FUEL has rolled on to the weigh bridge this week and it’s interesting to see a variety of different opinions and scores from games industry critics. The game lets you explore a massive open world (said to be the biggest ever produced) and compete in a variety of dirt racing events in many different types of off-road vehicle.

Gamespot (60%) – “Fuel is an ambitious game that tries to do a lot, but it doesn’t deliver where it counts. Perhaps if the driving were more exciting, checking out the world would be a bit more interesting. Fuel’s driving model isn’t bad–it’s just unspectacular. Some players will embrace Fuel’s overall ambition. But if you’re interested in racing–and there’s a good chance you are–then you’ll likely be disappointed by the game’s shortcomings.”

Eurogamer (50%) – “Of FUEL’s many promises, too many are either broken or undermined by its handling, layouts, logic or interface shortcuts. There’s no denying Asobo’s achievement in building such a daring, beautiful landscape on such a vast scale, but the core of any good racing game is falling in love with its vehicles, the things you can do with them, and the places you can take them, and by that measure FUEL is distinctly average.”

EDGE Magazine (80%) – “Packed with diversions, Asobo understands what makes its off-road wonderland a thrill to tour , and even if some of the fundamental stuff has been sacrificed to the creation of this huge world , Fuel still makes it across the finish line on a far-from-empty tank.”

The time has come for another game to roll onto The Weigh Bridge as we look at its merits and failings. Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli is the much-delayed racer which features one manufacturer but plenty of tracks and which is possibly most famous for being released for every platform except Xbox 360. From the web of prancing horses:

IGN UK (83%) – “Race weekends encompass a qualifying session and two 15-minute endurance races – that, while plausibly faithful to the source, can prove infuriatingly time consuming. Whilst the option is present to reduce the races to more readily digestible five minute chunks, it remains a frustration throughout.”

Gameplanet (80%) – “Ferrari Challenge is a well-rounded driving package, and even though once again we find ourselves playing a modern racing simulator with inconsequential vehicular damage, the level of attention paid to the handling and overall accuracy more than makes up for it. Great fun, even if it is a bit anti-social.”

Eurogamer (70%) – “Overall though, Ferrari Challenge is a promising physics engine welded to a game that may be a little too anal for its own good. Dedicated followers of the brand will obviously find much to enjoy, as will those who like their racing dry and technical. It’s just a shame the game doesn’t do more to win over everyone else.”

For a while, the motorbike simulation genre has been pretty much dominated by Black Rock Studio’s MotoGP series, especially on the next-generation formats. However, we’ve got a new contender in the form of SBK-08 which has already hit Xbox 360 in Europe and Australia. Time to weigh up whether this is worth your cash:

IGN Australia (74%) – “As a game SBK 08 is a pared back, pure racing experience that is a dream come true for two wheeled aficionados to whom realistic control is paramount. Having said that, it does suffer from a noticeable lack of polish in some key areas; namely sterile environments, lengthy load times between races, and some ‘barely there’ audio.”

Videogamer.com (60%) – “SBK 08 has clearly positioned itself as a game for a niche audience. It’s hard to say for sure how well it appeals to those hardcore sim fans, but it seems to be an accurate representation of the sport. As a video game it doesn’t really cut it though. It’s a game that is so hell-bent on being realistic that it’s forgotten to be fun.”

The Times (60%) – “No two-wheeled racing game so far has stood up to the challenge of the top car-based titles such as Gran Turismo. And SBK-08 does little to change that.”

If you’re still not convinced about whether this game really does deserve your money, a demo has found its way on to Xbox Live Marketplace today.