The nominations for the best racer of 2008 are...
Race Driver: GRID (PC, Xbox360, PS3)
While being visually unsurpassed, GRID proved that it wasn't just eye candy by delivering some of the most tight racing controls I've experienced in a while. That formed a perfect base for what turned out to be a racer that offered a bit of everything - from drifting to derby - and did it all with a touch of class. The realistic damage mechanics that tied in with the way cars controlled, made it a real challenge to keep your ride together AND stay in front of the pack, at the same time. This added an additional layer of tact and ingenuity that helped lend a fair bit of depth to this extremely well crafted racer, making it a really touch competitor.MotorStorm: Pacific Rift (PS3)
The MotorStorm franchise took a monumental leap from the barren lands of Monument Valley, to a lush island in the Pacific region, giving the developers a lot more to play with. This dust devil was already gorgeous to begin with, but the new setting added an extra layer of paint in the form of new thickly-forested regions, tracks lined with heated pools of lava, and high flying paths that meander alongside beautiful coastlines, giving Pacific Rift the kind of variety most other racers couldn't dream of. This new setting also brought with it many new terrains and other devices to further diversify the experience; the best change it brought about was the new and improved boosting system that actively heated/cooled your engine depending on what type of environment you were in. MotorStorm: Pacific Rift is unquestionably the most diverse off-road racer of the year.FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage (PC, Xbox360)
While it may seem like console gamers had all the fun when it comes to complete arcade racing goodness, FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage proved otherwise by giving PC gamers (as well as Xbox360 owners) a taste of carnage and breakneck speeds in their purest form. The game was perfectly balanced difficulty-wise, allowing anyone and everyone to enjoy its bountiful offering of everything from derby races, to some really insane party games. While the game wasn't too different from its predecessors on the surface, a series of tweaks including many visual improvements made it one of the best racers of the year. The improved graphical engine allowed the game to show off its beautiful particle systems and incredible lighting without a single framerate hiccup.Pure (Xbox360, PS3, PC)
Even though it's a new franchise, Pure managed to appeal to racing fans in spite of being up against the heavy weight contenders of the year. Pure put us in the rider's seat of an ATV and allowed us to do the kind of insane stunts even real-life professionals should never attempt! The immensely rewarding stunt system was backed up by some incredibly responsive controls, completely eliminating the learning curve when it comes to vehicle control. The place where the learning curve did come in to play though, was the amazingly well balance, deep stunt system, that required you to balance out boosting with pulling off stunts to get ahead of the pack.Midnight Club: Los Angeles (Xbox360, PS3)
Based on the same engine that fueled GTA IV; Midnight Club LA immersed players deep into the bowels of the underground street racing scene in the City of the Angels. While the story was pretty crappy, gameplay was as fast and as furious (see what I did there?) as Midnight Club: DUB edition (one of the finest racers ever made) offering players a plethora of illegal street races all over the gorgeously detailed city of L.A.And the winner is...
Race Driver: GRID
The reason I picked GRID is that while it tread middle ground between arcade and simulation, it offered the kind of variety most racers couldn't even dream of. Most games that go for such a spread out approach usually sacrifice on quality, but not GRID - while giving you a whole lot of event types to pick from, it managed to push the quality of its content to new heights. Each and every race type, each and every car type was designed and executed to perfection, making GRID the winner of our Racer of the Year 2008 award.
