Get set for NASCAR racing

This game features the cars of tomorrow and the ability to fine-tune any vehicle in more than 40 areas.

EA's Tiburon Studio, home of Madden and NCAA Football, revs out the first next-generation NASCAR game. And although the improved graphics introduce lifelike, dynamic smoke and bring the colourful sponsored cars to life in glorious detail, NASCAR 08's overall package doesn't offer as much under the hood as previous installments of the franchise.

The game has plenty of positives, especially if you're new to the fastest-growing sport in America. The career mode focuses on acquiring 20 licences that will teach gamers how to pull off real on-track manoeuvres, including drafting, bump drifting and performing a slingshot or cannonball.

ESPN commentator Jerry Punch explains the ins and outs of racing on the various types of tracks and with the game's different cars. A new vehicle telemetry visor, which can be turned on or off, provides visual representations of air drag and live updates on the vehicle's tyre pressure, engine RPM, lap/split times and more.

For those who've played the NASCAR games, skipping the career mode is probably the best choice. This version's career mode pales next to past games, in which you could drive from the Featherlite vehicles (omitted in NASCAR 08) through to the Craftsman Truck, Busch and Nextel Cup series and have a real career. But this game features the cars of tomorrow, the new Toyota Camry and the ability to fine-tune any vehicle in more than 40 areas (something NASCAR gear heads will especially appreciate).

There's a lot that's new to real-life NASCAR racing this year, including new rules, and as a result, NASCAR 08 offers a different experience, even on PlayStation 2, which lacks the visual upgrades and the ability to race against 15 other drivers online. All of the games feature a full field of 43 cars (36 for Craftsman Truck races). The best way to play is with a steering wheel peripheral from companies such as Logitech or Microsoft. The PS3 game allows for steering with the Sixaxis controller, which worked well, but the steering wheel is the best way to excel.

Despite a lack of depth, this game is worth buying if you're into NASCAR.
Rating: Everyone
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2

REVIEWS

Boogie
Rating: Everyone 10 and older
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Wii games seem to fall into two camps. Either the motion-sensitive controller works as expected and adds to the game experience, or it doesn't. The latter is the case with Boogie, the first music-based game for the Wii, and the first to supply a microphone for use with the console's USB port.

The game is ambitious, giving up to two players the opportunity to compete as they dance or sing along with 39 songs running the gamut of musical styles from the Jackson 5's ABC to Carl Douglas' Kung Fu Fighting to Fergie's Fergalicious.

The comparison to the Dance Dance Revolution series made popular on the PlayStation 2 is unavoidable, and instructive. The included USB microphone works well, but the singing game is a dud. There's no need to sing the lyrics, merely humming in tune will result in an equally high score. While Boogie may cut a rug at a karaoke party or with children, it fails to make the cut as a single-player game.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
Rating: Teen
Platform: Sony PS3, PSP
The uber-popular shooter makes its way to the PS3, and for fans of tactics it was worth the five-month wait.

For the uninitiated, the GRAW series focuses on urban warfare in the near future, thus the emphasis is on gadgets, such as drones that spy on enemy positions and can drop grenades. This is no run-and-gun affair; scouting ahead and figuring out the wisest course of attack is key to completing objectives.

Players assume the role of Capt. Scott Mitchell, who is trying to take out a rebel group in Mexico that is alleged to be constructing a dirty bomb. Before each mission, a team of soldiers can be assembled according to what is expected. While early missions are fairly simple, later stages of the game require competent deployment of these fellow soldiers.

The relatively short single-player game is a warm-up for the real war online that smoothly handles up to 16 players with audio chat support.
- George Mathis/Los Angeles Times-Washington Post

The Bigs
Rating: Everyone
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP
For those who find baseball a little slow and boring (like me), The Bigs takes America's pastime and ratchets up the action, making it fun to play on any console.

In this game, everything is fittingly larger-than-life, including the players, who all look like hulking steroid users. To be fair, the licenced stadiums have been transformed into huge coliseums that feature interactive backdrops, such as a scoreboard that explodes when hit with a ball. These huge players can also perform gravity-defying leaps in the outfield that turn surefire home runs into outs and make sensational double plays.

It's also a fun diversion to send balls into New York's Times Square in an exclusive mini-game called Home Run Pinball. This mode alone, which allows you to hit everything from taxis to neon signs to the New Year's Eve ball, makes this game worth the price of admission. In addition to the arcade action, the game employs power-ups to aid brutal pitches and fantastic home runs. Everyone from baseball purists to casual gamers will enjoy the fun you can have in the virtual park with The Bigs.
- John Gaudiosi/Los Angeles Times-Washington Post