take part in a full 12-event season that follows the real-life rules for bracketing and car classes. Money won in events can be spent upgrading the player's dragster, or purchasing a brand new one. For quick, pick-up-and-play races, the game's "Arcade" mode offers single events and two-player split-screen racing. ~ All Game Guide

Borrowing its title from the series of dirt bike enthusiast videos, Crusty Demons is a stunt-friendly motocross game with exaggerated action and real-life rider characters. Like most other "extreme sports" games, it features over-the-top tricks and empowering combo moves, but it also rewards players for orchestrating the most spectacular, sadistic crashes they can. Extra points are earned for bailing out of impossible tricks and causing lots of damage and destruction, to the interactive environments as well as to the rider's own body. A variety of off-road vehicles are available, including mini-bikes, ATVs, and even riding lawn mowers and an ice cream truck. Crusty Demons was developed by the U.K.'s Climax Group, also known for its ATV Offroad Fury and ATV: Quad Power Racing games. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

In this video game adaptation of Pixar's Cars, you begin as Lightning McQueen, a rookie racecar looking to win fame and fortune at the Piston Cup Championship. A racing adventure game with ten playable characters from the film, Cars offers more than 30 races and mini-games through open environments. The game includes voice talent from the movie, so listen for moral lessons from Larry the Cable Guy and comic relief from Cheech Marin. ~ Gracie Leach, All Game Guide

One of Sega's classic racing titles continues its new lease on life with OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, the follow-up to 2004's OutRun 2 on Xbox and in the arcades. The Xbox version offers 15 licensed Ferraris, including the F430 Spider and 550 Barchetta, as players race across 15 American-themed locales from the OutRun 2 SP coin-op game. New twists on the series include mission-based objectives, souped-up or tuned versions of the existing Ferrari lineup, and the ability to slipstream behind rivals. Players can also earn OutRun miles throughout each game mode to cash-in for vehicles, courses, and other surprises. Up to six players are supported online via Xbox Live in a choice of game types and options. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Two different time periods are captured in Driver: Parallel Lines, the fourth game in the cinematic, mission-based racing series from U.K. developer Reflections Interactive. Players begin the game during the "Me Decade," the 1970s, as they guide a self-assured 18-year-old named TK in his bid to become a the best getaway driver in New York City. Things do not go as planned, however, as TK is double-crossed and forced to spend the next 28 years behind bars. The action then moves ahead to 2006, with players engaging in modern-day chases, pick-up runs, heists, shootouts, and more. Parallel Lines offers a choice of 80 drivable vehicles, from cars and bikes to buses and construction machines, with players able to fine-tune and customize their ride's look as the game progresses. Each vehicle will also experience real-time damage throughout over 35 missions set within the city that never sleeps. Players can once again leave their cars at any time to continue missions on foot, acquire an assortment of weapons, and interact with a cast of colorful characters. While exploring the city's streets, players may also engage in optional mini-games like destruction derbies and cops and robbers. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Enduringly popular in Europe, Codemaster's premier auto racing series returns to North America with the release of ToCA Race Driver 3. Designed with a focus on accuracy and detail, the game features six different styles of racing -- GT, Touring Cars, Off-Road, Open-Wheel, Track, and Classic -- all based on real-world competitions, all built on the series' sophisticated physics model and game engine, and all featuring a selection of authentically re-created, brand-name automobiles. In all, more than 70 licensed vehicles are included. Online racing is supported, for up to eight on PS2 and as many as 12 over Xbox Live or on an Internet-connected PC. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide