VideoGamer.com's Top 10: Racing Games

Welcome to a special series of VideoGamer.com's Top 10, where they bring you the essential genre by genre video game buyer's guide for Christmas and New Year. It'll run every Thursday from now until the end of the 2008 holiday break, so, whether you're looking for some family video game ideas to get you through those boring Christmas get-togethers or some top sports games to spend that holiday cash on, look no further than VideoGamer.com. In the third of the series, they look at the Top 10 Racing Games.

[RAY017]

Its more like the top ten most retarded games of all time. The fist 4 spots should be GT 1,2,3, and 4.

[prunchess]

Well Well. This post started in the PS3 section and now has been move to the 360! Does this list not relate to the PS3 now?

Without a doubt any genuine gamer would have at least four of the GT series in the Top 10.

[RadientFlux]

Good list... full of different styles of racing games and while the next GT will be the racing game to get in 2008... PGR4 is the racing game of 2007

[prunchess]

I'm a fan of Forza and PGR but to list them and not list any of the Gran Turismo Series!? WTF! Is it me or does anyone else get the heavy stench of "PAYOLA"?

"Forza 2 the new King of the Genre"? PGR4 in at No. 1? Pull the other one. DIRT is better than both of them. After that list Tom Orry has absolutely no credibility.

[Voice of Reason]

"does anyone else get the heavy stench of "PAYOLA"? "

I doubt anyone would bother bribing Pro-G/VideoGamer.com. It's just not a big enough site.

By the looks of it, they've got a few ads they need to serve so to get the page-impressions-per-visit count up, they'd clobbered together a five page list of racing games and linked to the reviews to get people clicking.

It probably took them no more than half an hour to do, and it shows (even if I agree with a few of his selections). The best thing you can do is not click it.

"After that list Tom Orry has absolutely no credibility."

He never had any to start with.

[2 cents]

Forza2 did`n live up to many people`s expectation! It sure dissapointed me! It does not deserve 2nd place. GT3 at its time was incredibly good, was The King, and it set the benchmark for the racing genre. Forza2 did nothing except a slight improvment from Forza1 whille GT series always broke records and is not even in the top 10! And TDU is! Man, get outta here with that bs.

[Dareaver1]

but GT only broke sales records, nothing else. Does that mean it's the better game. Rhetorical question. The better thing to ask yourself is what has GT done innovative lately, since it is the seasoned game.

Come on now, Forza series is only two games old, but yet has more innovation than a game that is about to release it's fifth incarnation. GT brings a new staple in graphics and car models.... That's it, the cars mainly all feel the same within their respective genres. Sorry, but that's just how i feel. Just like you expressed your opinion, now so have i.

[InMyOpinion]

They seem to be judging the race feeling in the games.

If you just want pure adrenaline racing with excellent controls and great sense of speed I'd pick PGR4 over the rest as well.

[predator]

well since the list is for games to get 2007 crimbo im not suprised gt is not there, this list isnt top ten all time

[season007]

now i learn it know it and understand it
thank you

[Dareaver1]

Forza and PRG series have been the most compelling. I don't know what GT fans are crying about. The only evolution GT has made was the visuals and the car count. I just watched the 'World Premiere' trailer for GT Pro, and you know what i see, another evolution in graphics and car models. That's it, what is GT Pro bringing to the racing community? I ask this question to the diehard fans, not some PS3 fanboy, but the real diehard GT fans. There are a lot of PS3 fanboys that only scream about GT Pro because it's on their console of choice. I don't want to hear from them.

I mean would it hurt Poly.... to put in tire marks, some realistic smoke, and maybe, just maybe a little more realistic physics (and let's not forget damage). The cars all bob the same like a minivan. They really shouldn't be doing that. An Audi R8 should never bob like a minivan, never....I'm sorry for sounding so critical, but i'm just frustrated.

I played GT 4, and then i played Forza. I was immediately floored. The AI was different, there was tire smoke, tire marks, damage, aftermarket parts really felt like they enhanced the cars behavior and there were consequences for how much parts you chucked onto your car. In Forza you knew that you couldn't just make a super monster car and go out thinking you can beat the whole game. In Forza, you can make a monster car like a civic, but as the game progresses you have to race against cars that just outclass you no matter what you do. You might have 700hp on a car that ways 1800lbs, but as soon as it is time to turn, there you go sideways, and then when you want to accelerate, your wheels just spin. But a 500hp supercar can effectively put that power to the ground. I mean come on, that only makes sense. On GT 4 i had created monster cars that almost all felt the same.

Forza 2 is more realistic to me, and to all the naysayers, check it out. It has crazy vendetta ensuing AI, realistic physics, realistic racing feel, crazy amount of customizing, tire marks (so you can detect heavy breaking areas like in real life), tire smoke (and not the same type of tire smoke like in GT, you can actually guesstimate how much grip the car in front actually has before they loose it by the intensity of the smoke).

I have one ultimate question, what innovation is GT Pro bringing to the racing genre? Give me a list....

[sonyfanonly]

I DONT CARE WHO YOU ARE SONY FAN OR M$ FAN OR NINTENDO FAN GRAN TURISMO IS THE BEST EVER

[2 cents]

And what inovations does Forza bring to the racing comunity? At leats like you said GT makes the mark of what graphics should be. Forza1 was a scaled down version of gt4 and forza2 was slightly better than forza1. I played them both. I made 970 achievment points out of Forza2 but that was the only reason i played it, and i played gt4 twice just for the pure joy.

[Dareaver1]

forza had a deeply immersive AI, and forza 2 expanded on that, the physics engine was impressive in forza 1 and forza 2 expanded on that exponentially, the damage system in a console based simulator game was revolutionary but not the first because i think GTR holds that flag, the customization was 1st and still is the greatest of any genre as far as console simulator games go and even better than all of the arcade games i.e. need for speed series, the racing line trainer, that taught you when to break and how to see the racing line was a first, the aftermarket body kits and mods on a simulator was a first, and car auctions.

Those to me, while not always being the first to implement them, were further innovated by Forza. Forza makes you feel connected to the cars, like the cars are yours. You can go online and say that no one has your car. And you can go out and try and whip everyones' butt with your car, that is distinctively yours. Forza is more of the car enthusiasts game, if you love cars and love to race them than forza is the true and clear choice. I can't say that for GT. GT is more like the rich car collectors game. The Car collecting type that hardly drives are knows anything about their cars. There is nothing unique about GT, and nothing that you can create on GT that you can say is Unique.

GT series has had lackluster AI, lackluster physics, no and i repeat no user generated tire marks, the same smoke animation regardless of speed, the same tired tire screeching sound affects.

It's time for GT to step there game up, beyond graphics. It's pretty, and pretty boring. Forza is fun wether battling with the AI "cough, AI driver Rossi", or beating it up online. Forza pushes the envelope further than GT.

[khellendros1]

They said the GT series is "dull". While I do really enjoy Forza 2, the GT series is what got me into racing games and it will always be my favorite.

[2 cents]

Well this is a forum, so we can express our oppinions. For me GT never let me down. Never. Forza1 i never had any expectations so i was`t dissapointed. It was good but nothing to die for. But for Forza2 i had BIG expectations. It was on nextgen and i was so hyped about it. But for me it delivered bad graphics, average gameplay, and don`t talk about physics! Did you ever watch a replay. Tell me that in the replay the cars looked like they were handling realisticaly! They were`t. A good physics engine should feel and look real, not just feel real.
The customisation was`t that good either, cos if you wanted to go fast you had to go for Forza body kits. Looking good meant being slow and with the online competition you needed the best kits.
Everything that Forza does is average. With GT you can feel the obsession for perfection. Everything that GT does is an example to other developers. It sets the mark for racing games. And is been the same for all 4 series

[myxomatosis]

GT series dull? maybe they should try turning off the traction control. see how dull it is then..

[JS1HUNDRED]

Does anyone else get the feeling this list was picked out of a hat and slapped together carelessly? I mean does Gran Turismo really not make it in to the top 10? According to them, Mario Kart is better. I also wonder where Burnout Paradise would fit into the list had they waited a month to make this list.

By the way guys, Top 10 lists are a atter of opinion usually based on the writers desision. Everyone has a different opinion obviously. I am not a fan of racing games. I find them repeditive, which bores me. I do however absolutely love the Burnout series, and its the only racing game i play. Everyones different. But you will still get your biased fanboys trying to force their opinions across *cough*sonyfanonly*cough*

BTW Prunchess, they have only included 1 game per game series.