Flatout: Head On

Platform: PSP
Verdict: Needs driving lessons.
Rating: 3½/5
Another week, another racer, and where PGR4 varied massively from Burnout Paradise, Flatout: Head On has plenty in common with Criterion's nitrous addict. For starters it centres heavily on crashing, particularly into fellow drivers or for the sole purpose of firing your writhing body through the windscreen for mini-game giggles - obviously no one has heard of seatbelts.
Ostensibly the fourth title in the series, Head On is its first appearance on the PSP, Sony's hand-held machine that often finds ill suited games burdened upon its shoulder buttons. Thankfully racers typically excel on it due to their basic controls (accelerate, left, right... who uses brake?) and its lavish display, perfect for framing the wide screen action.
With comparable nitro based action, exaggerated crash debris and a painful rock soundtrack, Flatout may sound like Burnout but in practice is more reminiscent of the PS1 classics Demolition/Destruction Derby, and is all the more better for it considering the absence of any sequels.
With an emphasis on banger racing, modded rust buckets with wheels, chaotic arena death-matches (Burnout has to get itself some of those) and crazy stunt games (bowling?), Head On ticks all the right, fun shaped boxes. Graphics are satisfyingly chunky, the game generally exudes a decent level of polish and the act of literally destroying the opponent is always welcome. At least it should be.
One thing holds it back - controls. The PSP isn't at issue here though, (unless you want to complain about the hand cramps the analogue nub can induce), the problem lies with the fact that the vehicles handle like a bull in a china shop - hard to control and always smashing into things. The destructible environment may be meant to be crashed through but the sluggish turning and general speed of races remains off putting to all but the determined gamer.
Which is a shame really because things do improve - the extensive career mode allows you to upgrade your car and buy shinier looking vehicles, which goes some way to addressing the handling issues. It would seem that instant gratification has been sacrificed for sense of progression, which is arguable good or bad either way. Cue another pun about my driving...

Burnout Paradise

Platform: Xbox 360, also PS3
Verdict: A brave new Burnout
Rating: 4½/5
Always one to champion gaming's ability to let you do things that in real life would see you hospitalised, incarcerated or dead, the Burnout series has featured highly on my list of greats. The high octane, crash fetishising gameplay is second to none (and thankfully nothing to do with J G Ballard), and puts chills into anyone I give a lift to after they've seen me play it (fear not, my aging Nissan Sunny doesn't have nitro).
After four iterations it's easy for a series to tire - just look at other yearly updated EA games like Need for Speed. Criterion were obviously aware of this and have worked to a bold new vision to reimagine Burnout while keeping it essentially the same. And what is this vision you ask? Paradise City.
Burnout Paradise drops you into a massive sandbox city where you can drive where you want (think GTA without the legwork or gun crime). No longer choosing between static tracks in a menu, you haphazardly determine the route yourself - from the traffic lights where you choose to initiate a race to the finishing line, the city lays naked to your improvised navigation.
Different car classes seek to replicate iterations in the series - from the speed based, burnout chaining of Burnout 2 to the aggressive, insanely fun takedowns of Burnout 4, there's something for every individual fan.
Graphics and mechanics are stunning as always, with spectacular emphasis on slow motion crash physics whenever something as trivial as a wall gets in the way.
The other feature Paradise wears proudly on its sleeve is online play. With a few presses of the D-Pad your friends can seamlessly drop into your game and meet up for impromptu races while Live Cam support spices things up with takedown snapshots of their mug, or worse.
With such progress comes disappointments though - the lack of quick restarts are divisive in their omission and the necessary reliance on improvised navigation means too much time can be spent with one eye on the mini-map instead of the road. Extended play soon sees you adapt though and in the face of how plain awesome the rest of the game is, they're minor grumbles. Much like the criticisms of my driving.

Project Gotham Racing 4

Platform: Xbox 360
Verdict: Rocket racer
Rating: 4½/5
Undoubtably the crown in the 360's launch lineup, Project Gotham Racing 3 was a sharp wake up to the world of Hi Def gaming. Featuring visuals that veered close to photo realism, its high-speed gameplay was also top notch yet as a sequel it disappointed many hardcore fans with its flawed balance.
After Sega Rally's over the top power drifting and mud splattering insanity, PGR4 initially feels too reserved with its tight controls and sterilised aesthetics. Perseverance however proves most rewarding.
Completely revising the handling model for the exotic bunch of cars on offer, Bizarre Creations has finally tweaked the series to perfection. Awarding speedy or technical driving, the new Kudos system helps broaden the games appeal to players of differing tastes while the handling models are at once forgiving for beginners, yet sufficiently deep enough for pro players to find rewarding.
Visuals have been further stepped up, creating a jaw dropping game that looks even better when the new weather effects kick in. The game's attention to detail is second to none too – from real cities accurately recreated to the colour of the speedometer in a Lotus' cockpit view, PGR4 is a sight to behold. Replays and a photo mode help cement how good the game really looks when your eyes aren't fixed on the vanishing point.
PGR4 also takes a large step outside its comfort zone by including motorbikes for the first time. Potentially game breaking, it was a brave move that has generally paid off, as they open up new areas of Kudos to explore. Handling does take some getting used to while riding a motorbike online is brave thing considering the ease at which an opponent can send you tumbling with a gentle shove of his car.
As well as reams of evolutions, gameplay modes and online components, PGR4 also includes the wondrous neon rage of Geometry Wars Waves as an arcade machine in your garage. The inevitable PGR5 will no doubt include the kitchen sink.

Sega Rally

Platform: Xbox 360, also PS3 and PC.
Verdict: Pure, filthy racing.
Rating: 4/5
As iconic to some as Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega Rally has always been regarded as one of Sega’s sweet spots - the hardware was cutting edge, the gameplay was sublime and the arcades still had some life left in them. Cut to today - the arcade is left for dead, Sega self imploded in the console race and the synonymous Sonic has fallen from gaming grace.
Thankfully, the latest Sega Rally is a shining beacon to past glories on current hardware. Like the Outrun remake of recent years, it shows that despite the arcade’s demise, Sega still know how to make pure arcade games that pack plenty of no-frills punch.
Stripped of the usual feature rich make-up of modern racers, Sega Rally is racing at it’s purist - pick a tournament, pick a car and off you go. Shaved of the weight deemed essential these days it’s a refreshing experience, further enhanced through its gameplay.
Initially, handling can feel exaggerated and twitchy, especially when coming straight from a session on the tighter PGR4. Once it clicks though you’ll be powerdrifting through troughs of mud at impossible angles and preposterous speeds with wide grinned glee. Online multiplayer proves a hilarious abuse of physics and gloriously rendered mud.
Travelling a variety of beautiful landscapes (safari, alpine, jungle etc), each adds its own particular nuance to driving as the differing terrains react uniquely under the wheels of the car. With deformable tracks where each wheel cuts grooves into the mud, each lap plays out differently while mud sticks to the car adding weight, removed all too briefly by pools of water before the next muddy bend.
It’s this added depth to the experience that sets Sega Rally apart from other racers. With a recent glut of exceptional racers like PGR4 and Colin McRae: DiRT, it finds it’s voice through this feature and its accessible arcade simplicity. That said, it’s this brevity of features and distinctly old school approach that could turn some against it.
Now all I need is to install it in an arcade cabinet and the cycle is complete.