The Best PlayStation 3 Games, By Genre

Best Racing Game – Split/Second

While this game might not be the traditional racing game, Split/Second was a remarkable arcade racing title. To this day I hold its single-player UI right behind the car in the highest regard.

The game’s campaign placed you in a reality show season. You had to beat out your competitors by increasing your “powerplay meter.” Doing moves like drifts and drafting behind opposing cars increased your meter, allowing you to use a powerplay. These events acted like obstacles for your opponents. For example, activating powerplay near a steam gauge may cause it to burst, destroying your opponents’ cars and allowing you to pass them. Attain a full meter and you can even change the landscape of the racing map, including unlocking new sections of each level.

It wasn’t just single player campaign. Both couch co-op and online modes brought a plehtora of options, including Survival and Air Attack. What made Split/Second great was the way it stayed perfectly between the lines of simulation and arcade racing. It wasn’t so silly that you were doing aileron rolls and tapping opponents’ cars causing them to explode, but at the same time the game’s handling of cars and trucks, in conjunction with speed, acceleration and drifting gave driving as accurate a feel an arcade racing game could be.

Honorable mentions: Gran Turismo 5, ModNation Racers, Wipeout HD, Burnout Paradise