It's been a bumper year for games. DirectX 10 might not have offered everything we were promised, but the latest crop of consoles has meant a steady stream of incredible-looking, engrossing games in every imaginable category. Here's our pick of the very best.
Rally driving doesn't get much better than the superb Colin McRae series. Realistic car handling and damage, mind-boggling options for car setup, and a genuine oh-my-god-I'm-going-to-DIE feeling of speed, DiRT opens the series up magnificently. It isn't just about tearing through a course as fast as possible in search of the best time. You also race other cars in bumper-to-bumper off-road races, as well as a hill climb and timed modes. There are 60 races in total, with 45 different cars just waiting to be introduced to trees, low-level walls and abrupt ledges. You'll almost certainly need a new graphics card: the minimum system requirement is an Nvidia 6800 or equivalent, but the best frame rates - and looks - come from the latest high-end DirectX 10 cards. But if you need a legitimate reason to upgrade your hardware, this is it.
