MotorStorm: Arctic Edge

Racing games have really become a wasteland. Lack of innovation in an already overcrowded genre is causing the games to suffer from cookie-cutter syndrome. Running Wild may be a racing game, but it really does things differently. Here, you race as bipedal animals, and you must jump over all sorts of obstacles to succeed. Think the original Crash Bandicoot's perspective with a whole lot more speed.

There are six tracks in the game, each with a vastly different theme. Also, depending on the difficulty setting, the track will be adorned with various obstacles that force you to steer a little more precisely. There are six characters to choose from, each with different attributes. The elephant is strong, the bull can turn very well, while the zebra is the all-around racer. There are also hidden boss characters in the game, which are unlocked by beating challenge mode on the hardest setting. Aside from the challenge mode, there's also a circuit mode, a time trial mode (which allows you to race against your best time), and a single-race mode.

The gameplay in Running Wild is surprisingly fun. There is a variety of speed-ups and other power-ups on the track, some of which will make you bigger, allowing you to simply stomp your competition. Others will give you weapons. But the speed power-ups are the most important, as they'll increase your top speed. If you go through a race without collecting any of them, you have no hope of winning.

The graphics in Running Wild are simple, yet effective. The characters and tracks have a very Warner Bros. look to them, and the game runs at a very high frame rate. The smooth frame rate really gives the game a nice feeling of speed. The sound and music fit in well with the cartoony feel of the game.

It's nice to see a fresh take on the racing-game genre. Running Wild manages to be a fun enough game, with enough secrets and well-disguised track variations to keep you interested. It's definitely worth a rental. 

Experience the handling and style of Polaris (the world's leading producer of snowmobiles) without leaving your living room. Race through snow-covered mountains in a variety of world locations. Packed with features such as the head-to-head mode, Polaris SnoCross 2001 offers an alternative to your ordinary winter sport games.

Featuring an all-new story mode, players will be able to live the life of a rookie rider and earn a path to the ranks of professional racer. Players will experience the drama and intensity of realistic offroad racing with increasingly difficult race challenges and events all tied together with engaging, story-driven Full Motion Videos (FMVs). ATV Offroad Fury 4 adds cross communication capabilities with ATV Offroad Fury Pro for the PSP system, including vehicle exchanges and upgrades, shared online communities, and the ability to share user created circuits.

Supporting up to eight players online, ATV Offroad Fury 4 offers tournaments, voice and text chat, forums, player profiles, downloadable content, and the ability to exchange game data. With additional features including a track editor as well as extensive vehicle tuning and customization options, ATV Offroad Fury 4 is ready to deliver the most competitive and comprehensive offroad racing experience available.

A staple of any NES collection, Excitebike provides enduring gameplay with its straightforward motocross. The charmingly cute visuals have the distinct arcade-style look that dominated Nintendo's early NES titles, with extra touches like a cameraman in the background who follows your motions as you ride by. Although the controls are basic, navigating jumps, ramps and obstacles requires strategic use of turbo and wheelies. Five tracks are available to race alone or against CPU-controlled opponents, but in both cases you're really racing against the clock. The design mode was the first of its kind in a console game, and greatly extends the life of the title by featuring 19 different components you can piece together to build your own course.