The Fast and the Furious

While it's extremely accessible to new players and really easy to get into, The Fast and the Furious isn't leaving gearheads out of the equation. Players will have literally hundreds of options for customizing their rides, from fairly in-depth performance mods to cosmetic body kits (and yes, you can also buy those neon undercar lights, if that's your thing). More importantly, they're all licensed versions of real-world products, right down to the Pioneer heads-up display that's always superimposed over your view of the road.

Racing and customization aside, The Fast and the Furious sports a really interesting look. Not only is it always nighttime, but everything in your headlights looks kind of grainy - like Silent Hill-level grainy - and everything shakes and blurs when you hit the turbo, making for a convincing sensation of speed. More strangely, there's a lurching "chunk" every time your car switches gears.

From what we've seen so far, The Fast and the Furious is shaping up to be a unique take on street racing. We're not really sold on the whole freeway-only business, but it looks like there should be enough here to keep modders and casual movie fans happy when the game hits in August.

Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.