Midnight Club: Los Angeles

Rockstar's RAGE engine has been put to great use, and as the car was thrown into vomit-worthy turns, the camera dropped and zoomed to the car's side. Excitement is a key word in LA. The crashes are every bit as impressive as those found in Burnout, although you'd do well to avoid smashing your car - incur too much damage and you'll not only suffer a penalty but the quick-fix will leave behind a shoddy paintjob and unfinished bodywork. Despite bundling into an oncoming car, our guide made clever use of the slip-stream boost to slingshot past the lead and snatch victory last bend-style.

After the race, the prizes - cash to purchase NOS and upgrades and reputation to unlock races and rides - flashed up on-screen and then it was straight back to cruising around the city where we'd finished up. An entire race had been and gone without so much as a hint of loading, and we were once again massively enjoying a cool gentle roll around the streets as the evening sun set on the city. All in all: beautiful.

After the race, the prizes - cash to purchase NOS and upgrades and reputation to unlock races and rides - flashed up on-screen and then it was straight back to cruising around the city where we'd finished up. An entire race had been and gone without so much as a hint of loading, and we were once again massively enjoying a cool gentle roll around the streets as the evening sun set on the city. All in all: beautiful.

Matthew Pellett
Matt is former editor of Official PlayStation Magazine, his favourite games include Skyrim, Final Fantasy VII, Braid, Shadow Of The Colossus and Puggsy, and when he's not grinding away in Destiny you'll often find him talking about WWE or NFL (go Seahawks!).