FORZA HORIZON 2
RELEASE 2014
FORZA HORIZON 3
RELEASE 2016FORZA MOTORSPORT 7
RELEASE 2017FORZA STREET
RELEASE 2019
An ambitious sequel that
straddled the console divide,
popping up on Xbox 360 and Xbox
One. It gave a good Lambo, too.
The best entry in either the
spin-off or mainline series.
This Aussie masterpiece still
looks incredible three years on.Maybe the most beautiful racer
ever made. Seriously, that rain.
Its Dubai Full Circuit is one of
our favourite tracks ever.A free-to-play title with
microtransactions that are as
popular as panda burgers at a
vegan BBQ.BURNOUT 3: TAKEDOWN
PUBLISHER EA | DEVELOPER CRITERION
FORMAT XBOX | RELEASE 2004Other than the fact it hosts an in-game DJ
so obnoxious we briefly considered taking a
drill to our eardrums, Burnout 3: Takedown is
a riotous racing dream. This is the game that
does for virtual car crashes what Jaws did for
toothy underwater assassins. Introducing the
now-trademark Takedowns where you ram
your rivals off the road, it celebrates the art
of breaking a bumper into all the bits like no
other racer in Xbox history. With the awesome
Aftertouch feature giving you control over
your motor post-collision, and the constant
fender benders served up by the excellent
score attack Crash mode, Burnout 3 plays
like a pile-up puzzle game at points. Criterion
really knocked it out of the park with this one;
crumpling your bonnet never felt so good.BLUR
PUBLISHER ACTIVISION |
DEVELOPER BIZARRE CREATIONS |
FORMAT XBOX 360 | RELEASE 2010One of the final games to come out of
beloved British studio Bizarre Creations,
Blur adopted the handling of a go-kart
game, then bolted it onto a gorgeous,
grown-up racer. Mixing street racing
and crunching vehicular combat, it
delivered comical levels of carnage. In
Blur crippling the competition is just as
important as sharp cornering skills. With
a series of power-ups purpose-built
to mangle a garage of real-world cars,
Bizarre revels in making you ruin an
opponent’s race. Such was the appetite
for bodywork-bruising takedowns, Blur
even found a way to squeeze boss fights
into its career mode.FORZA MOTORSPORT 3
PUBLISHER MICROSOFT GAME STUDIOS |
DEVELOPER TURN 10 | FORMAT XBOX 360 |
RELEASE 2009Forza 7 and its alluring Dubai tracks will
always get our gear stick excited, yet
it’s still not quite the greatest mainline
entry in Xbox’s premier racing series.
That honour goes to 2009’s never-
bettered Forza 3. A revised rules editor
gave online racers more control over
challenges than ever before, while the
excellent campaign catered to every
driving whim you could possibly have.
Be it circuit races around Laguna Seca,
oval contests, or drag and drifting duels,
this is one of the most comprehensive
and varied driving titles in Xbox history.
We should also thank Forza 3 for finally
giving the series a rewind feature.DIRT RALLY 2.0
PUBLISHER CODEMASTERS | DEVELOPER CODEMASTERS | FORMAT XBOX ONE | RELEASE 2019As uncompromising as it is excellent,
Codies’ brilliant rally sim revels in being
brutal. A taxing, occasionally tortuous take
on rallycross, mastering its tracks demands
meticulous driving. That’s what makes
Dirt Rally 2.0 so satisfying: when those
incredibly hard-earned victories do come,
they taste unbelievably sweet. Though it’s
not for faint-hearted Xbox petrolheads –you’ll find no rewinds here – its commitment
to hardcore simulation is captivating. Track
degradation means no two races are ever
the same, while the ocean-deep handling
is the best advert for owning a dedicated
steering wheel for your Xbox One. Dirt
Rally 2.0 is the only game on this list that
somehow makes driving in slow, jittery
fashion an utter thrill.More Xbox news at gamesradar.com/oxm THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE 061