Your Favorite Racing Game Ever?

[tthor]

I finally downloaded WipeoutHD on my PS3, and as I played it, it reminded me of one of my favorite racing games from my childhood: Extreme-G 2 for the N64. it was a racing game with futuristic motorcycles, each armed with built-in blasters as well as any powerups they pick up along the race.

This leads me to my topic for discussion, what is your favorite racing game ever? It can be an actual game, a minigame in a videogame, an arcadegame, what have you. What was the game, and describe it to us.

 

[Strain42]

Probably Mario Kart 64. But I loved a lot of the other Kart games of that era. Crash Team Racing, Lego Racing, Chocobo Racers, etc. etc.

 

[Auninteligentname]

I'm not sure..., either Gran Turismo 4 or Mario Kart Double Dash. They are kinda hard to compare : P

 

[C95J]

I remember playing this old racing game on the PS2, I don't remember the name but I used to love just driving backwards and sending the other cars flying out the map (because of a glitch). Lots of fun, I did play properly most of the time, but it is the times I didn't which I remember the most.

Also London Racer was pretty fun to play years ago, that's another game I remember having lots of fun with.

Nowadays I don't really play racing games as much. I have Forza 3, but it just sits on my shelf most of the time.

 

[Trololo Punk]

Diddy Kong racing for N64 definitely. I must have rented that game a hundred times when i was a kid.

 

[zombiestrangler]

It was either XGRA or Burnout: Takedown

 

[The Breadcrab]

I am continuously shunned by Burnout fans for this opinion, but I honestly think Burnout: Revenge is the greatest racer of all time.

It took the simple but polished and addictive gameplay from Burnout 3 and made improvements to everything that mattered. The style was revamped, the cars were cooler, more interesting tracks, a better soundtrack, and edgy menus. The addition of traffic-checking (being able to butt traffic off the road by merely touching it) was highly controversial, but I felt it added a layer of strategy, made for a fun traffic attack mode, and was generally extremely satisfying. Besides, crashing into same-way traffic was always frustrating. Also, I don't mean to be a graphics nerd, but the game literally had some of the best graphics I've ever seen on PS2.

The core action was still there. The gameplay is centered around going as fast as possible, while recklessly driving to earn boost so you can be even faster. Then there's dodging oncoming traffic (always fun) and trying to wreck other drivers. Crash mode returned, and it was better due to no cheap medals like heartbreaker or multipliers that felt more like luck than skill.

Only the pump in crash mode (annoying) and the ability to explode in aftertouch (cheap) were negative points in my opinion. Everything else improved on the already amazing Burnout 3. Therefore, it takes my title of best racer of all time and probably in my top 5 games of all time. Some of you may disagree with me. I have advise for you; I don't care. I love Burnout: Revenge to bits, and you cannot convert me.

 

[Thaius]

Crash Team Racing. Like Mario Kart, but far better in every regard. That game was freaking amazing.

Also, it's a game about an alien that challenges the greatest racer on Earth to a race; if Earth's champion wins nothing happens, but if the alien wins he'll turn the entire planet into a concrete parking lot. Yes. A concrete parking lot. Best. Plot. EVER.

 

[Dalek Caan]

Burnout, doesn't matter which one. The only thing that attracted me about the games was that mode where you need to crash into other cars and cause lots of damage.

 

[Joey Wonton]

I'm not the biggest car enthusiast, but back in the PS2 day I played Midnight Club 3 like hell. I loved the soundtrack and the car customising, plus, I hadn't played any free roam racers before.

Buuut, I did recently play Dirt 3 at my friends and it made me feel like I could actually drive a racing-mobile, after I learnt how to do it all. Though I think it felt a little shallow in variety, and I hated that you couldn't listen to the soundtrack while driving.

So a 50:50 tie there. MC3 half for nostalgia.

 

[Phlakes]

Diddy Kong racing for N64 definitely. I must have rented that game a hundred times when i was a kid.

Exactly this. Otherwise I would say Mario Kart, but there's something about this game that makes me love it more. I'm still waiting for it to be on the Virtual Console.

 

[BENZOOKA]

Right now: DiRT 3.

Probably had my most fun with Colin McRae Rally, back in the day when I had my first racing wheel controller & pedals. Oh and NFS 2 before that. And of course, one Formula game on Windows in the mid-90's, and before that: one Formula game, one motorbike game and Lotus Test Drive II, all three on Amiga.

 

[Hippobatman]

F-Zero X for the N64.

Damn, that game was so fun. And the music was awesome too.

 

[let's rock]

Sonic riders. The first one, the second one was terrable. That or mario kart wii

 

[PekoponTAS]

Uniracers (Unirally for the PAL regions) for the SNES. Not joking, I freaking love that game.

 

[Kapol]

I'd say my favorite was Split/Second. It was fun, and took a lot of skill to master. Blur was pretty good as well for a more mario-kart feeling game.

 

[Josh Horton]

Need for Speed Underground 2 was really good in my opinion.

Newer game would have to be Forza 2

 

[big_21]

DAAYTONAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaahhhh........
Kidding. Mario Kart 64.
Daytona USA is second though.

 

[octafish]

rFactor holds a special fascination for me. The force feedback is fantastic, it almost overcomes the lack of physical movement to tell you what the vehicle is doing. The game however is brutal and online even more so. I suck at it but I still play it.

Right now the one I have the most fun with is the original SHIFT. It has a sweet spot of arcade and sim with skinner box vehicle upgrades that tick all my racer needs.

F1 2010 could have been my favorite if they had ever fixed the cheating AI.

 

[teqrevisited]

Gran Turismo 4.

I used to do endurance races all the time. Get comfortable, adjust the steering wheel & pedals, make sure you don't need to use the toilet and race for 24 hours solid. Those last few laps were hell. Pure hell.

On that note, I honestly don't know how people finish those races in real life.