Racing Video Games

After sending gamers to temperate and tropical locales on the PS3, the MotorStorm series takes its destructible courses, multi-route track designs, and spectacular crashes to the craggy cliffs of a snowy mountain in MotorStorm: Arctic Edge. Players can speed around 12 reversible tracks, from mud-slinging slogs through the gravelly lowlands to slippery sprints up the snowy mountainside, all while triggering environmental events such as rockslides and avalanches. Six of the vehicle classes available in previous MotorStorm games return, including rally cars, big rig trucks, and ATVs, and in keeping with the frosty locale, Artic Edge introduces new snowmobile and snowcat classes. There are 24 vehicles in all, and as players progress through the game they can unlock various upgrades and accoutrements to spice up their favorite machines. The "Festival" mode takes gamers through eight different ranks and more than 100 individual races, while solo-gamers can also enjoy "Free-Play" and "Wreckreation Time Attack" modes. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

THQ's third game inspired by Pixar's hit computer animated film, Cars Race-O-Rama introduces 15 playable characters to go along with the existing cast from previous titles. You'll compete in a total of eight racing locales, from Radiator Springs Speedway and Santa Carburera to Motoropolis City and Autovia. The main storyline follows Lightning McQueen's effort to prepare his students for the Race-O-Rama competition. Rival Chick Hicks is doing the same, and he will stop at nothing to ensure his academy wins the prize -- including telling his students to cheat. A new drifting mechanic lets you power slide more easily around the courses, while performing stunts during races will rev up the paparazzi and crowd. Challenge a friend in a choice of missions, lap races, and other activities. Test your skills in all-new mini-games, including the "Mack Track Challenge," "Tractor Stampede," "Photo Op," "Auto Cross," and more. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The 2008 release in Electronic Arts' high-mileage road-racing series, Need for Speed: Undercover is built on a revamped game engine with a dual focus: realistic sports car physics and accessible, empowering controls. Hundreds of components and systems are individually modeled on each automobile, for realistic acceleration, suspension, weight displacement, and handling, in any car and under any circumstance. The game features dozens of automobiles from the world's leading manufacturers, as well as real-life aftermarket parts, paint, vinyl, and other customizations.

The "Heroic Driving Engine" introduced in Need for Speed: Undercover aims to harness the game's realistic physics by condensing difficult, dangerous driving maneuvers into simple, button-press controls. Players perform 180s, 360s, burnouts, and instant reversals with the tap of a few buttons, and a fixed camera angle makes it easier to follow the action through spins and quick turns. It does not take stunt driver skills to drive like a stunt driver in Need for Speed. It still requires a stunt driver's spirit, however, with imaginative routes and daring maneuvers well rewarded, and a complete wipeout always one wrong turn away.

Undercover's single-player campaign is driven by a story that sends the player's character deep into an underground crime syndicate, using his driving skills to gain trust by performing jobs and wining street races around Tri-City Bay, the game's fictional, open-world setting. Much of the driving action takes place across wide, southern U.S. highways. The roads can fill up with randomly generated traffic and multiple, computer-controlled cop cars that work together to chase down crooks. Other game modes allow players to take the role of the fleeing suspect or the pursuing police in one-off levels and challenges. As many as eight players can go Undercover together online. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Score International Baja 1000 is an off-road racing game that lets players speed around dirt tracks on Mexico's famed Baja peninsula. Racers can hop in more than 90 different vehicles spanning several classes, including trophy trucks, motorcycles, and ATVs. Winning requires more than speed though, because realistic dirt and damage modeling means that players must be cautious around other racers and environmental obstacles, or face the prospect of a destroyed vehicle. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Based directly on the 2008 Wachowski brothers' film, Speed Racer for PS2 is a stunt-filled racing game that allows players to take the roles of Speed, Trixie, Racer X, and other characters, voiced by the actors who portray them on the big screen. The game aims to play off the exaggerated action of the film as well, with loopy, convoluted tracks and virtual speeds of over 400 miles per hour. "Car-fu" combat plays a central role, and winners will have to spin, flip, and smash their way ahead of their competition. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Whether it's due to the manufacturer's reluctance to license its product, a simple lack of games, or that pesky $200,000 price tag, most gamers have not had the chance to climb into the driver's seat of either a real or a virtual Ferrari. But that all changes in Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli, where players can strap on the five-point harness and speed around 16 tracks modeled after real courses on the official European and North American Ferrari Challenge series. More than 50 Ferraris are available for use, from upgraded Challenge vehicles such as the 355, the FXX, and the 430 Challenge, to production versions of the 588 and 575, to classics such as the 250 GTO and the 275LM; all designed using real photographic scans and original blueprints supplied by the manufacturer.

Game modes include a reproduction of the real-life Challenge series, Arcade mode, Quick Race, Time Trial, and Ferrari Collector Card Battle. Developer Eutechnyx has imbued the game with a number or graphical flourishes as well, from a damage system that features scratches, dents, and fully detachable parts, to complete engine and cockpit modeling with accurate and functional dashboard gauges, to environmental effects such as smoke, dust, water sprays, and dynamic lighting. Creative players can also design custom logos, graphics, and text for their vehicles, and the game features running commentary from Top Gear host Tiff Needell. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

DT Carnage is a car-racing game with a twist: you can either win races by placing first or by literally destroying the competition. The heart of the game is the "League Conquest" mode, where you'll choose from five characters and compete in a series of high-speed events to find the person responsible for the death of your race-driving father. Smash into rival vehicles on your way to the finish line, or acquire items like missiles, bombs, and oil slicks to ensure a clear path to victory. As you progress, your character will earn experience points that can be used to develop new skills, acquire vehicles, and unlock additional play modes. For a break in the action, you can park cars, capture phantom racers, and knock down bowling pins in three offbeat mini-games. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Off-road enthusiasts can get some Jeep Thrills in Destination Software's tribute to jeeps and Jeep culture. The game lets players race in 18 different jeeps, from the original WWII style know as the Willys MB, to more pavement-oriented jeeps like the Wrangler and the Compass, to sportier concept vehicles. Two players can race head-to-head on more than 30 different courses, including mountainous jungle rally races, and high-intensity, low-temperature sprints through the Arctic. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Razorworks takes the Ford Racing series Off Road for the first time in this budget-friendly release. Rangers, Broncos, Explorers, Expeditions, F-Series trucks, and high-end Land Rover vehicles race over snow pack, dirt, sand, and gravel in arctic, desert, badlands, and other uncivilized environments. ~ All Game Guide

EA's best-selling racing series continues with authentic cars, drivers, venues, and sponsors from the speed-driven sport's 2008 season. Featured locales range from speedways and super speedways to short tracks and road courses. A new career mode involves building your driver's reputation while competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Building reputation is accomplished by leading laps, passing cars, avoiding wrecks, qualifying, and more. Your reputation influences the behavior of the computer AI, the quality of potential sponsorship offers, and even the type of opponents you'll face online.

The Sprint Driver Challenge is a separate play mode featuring multiple race-specific scenarios to complete before engaging in head-to-head events against the sport's most recognizable stars. Cover star Jeff Gordon serves as your personal guide and mentor to the world of NASCAR, offering advice and tips to help improve your level of play. A more forgiving handling model is included to help those new to NASCAR stay on the track without spinning out. Veteran drivers can still choose a simulation-style control scheme for an added challenge, and an assortment of car customization options are available to improve each vehicle's performance on the demanding tracks. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide