Powerdrome (Sony PlayStation 2, 2004)

This futuristic racer from Mud Duck features contests of nearly inconceivable speed, with an assortment of supersonic "blade" vehicles that can push 1,000 miles per hour. The over-the-top action is matched with a selection of exaggerated characters, "from de-commissioned war droids to spoiled rich kids," giving each vehicle-driver combination its own distinct personality. In addition to competing on a number sanctioned tracks, players can also take to the streets for some "illegal" racing. Tricks are a part of the game as well, but pushing a "blade" racing vehicle beyond its driver's limits may result in a demonstration of the game's real-time damage modeling -- buckled panels, broken hydraulics, smoking engines, and worse can result from minor miscalculations at mach 1.3.