The Burnout series has done well on a scale of epic proportions.  The newest in the series, Burnout:  Revenge, is meeting with the same stunning success.  This version is the sequel to Burnout 3.  It is all about revenge and destruction, not just winning the race!  It is available on several consoles, but the XBOX 360 version has the best perks.

In Burnout:  Revenge, you need to drive downright dirty!  Every car is suitable for you to destroy.  Cause massive accidents during rush hour, bump your rival racers into a wall, and always remember not to dodge traffic…crash into it!

Burnout:  Revenge rewards you for your notty and destructive behavior.  As you play, a revenge meter rises and tracks your progress so that you are suitably rewarded.  You get to choose you vehicle based on 3 car classes:  race, muscle, and crash.  Each car has different specs and capabilities.  When you are rewarded, your car gets stronger and literally transforms!

Since Burnout:  Revenge is literally about destruction, I suppose I should talk about that.  First off, there are hundreds of cars for you to trash.  An all new “car deformation” system has been integrated with 3 times more deformities than the previous edition of the series.  This includes:  paint scratches, tears, dents, dings, and turning cars into flaming balls of steel.  Each level has multiple paths, jumps, choke points, and new open-ended crash junctions…all to provide you with more chances to cause some destruction against other unsuspecting commuters or racing rivals. 

Crashes involve gorgeous cinematic cut scenes.  You will want to cause crashes again and again just to see them.  There are literally hundreds of ways to do this!  It is never the same game twice.

The graphics are just awesome and the soundtrack is as well.  Many real world locations look authentic, such as:  Rome, Detroit, and Tokyo.  The controls are also extremely easy to learn.  You will feel right at home on the road to destruction!

Burnout:  Revenge is newly available on XBOX 360.  The XBOX 360 version has all the new and cool stuff added to it.  Online play is great to play against your friends (or enemies) through XBOX live.  The XBOX and Playstation 2 versions are just as cool without the added features.  Burnout:  Revenge is rated E 10.  This means that the game is suitable for anyone ages 10 and up.  This is because the game features some violence.  (Hello!  Massive car crashes)!

Racing simulation games have come along quite well recently.  The graphics have improved. The authentic looks of the vehicles are great.  But most of these simulators are for cars.  For those of you who like the bikes, get ready for Tourist Trophy:  Real Riding Simulator.  Tourist Trophy was made by the same creators that made the ever so popular Gran Turismo series.

In Tourist Trophy, you get to play various different game modes throughout 35 different international courses.  These courses are either closed circuit or city tracks.  Some tracks you may even remember from Gran Turismo such as:  New York City, Suzuka, Tsukuba, Laguna Seca, and more!  Take on these tracks with your choice of over 100 different licensed motorcycles.  These include:  BMW, Triumph, Kawasaki, Ducati, Honda, Motorrad, and more.

There are various modes of play.  In challenge mode, you play a career type mode.  You start out trying to get your license.  You go through various tests and challenges that test your speed and skill throughout various conditions.  Once you accomplish that, you can then select various engine classes, along with the courses you wish to race.  You then get your garage access so that you can use the credits you accumulate from winning races to upgrade your bike and accessories.  The look of your rider and bike is fully customizable!

There is also an arcade mode for those of you who wish for a quick race or a split screen 2 player race against your friends.  Photo mode allows you to take pictures of your bike from the challenge mode.

Enough about that.  Now how are the controls?  The controls take a bit to master.  You need to learn when to lean, when to brake or accelerate (especially during turns), and how to follow the line.  Once you figure this out, you will see how fluid and graceful the movement of your bike and rider really are.  The way the game was made makes these motions look just beautiful.  This coincides with the gorgeous graphics!  The soundtrack is also pretty good.

Tourist Trophy is available on Playstation 2.  It has an ESRB rating of E for everyone.  This means that the game is suitable for even children to play.  A strategy guide is available for those of you who would like a bit of help.

While most racing games tend to be carbon copies of one another, using the same cars and with the handling feeling the exact same in each, there are those games that branch off and try to use their own unique feel. They can either crash or burn or offer an incredibly fun experience. The Ridge Racer series has always tended to lean towards the latter, and Ridge Racer 6 for the Xbox 360 follows a similar pattern.

Although it began its life as a successful arcade game, Ridge Racer was soon ported over to consoles and saw similar success. Gamers ate up the fast-paced racing action and thoroughly enjoyed the unique handling of the vehicles that the game offered. While many racers tend to try to be realistic, Ridge Racer 6 takes gamers near the edge of speed and allows them to reach a fast-paced, high intensity level that many racers never attempt to go.

The whole enjoyment factor of Ridge Racer is in how unrealistic the game truly is, yet designed perfectly so that it is so much fun. Most of the game involves racing at incredibly high speeds with very little actual control on the road. Big turns involve massive spin outs and losses of control that send the vehicle into violent spins that one would never hope to survive through in the real world. In Ridge Racer, the brakes are the most neglected aspect of the button layout. Really, don’t be a pansy, just leave your foot on the gas.

The challenge of the game is getting good enough to know when to time the turns to get back in control as quickly as possible. There is no doubt you will lose control and whip around, but the trick is to align the vehicle and let the car drift until such a point when you can take control again and reach top speed down the raceway. The challenge is not to beat the curve, but to know how to get through the curve without completely losing yourself along the way.

Also included is the nitrous boost, allowing gamers to unleash their boost and get to top speed even faster. The real trick here is that more nitrous is gained by handling the curves better and at higher speeds. So essentially, the more skilled you are at handling the curves, the more nitrous you will get and the better you will be able to gain speed following the slowdown inevitable caused by the hairpin turns.

The main knock against Ridge Racer is the repetitiveness of the tracks. There really aren’t that many in the game, and despite the fact that you may be able to take a slightly different course on a map or even go backwards, the fact that it is still the same map lingers in the back of the mind. This repetitiveness can be defeated by focusing on the enjoyment the game offers, but it is still quite annoying that more maps weren’t included to be raced on.

As is a trend with almost all the Xbox 360 games, Ridge Racer 6 comes complete with a few multiplayer modes. Gamers can go split-screen with friends on the same TV and engage in exciting racers or hook up to Xbox Live and jump into a race online and experience the high speeds and crazy turns with the best of ‘em. If you enjoy the game, the number of modes will offer plenty of reason to come back for more.

Ridge Racer 6 turns out to be a very solid racer for the Xbox 360. Although it might not be remembered as one of the Xbox 360 greats, it still offers enough enjoyment so that fans of racing titles should definitely consider picking this game up. The single player lasts long enough to provide hours of enjoyment and the Xbox Live and offline multiplayer components greatly increase that number.

Current fans of the racing genre are in for a treat with the new Project Gotham Racing 3.  This third installment of the series offers better graphics and mood setting music.

This game allows you to drive the cars you have always fantasized about.  However, speed alone won’t win any races.  You have to strut your stuff and perform bold maneuvers to win against your rivals.  There are over 80 vehicles to choose from.  Each vehicle is top of the line.  There are no cheap or “ratty” cars to select from!

Project Gotham Racing 3 is not too different from other racing games.  However, it does feature various driving viewpoints.  This includes a cockpit view that has an extremely realistic look to it.  The controls are easy to learn and quite consistant from vehicle to vehicle.

The game takes you to locations throughout the world.  Some of these locations include:  Tokyo, New York, and London.  Each location features jaw dropping backgrounds and stunning graphics.  While racing through, you may see it as a blur.  This is not because of poor graphics, but because of the speed at which you blast through!

You may play this game online.  Online you will find new features.  This includes: tournaments, Gotham TV, and the ability to create your own tracks.  You also can show off your racing skills to people across the globe!

Project Gotham Racing 3 is available on XBOX 360.  The ESRB rating is E for everyone 10 years of age and older.  This is because it features mild lyrics. 

If you love to street race in your own tripped out vehicle while leaving rivals and law enforcement in the dust, you may be interested in Need for Speed:  Most Wanted.  This is the next in the series.  It follows the ever popular Need for Speed: Underground (which sold over 15 million copies worldwide).

This game allows you to roam the open roads throughout industrial and urban cities.  You can challenge rivals or police as you please.  Your goal is to become the most notorious, yet elusive street racer around.

Need for Speed: Underground features the blacklist.  Getting to the top of the blacklist is your goal.  There are 15 rivals on the blacklist.  You meet certain challenges in order to get a chance to compete with the rivals on the blacklist.  You then slowly rise to the top of the list and earn some respect of everyone.

Getting to the top of the blacklist is not easy.  You must also build up a rap sheet.  You gain marks on your rap sheet by pissing off the local police department!  You must out fox the ever present police force with evasion tactics and speed.  You can also add marks to your rap sheet by performing headline making stunts and getting record breaking times with each race!

Getting into some trouble with law enforcement is a lot of fun.  You will often find yourself in some Hollywood styled chases!  The police will use everything to catch you.  They will bump you, try to box you in, put up road blocks, call in reinforcements, and even try to stop you with helicopters!  You best listen to your police scanner…

Your ride is fully customizable.  You can alter your car and purchase upgrades at the safe house.  There are different vehicles available to you.  Work hard and get yourself the fastest car out there! 

The graphics are nicely done.  You can clearly see the background and details even when traveling at high speeds.  The background music is also quite catchy.  However, it is a bit hard to hear over the rampaging police cars if you find yourself being chased.  The controls are easy to figure out and your car will maneuver quite smoothly.

Need for Speed is available for XBOX, XBOX 360, Playstation 2, and Gamecube.  The XBOX 360 has the best graphic of all of the systems.  The ESRB rating is T for teen.  This is because the game features mild violence.