Superstars V8: Next Challenge - Xbox 360

Racing sim fans with consoles sat in front of their tellies have the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo to quench their driving thirst. Arcade racing fans have such greats as Burnout and MotorStorm. But what about those who want to bridge the gap, or perhaps want an easy transition into more simulation-based racing without getting hammered? Well, for those virtual drivers there's Superstars V8. The sequel, Next Challenge, offers a bevy of improvements over the first game in the series.

The default difficulty level in Next Challenge is Arcade, easing in the less hardcore racer and even letting them take a few knocks from other cars without feeling it too much. However, it takes but a few tweaks (such as turning off ABS braking, switching to manual and taking an in-car point of view) to create a much more sim-like experience.

The game makes use of developer Milestone's X Engine technology, seen elsewhere in the SBK series. The first benefit of this that you'll notice is an increased polygon count, improved lighting and more detailed environments. Impatient gamers might also notice quicker loading times. The engine also powers a 3D damage system, which affects individual components of the car (such as steering and brakes) separately.

On the single-player front, the AI has been tweaked to be less aggressive and take more notice of where you are. On the multiplayer front, the potential number of players in any given game has been upped from 12 to 16. All that with all-new, never-before-seen-in-a-racing game tracks, such as Varano and Magione! more