Justin Towell
An open world racer that gets better the more you play it, revealing a wealth of high-quality racing in a beautiful, technically spectacular Hawaii. While it lacks originality, it is better than Forza Horizon 5 in several ways.
The sequel brings welcome enhancements, but the on-track racing simulation is a let down.
The excellent story, still-superlative career and loot-based F1 World make for a convincing and gigantic F1 experience.
LEGO 2K Drive is big, bold, and beautiful, and some of the later races are truly superb.
At 4K/60, Need for Speed Unbound is a clear showcase for the new generation of consoles"
Another superlative career mode, but the avatar customisation and tacked-on supercars feel like bullet points.
A breathtakingly expansive and authentic recreation of the core Star Wars universe in LEGO. Its gameplay is predictably simplistic at times, but literally everything else is stellar. At last, THIS is the droid you are looking for.
Super-slick, arcade-leaning racing from Codemasters, now with better handling and a live-action story mode to enjoy. Instantly enjoyable online and off.
Not the best racing game ever made, but a contender for best driving game. While perhaps overly familiar, everything here is very slick, refreshingly wholesome and easy-going.
Another superlative simulation of the Formula One world, now with an enjoyable story mode too.
A perfect blend of authenticity mixed with modern-day quality of life enhancements. Joyous, slick, hi-score gaming that looks nice too.
Project Cars 3 is a great way to get into sim racing for newcomers thanks to its overtly gamey career mode, but the move into proper 'simcade' territory feels odd and unfulfilling.
The deep career mode is even better when managing your own team, and the racing is superbly tactical.
A magnificent, authentic, totally uncompromised sequel that crucially ignores virtually every gaming trend of the past 18 years.
Great modding and a decent game engine can't disguise the tired story and simplistic driving.
Forza Horizon 4 isn't as bombastic as its predecessor, but still a challenging and all-encompassing online racer. And the more introverted moments of driving through autumnal or snow-dusted Britain are beautiful, especially as a showcase for Xbox One X.
Gran Turismo Sport is a bona fide virtual motorsport and that's awesome. But single-player modes are lacking and it's demonstrably outshone by Forza Motorsport 7 in virtually every area.
Forza Motorsport 7 addresses every issue of its predecessor, turns the visual flair up to 11 and handles like a dream. An essential purchase.
F1 2017 is another superbly authentic recreation of modern F1. However, the sport's current complexity will be overwhelming for most, and the returning classic content is nowhere near as good as it should be.
Worth buying for its superb rally sim alone. But the returning racing modes are bland, frustrating and unsatisfying.