The Bloody-Nine
Member
It won't scratch your Motor Storm itch, but I recommend 'Wreckfest' for anyone who enjoys some racing fun. Doubly so if you enjoyed the Destruction Derby games.
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What happened to arcade racers?
- Thread starter AeonGaidenRaiden
- Start date
autoduelist
Member
autoduelist
Have you played Payback? Its the only NFS i havent played/bought, just felt like i got burned too many times but on random:
Never liked The Run and Most Wanted (2012) but loved Hot Pursuit and Rivals. Hated NFS (2015). The reviews for Payback are nothing special but i hear people still enjoyed it. What I realized for me, its mostly about setting and music. Some just click perfectly on that front.
You are right though, people hate on NFS a lot but at least they take chances. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. I really had high hopes for 2015 NFS....but the handling and rubber banding was so bad and map was confusing to figure out what race you already finished and what is a new available one.
The run was my least favorite the past 2 gens and the only one I didn't platinum.
I thought payback was worth playing for sure. The loot boxes are an odd way to do upgrades but overall it works and no real life money needs to be spent. I'd rather a different upgrade system but at least this allowed for a robust 'crafting'system where parts and brands mattered and you felt the effects... now they just need to keep a version of that without lootboxes and they're good to go. Its definitely better than the reboot, and the race types are improved. Not perfect, but if you like NFs in general I think you'll like it. I loved most wanted though.
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Dangerous Driving might rekindle the spark, who knows? It looks like a fun game and the burnout team is making this game.
If namco surprises us with a new ridge racer being a ps5 launch title, I would be really impressed, but I am not going to hold my hopes. This gen never really launched with any good arcade racer day 1. We need that spark back.
If namco surprises us with a new ridge racer being a ps5 launch title, I would be really impressed, but I am not going to hold my hopes. This gen never really launched with any good arcade racer day 1. We need that spark back.
Skyfox
Member
yurinka
Member
These games saw a progresive decline in sales to the point where most of them had bad sales and weren't profitable, so companies did stop making more and even had to shut down related studios or teams.
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DS_Joost
Member
What happened? Driveclub happened and it left a meteor sized gap in it's wake. The whole thing is a sad story, truly. From Evolution's failings on the launch front to Sony killing of the studio at the exact time Evolution had turned it into absolute perfection in the genre.
Driveclub launched as a mess. Evolution perfected it later on. Sony killed it off at the exact time it became this generation's best racer, arcade or sim, and I stand by that. After that, Horizon took off in a way where all other games tried to follow, but couldn't.
Driveclub was the one thing Sony had to compete with it. It still pains me how good that game was and how we will never see a sequel to it, which in my mind could've given Evolution the one chance to really prove themselves against the behemoth that Horizon is.
Driveclub launched as a mess. Evolution perfected it later on. Sony killed it off at the exact time it became this generation's best racer, arcade or sim, and I stand by that. After that, Horizon took off in a way where all other games tried to follow, but couldn't.
Driveclub was the one thing Sony had to compete with it. It still pains me how good that game was and how we will never see a sequel to it, which in my mind could've given Evolution the one chance to really prove themselves against the behemoth that Horizon is.
Bankai
Member
While I think Driveclub is a great racer and techinical achievement, it's not a "true arcade racer" in my book. 60fps is a must, as well as easier (more forgiving) drifting/steering mechanics. Outrun, Daytona USA, Scud Racer and Ridge Racer come to mind.
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
Id still put DC as an arcade racer for sure. Basically anything that isnt a sim racer because this generation focused much more on those.
Driveclub turned into such an amazing game, so many free cars and events/tracks, sense of speed unmatched (because its over the top), hard thumping music. It looks awesome to this day and the weather effects I havent seen another racer do a better job. If any game deserved a sequel it was DriveClub
DS_Joost
.
Half the team ended working on Dirt Rally right? It was good but imo that was way too realistic for me to enjoy. A simple tiny rock would case me a game over.
Driveclub turned into such an amazing game, so many free cars and events/tracks, sense of speed unmatched (because its over the top), hard thumping music. It looks awesome to this day and the weather effects I havent seen another racer do a better job. If any game deserved a sequel it was DriveClub
DS_Joost
.Half the team ended working on Dirt Rally right? It was good but imo that was way too realistic for me to enjoy. A simple tiny rock would case me a game over.
DS_Joost
Member
I think arcade racers can't be defined by anything other that they do not strive for realism per se. I mean Driveclub featured realistic looking cars, and had no things like boosts or insane drifts or anything, but it's handling was definitely arcade. I loved it so much because it reminded me so much of older Need for Speeds, like II or III, both racers that featured long stretching courses with big speeds and beautifully (for the time) rendered exotic cars.
However, the genre is pretty wide. Look at the difference between Driveclub and Mario Kart, for example.
Id still put DC as an arcade racer for sure. Basically anything that isnt a sim racer because this generation focused much more on those.
Driveclub turned into such an amazing game, so many free cars and events/tracks, sense of speed unmatched (because its over the top), hard thumping music. It looks awesome to this day and the weather effects I havent seen another racer do a better job. If any game deserved a sequel it was DriveClub
Half the team ended working on Dirt Rally right? It was good but imo that was way too realistic for me to enjoy. A simple tiny rock would case me a game over.
Agree. It still is in my opinion the best racer this generation. This is coming from a die hard Gran Turismo fan, and while I think GT Sport is fantastic, it just can't match the sheer adrenaline you get from throwing an Agera across a narrow mountainpass in the rain. No racer this gen has matched that sheer fun, white knuckle inducing 'I have no idea what I am doing' feeling. It has to be experienced firsthand.
That, plus the car roster, whilst not the biggest, is simply unmatched. It was wonderfully focused and balanced. So many beautiful exotics!
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VertigoOA
Banned
They were replaced by open world racers because that genre is even more casual than Mario kart at times.
The golden age of racers was the Xbox, ps2 and GameCube era. You had burnout 3, fzero gx, rallisport and project Gotham racing.
Closest thing is drive club and drive club is phenomenal but admittedly hasn’t aged well due to frame rate
The golden age of racers was the Xbox, ps2 and GameCube era. You had burnout 3, fzero gx, rallisport and project Gotham racing.
Closest thing is drive club and drive club is phenomenal but admittedly hasn’t aged well due to frame rate
silentstorm
Member
Suprised no one mentioned Slipstream here, as it's basically the closest thing to classic Outrun in a while:
And it has been fully released for a while now on places like Steam.
True, it's not the greatest racer game ever, but it's still a fun game with a good sountrack.
And it has been fully released for a while now on places like Steam.
True, it's not the greatest racer game ever, but it's still a fun game with a good sountrack.
BusierDonkey
Member
Suprised no one mentioned Slipstream here, as it's basically the closest thing to classic Outrun in a while:
And it has been fully released for a while now on places like Steam.
True, it's not the greatest racer game ever, but it's still a fun game with a good sountrack.
While nu-classic games are fun, they are almost always entirely low-effort nostalgia trips. Slipstream is actually better than a lot of the nu-classic racers I've tried, but when it boils down to it, it's a limited game compared to the polygonal arcade racers that came next. I can spend a couple hours playing something like slipstream and I'm good. I still go back to Burnout, PGR, TXR, etc because the limitations are so much less than with the old straight-line racers.
silentstorm
Member
Yeah, i bought Slipstream, played it for a few hours, and never came back to it sadly.
There are some nu-classic and indie games i have bought that have made me waste many hours on them where i had fun, wanted to come back to and still feel like i could have fun playing...but Slipstream isn't one of them, it's a quick fun distraction but only that.
There are some nu-classic and indie games i have bought that have made me waste many hours on them where i had fun, wanted to come back to and still feel like i could have fun playing...but Slipstream isn't one of them, it's a quick fun distraction but only that.
The Bloody-Nine
Member
I have it on PC and it's excellent. Can't imagine they'll fuck up the port (I believe the console release has been delayed at least once so hopefully that indicates they're ensuring it's going to be good).
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Hulk_Smash
Banned
No way. I own FH4 and it has a mind-numbing number of customizations. I have no idea how much to tighten steering or inflate the tires. That shit is for sim lovers. It’s a sim that tries to be an arcade racer. I don’t think it does a great job although pretty graphics and consistently fun racing make up for it.
But, an arcade racer drops you in and lets you race regardless of your racing knowledge. And that is something you can’t do in FH.
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Type_Raver
Member
In a sense, you could argue that the Forza series had superseded the Need For Speed series and continues in that racing spirit.
On the other hand Mario Kart continues to thrive in this area.
On the other hand Mario Kart continues to thrive in this area.
Afro Republican
Banned
The real truth is no one has tried making a real arcade racer for awhile. Post 2001 outside Need For Speed and midway games like Arctic thunder, Burn Out was the last MAJOR Arcade racing franchise.
Most the other so called major franchises considered "arcade racers" are just driving games with weird physics and elements like boosts or running from the cops among others, but other wise are just standard driving games that aren't programmed to be Sims.
This is why games like Ridge Racer stopped, which honestly wasn't that big post PSX anyway, because unlike other arcade racers Ridge Racer(and Daytona) were basically regular driving games with a gimmick and hip ost, but it's main claim to fame originally was fps and graphics. But once that novelty wore off consumers had little reason to play Ridge Racer and instead played actual arcade racers.
But one could blame nfs with regular driving games being arcade as it influence the dominant games that would be called arcade racers, so games like blur and split second were basically a minority in a genre that NFS helped kill, just like how EA killed skating with Skate.
Need for Speed is basically the MYST of arcade racers.
Most the other so called major franchises considered "arcade racers" are just driving games with weird physics and elements like boosts or running from the cops among others, but other wise are just standard driving games that aren't programmed to be Sims.
This is why games like Ridge Racer stopped, which honestly wasn't that big post PSX anyway, because unlike other arcade racers Ridge Racer(and Daytona) were basically regular driving games with a gimmick and hip ost, but it's main claim to fame originally was fps and graphics. But once that novelty wore off consumers had little reason to play Ridge Racer and instead played actual arcade racers.
But one could blame nfs with regular driving games being arcade as it influence the dominant games that would be called arcade racers, so games like blur and split second were basically a minority in a genre that NFS helped kill, just like how EA killed skating with Skate.
Need for Speed is basically the MYST of arcade racers.
Afro Republican
Banned
MK is a kart racer, those were split from arcade racers decades ago.
BusierDonkey
Member
That's perhaps my biggest issue with Horizon, is that it's too much of both. It's like a fantasy sim-cade, or CarPG and is pretty unique in it's space. I think The Crew and TDU is about the only games like it I can think of. I play Horizon when I want to play Horizon. I love Horizon 4 and I'm still playing it constantly but if I wanted to play something like Burnout, Horizon isn't the game I fire up. It's missing a lot of things that a real arcade racer needs like ridiculous speed effects to make you feel like you're going a thousand miles an hour, or nitro boosts, or insane car damage that makes the car into an accordion, or insane set pieces in the world. I think the Hot Wheels expansion in Horizon 3 was as close to an actual arcade racer as Horizon has been with the crazy track design, speed boosters, and giant dinosaurs eating the track. Even that showed restraint though as car damage is still minor dents and scratches.
I think the introduction of licensed cars to arcade racers was a mistake. Yeah it's all well and good that I have a Ferrari that looks exactly like a Ferrari, but when I smash that thing head-on into a bus and get some minor dents and scrapes instead of a pancake car, it's a let-down. I'd rather have an "Italiosso Bambino" that sort of resembles a Ferrari, but can get bent in half when I sideswipe a tree in through the woods. I want Wreckfest physics in my game more than I want a manufacturer nameplate on car, or Flatout where my driver is ejected from the car and flies into the distance. Criterion had hilarious car damage in Burnout Paradise, your car just collapsed on impact in a spectacular fashion, but when EA had them handle the next Need for Speed they had real cars. They had to dial black the damage to scratches and dents, and the game suffered because of it.
TAS
Member
Absolutely. I'm currently playing it right now for Switch. I got the game not expecting much but I have been pleasantly surprised.
Hulk_Smash
Banned
hououinkyouma00
Gold Member
Bringing back Project Gotham Racing might be the only way for Microsoft to get me to buy the next Xbox.
I really enjoyed Forza Horizon 2/3/4 (though I do regret buying FH4 as I put 40 hours into it in 3 weeks and never touched it again despite paying $100 for the ultimate edition) and Driveclub was fun once I gave it a fair try.
If somebody could bring back Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Ridge Racer, Motorstorm, and Auto Modellista I would be ecstatic. Also release a new Initial D game goddamnit. Between Extreme Stage and the Wangan Midnight game I have a couple hundred hours easily.
I really enjoyed Forza Horizon 2/3/4 (though I do regret buying FH4 as I put 40 hours into it in 3 weeks and never touched it again despite paying $100 for the ultimate edition) and Driveclub was fun once I gave it a fair try.
You sir are cool. Tokyo Xtreme Racer 0/3 are some of my favorite games of all time. I was heartbroken when I tried Import Tuner Challenge on the 360 and it was shit. I miss Genki. I think besides Gran Turismo 3/4 my most playtime on PS2 was with TXR0/3.CTRL+F "Tokyo Extreme Racer"
Results = 1
Hello ... it is me again. Genki ... what is f#### wrong with you!!!!
If somebody could bring back Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Ridge Racer, Motorstorm, and Auto Modellista I would be ecstatic. Also release a new Initial D game goddamnit. Between Extreme Stage and the Wangan Midnight game I have a couple hundred hours easily.
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anthraticus
Banned
I think a lot of the people that like racing games are into cars in real life, so they're looking for realism, licensed cars....crap like that. It's like sports fans...they like sims with real players, not stuff like Jerry Glanville's Pigskin Footbrawl , Mutant Leage, ect...
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DunDunDunpachi
Banned
Arcade racing and modern racing are in direct conflict: one is about tackling a bite-sized race at over-the-top speeds, and the other is about slowly unlocking every strip of chrome, every hubcap, every piece of every car in a drawn-out hamster wheel where you race for the sole purpose of obtaining more cars.
I miss the days of San Fransisco Rush, Crazy Taxi, and Initial D...
I miss the days of San Fransisco Rush, Crazy Taxi, and Initial D...
Makariel
Member
I moved on to racing sims, but every time I see one of the few old Sega Rally arcade machines standing somewhere, I can't help but drop some coins.
Used to play tons of it head to head during high school. Also played tons of Need for Speed 2 on splitscreen. Most arcade racing I've played was splitscreen or multiplayer against someone within arms reach. That's what I'm missing with more modern ones, playing against AI is boring and the physics are not interesting enough for me to play solo.
Used to play tons of it head to head during high school. Also played tons of Need for Speed 2 on splitscreen. Most arcade racing I've played was splitscreen or multiplayer against someone within arms reach. That's what I'm missing with more modern ones, playing against AI is boring and the physics are not interesting enough for me to play solo.