Leave the car in the garage, grab yourself a drink and spend some quality time challenging your mates to a good old-fashioned race.
1. Forza Horizon (Xbox 360)
Forza Horizon is one of the most talked about Xbox games on the planet. It's a radical departure for the Forza franchise, taking the racing away from the track and onto the streets of Colorado. Gamers can experience 65 different types of terrain, take part in impromptu street races and even discover cars hidden? more away in old barns. With stunning graphics and a brilliant physics engine, this is a must-have game for wannabe racing drivers.
[h=1]2. Need for Speed: Most Wanted (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii U, iOS, Android, PS Vita)[/h]
EA-The Need for Speed racing series is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time. The recipe has always been simple ? sacrifice simulation and realism for slick graphics, breathtakingly fast gameplay and a terrific amount of noise. What's more, the multiplayer mode turns the city streets into a giant? more playground of jumps, smashes and crashes.
3. DiRT: Showdown (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Codemasters-There's one thing DiRT: Showdown isn't ? subtle. The name of the game is survival, while at the same time seeing off your competitors. How about a Rampage race, where points are awarded for destroying cars? Or how about a Knockout, which is simply a Rampage on stilts, where bonuses are awarded for knocking cars? more off! DiRT: Showdown is a riot of noise and destruction ? brilliant!
4. F1 2012 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Codemasters-Quite simply, this is the best F1 game ever made. The team at Codemasters have created a visually slick and dynamically brilliant environment that offers a totally immersive gaming experience. The highlight is the career mode where you start as a fledging rookie and work your way up the grid and eventually onto? more the podium. For a visual tour de force, check out the graphics during a wet race.
5. Real Racing 2 HD (iOS, Android)
Firemint-Racing on a smartphone doesn't get much better than Real Racing 2. For less than a fiver on the iPad, you can enjoy a driving game that's reminiscent of the legendary Gran Turismo franchise. Start with a basic hatchback, enter a few races and you'll soon be earning cash for your efforts. This cash means you can? more afford a better car, by which time you'll be using the multiplayer mode to show the world your new-found driving skills.
Little Big Planet Karting (PS3)
Sony-Sony's legendary mascot Sackboy takes to the track in this game that's just a little bit reminiscent of a certain Italian plumber's karting franchise. All the standard requirements are here, including battle arenas, multiplayer games, quick races, story modes and user-generated circuits. Not to mention a series of?
more weapons available during each race. A sack race has never looked so interesting!
Gran Turismo 5 Academy Edition (PS3)
Sony-It's not exactly new, but such is the appeal of Gran Turismo, it's hard to ignore it. What's more, this latest Academy Edition can be bought fairly cheaply, which has to be the best way of getting your hands on over 1,000 lovingly recreated cars. It also includes the N?rburgring and Top Gear test track, perfect for?
more wannabe Sabines and Stigs everywhere.
CSR Racing (iOS)
Boss Alien-CSR Racing is a permanent fixture in the app download charts, thanks in part to the fact that it offers something different to the norm. It's essentially Fast & Furious for your iPhone or iPad, where you take place in a series of one-to-one drag races to win virtual cash. Your winnings can then be spent on?
more new cars, upgrades and even petrol. Thanks to delicious graphics and a clever career mode, CSR Racing is surprisingly good.
Crazy Taxi (PS3, Xbox, iOS)
SEGA-?Take me to the cable-car at the bottom of the hill.? If that rings a bell then you've probably played Crazy Taxi at some point in your life. Back in 1999, it was an arcade smash for Sega, making its migration to the consoles inevitable. A recent iOS release has opened it up to a new generation of gamers, with an?
more Android release expected soon.
F1 Race Stars (PS3, Xbox, PC)
Codemasters-Falling somewhere between F1 2012 and Little Big Planet Karting, this is quite unlike the real world of F1, but it's all the better for it. The game features 24 caricatured drivers who will be instantly recognisable to F1 fans. But their karts are fitted with a series of weapons, making the racing fast, fun and?
more frenetic. Single player mode is enjoyable, multiplayer is wonderful. The perfect post-Christmas party game.
