Modern Warfare, Mario Galaxy and Football Manager, all arguably clear leaders in their respective fields and these names instantly roll off the tongue. The same can’t be said for one of the most competitive genres within our industry. There’s simply no doubting the lack of great games to play for any budding Jenson Button in 2009, something which was confirmed when this award was the last one we decided on. So, without further ado, let’s wave the chequered flag on another fantastic year for virtual racing.
Forza Motorsport 3
Seven other racers, hundreds of vehicles and miles of track. Despite sounding like a motorsport enthusiast’s wet dream, it’s actually something much more. An initial disappointment with the familiar feeling mechanics were easily shortlived, it’s more than your average cookie cutter sequel, despite having an excellent predecessor, Forza Motorsport 3 manages to refine nearly every aspect of the game and then some.
This year for driving has been all about accessibility, for some it was making menus more stylistic and for others it was improving the overall framework of the game. Turn 10, although tweaking both as well, opted to hedge their bets with a rewind feature. Granted it was stolen from last year’s runner-up, GRID, but it has allowed casual fans to improve their performance without the threat of being penalised for being new to the experience.
This one, like last year’s award, was a tough one to decide but the plethora of modes, content and different experiences from race to race made the ultimate decision an easy one. Our driving game of the year goes to Turn 10’s exquisite Forza Motorsport 3.
Need for Speed Shift
Need for Speed’s major shift to compete more with the realistic racers of the world nearly paid off. If it wasn’t for an awkward career mode and a lack of depth unless you seek it out, Shift would have come much closer to being the five star game it could have been.
DiRT 2
Yeah, let’s face it, the new vibe was a bit overbearing and disappointing for those who liked the clean European style of the original but that didn’t stop DiRT 2 becoming one of the best driving games of 2009 and arguably the best rally game of all time.
F1 2009
We initially cast this game to the fire with our eyes set on next year’s modern console release, we did so at our own peril. Codemasters again produced another quality racer, that easily equates to the best Wii racer that doesn’t feature Italian plumbers
RacePro
We almost overlooked this Q1 release and although it doesn’t compare with Forza 3 in terms of style and shear mass of content, RacePro did it’s talking on the track. Let’s hope they get a second shot at it, all it needed was a few tins of next-gen polish.
Stay tuned to Nidzumi all week for more Best of 2009 Awards as we celebrate the past 12 months in gaming
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