Welcome to episode 5 of Dryve January (which has now leaked in February)! We're putting the pedal to the metal this month to provide you with reviews of popular racing/driving video games from throughout the years.

'Micro' is defined as 'one millionth the size of something' which, in reality, is pretty bloody tiny. Perhaps 'Centi Machines' might have been more accurate when it comes to the popular 1/150th scale model toy range but its nowhere near as evocative a name as 'Micro Machines' (1993, Mega Drive).

First released on the SNES in 1991, this game was ported nearly everywhere and its one that Fazz holds close to his heart from his childhood. It may be the reason he takes any crushing defeat in his stride nowadays... You've not been emotionally destroyed until youve been stuck racing through some baked beans residue on a breakfast table.

Across the way on the pod table, Rich tries to get to grip with Gravel (2018, PC). This off road, arcade racer landed more with a clunk than a splash critically but we're here to help you stop wondering if its worth paying £2.49 for the deluxe edition when you see it hanging around on digital storefronts. Surely its worth as much as a half pint of John Smiths down the local?

Lets find out together. Enjoy the pod

Welcome to episode 4 of Dryve January! We're putting the pedal to the (twisted) metal this month to provide you with reviews of popular racing/driving video games from throughout the years.

"You know, I have one simple request, and that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads"

We're sure this is what Rich will have been muttering under his breath when the laser on his PS2 had trouble playing The Simpsons: Hit and Run. Was this the untimely demise of the Dryve January schedule?!?

No! Our solution: Find a PS2 driving game that is dual layered and goes just as hard as Hit & Run. Enter Gran Turismo 4 (2004, PS2), the 4th best selling PS2 game of all time, to save the day. It's not often the hero of the hour arrives in a Honda Civic but we're pretty 'Z-spec' around here so its probably fitting.

Whilst Rich enjoys a PlayStation franchise that started 3 decades ago, Fazz checks out another series that burned brightest on the PS1 but seems to carry less influence in 2026... or does it?

Twisted Metal (1995, PS1) started over 30 years ago and has been rebooted a few times already. A recent, well received TV adaptation has led Fazz to try the series out for the first time, starting with its original iteration.

Can he see past the dated graphics & shoddy control system to find something that hits his Sweet Tooth?

Tune in to find out on this week's Living La Vita Loca podcast!

Welcome to episode 3 of #DryveJanuary! We're putting the pedal to the metal this month to provide you with reviews of popular racing/driving video games from throughout the years.

Which phrase is it that Rocky famously espouses in 'Rocky Balboa'?

"It's not about how hard you hit, its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done."

We think this phrase perfectly describes our volatile & explosive racing pair this week...

First up, Rich provides fireworks for you with a rowsing review of Burnout 2: Point of Impact (2002, Gamecube). We discuss how much 'impact' this series' innovative crash mode had on the arcade racing genre in general and on therefore on Fazz's game of choice this week, Split/Second: Velocity (2010, PS3).

Oh and Burnout 3: Takedown (2005, PS2) is the best Burnout video game ever released. This is a fact. The internet says so. It accidentally steals the show! We're not sorry.

Enjoy the pod