Wii gamers may know the MySims series and if so will likely find the soundscape of this game quite familiar, but they haven’t seen those cute little figures in karts armed to the teeth with cartoon weapons until now. MySims Racing offers the quick race and multiplayer (but no online play) options most Wii owners will expect and put to regular use, but don’t overlook the story mode! It has all the originality and depth of a Super Mario plot, but that didn’t stop Nintendo’s classic franchise from being ridiculously fun and entertaining, and the same goes for MySims.

Like the later games in the Super Mario series, the MySims Racing story mode offers you a map which restricts your movement until you complete the challenges facing you at each of the points of interest. There are multiple game modes so each event is different from the others around it and it makes for a progression that is both fun and unique for a racing game, even a Wii kart racer. There are forks in the road and you can choose to skip some events in favor of others, or master all of them to earn medals which can then be used to purchase upgrades.

The gameplay itself is standard fare for a kart racer, with standard types of controls and standard-ish weapons and power-ups that isn’t to say it’s at all boring, there’s just nothing new. For Mario Kart fans it will be something akin to playing all new tracks, with all new vehicles and characters, but not much more than that. Except — there is some vehicle customization, which is a little surprising for a kart racer. Don’t get too excited, it’s a very simplistic system but you can upgrade engines, steering and the like. There is also a fair selection of purely ornamental upgrades you can buy to pimp your ride.

Keeping with the theme, courses don’t offer anything really new and in some ways are less challenging than the courses veteran kart racers may be used to, but they’re still well designed and fun to race on, with a fair variety in style from track to track. Weapons also seem to be less powerful than usual for a kart racer, but that can be a good thing because it puts focus back on the racing itself. There are a bunch of other minor differences MySims Racer has in comparison with previous kart racing games but none of them can really be said to markedly improve or detract from the gameplay, or take the genre to the next level for that matter.

On a system with such a pronounced drought of racing titles, especially ones that are half-way decent or better, MySims Racing rises to the top like the creme de la creme. It isn’t really. Truly, it’s astounding that the bar is set so low, but things being what they are a pretty good racing game can get high praise. MySims Racing is not groundbreaking or even “great” in any objective sense but it’s a really fun racer. It also happens to be one of the best racing games available for the Wii console.

On the surface this racer might not seem like much, but play it for a while and you’ll find it has some strong appeal. Many games these days focus on the immersion experience through technology: hyper-realistic graphics and sound effects, primarily. Some games do this to the exclusion of other, more important gameplay elements and though their outer shell might impress and delight, players eventually discover the interior of such games ring hollow. World of Outlaws: Spring Cars is basically the polar opposite of that.

First impressions will leave you thinking this game must have been released for the original Xbox and can’t possibly be any newer than five-years-old. Oddly enough, no. This game is new for 2010 on the Xbox 360. Or is it?  In actuality, similar games were released for the Playstation 2 in 2002 and for PC gamers in 2003.  While this isn’t a direct port, I am highly suspicious the history of the title goes a long way towards explaining the aliased sprint car models and lackluster audio. Still, it doesn’t look or sound terrible — it’s just not up the impressive standards other racers have led us to expect. There is far more to a game than the graphics and sound though, and that’s where World of Outlaws begins to shine.

The available tracks are definitely a spot where the game is deceivingly diverse. There are only twelve tracks, all oval race courses and all in the United States, but although that sounds incredibly boring I assure you it is not. The courses have enormous variety, in the pitch of the track on turns, how many lanes of cars can fit abreast, as well as varied external elements specific to the locale. The single player career mode is extremely deep and rewarding, with challenging-yet-fun gameplay that will outlast the career modes of many more popular racing titles. There are achievements too, although you might want to turn notifications off because unlocking one can cause the game to freeze up for a few seconds.

Even some long-time racing gamers might find themselves on unfamiliar ground with some of Sprint Car racing’s specific quirks. Each race begins, not with all the drivers holding their breaths waiting to slam their foot down on the accelerator but with rolling starts that have you and the other drivers moving around the track prior to (and waiting for) the green light that announces the official beginning of the race. Controls might be a little unfamiliar-feeling as well, as is the view of your car because Sprint Cars are specifically designed for just this single purpose: going left around an oval track. They have larger wheels on the right side for this reason (to maintain both speed and control during left turns) and the look and feel can take a bit of getting used to. That’s not a bad thing though, it’s just a new experience.

The AI drivers you’ll face in career mode are one of the things that really puts this game in play and makes it worth checking out. Some games have AI drivers that are simply terrible to the point where you’re consciously aware the computer is piloting them (and that the computer is dumb). Other racing games constantly remind you their drivers are computer-controlled because they never make any mistakes and are almost unfairly difficult to beat. World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars hits the Goldilocks zone with drivers that aren’t too great, aren’t too bad, and always just seem like… well, other drivers. Because of this, the in-game immersion benefits enormously because you can believe there is a person behind the wheel of those other cars, and that makes you feel like you’re really behind the wheel too.

Multiplayer is not fantastic, but you can race online with up to 8 players. Games can suffer from lag occasionally but are mostly all-right. This title’s strong point is definitely its single-player career mode though, especially as you cannot fill out any empty slots with AI drivers in multiplayer mode. The career mode is really strong though and the Sprint Car aspect to the game brings something new to the table for the genre. World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars is definitely worth checking out for hardcore racing gamers.

Xbox 360 and Playstation 3

Due for release on or around May 25th depending on what part of the world you reside in Blur threatens to be a number one best seller for race fans. The game drops players into heart-pumping, electrified racing action with 20 cars starting out on the track and all targeting the finish line. However the race for the line isn’t a straightforward one as the driver’s battle against each other and trading paint as they collect the intense power-ups littered around the circuit. I liken it to an adult version of Mario Kart with better graphics and greater playability.

The cars themselves look sleek and sexy with over 50 to select from but don’t expect your motor to look like it has just left the showroom as you cross the finishing line. As you bump and scuff your way around the street circuit expect to see wing mirrors fly off, panels get dented and cars getting completely trashed.

The race tracks are exciting and carry a varied degree of difficulty; they include street circuits from Hackney in the UK to L.A. San Francisco and Spain. The real difference Blur brings to the table over rival race car games is the power ups which can literally change the outcome of a race in seconds.

Power ups are special abilities that you can pick up on the track and use against your opponents, there are five in total:

• Nitro the simplest power up gives you a burst of speed.
• Shunt a projectile weapon to lift an opponent off the track.
• Shock an electric energy transmitted from the roof of your car.
• Barge when you feel cramped in activate barge and throw your opponents sideways.
• Mines drop a mine and watch the explosion.

Looking beyond Blur’s single player story, gamers can engage in competitive and team-based multiplayer races with up to 20 players online, or on a single console via 4-player split-screen. Bizarre Creations are especially excited to introduce Blur’s original social gaming experience – Custom Groups, where anyone can create unique multiplayer modes based on their favorite ways to play the game. These new modes are immediately shared through Blur’s social network, expanding the game in ways that are only limited by the gaming community’s creativity.

Review Based On Xbox 360 Version – Also available on the Wii and PS3

Codemasters’ latest racing title, Dirt 2, is an offroad racer that pits you against some of today’s top drivers. As a relative unknown, you don’t start with much but do well in a few races and you’ll find yourself with some sweet new rides. There are nearly forty vehicles in the game and each one is defined by it’s handling, acceleration, and top speed. Upgrades kits become available as you progress and although there is not a lot of vehicle customization and tuning available, there is some and it’s very straightforward even for beginners to tweak their rides to be more in line with their driving style.

Drivers of all skill level can play all the way through the career mode and have a blast doing it. With over 100 events, Dirt 2 will feed you hours upon hours of adrenaline pumping high-speed action before you finally reach the pinnacle of your offroad racing career, and that’s not even counting the superb multiplayer game. Wherever you race, you’ll be staging out of your RV which acts as a first-person interactive menu keeping you immersed in the game world. It also serves to display trophies and souvenirs you collect from the different races and locations you visit.

You can adjust difficulty settings prior to each race so if you’ve just started driving a new vehicle or your last run went a little more offroad than you would have liked you can tune it down for the next race. Conversely, if you were playing it safe but a few races in you feel like you’ve really got the hang of it and want to up the challenge you can, any time mid-career. There is also a flashback feature that allows you to undo driving mistakes mid-race. How many flashbacks you get is determined by what difficulty level you are currently playing at.

The AI is pretty good. Your opponents drive strategically and are not pushovers to beat, and when they do make mistakes they can be even more dangerous if you happen to be behind them. An odd little feature Codemasters added in is other (computer controlled) drivers will change their opinions of you over time depending on how well you do and your racing history. This is seen primarily by things they say to you during the race. It’s an interesting idea and certainly adds a bit more to the illusion that you’re really a part of their community and eventually they see you as one of their peers.

Multiplayer, while lacking a split-screen option, is otherwise fantastic. There is little-to-no lag and every experience from the single-player game is available in multiplayer: All game modes, all vehicles, all tracks. The vehicles and tracks, by the way, look amazing. They are somewhat stylized so people who crave ultra-realism may not be thrilled but if you’re at all flexible on that then you will be impressed by the way this game looks. Of course, a major complaint often tied to great looking games is that the framerate suffers when there’s too much going on at once. This doesn’t seem to be the case at all with Dirt 2, which had the occasional screen jitter but for the most part ran perfectly.

Overall, Dirt 2 is both an accessible racer anyone can and will enjoy, and a thrilling challenge for experienced veterans. If you love offroad racing, or if you just think you might “like” it, you will love this game.

Review Based On PS3 Version – Also available on the Xbox360

The Midnight Club racing game franchise’s entry into the PS3 market is visually stunning and difficult to master. Clearly the developers were keen to take advantage of the Playstation 3′s graphical capabilities and they did so very well. The cars look fantastic, the backdrops are jaw-dropping, and the sometimes grimy-looking streets make you really feel like you are speeding through the city of angels.

With a few cut-scenes and some brief back-story, the game manages to ease you into the game world quickly and doesn’t waste too much time before you find yourself behind the wheel. Not long after that you’ll begin to notice the dynamic environment: Time marches on and day turns into night, which eventually becomes day again. Sun is blocked out by clouds, which occasionally turn dark and pour sheets of glistening rain down onto the pavement, only to clear up a bit later and let the sun shine through again. It’s street racing gone-virtual-reality and it is one of the most immersive experiences ever offered for racing game fans. You’ll even see familiar brands like Pizza Hut and Holiday Inn while driving around the city.

 

Immersion can sometimes conflict with the ultimate purpose of a game though, and to some extent that happens with the map system in Midnight Club: Los Angeles. You have a minimap on your screen while racing but you can also zoom out seamlessly to an overhead view like a blimp camera or satellite photo of the area. It’s a gorgeous system but it completely lacks one thing: route information. You can set waypoints, but there is no easy way to keep track of which streets you need to take in order to get to each waypoint. It’s like having a fantastic GPS mounted to your dashboard that does everything except give you directions. This can mean making wrong turns during a race, and that wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that the drivers you are up against (the AI ones at least) don’t make those mistakes.

Drive around for a bit and it won’t be long before you run into other drivers who are spoiling for a race. Flash your lights and pull up to the starting line to get going, earn respect and cold hard cash for doing well. There are several racing modes to keep things interesting and earning respect unlocks new vehicles and customization options. Unfortunately, while cash doesn’t often become a problem in this game you may find gaining enough respect to unlock your next intended purchase can sometimes be a frustrating endeavor.

This is in part due to the fact that Midnight Club: Los Angeles has some of the most flawless AI drivers you’ve ever been up against. The programmers did a great job teaching their computer drivers how to maneuver each hairpin turn but seemingly forgot to teach the computer to drop the ball every once in a while so you have a fighting chance. Ultimately this means a single error can cost you any given race. Although races are rated for difficulty, those ratings seem to be based on the course and not the AI drivers — so a course that’s easier for you is also easier for your competitor, making it not-easier-at-all to win.

Multiplayer is where this game really shines, primarily because you’re not racing against the computer anymore. There are several racing modes and the game supports up to 16 players at once, either on the internet or by system link. Midnight Club: Los Angeles is a very good game overall, but the one major flaw (flawless AI drivers) ends up making the single-player game less fun than it could have been. Still, you’ll have a blast and if you’re the type of racer who loves a challenge then this might become your new favorite game.

Project Gotham Racing 4 (X360) – PGR4

Racing game fans expect a lot out of Project Gotham Racing 4. It’s predecessor was one of the first, and still is one of the best racers available for the Xbox 360. That means Microsoft has a lot to live up to with this latest release, and they manage nicely. All the familiar elements Project Gotham Racing 3 fans will expect are still there, but the latest iteration features improved vehicle models and scenery, weather effects that look great and affect vehicle handling, motorcycles to buy and race, and a greatly improved single player experience with the new career mode.

In Project Gotham Racing 4′s single player game you will find all the types of racing events players have seen in previous versions, but wrapped into a package that takes you on a journey to become the #1 ranked racer in the world. On the way you will earn kudos, purchase new vehicles, and customize existing ones. Customization options are limited but you can choose from a number different paint jobs to personalize your ride.

PGR fans won’t be let down by the tracks either. The series’ signature tracks are back, as well as some new ones. Every one of them offers a fantastic variety in both the layout of the course and the environmental graphics that really make you feel you’re driving through the locale each track is based on. This is a core strength of the series and this latest release in particular, the courses always keep things interesting from a driving perspective and the environments are so well done you feel like you’re really there.

The new weather effects look great. From the snow-turned-slush on the road to the water beading up on your windshield, you’ll like what you see but visuals are just the half of it. Vehicles in PGR4 handle different in bad weather and you’ll need to adjust your driving accordingly, or find yourself hydroplaning into a concrete barrier. There are a number of different camera angles you can race with as well, so if you prefer to drop your overhead view for a more realistic seat behind the wheel you can enjoy the added distraction of windshield wipers. I say that without mirth because if ever there was a racing game that made you want to just sit behind the wheel and take in the scenery on a relaxing drive, this is it.

Motorcycles are less impressive in this game. They have most standard characteristics you might expect: better acceleration, lower top speed, more maneuverable, but what they are not is tricky to handle. It almost seems as if the developers designed the bikes perfectly and then someone came along and said, “No, this is too hard. Make it easier,” and they went ahead and made that change without reducing any of the benefits you get from choosing a bike over a car. Ultimately this means you’re almost always better off choosing a bike.

Online play is as good or better than it was in PGR3. There are single or team races, and five different modes of competition. You’ll be hooked long before you finish the single-player career mode but the multiplayer game will ensure Project Gotham Racing 4 never gets old.

The Mario Kart franchise has been around for over a decade and is the gold standard by which all other kart racing games are inevitably measured against. Mario Kart Wii is the first kart racer, and indeed the first significant racing game of any kind, on Nintendo’s Wii platform. Despite the pressure, the game doesn’t disappoint and instead pushes the franchise ahead, maintaining its well-earned place at the head of the pack.

Since it’s a Wii game though, the first question should play to the strengths of the console: how are the controls? In a word: fantastic. There are a number of control schemes you can choose from, ranging from using the control stick on the Nunchuk to steer (something that will appeal to players who are used to playing racing games on other consoles) to simply holding the Wii remote sideways and tilting it (right/left to steer, forward/back for acceleration). All the control schemes work well and will likely set the standards for future titles released on the Wii.

Multiple game modes are available, but the main attraction is Grand Prix, which is basically a career mode that takes you through the games more than 30 race courses on the way to winning cups in progressively more challenging circuits. Some tracks will be familiar to players who have followed the game’s predecessors, but most are redesigned or altogether new for the Wii version. The variety and creativity in course design will entertain your eyes while simultaneously boggling your brain with seemingly impossible track segments that can only be conquered through the magic of cartoon physics.

Speaking of cartoon physics, players will notice ramps scattered all over the new race courses. These are not just for taking jumps for a brief respite from the crowded track down below, they also allow you to perform stunts in midair that give you speed boosts when you land. The stunts are easy to perform and basically just require you to flick the Wii remote in any direction.

Mario Kart Wii features 25 classic characters from the Nintendo franchise whom you can race as, or against. New vehicles are also available in the form of motorbikes and hogs. What sets kart racers apart from other racing games isn’t the karts though, it’s the weapons. All the old weapons are back, from blue turtles to banana peels, and some new items have been added in to make things even more interesting.

Several multiplayer modes are offered, including a variety of cooperative and battle modes. These can be played either in split-screen mode by up to 4 players locally or with up to 11 other players online. Whether you are going to play the single player Grand Prix mode, have some friends over for a split-screen battle, or race against gamers from across the globe, one thing is for certain: This game has something for you. It’s the definitive kart racer and currently the best racing game of any kind on the Wii. If you own a Wii but don’t yet have this game, you should seriously consider adding it to your library.

Review Based On Xbox 360 Version – Also available on the PS3 and Wii

Nearly twenty years after Nintendo sent some of their most famous characters onto the racetrack, Sega has decided it’s their turn. Granted a good chunk of Sega’s popular icons come directly from the Sonic franchise itself, which the title of this kart racer makes no secret of, and you may not even recognize or remember half the other racers Sega decided to include but don’t let that fool you. Cartoon celebrities do not a-great-kart-racer make. At least not not on their own. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing has strong gameplay and excellent visuals that will quickly win you over.

The game offers 24 exquisitely animated race courses that include everything you’d expect from a kart racer, from power ups to shortcuts. They range in difficulty from challenging enough to keep your interest, to challenging enough to demand your full attention and some serious kart racing skills. Every detail of the tracks seems to have been considered by the design team. Brilliantly re-conceived, yet familiar landscapes based on your favorite Sega games fly by at high speed as you speed through the tracks. Twists and turns keep you barely able to maintain control on courses narrow enough to make the other racers a serious hazard to anyone trying to get to the front of the pack. From form to function this game doesn’t disappoint.

Where the game fails to impress is in the power-ups and character specific abilities. In short, there’s nothing new. You can snag missiles to fire at drivers ahead of you and bombs to drop in the path of karts coming up behind, and that’s certainly fun but it’s standard fare for a kart racer and almost requisite to the genre. Each character does have their own unique power that can be used once per race but while the animations are creative, relevant to the character (Sonic turns into Super-Sonic, etc), and fun to watch, the actual in-game effect each character’s power has is identical: you get to go really, really fast for a few seconds.

It would have been nice if Sega made these different abilities actually DO different things, like one character can get a super-weapon, but another creates an earthquake that knocks all the other drivers off the course briefly. It doesn’t take much imagination to figure how they might have really knocked it out of the park with these unique (looking) powers each character has. Thankfully, it doesn’t detract from the game at all, it’s just a sore point because it could have made this excellent kart racer something altogether magnificent.

The single player missions are well done and break up the the action nicely. You’re not always competing against a fleet of other racers for first place, much of the time you are tasked to collect certain items or perform specific maneuvers on course, which helps keep the game from getting monotonous. A plethora of unlockables also keeps the gameplay fresh and players will want to keep coming back for more. There is also a very strong multiplayer component that offers standard racing online, and a few more advanced options (such as battle mode) in split-screen. The split-screen mode with some friends is likely to be this game’s most popular because it is a straight-up blast.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing has smooth controls, great courses, beautiful graphics, and all wrapped in a shell that is stylistically and unmistakeably Sega. As a kart racer it doesn’t bring anything particularly new to the table, but it is definitely a game worth playing for both kart racing fanatics weary of continually replaying their classics, and also new players who have never jumped behind the wheel of a kart racer before.

The latest entry in the Forza Motorsport series from Turn 10 Studios is about as close to a masterpiece as any racing car sim has come in years. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a novice racer, this game has everything you want. Cars can be painted and even tuned, but only if you feel like it. If you’re the sort who would rather just get in and drive, you can do that too.

A number of driving assists are available to help keep newcomers steady on the road, and seasoned veterans can turn them off for greater control and challenge. And more money. There is also a rewind feature that purists will likely loathe, but if you don’t use it your times will post higher on the leaderboard than drivers who do. Incidentally, the leaderboard also clearly shows what assists each driver had turned on when they posted their time, so players don’t have to be super-skilled to really enjoy this game, but those who are reap a number of rewards.

As you might expect, starting off in career mode you’re stuck with mostly cars straight off the lot at your local dealership but as you win races and championships your bankroll will grow and you’ll be able to pick up sick new rides. Available events are largely dependent on what cars you have, so if you when you get hold of an Enzo Ferrari you (usually) won’t be able to drive it against cars that it severely outperforms but new races will become available, with better rewards.

There is a strong multiplayer mode, but the AI is largely brilliant and doesn’t ever exhibit the poor sportsmanship that can occasionally ruin the online gameplay experience. The computer driven vehicles can sometimes do silly things but most of the time you will find them challenging opponents who drive smart and even capitalize on the mistakes of other drivers (or you).

The Auction House is still a part of the game, and in what is likely going to be hailed as one of the biggest improvement on the multiplayer experience you can now create and sell vinyl designs, tuning setups and paint jobs independent of cars. Many hardcore players are going to be earning a lot of credits doing this, and less hardcore players will have access to an enormous variety of player-made customization as long as they have credits to spare.

For budding designers, the design tool has not changed much from Forza 2 but one notable improvement is you are no longer required to create your designs ON a car. Forza 3 lets you lay your designs out BEFORE applying them to a vehicle, which eliminates at least one eye-rolling frustration for veteran players. The design process is still difficult and somewhat limited, but while some players will huff that there’s still no option to import image files they created on their computer, others will enjoy the challenge knowing that everyone is on equal footing.

Multiplayer is often where games suffer most technically, stressing the graphics capability of the system and slowing framerates but Forza 3 showed no glitches or hangups at all. Pre-race load times can be a bit slow from time to time but that’s about the worst of it. On every single level, whether you are a huge fan of video racing games or barely play any games at all, this game will appeal to you and I highly recommend trying it out.

« Older Posts