02 Jan 09
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360
Price: about £35
Now this is how to do a street racing game.
It's a familiar premise: win races, earn money and upgrade your car. But MC:LA does almost everything right. The streets of Los Angeles are highly detailed and you can roam around with minimal pausing and no loading screens. The driving is partway between arcade and simulation, so it requires skill to pull off outrageous powerslides, but not so much that you end up crashing every other corner.
Add to this some entertaining power-up skills and you've got yourself a cracking racer that puts the wilting Need for Speed franchise to shame.
MotoGP 08
MotoGP 08
Platform: PSP, PS3, Wii, PC, PS2, Xbox 360
Price: £30
Motorbike games feel strange to those of us used to four wheels, but MotoGP 08 eases the player in gently. You start on low-powered 125cc bikes, which makes for surprisingly exciting races as you learn how to make the best of the smaller power in order to place well.
Once you get to grips with the handling, you're let loose on 250cc bikes and ultimately the 500cc used in the full grands prix. Different handling levels are also available to ensure everyone's welcome to the party. A great game for any budding Valentino Rossi.
