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If you’re looking to give a new games console to those petrol headed loved ones, make sure you add these excellent driving games to your list – or rush to the sales when the shops open!

1. Forza Motorsport 2

For: XBOX 360

With over three hundred cars from 50 different manufacturers, Forza Motorsport 2 is another realistic racing simulation with an uncompromising physics engine.

Cars incur dramatic damage and wear on the track, affecting car performance. Tyres and suspension respond to heat and pressure changes as well as weight transfer and aerodynamic load. In the garage, you can also modify engines suspension, tyre pressures and gear ratios. If Gran Turismo is a bit lightweight and mainstream, this will unleash your inner gear head.

2. Project Gotham Racing 4

For: Xbox 360

It’s bike versus car for the first time in the Project Gotham Racing franchise.

Motorcycles from Ducati, BMW, Honda and the like line up against one of the world’s most iconic cars, catching air, doing wheelies and endos, and power sliding their way to victory. The improved Kudos system lets you gain access to better garages and special races all over the world and the game’s unique physics engine enables drivers to pull off incredible driving manoeuvres.

3. Motor Storm

For: PS3

MotorStorm is a brutal, no-holds barred off-road racing game designed to show off the capabilities of the PlayStation 3.

Set in a desert environment, MotorStorm features real-time track information, fully destructible vehicles and stunningly detailed scenery. Race through wide-open plains, harrowing cliff edges, and tight canyon sections in a variety of vehicles, from desert buggies to big trucks and motorcycles. There’s no local two-player mode, but online you should find a competitor or two to terrify.

4. Test Drive Unlimited

For: XBOX 360, PS2, PC, PSP

Test Drive unlimited allows players to buy exclusive cars and bikes from manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Koenigsegg, Ducati and Lamborghini, customise them like Project Kahn, and then take 360 multiplayer and solo challenges, over 1,000 miles of Hawaii’s Oahu Island paradise. If only they were real…

5. Sega Rally

For: Xbox 360, PS3, PSP

Sega Rally is pure arcade action in the spirit of the 1995 arcade original, with the latest incarnation adding deformable rally inspired stages, so each lap will be different to the last.

There are fun, looping tracks on a variety of surfaces and vehicles, including both four-and two-wheel drive, making the game great for a quick blast and easy to pick up for newbies to rallying games.

6. Driver Parallel Lines

For: Wii, PC, PS2, Xbox

Now released on the Nintendo Wii, Driver Parallel Lines following the story of TK, a driver for hire in 70s New York who gets double-crossed and thrown in jail. Released 28 years later, TK is on the road for revenge.

New York City is rendered in high detail for both 1978 and 2006, with the present-day version being particularly impressive due to the number of vehicles on the roads. Throw in over 80 customisable vehicles and you have a stunning game.

7. Ridge Racer 7

For: PS3

The undisputed drift racing videogame king takes 22 tracks and 40 customisable machines, making latest in the Ridge Racer the best in the series. With a huge amount of unlockable content and a focus on fun rather than realism (there is no crash damage system), we reckon it’s more fun than Need for Speed: ProStreet.

8. Stuntman: ignition

For: XBOX 360, PS2, PS3

Stuntman: ignition allows you to take on the role of a Hollywood stuntman as you make your way through six blockbuster movies.

You get a different vehicle for each scene, so it takes some time to master each one. The goal is to hit each designated stunt, with more points awarded each time you drive close to an object, drift, get air or drive on two wheels.

9. Need for Speed: Pro Street

For: Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox, PC, PSP

The long running franchise goes global, allowing you to drift, grip, drag and speed your way around the world.

New damage-capturing technology means that every scrape, scratch and dent is rendered in brutal detail and will remain on your car from race to race. It’s more of a rival to Project Gotham Racing 4 and Forza Motorsport than the recent Need for Speeds, but if you long for the early days of the series, maybe now it’s the time to get back on board.

10. Colin McRae: Dirt

For: Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Another long-running series, this instalment features Rally Raids, Hill Climbs and Rally Cross events as well as rallying itself – including a dedicated mode for European, International and Global rally championships featuring official 2WD, 4WD, Classic and RWD rally cars.

It’s certainly an exhilarating off-road experience and you can race against the computer or online with up to 100 other players. DiRT delivers impressive, next generation car handling and physics, with a new damage engine that ensures you experience every bump in the track, every loose rock and every inch of shifting dirt.

If you’re looking to give a new games console to those petrol headed loved ones, make sure you add these excellent driving games to your list – or rush to the sales when the shops open!

-

1. Forza Motorsport 2

For: XBOX 360

With over three hundred cars from 50 different manufacturers, Forza Motorsport 2 is another realistic racing simulation with an uncompromising physics engine.

Cars incur dramatic damage and wear on the track, affecting car performance. Tyres and suspension respond to heat and pressure changes as well as weight transfer and aerodynamic load. In the garage, you can also modify engines suspension, tyre pressures and gear ratios. If Gran Turismo is a bit lightweight and mainstream, this will unleash your inner gear head.

-

2. Project Gotham Racing 4

For: Xbox 360

It’s bike versus car for the first time in the Project Gotham Racing franchise.

Motorcycles from Ducati, BMW, Honda and the like line up against one of the world’s most iconic cars, catching air, doing wheelies and endos, and power sliding their way to victory. The improved Kudos system lets you gain access to better garages and special races all over the world and the game’s unique physics engine enables drivers to pull off incredible driving manoeuvres.

-

3. Motor Storm

For: PS3

MotorStorm is a brutal, no-holds barred off-road racing game designed to show off the capabilities of the PlayStation 3.

Set in a desert environment, MotorStorm features real-time track information, fully destructible vehicles and stunningly detailed scenery. Race through wide-open plains, harrowing cliff edges, and tight canyon sections in a variety of vehicles, from desert buggies to big trucks and motorcycles. There’s no local two-player mode, but online you should find a competitor or two to terrify.

-

4. Test Drive Unlimited

For: XBOX 360, PS2, PC, PSP

Test Drive unlimited allows players to buy exclusive cars and bikes from manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Koenigsegg, Ducati and Lamborghini, customise them like Project Kahn, and then take 360 multiplayer and solo challenges, over 1,000 miles of Hawaii’s Oahu Island paradise. If only they were real…

-

5. Sega Rally

For: Xbox 360, PS3, PSP

Sega Rally is pure arcade action in the spirit of the 1995 arcade original, with the latest incarnation adding deformable rally inspired stages, so each lap will be different to the last.

There are fun, looping tracks on a variety of surfaces and vehicles, including both four-and two-wheel drive, making the game great for a quick blast and easy to pick up for newbies to rallying games.

-

6. Driver Parallel Lines

For: Wii, PC, PS2, Xbox

Now released on the Nintendo Wii, Driver Parallel Lines following the story of TK, a driver for hire in 70s New York who gets double-crossed and thrown in jail. Released 28 years later, TK is on the road for revenge.

New York City is rendered in high detail for both 1978 and 2006, with the present-day version being particularly impressive due to the number of vehicles on the roads. Throw in over 80 customisable vehicles and you have a stunning game.

-

7. Ridge Racer 7

For: PS3

The undisputed drift racing videogame king takes 22 tracks and 40 customisable machines, making latest in the Ridge Racer the best in the series. With a huge amount of unlockable content and a focus on fun rather than realism (there is no crash damage system), we reckon it’s more fun than Need for Speed: ProStreet.

-

8. Stuntman: ignition

For: XBOX 360, PS2, PS3

Stuntman: ignition allows you to take on the role of a Hollywood stuntman as you make your way through six blockbuster movies.

You get a different vehicle for each scene, so it takes some time to master each one. The goal is to hit each designated stunt, with more points awarded each time you drive close to an object, drift, get air or drive on two wheels.

-

9. Need for Speed: Pro Street

For: Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox, PC, PSP

The long running franchise goes global, allowing you to drift, grip, drag and speed your way around the world.

New damage-capturing technology means that every scrape, scratch and dent is rendered in brutal detail and will remain on your car from race to race. It’s more of a rival to Project Gotham Racing 4 and Forza Motorsport than the recent Need for Speeds, but if you long for the early days of the series, maybe now it’s the time to get back on board.

-

10. Colin McRae: Dirt

For: Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Another long-running series, this instalment features Rally Raids, Hill Climbs and Rally Cross events as well as rallying itself – including a dedicated mode for European, International and Global rally championships featuring official 2WD, 4WD, Classic and RWD rally cars.

It’s certainly an exhilarating off-road experience and you can race against the computer or online with up to 100 other players. DiRT delivers impressive, next generation car handling and physics, with a new damage engine that ensures you experience every bump in the track, every loose rock and every inch of shifting dirt.