As never grew up with the series I started with the circuit based ones. The NFS Shift 1 and 2 (1 is so much better, 2 and Project Cars 3 are the same framework and just don't work at all).
NFS Prostreet was fair.
NFS 2 on PS1 was fair (not played Hot Pursuit/High Stakes or others of that era yet, or even the first game)
Enjoyed Nitro on Wii/DS, Enjoyed Hot Pursuit 2010 on Wii, not on HD consoles I found it boring and I found Burnout way more fun.
NFS The Run I beat over 2024 Dec/Jan 2025 and had fun with it, the HD version i haven't played the Wii/3DS version as don't own it.
NFS Underground is good I just have to play more of it to get the hang of it, but I did even if hard at times enjoy Underground Rivals on PSP, even Prostreet on PSP/DS was fun and I prefer over the console version really.
Got Carbon on GBA and it's fine.
The open world ones I mean, I enjoyed Carbon to a point.
Undercover was my first and I got fair into it. Got the PSP and PS2/360 version, I put the most into the PS2 version as had it earlier then the others and I thought it was fine.
OF the modern ones I haven't played them much at all of NFS Most Wanted 2012, NFS 2015, I launched Rivals but haven't played it, haven't even started Payback, haven't started Heat, I don't even care for Unbound really or 9th gen at all.
I prefer the circuit based ones and even then it's tough.
Out of Hot Pursuit 2010 Wii, Nitro DS as it's better then the Wii version, NFS The Run HD version, NFS Shift 1 that's a tough thing to compare for me I enjoyed them all for different reasons really.
I find modern racing games boring, fewer events/modes, I mean Juiced 2 has like 4 different drift modes, what happened? They just cut back so much over the years to just 'car licenses' and boring progression and esports, regardless of arcade or simcade/sims they just got more boring.
The only game I really think stands out as bad as it's progression is too is GT7 and even then it's only because it has the variety of events, it's progression to access them let alone anything else is worse then Forza Motorsport 6 and even then that game had fun showcase aka challenges and other event types but it's main campaign is a restrictive slog. Which is funny as I liked PGR2's limitations but it's event/track variety worked while in the other as a remix of that sort of design it ruins it.
Other racing games I mean I enjoy GT2 to 4 in their progression, event requirements to then the GT4 onwards event variety I mean 1 lap magic, fuel limiting, cones, all sorts of things, even license tests being just times makes them fun to replay and not just tutorials.
I enjoyed but not played much of R Racing Evolution, Enthusia Professional Racing, Apex/Racing Evoluzione is fair, Juiced 2 is fun and the amount of mode ideas it has are just great, makes many modern racing games look like garbage for how lacking they are in modes or event types at all.
Blur and Split Second are a lot of fun.
F Zero, WipEOut and other anti grav/scifi racers are fun, Fast Racing is tough but fair, Redout is fine. The genre is a bit eh these days.
Kinectica maybe good I don't know (game they made before God of War series).
Wave Race is fun before N64 and GameCube entries.
Nitro Bike was fun.
As eh as Monster 4x4 for Wii and Motorcycle Club for PS3/4 is their ideas were pretty decent for track design.
GT Cube/GT Pro Series or even the GT Advance series are a lot of fun for Gran Turismo Lite type games.
Artic Thunder is a lot of fun.
Grip is fair for a Rollcage type game.
Jax X is a lot of fun.
Driving Emotion Type S/Group S Challenge are 'something'.
Option Tuning is a fair series.
Ford Racing 2/3 or Dodge Charger vs Challenger were fair advergames.
Mag Race 3 is fair (latest entry in a series mostly on Sega Genesis but the PS2 3rd and final entry is fair)
Alfa Romeo Racing Italiano's great tiger effect aka RPG style rewind mode that Grid simplified to 0 to 5 limits and Forza Motorsport 3 made it to the mode use when you want today. I miss the old formula of ARRI.
Evolution GT is good.
Corvette is fair.
Euro FIA Truck whatever is fair on modern platforms and it's heat system is a fair mechanic.
Track Mania has it's moments of fun arcadey track design.
F1 games are ok, I think MotoGP or WRC are more interesting but F1 games are fine fun.
Gripshift is a fair PSP racing game
Powerdrome was fun for 6th gen scifi arcade racing.
GTI Club for PSP/Wii/PS3 had fun modes of soccer and hot tomato, silly but really fun arcadey racing game by Konami.
Downtown Run/City Racer is a Blur for PS2/GameCube era I guess, it's alright.
Many others of N64, PS1, PS2 and such all vary of decent for the time I'd say, not played them all of GT64 or Motorhead (by DICE, ah so many good PS1/Xbox DICE racing games left behind), a
TOCA/Race Driver Grid series is fun. Yes I have the PS1/2 era trilogy of TOCA (not the 2nd of PS2 trilogy but used to, it's the only one I'm missing nowadays) and the whole Grid series.
Tokyo Extreme Racer Drift 2 (haven't played 1 yet) just to me did a good mix of ideas and progression that was really fun, even the dialogue and seeing others before the track has more to it then GT7 does (even PGR2's car dealership to walk around in is more exciting then GT7's dealership cutscene and I bring that up as had someone think it was a VR thing, no I knew it was a cutscene and I was right).
Inertial Drift is a good Indie game, not played or bought Distance yet.
Flatout 2 is fair, Wreckfest was...... ok but kind of lacking.
Full Auto 1 and 2 are fun in that car combat sort of way.
Sega GT Dreamcast is great, it's car builder is great too, it's fair drag races and other locations, while it's not much for the time it is pretty good, not the best handling but it's ideas are fair for the time.
Outrun 2 is just a blast, regular or Coast to Coast (also the PS2/PSP crossave before PS3/Vita/PS4 cross save was a thing). Ah Sega and GBA/GameCube or PSP/PS2 and Dreamcast use cases were just amazing back then.
Super Wooden was an ok Indie but it has too many isometric design or too busy parodying/referencing without licenses a license interest and it's just annoying that and it's game design because it's isometric has limits and it's annoying.
Project Gotham Racing is brilliant, 1 has it's uniqueness but is hard to get through but 2 and 3 are excellent, 4 is a step down to me despite what it offers it's progression annoys me so that's why it's a step down for me.
Forza Motorsport 1 to 4 are great, 5 and 7 were fair, 6 is horrible, Horizon I have no interest in, I found 1 boring, got 2 on 360 (not the best but still doesn't change my opinion, super boring), 3 is 'ok I guess but didn't really bother with either.
Test Drive Unlimited 2 was 'ok' I found Overdose more exciting out of the 2 in that series I have so far.
WRC3 for PS3/360/PC was the most fun I had playing a rally game campaign. Gravel was also good fun. OnRush was fun
MX vs ATV Reflect or even just Pure the Disney published ATV game were the most fun I had playing a dirt bike/ATV game and their events/features.
Motorbike games, MotoGP3 for it's 20 custom tracks, even the bikes in MotoGP16 were eh and the rally car/dirt bike were more fun and controllable.
Tourist Trophy was good for a bike game but I think Riding Spirits 2 is underrated. 1 is alright but 2 I think is really good even for how little I have played of it. |
