split-second posts

So you have been playing games like Need For Speed Hot Pursuit or perhaps our favorite racing game of last year Split/Second and think that your skills behind a controller or a wheel-based joystick means you are a better driver in the real world. Well, that may not really be true. According to a new study reported on by Jalopnik, fans of racing car games can actually be more dangerous behind the wheel of a real car.

The study by Continental Tires asked questions of 2,000 drivers between the ages of 17 and 39. Half of them were driving game fans. The study showed that racing game fans tended to be pulled over by more by the police than non-gamers. Driving game players also tend to report an accident more than non-game players, suffer road rage more, take more risks while driving and more.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving but already folks are starting to buy their holiday gifts (or at the very least thinking about creating their lists really hard). There have been a lot of PC games to choose from in the past 12 months and today Big Download wants to offer a few suggestions for the person who has a PC gamer on his or her list.

The games listed below are what we feel are good gift choices that should please any hardcore or even casual PC gamer that you have to buy for this year. We have even thrown in some indie titles and some games that are priced a bit cheaper than the norm for those of you on a budget. Check out our 2010 holiday list after the jump:

Editor's Note: Steven Wong contributed to this article

It's Tuesday which means some PC games are getting some price cuts for one or two days. Steam now has both the regular and limited edition of 2009's city sim game Cities XL on sale from now until Thursday. The regular edition is priced at just $4.99 while the limited edition has a $6.24 price tag on the PC game download service.

Over at Direct2Drive they have three games on sale from now until 1 pm Eastern time on Sunday. The recent racing game Split Second has a 50 percent price cut to $19.95. In addition, two of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. first person shooters (Shadows of Chernobyl and Call of Pirpyat) are being sold in a bundle for just $9.95.

It's hard to believe but half of the year 2010 has now come and gone. As in years past the PC game industry has seen one or two games released that could be in contention for Game of the Year when 2010 is over. We've also had a number of solid PC games released (not quite up to Game of the Year standard but still worth getting) and we have had some titles that have failed to live up to our expectations.

Today on this US holiday we look back at what we believe are the best PC games released so far this year along with a couple of PC titles that disappointed us. Of course the last half of 2010 is scheduled to be packed with major PC game releases such as StarCraft II, Mafia II, Civilization V, Elemental, Medal of Honor, Fallout New Vegas, Crysis 2, Final Fantasy XIV, DC Universe Online, World of Warcraft Cataclysm and many more. Still if the year ended with just the games that have already come out it would still be a good year for PC gamers. With that in mid here are our picks for the best PC games of 2010 that have been released so far, in no particular order:

Split/Second puts a unique twist on racing games. As stunt drivers on an action TV show, players can activate power plays, which are events placed all over the studio lot set to go off. These events can range from exploding objects to dropping gigantic structures on opponents, and they're key to winning. So it's not enough to race well and memorize tracks... drivers will also have to keep an eye out for potential power plays and try to evade them as they go off. This all builds up to some very intense racing, where a player can be knocked from first to last place in a blink of an eye. We just wish a little more thought went into the PC port.

Download the Split/Second Demo
Check out all Split/Second downloads

This is the playable demo for Split/Second, the racing game where players compete as stunt drivers on an action movie set. Racers build up power to trigger explosive events to delay opponents. The demo includes the tutorial and Airport Terminal level. System requirements are shown after the jump.

Download Split/Second Demo (1 GB)
Check out all Split/Second downloads

Black Rock Studio provides an in-depth behind the scenes look at the development of Split/Second, the racing game where players drive on the set of a stunt movie and can trigger explosive events to slow down the competition. This developer video focuses specifically on design decisions in creating the special effects and cars. The game is available now for consoles and the PC.

Download HD The Making of Split/Second Part 5 (134 MB)
Download HD The Making of Split/Second, Part 4 (97 MB)
Download HD The Making of Split/Second, Part 3 (104 MB)
Download HD The Making of Split/Second, Part 2 (89 MB)
Download HD The Making of Split/Second, Part 1 (244 MB)
Check out all Split/Second downloads

A racing game with lots of property destruction leads this week's list of new PC game related release which include a second episode in an adventure game series and a new mini-campaign for an acclaimed RPG title.

Split/Second - Developer Black Rock Studios tried to go after the Burnout audience with this arcade racing title. Players not only have to out drive opponents but they can also trigger outside events. You can blow up a gas station, take out a building and even bring down an airplane onto the race track.

This fourth video in a series that goes behind-the-scenes in developing the unique racing game Split/Second describes the thought process behind the audio design. In Split/Second, players take the role of stunt movie race car drivers with the ability to trigger on-set disasters to take out the competition. The game releases on May 18th.

Download HD The Making of Split/Second, Part 4 (97 MB)
Download HD The Making of Split/Second, Part 3 (104 MB)
Download HD The Making of Split/Second, Part 2 (89 MB)
Download HD The Making of Split/Second, Part 1 (244 MB)
Check out all Split/Second downloads

We've already seen one of the land based challenges that will be included in Split/Second, but a game that includes this much destruction is bound to kick things up even further. In flies an attack chopper that will launch missiles at the race track as you try to dodge them. Rounds increase in difficulty as players beat them, which leads to the Air Revenge mode, where players build up energy to trigger a chopper sabotage. Players will have a chance to prove their skills when the game releases on May 18th.

Download HD Split/Second 'Air Strike / Air Revenge' Mode Trailer (58 MB)
Check out all Split/Second downloads