Post by "Wildfox" Meta S. Foxx on Sept 27, 2008 7:58:52 GMT -8
Time I brought something new to the plate. I thought I'd take a moment and delve into my favorite gaming genre racing and bring about my Top 11 Favorite Racing games. Why Top 11? Because I like to go one step beyond. Enjoy guys.
11. Test Drive 5 (PS1)
As much as many people try to write this classic off as a Need For Speed rip off, I've always believed that this game is deeper than that. The tracks are what set it apart. You mostly race in point-to-point races in places like Moscow, Russia, Munich, Germany, Bern Switzerland, and my personal favorite, the Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. There are some circuit races in here too, so there's a good variety. I think they try to promote the classic cars more than the new cars because as far as I'm concerned, all the older muscle cars in the game perform much better than their newer, younger counterparts. I'll admit that sometimes the AI can get on your nerves, but they're not all that intimidating, once you get the hang of racing in this game. This game has been a favorite of mine for years, and will always have a place in my heart and collection.
10. Wipeout series
Just the Wipeout series. It was kind of hard for me to pick a favorite of these games, so I just decided to include the entire series. This is a really nice futuristic racer where you pilot ships instead of regular cars, and you race around very futuristic tracks at breakneck speeds. There are various weapons in this game that you can use to eliminate your opponents, and believe me, there's nothing like hearing the voice of the computer say "contender eliminated." Did I mention the breakneck speeds in the game? Is this game fast? You bet it is! Some of my favorites in the series include the first Wipeout game (PS1/Saturn), Wipeout 3 (PS1), Wipeout 64 (N64), Wipeout Pure (PSP), and the most recent Wipeout HD (PS3), which I just bought and started playing. If you haven't immersed yourself in the Wipeout games, you should! They make for great fun!
9. Beetle Adventure Racing (N64)
This game is about as close as you can get to a Need For Speed title on the N64. Back then, EA was more akin to developing for the PlayStation because of it's CD-ROM format. They tried to develop for Saturn, and got disastrous results. But they settled for the N64, and it turned to pay off for them. Since they weren't up to making a port of an NFS game on the N64, they decided to try something new for a racing game, and Beetle Adventure Racing is the end result. What I like the most about this game is that it doesn't take itself too serious like the NFS titles do. I mean, you get to drive nothing but the new Beetles, but the tracks are what make this game interesting. One of the tracks, Inferno Isle, is like a near exact replica of Jurassic Park! My favorite of the tracks, Metro Madness, is kind of like a replica of Las Vegas. There's even a 2-player battle mode that's a lot of fun to play. If you have an N64, and love the Need For Speed series, I'd recommend trying to find this one. It's one you should not miss!
8. Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit (PS1)
Oh, hell yeah! I frikkin' love Need For Speed III. This is the racing game that started me down my path! Without this racer, I wouldn't be the racing nut I am today. The cars and the tracks were all amazing, but the highlight of this game was, of course, the cops!!! The Hot Pursuit races were the races you always wanted to play because, who doesn't want to try and outrun the fuzz in some of the best supped up super cars? I think my only complaint about this title was that the Ferrari's couldn't be used in Hot Pursuit races, but that's okay. It's not like the two Ferrari's were the best cars in the game anyway. If you missed this one, you should try to track it down. It's a lot of fun, and if you have a friend to race against, it makes for a lot of trash talking when one of them gets busted!!!
7. Stunt Race FX (SNES)
It's very rare that the Super Nintendo would make such a good racing game besides Super Mario Kart, but this game is certainly one of the best ones on the system. What sets this game apart from other SNES racers is that is uses the Super FX Chip, the same chip that powered the first Star Fox game. I think the vehicles in this look pretty silly with the eyes as headlights. I loved driving 4X4 (the blue truck), even though he was a beginner vehicle, he was still my favorite. I thought that the tracks were really nicely done and the graphics did a wonderful job in keeping up with the action. Nintendo knew what they were doing with this title, and it's such a shame that we don't see it anymore. I would love to see a sequel to this game sometime in the future.
6. Metropolis Street Racer (DC)
I sincerely think this game was severely underrated, but that's due in part to the Dreamcast dying off at the time. Nonetheless, this is the game that introduced us, somewhat, to driving with style. They rate points for doing power slides and drifts. And the name for those points are...Kudos! Wait, doesn't that sound familiar? Actually it does. This is the same system that used in the Project Gotham Racing games on both the Xbox and Xbox 360. As a matter of fact, MSR and the PGR series was done by the same developer, Bizarre Creations. Also, as a matter of fact, without MSR, the PGR games wouldn't exist. The first Project Gotham Racing game on the Xbox is actually a redo of Metropolis Street Racer with a revamped Kudos system and an added city in New York. Nevertheless, MSR is what started the risk vs. reward style of racing, that always rewarded for whatever risk you took. In my opinion, is the best racing game on the classic Dreamcast.
5. Star Wars Episode I: Racer (N64)
Okay, I know many of you are not akin to the first three episodes of Star Wars, but don't let that hamper you on this game. In my opinion, this little racer is better than the movie that inspired it. All of the racers from the movie are there, and the tracks are really well thought of. I think I enjoy the volcano tracks more than any of them. And it is FAST! It's just as fast as any Wipeout game, and even F-Zero. Don't let your dislike of Episode I keep you from this game. It's one racer you will love!
4. Test Drive Unlimited (PSP)
This might look like a watered down port of the PS2 version of TDU, but I happen to find this one better than the PS2. Now I've played both versions of this game, and I favor the PSP because to me it's a bit faster, and the use of the PSP's little analog stick is not that bad. The PSP version actually made me want to finish it all the way through, while the PS2...not so much. This game is easy to pick up and play, and you'll get immersed in it within a couple of races. It's open ended, meaning that you have to do some driving to get to races (making use of your GPS is a must in some cases), but if you're into open ended world games, you'll feel right at home. It's among some of the best racers on the PSP, and is one I would recommend.
3. Ridge Racer 64 (N64)
This is the first Ridge Racer game to ever make its way to another console besides the PlayStation, and to many's surprise, Namco actually pulled this off really well! This plays every bit like the previous Ridge Racer games. It even has the drift schemes from the first Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution, along with its own drifting scheme. The cars are those found in the previous Ridge Racer games plus some exclusive to the game. The tracks are taken from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution, and also includes an exclusive desert track called "Renegade." An outstanding racer among the racing elite on the N64.
2. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (PS2)
This is arguably the best Need For Speed game available today, so much better than the new crap that EA's putting out. I mean, seriously! This isn't some mere update to NFS III. This takes everything that NFS III had, and made it ten times better. The cop chases are even stronger, the tracks are more open, and the cars are better performing than ever. And, you can now use the Ferrari's in cop chases! This may not have been one of the fastest NFS games around, but it's certainly the most challenging in the bunch. The World Championship challenge and the Hot Pursuit Championship challenge will test your racing skills to their limits. To the best NFS game on the market, pick it up if you haven't.
Now you might be wondering why didn't I include the GameCube, Xbox, and PC versions? Well, these are nothing like the PlayStation 2 version. What I mean is this. The PS2 version was developed by Black Box (which is now EA Black Box and they take control over all NFS games on all platforms), while the GC, Xbox, and PC versions were all developed by EA Seattle studios, which decided to take a different approach on the games, much to the dismay of the fans. Keep in mind though, that this is the first of the NFS titles to go multi-platform, so it was kind of an experimentation at the time. But yeah, that's why I didn't include those versions on the list.
1. Burnout 3: Takedown/Burnout Revenge (PS2/Xbox)
Yeah, like you guys didn't see this one coming. There is no doubt about it, that these two Burnout games are the best racing games on the planet. Nobody ever thought that the Burnout franchise would ever make this kind of a mark in the racing genre when it was first starting out. Even I, when I played the first Burnout game thought "it's not bad, but nothing to build a franchise off of." When Acclaim and Criterion came out with Burnout 2: Point of Impact sometime later, it sort of changed my mind on the game. But when EA took it over after Acclaim had folded, they were the ones who turned it around and made it the most fun you will ever have. I mean, what racing game do you know of stresses the emphasis of crashing? None does, not before this one. The one thing that set these two apart is the Crash Junction. This is the one mode where you can literally take whatever car you choose and smash them into bustling traffic, thus causing a chain reaction of other cars crashing into each other. This mode is pure mayhem at it's best, and you're always trying to see if you can outdo yourself in the amount of damage you can do. Another favorite mode that was new to this game was Road Rage. Just you, the car, the road, and an unlimited amount of enemy cars that you can take down by making them crash into almost anything...the wall, the traffic, and even off the sides of cliffs. After EA took this franchise over, this game became so popular that other companies tried their best to mimic it my making their own crash 'n burn racers, all with unsatisfying results. That being said, ignore the cheap imitations, and stick with the real thing. Burnout 3 and Burnout Revenge...the best in the business!
Hope you guys enjoyed.
11. Test Drive 5 (PS1)
As much as many people try to write this classic off as a Need For Speed rip off, I've always believed that this game is deeper than that. The tracks are what set it apart. You mostly race in point-to-point races in places like Moscow, Russia, Munich, Germany, Bern Switzerland, and my personal favorite, the Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. There are some circuit races in here too, so there's a good variety. I think they try to promote the classic cars more than the new cars because as far as I'm concerned, all the older muscle cars in the game perform much better than their newer, younger counterparts. I'll admit that sometimes the AI can get on your nerves, but they're not all that intimidating, once you get the hang of racing in this game. This game has been a favorite of mine for years, and will always have a place in my heart and collection.
10. Wipeout series
Just the Wipeout series. It was kind of hard for me to pick a favorite of these games, so I just decided to include the entire series. This is a really nice futuristic racer where you pilot ships instead of regular cars, and you race around very futuristic tracks at breakneck speeds. There are various weapons in this game that you can use to eliminate your opponents, and believe me, there's nothing like hearing the voice of the computer say "contender eliminated." Did I mention the breakneck speeds in the game? Is this game fast? You bet it is! Some of my favorites in the series include the first Wipeout game (PS1/Saturn), Wipeout 3 (PS1), Wipeout 64 (N64), Wipeout Pure (PSP), and the most recent Wipeout HD (PS3), which I just bought and started playing. If you haven't immersed yourself in the Wipeout games, you should! They make for great fun!
9. Beetle Adventure Racing (N64)
This game is about as close as you can get to a Need For Speed title on the N64. Back then, EA was more akin to developing for the PlayStation because of it's CD-ROM format. They tried to develop for Saturn, and got disastrous results. But they settled for the N64, and it turned to pay off for them. Since they weren't up to making a port of an NFS game on the N64, they decided to try something new for a racing game, and Beetle Adventure Racing is the end result. What I like the most about this game is that it doesn't take itself too serious like the NFS titles do. I mean, you get to drive nothing but the new Beetles, but the tracks are what make this game interesting. One of the tracks, Inferno Isle, is like a near exact replica of Jurassic Park! My favorite of the tracks, Metro Madness, is kind of like a replica of Las Vegas. There's even a 2-player battle mode that's a lot of fun to play. If you have an N64, and love the Need For Speed series, I'd recommend trying to find this one. It's one you should not miss!
8. Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit (PS1)
Oh, hell yeah! I frikkin' love Need For Speed III. This is the racing game that started me down my path! Without this racer, I wouldn't be the racing nut I am today. The cars and the tracks were all amazing, but the highlight of this game was, of course, the cops!!! The Hot Pursuit races were the races you always wanted to play because, who doesn't want to try and outrun the fuzz in some of the best supped up super cars? I think my only complaint about this title was that the Ferrari's couldn't be used in Hot Pursuit races, but that's okay. It's not like the two Ferrari's were the best cars in the game anyway. If you missed this one, you should try to track it down. It's a lot of fun, and if you have a friend to race against, it makes for a lot of trash talking when one of them gets busted!!!
7. Stunt Race FX (SNES)
It's very rare that the Super Nintendo would make such a good racing game besides Super Mario Kart, but this game is certainly one of the best ones on the system. What sets this game apart from other SNES racers is that is uses the Super FX Chip, the same chip that powered the first Star Fox game. I think the vehicles in this look pretty silly with the eyes as headlights. I loved driving 4X4 (the blue truck), even though he was a beginner vehicle, he was still my favorite. I thought that the tracks were really nicely done and the graphics did a wonderful job in keeping up with the action. Nintendo knew what they were doing with this title, and it's such a shame that we don't see it anymore. I would love to see a sequel to this game sometime in the future.
6. Metropolis Street Racer (DC)
I sincerely think this game was severely underrated, but that's due in part to the Dreamcast dying off at the time. Nonetheless, this is the game that introduced us, somewhat, to driving with style. They rate points for doing power slides and drifts. And the name for those points are...Kudos! Wait, doesn't that sound familiar? Actually it does. This is the same system that used in the Project Gotham Racing games on both the Xbox and Xbox 360. As a matter of fact, MSR and the PGR series was done by the same developer, Bizarre Creations. Also, as a matter of fact, without MSR, the PGR games wouldn't exist. The first Project Gotham Racing game on the Xbox is actually a redo of Metropolis Street Racer with a revamped Kudos system and an added city in New York. Nevertheless, MSR is what started the risk vs. reward style of racing, that always rewarded for whatever risk you took. In my opinion, is the best racing game on the classic Dreamcast.
5. Star Wars Episode I: Racer (N64)
Okay, I know many of you are not akin to the first three episodes of Star Wars, but don't let that hamper you on this game. In my opinion, this little racer is better than the movie that inspired it. All of the racers from the movie are there, and the tracks are really well thought of. I think I enjoy the volcano tracks more than any of them. And it is FAST! It's just as fast as any Wipeout game, and even F-Zero. Don't let your dislike of Episode I keep you from this game. It's one racer you will love!
4. Test Drive Unlimited (PSP)
This might look like a watered down port of the PS2 version of TDU, but I happen to find this one better than the PS2. Now I've played both versions of this game, and I favor the PSP because to me it's a bit faster, and the use of the PSP's little analog stick is not that bad. The PSP version actually made me want to finish it all the way through, while the PS2...not so much. This game is easy to pick up and play, and you'll get immersed in it within a couple of races. It's open ended, meaning that you have to do some driving to get to races (making use of your GPS is a must in some cases), but if you're into open ended world games, you'll feel right at home. It's among some of the best racers on the PSP, and is one I would recommend.
3. Ridge Racer 64 (N64)
This is the first Ridge Racer game to ever make its way to another console besides the PlayStation, and to many's surprise, Namco actually pulled this off really well! This plays every bit like the previous Ridge Racer games. It even has the drift schemes from the first Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution, along with its own drifting scheme. The cars are those found in the previous Ridge Racer games plus some exclusive to the game. The tracks are taken from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution, and also includes an exclusive desert track called "Renegade." An outstanding racer among the racing elite on the N64.
2. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (PS2)
This is arguably the best Need For Speed game available today, so much better than the new crap that EA's putting out. I mean, seriously! This isn't some mere update to NFS III. This takes everything that NFS III had, and made it ten times better. The cop chases are even stronger, the tracks are more open, and the cars are better performing than ever. And, you can now use the Ferrari's in cop chases! This may not have been one of the fastest NFS games around, but it's certainly the most challenging in the bunch. The World Championship challenge and the Hot Pursuit Championship challenge will test your racing skills to their limits. To the best NFS game on the market, pick it up if you haven't.
Now you might be wondering why didn't I include the GameCube, Xbox, and PC versions? Well, these are nothing like the PlayStation 2 version. What I mean is this. The PS2 version was developed by Black Box (which is now EA Black Box and they take control over all NFS games on all platforms), while the GC, Xbox, and PC versions were all developed by EA Seattle studios, which decided to take a different approach on the games, much to the dismay of the fans. Keep in mind though, that this is the first of the NFS titles to go multi-platform, so it was kind of an experimentation at the time. But yeah, that's why I didn't include those versions on the list.
1. Burnout 3: Takedown/Burnout Revenge (PS2/Xbox)
Yeah, like you guys didn't see this one coming. There is no doubt about it, that these two Burnout games are the best racing games on the planet. Nobody ever thought that the Burnout franchise would ever make this kind of a mark in the racing genre when it was first starting out. Even I, when I played the first Burnout game thought "it's not bad, but nothing to build a franchise off of." When Acclaim and Criterion came out with Burnout 2: Point of Impact sometime later, it sort of changed my mind on the game. But when EA took it over after Acclaim had folded, they were the ones who turned it around and made it the most fun you will ever have. I mean, what racing game do you know of stresses the emphasis of crashing? None does, not before this one. The one thing that set these two apart is the Crash Junction. This is the one mode where you can literally take whatever car you choose and smash them into bustling traffic, thus causing a chain reaction of other cars crashing into each other. This mode is pure mayhem at it's best, and you're always trying to see if you can outdo yourself in the amount of damage you can do. Another favorite mode that was new to this game was Road Rage. Just you, the car, the road, and an unlimited amount of enemy cars that you can take down by making them crash into almost anything...the wall, the traffic, and even off the sides of cliffs. After EA took this franchise over, this game became so popular that other companies tried their best to mimic it my making their own crash 'n burn racers, all with unsatisfying results. That being said, ignore the cheap imitations, and stick with the real thing. Burnout 3 and Burnout Revenge...the best in the business!
Hope you guys enjoyed.
