Racing

Mad Skills Motocross is a fun and addictive game that started on desktop computers, but seems much more suited to the iOS. Sort of in the vein of arcade classic Excitebike, Mad Skills Motocross is a side-scrolling racer in which you race against a single opponent on several challenging tracks. The default controls give you buttons for throttle and brakes on the lower left and buttons for tilt control on the right. You can switch tilt controls to the accelerometer in the settings, but both variations proved to work well after a bit of practice.

You will need practice, by … Read more

Bike Baron is a stunt bike game for both iPhone and iPad that might be the best we've seen yet for iOS. Made by an all-star developer team with folks from the groups that made Minigore, Death Rally, and Aqua Globs, this well-designed game really shines. Even the musical score is from the same person that made the music for Angry Birds. In other words, there's a lot of talent behind this game.

Unlike many of the games in this genre, you get just one set of controls for Bike Baron: arrows for tilting on the left and … Read more

Xtreme Wheels is a stunt bike racing game that offers nice-looking graphics (with one extremely notable exception), but it's still somewhat lacking. You get a few options for controls, but like most games of this type, gas and brake will always be on the right. On the left, you get the option to use a slider, arrow buttons, or you can use the accelerometer to tilt. The controls feel solid mostly, making you feel in control as you navigate past obstacles.

The graphics in Xtreme Wheels look great mostly, with one very noticeable problem (at least in our testing). … Read more

MotoTrialz is a side-scrolling stunt bike game that's a fairly good remake of the game Trials, but it's not the best in the genre. Like other games of this type, you're challenged with riding a motorcycle over several obstacles in the least amount of time possible. You have a couple of different options for controlling your bike in MotoTrialz: you have gas and braking buttons on the right and you can choose between a slider on the left or the accelerometer for tilting your bike. You'll need to pick one and get comfortable quickly; these stunt … Read more

With the iPhone picking up steam as a gaming platform, one of the biggest announcements for gamers was that the iPhone 4S' graphics would be seven times faster than its predecessor's. Even though no developers have released a game optimized for the device so far (Infinity Blade II is set to launch December 1), I decided to put some of the more high-quality current games side by side on the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S to see if we could spot any difference.

The reason for all the extra speed is the iPhone 4S' dual-core A5 processor, which supposedly has enough horsepower to render complex 3D graphics with significantly high frame rates. This bump in processor power should become particularly apparent once we see some of the new games being developed for the device, but I simply didn't want to wait that long.… Read more

It's one of the last mutually exclusive genres left in gaming. PlayStation owners have Gran Turismo and Xbox 360 loyalists have Forza Motorsport. Both franchises are proven winners, and the latest incarnation on Xbox 360 allows Kinect users the chance to race controller free. But does that ambition steer Forza away from what it does best?

Jeff:Forza Motorsport 4 packs in such a shocking amount of content and detail, most racing buffs will salivate just at the introduction movie. Sure, it can be a bit overwhelming for people who don't have transmission fluid running through their veins, … Read more

Thrustmaster has announced an authentic, life-size controller modeled after a Ferrari 150 Italia Formula 1 racing wheel. The replica is covered with buttons, switches, and dials, as well as two F1-style "push and pull" metal shifters. It's designed as a replacement wheel for the company's existing T500 RS racing system featuring 1,080-degree rotation, powerful force-feedback and a heavy-duty metal footrest.

A full setup will cost close to $800 ($199 for the F1 wheel and $599 for the T500 RS), which can be hard to stomach for most gamers even though it is PC- and PS3-compatible. But for that price, you do get an advanced PC mode that supports 25 action buttons and a directional pad for race simulation junkies. The Ferrari F1 Wheel add-on will be launched in early October.

(Source: Crave Asia via Ubergizmo) … Read more

Move over, NASCAR. We've got a racing series that combines speed, ingenuity, and large adults on itty-bitty vehicles.

Welcome to the Power Racing Series, where makers modify Power Wheels and Little Tikes cars for a series of races that includes a road course, drag race, and endurance race. These lean, mean toy racing machines can reach harrowing 20 mph speeds.

Teams are allowed a $500 budget to modify a car. Change the battery, swap out the motor, put on some tougher tires, and shore up the suspension to handle your adult heft.

Personally, I would start with the $400 Power Wheels Barbie Cadillac Escalade Custom Edition. Pretty in pink!

Receipts are required to prove that a car is within the budget. Violate the rules and your vehicle will be forfeited to the Power Racing Series officials for the non-negotiable price of $100.

Safety equipment doesn't fall into the budget restrictions, so you can spend as much as you want on brakes, helmets, and air bags--if you can figure out how to fit them into the miniscule dashboard on your Dora the Explorer Jeep Wrangler.

The Power Racing Series has just launched a Kickstarter project aimed at expanding the series for 2012. The fund-raising goal amount of $20,000, if reached, will go to developing a new timing and scoring system, adding new races, buying more safety equipment, and inventing new event obstacles.… Read more

4x4 Jam is an off-road racer that lets you drive wherever you want--an ongoing and changing landscape continues in every direction. This game is from the early days of the iTunes App Store, and while the gameplay is still pretty fun, it's easy to tell the graphics haven't been updated for the latest iOS devices.

Even so, 4x4 Jam still manages to be fun and worthy of a download if you've never tried it. Steer by tilting your iPhone left and right and you have several options for control sets depending on how much control over gas … Read more