There are enough good races, but there are series and individual games that sunk into the soul so that we are not enough. They stand apart, are remembered by transcendental realism, if we are talking about simulators, peppy races, if we are talking about arcades, well, or just a branded approach.
We have not seen many for a long time, others … there are just too few others. Let's remember.
Motorstorm
Imagine the festival of racers-extremals, ready to risk the sake of adrenaline, ready to drive on the verge of life and death. They arrange competitions on the tropical islands and a wheel in the canyons, glaciers and even a city that die in the rampage of the elements. Such is he, Motorstorm.
For the player Motorstorm – the same extreme as for festival racers. He is completely ruthless. A cautious driver will be overtaken in a better occasion, brazenly cutting through the reed at the finish line, and at worst they will move on a beagfut, collide from a cliff, a fist will be knocked down a dozens of times in a couple of circles. For desperate, this is a real drive, broken gamepads and many hours in multiplayer.
Perhaps no more arcade race so successfully combined eight modes of transport, did not weave them into the structure of the tracks. Each had its own route, and when they converged, the fun began. A separate conversation is worthy of the soundtrack. Evolution put on one playlist their remixes of famous compositions and selected perky music to match the madness that was being created on the screen.
The best part : Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
The probability of return: 50/50. PS4 lacks truly cool arcade races-but, alas, Sony decided to dissolve Evolution after a relatively unsuccessful performance of DriveClub. But the studio almost in full force moved to Codemasters who had perished in recent years. You never know what it will be in my mind ..
Pure
Pure – Not to say a competitive game. She's about the feeling of flight, about freedom … well, about tricks. It is not necessary to come first or knock out the best time-it’s enough to drive the coolest, to be the most dexterous, original and inventive, performing backlips, cliffers or kan-kana on your ATV.
This was not the only game about ATVs, but the only one. Not a single arcade about four -wheeled transport gave such an experience – for which it was worth giving thanks to Black Rock Studio. Throughout their lives, the British were engaged in motorcycles, and then, tired of them, all the original ideas were invested in Pure and a race about the car television show for survival Split/Second.
The probability of return : Unfortunately, Disney closed the studio along with its other game units. Therefore, someone else should intercept the relay wand. So far, other teams about ATVs are boring, as in Nail’d, either boring, as in MX vs. ATV.
Burnout
How to mix the car in an accordion, have fun and not suffer yourself? That's right: playing in Burnout. The series has come from an ordinary race to the most funny autoarkada in the world about accidents, clashes and tricks. And in the last part, the fun was moved to the open world, where the game was opened in a new way.
IN Burnout Cars are treated as consumables, and accidents are elevated to the rank of cult. This is all salt: to imprint the enemy in the side and impudently wave for goodbye to him in the rear -view mirror. The garage here is called a "dump", and the radio – "Crashfm" (English. Crash – accident). There is even a mode where you need to crash into oncoming cars, forming large -scale congestion on the roads. It served as the basis for mobile Burnout Crash.
The best part : Burnout: TakeDown
The probability of return : Alas, Criterion Games was discharged almost completely a couple of years ago – only twelve employees remained in the studio. But a year and a half ago, they intrigued us with their new secret project, moreover, as they say, “support for VR is implied by itself”.
Some of their former colleagues are now working on Need for Speed In Ghost Games, others formed the independent team Three Fields Entertainment for the game about golf and explosions. There remains the chance that EA will entrust the series to someone else.
Midnight Club
At the time of PlayStation 2 Midnight Club was a shadow, a pale copy Need for Speed: Underground. There were interesting ideas in the series, but then no one just noticed her. Everything changed in 2008. At that time, NFS got off the distance, and Midnight Club took a vacant place for the best game about street raiding. And Rockstar once again reminded everyone that they do not know how to make bad games.
Midnight Club: Los Angeles , Of course, she very typically displayed street races: open peace, girls, expensive cars, nitro, the plot about the guy who came to the city to become the best. But all these elements were brought together with incredible scrupulousness, strengthened by technologies GTA IV, added a change of day and night. The features of the series, such as pedestrians on the streets and special capabilities (EMP, Rapid, etc., have not gone anywhere.). It was a damn fascinating game.
The best part : Midnight Club: Los Angeles
The probability of return: It is better to ask about Rockstar about this. True, they are unlikely to answer there. We have suspicions that for them Midnight Club is far from a key series.
Destruction Derby
Few people remember this old woman PlayStation One. Launching her now, it’s hard to say what she was so good, even if she played the original. But it becomes obvious how much Destruction Derby influenced by Burnout and Flatout. After all, this was one of the first arcade races about collision and accident, with an impressive (at one time) model of damage.
Destruction Derby was based at this festival with a similar name Demolition Derby, whose participants are hiding each other until only left on the move. Lovingly reproducing this daring competition was enough to stake a place among the first PlayStation games with platinum status (now Essentials) and among the games that formed the genre.
In the illustration: This is what the Destruction Derby may look like modern technology.
The best part: Destruction Derby
The probability of return: Almost zero. Although Sony could play a party, revive the series and create something like Wreckfest.
Twisted Metal
The mysterious KALIPSO arranges a tournament, and the surviving winner promises to fulfill any desire. Otte maniacs, psychos and other guys who have moved from the coils come to the competition to change something in their lives … or for the sake of much lower goals.
Twisted Metal -First of all, the game about the cooperative, about shootings at high speed in some provincial town or in the monumental arena built around the Eiffel Tower. And there are plenty of tools for this: a corvee wound, at one moment transforming into a robot with a minigan, an ambulance with an explosive patient on a cart as a weapon and other transport, even more crazy than participants in the tournament.
The best part : Twisted Metal: Black
The probability of return: Twisted Metal have already tried to revive PS3. The paradox is that the really good race caused more delight during the announcement than during the game. She excellently pressed on nostalgic feelings, but exhaled after a couple of hours and soon forgotten.
Given that there is simply no funny with weapons now, Sony is obliged to give the series another chance.
Flatout
Flatout – One of the most favorite races of our players. She became such, probably, because rural madness and off -road are close to the Russian spirit, or maybe simply because.
In the first part, the general madness was reinforced by the soundtrack composed of melodies of unknown performers of European underground rock. All music was good, dynamic, fit perfectly into what was happening on the screen – even when the driver went on the next flight through the windshield – and remained in the player Betti Casino for a long time after passing. For subsequent games, the developers licensed the tracks of popular groups, but they made the effect not the same.
► Soundtrack First Flatout.
But the bloodless races, brutal survival competitions invariably excited, and the difficult physics forced to connect the rudders to better control the car on broken roads or in ice.
The best part: Flatout
The probability of return: In fact Flatout 4 – It is better not to remember the number of the third part – already on the way and should go out this year. However, do not rush. We would not advise you to trust its Kylotonn developers, whose most significant work in the genre is currently a mediocre rally simulator WRC 5.
Real Flatout lies in the new Finns game from BugBear Entertainment – Next Car Game: Wreckfest. The hope is still warm that they will finish it soon.
Project Gotham Racing
It is difficult to say with confidence whether it was worth scolding a person who proposed to include, in addition to the usual alternative, jazz during the races in Project Gotham Racing 4 , or put him a monument. But there is no doubt in the game itself.
Combined championships of motorcycles and cars, racing tracks in different cities of the world (among others-St. Petersburg, Quebec, Shanghai and others.), the “cat mouse” mode in the multiplayer-that’s why they appreciated PGR. Well, our favorite pastime is a imposing walk on the garage, where you can admire your auto -collection, take a photo of each car and start on a slot machine in the corner Geometry Wars.
The best part : Project Gotham Racing 4
The probability of return: Bizarre Creations has invariably high -quality races for Microsoft consoles until she moved to Activision. A few years later the story of the studio broke off.
The rights to the series remained with the Redmonds, so PGR could become a trump ace in the sleeve of Xbox One. Although … we will be realistic, Forza Now a priority and more popular project on the platform.
Wipeout
IN Wipeout We drive on … cars of the future, and they are cool! They are soaring … no, they “fly” over the futuristic tracks almost faster than modern fighters, at a speed of over 800 km/h, and at the same time scorch from plasma weapons, and missiles. Star Wars Episode 1: Racer With his races at Padad, can only envy the insane pace of this game.
The winning gravity of the race necessarily underwent licensed electronics and techno. Perhaps Kraftwerk, The Chemical Brothers and Aphex Twin and not from the future, but their music is quite. And if after some hundred years cars finally get rid of the wheels and take off, they must be equal to Wipeout. Well, or at least for the "fifth element".
The best part : Wipeout XL
The probability of return: Liverpool team that gave us Wipeout , abolished in 2012. Nevertheless, there is a chance that Sony will revive a signs for PlayStation series.
Driver
Series Driver Always stood out by one feature: in almost all arcade races in the foreground were racers or criminals, and here the policeman under the cover. In addition, it was created under the influence of the best films about the pursuit shot in the 1970s: “Driver”, “Detective Bullit”, “The disappearing point”.
The series did not enjoy very popular, which pushed developers to experiments. More than once or two tried to cross the game with GTA: they allowed the character to get out of the car, gave him weapons. And in the last part Driver: San Francisco And they completely sent him to coma, and the action was transferred to his subconscious, which allowed to take control of any car in the city. Perhaps it was the most successful experiment.
The best part: Driver: San Francisco
The probability of return: Now that Reflections helped Ivory Tower with The Crew And did Grow Home, She can return to Driver. Unless, of course, there is time in breaks in working with other studios.
Tourist Trophy
Surprisingly, the only simulator on our list was a motorcycle.
Although this game was tailored by patterns Gran Turismo 4 (The same technologies, the same set of modes, similar repetitions and photo mercies), although in races we were opposed only three opponents – Tourist Trophy She worked differently.
Motorcycles here, for example, were not bought for the in -game currency, but opened as they move up the career ladder. And most importantly – the corporate approach of Japanese developers. They did not cheat and transferred two -wheeled transport to the virtual world with love and knowledge of the subject, although they did not work with it before. Only for the sake of the original and very close to the real (at that time) behavior of bikes, I wanted to open all 135 models.
Tourist Trophy remained in memory as an interesting experimental Polyphony Digital project, as an attempt to create Real Riding Simulator. Perhaps she will still return to her.
The probability of return: Cazunori Yamauti in one of the recent interviews admitted that he would like and could return to Tourist Trophy , But Gran Turismo takes the team too much time and time. Because there is a probability, but very small.
And it would be necessary. The only motorcycle simulator now, Motogp, Too boring in his seriousness.
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You can recall many other wonderful car racing. At least a rally simulator Richard Burns Rally, No less revered than Colin Mcrae Rally. Fans remember and keep him afloat, but here the people who have made him are now engaged in the LEGO designer games.
Or here Gran Prix , Perhaps the most difficult Simulator of Formulas in history, with a unique atmosphere of classical championships of royal races of the late 1960s. Its developers are engaged in development IRACING, And they are unlikely to have the strength and desire to return to an even more highly specialized automotive topic.
I would like to believe in Road Redemption, Cultural reincarnation Road Rash , But, looking at her in the “early access”, you understand that it turns out something about the same clubfoot as new Carmageddon.
We tried to recall those who have at least a meager chance of returning. Who knows, perhaps a miracle will happen, and we will really see them in the foreseeable future.