Codemasters has pushed out some of the best racing games of this console generation, first making a splash with "Dirt" and then taking to the streets in "Grid." The publisher's latest foray into the genre, "Fuel," is by far its most ambitious. And while it ultimately falls short of the bar set by previous Codemasters titles, it remains a solid racer.

Set in a near-future world in which global warming has decimated the Earth, "Fuel" is an open-world racer that encompasses an astonishing 5,000 square miles of terrain. As you move from one area of the map to the next, you'll encounter diverse environments -- barren deserts, lush forests, snow-covered mountains and everything in between. You'll even stumble across landmarks like the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore.

The game also features a full 24-hour day/night cycle (complete with working headlights on the vehicles) and awesome dynamic weather that ranges from simple rain and snow to more extreme conditions like lightning storms and tornadoes. While the weather effects look cool, I didn't notice it having any real impact on the actual racing -- my vehicle handled the same whether it was sunny or storming.

Exploring the world in the free-ride mode is fun for a while, but "Fuel" begins to lose steam because there's just not alot to do other than drive around and check out the scenery. Sure, there are plenty of challenges and races to discover (more than 250 combined), but those can also be accessed directly from within the career mode, thus eliminating the need to uncover them in free-ride. Also, finding doppler trucks within each stage reveals the location of collectible vehicle liveries and vista points. No, you don't have to find the doppler trucks and can roam the landscape in search of these treasures on your own, but I found myself taking the easy way out and hunting down these items with my map.

I was also disappointed that the spectacular crashes that I enjoyed so much in "Dirt" and "Grid" were nowhere to be found in "Fuel." Instead of getting to enjoy a slow-motion replay of my bone-jarring collisions, I'm treated to a quick cut to the loading screen while my vehicle is reset in the game world.

Speaking of the loading screen, prepare to see it quite a bit as the load times are painfully long. I know it's a small price to pay for having a seemless experience once the world loads, but it's annoying nonetheless.

The online multiplayer portion of the game worked well, and the ability to create and share custom races is a great feature. The variety in the vehicles was appreciated, as well.

While it's not likely to appeal to everyone, "Fuel" deserves credit for bringing some fresh ideas to the table. With its sprawling open world and excellent-looking weather effects, "Fuel" is at least worth a test drive.

"Fuel"

Developer: Asobo

Publisher: Codemasters

Available for: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 ($59.99)

Rating: E for everyone

Score: 6.9/10

Codemasters has pushed out some of the best racing games of this console generation, first making a splash with "Dirt" and then taking to the streets in "Grid." The publisher's latest foray into the genre, "Fuel," is by far its most ambitious. And while it ultimately falls short of the bar set by previous Codemasters titles, it remains a solid racer.

Set in a near-future world in which global warming has decimated the Earth, "Fuel" is an open-world racer that encompasses an astonishing 5,000 square miles of terrain. As you move from one area of the map to the next, you'll encounter diverse environments -- barren deserts, lush forests, snow-covered mountains and everything in between. You'll even stumble across landmarks like the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore.

The game also features a full 24-hour day/night cycle (complete with working headlights on the vehicles) and awesome dynamic weather that ranges from simple rain and snow to more extreme conditions like lightning storms and tornadoes. While the weather effects look cool, I didn't notice it having any real impact on the actual racing -- my vehicle handled the same whether it was sunny or storming.

Exploring the world in the free-ride mode is fun for a while, but "Fuel" begins to lose steam because there's just not alot to do other than drive around and check out the scenery. Sure, there are plenty of challenges and races to discover (more than 250 combined), but those can also be accessed directly from within the career mode, thus eliminating the need to uncover them in free-ride. Also, finding doppler trucks within each stage reveals the location of collectible vehicle liveries and vista points. No, you don't have to find the doppler trucks and can roam the landscape in search of these treasures on your own, but I found myself taking the easy way out and hunting down these items with my map.

I was also disappointed that the spectacular crashes that I enjoyed so much in "Dirt" and "Grid" were nowhere to be found in "Fuel." Instead of getting to enjoy a slow-motion replay of my bone-jarring collisions, I'm treated to a quick cut to the loading screen while my vehicle is reset in the game world.

Speaking of the loading screen, prepare to see it quite a bit as the load times are painfully long. I know it's a small price to pay for having a seemless experience once the world loads, but it's annoying nonetheless.

The online multiplayer portion of the game worked well, and the ability to create and share custom races is a great feature. The variety in the vehicles was appreciated, as well.

While it's not likely to appeal to everyone, "Fuel" deserves credit for bringing some fresh ideas to the table. With its sprawling open world and excellent-looking weather effects, "Fuel" is at least worth a test drive.

"Fuel"

Developer: Asobo

Publisher: Codemasters

Available for: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 ($59.99)

Rating: E for everyone

Score: 6.9/10