Street racing game recomendations?

[deama]

I've played need for speed most wanted (2005) and liked it very much, however I don't really want to play it again for the 4th or 5th time. I played the underground series but I prefered most wanted. I heard the later need for speed games aren't good, such as carbon, hot persuit or the newer most wanted, is it true?

So any ideas? I'd like it if the game had cop chasing, vehicle customisaion and doing the drifts, perhaps even some vehicle tuning?

 

[Explorerbc]

Most Wanted (2005) was the last NFS that I played and enjoyed to completion. After some years I decided to try all the ones that came after but I found them pretty meh. Dunno if the series got worse or if I just hadn't realised it was always shit because I was younger. At this point I've lost count, it feels like they just make another generic one every year, like it's Madden or something. No matter what happens though Underground will always be in my nostalgia filled heart

If you want police chases, I guess you'll have to stick with NFS, since it seems like the only series that puts emphasis on that mechanic.

If you want ricers you could try something like Midnight Club or Street Racing Syndicate but I doubt they have aged well.

Speaking more broadly about racing on streets I would recommend either Burnout: Paradise which is probably one of the best open world racing games and Driver: San Francisco which is my favorite car game of the the last decade or so. They both have a very different feel than Most Wanted though.

 

[vonAchdorf]

 

[Gerrard]

The Crew and its DLC is on sale now until end of the month (if you buy the ultimate edition the base game is basically free as it has the same price as just the expansions), but the second one is coming next year. It's also always online.

 

[Ebonsword]

Have you played any of the Shutokou Battle/Tokyo Xtreme Racing/Import Tuner Challenge games? If so, they are definitely worth a look.

What makes them good? Well, they're a rather interesting mixture of racing game, fighting game, and RPG and they feature some of the most addicting gameplay ever.

How do they work? They're basically open world games, where you cruise the highways of Tokyo. Amidst the standard cargo vans and mini-cars of Tokyo traffic, there will periodically be other racers looking for a match. When you see one, you just pull up behind them and flash your brights to challenge them to a race. Which then begins right on the stretch of road you're currently on.

So, how do you win the race? Interestingly, it's *not* by crossing a finish line. Instead, both you and your opponent have "spirit bars" (basically like life bars from fighting games). When one car is ahead, the other car's spirit bar starts to drain. The race is over when one of the racers' bars reaches zero. Also, the bars drain faster as the rivals get farther apart.

Thus, instead of crap like Gran Turismo where you have to spend 20 minutes doing laps around the same track in order to win one race, here races can be over in 60 seconds (or less if you really outclass your opponent). Conversely, if you're closely matched, the races can last a lot longer and feature far more intensity than any other racing game I've played.

Of course, each time you win, you get money to spend on upgrading your car to give yourself the speed to take on the next tier of racers. Oh, and the racers are organized into different gangs with their own personalities and styles (like the Rotary Club, who only drive rotary-engined cars). Once you beat all of the lesser gang members, the gang's boss will appear to challenge you.

It is very easy to stay up very late in the night playing these games, telling yourself "just one more race...".


Import Tuner Challenge is the best looking and has a lot of customization, but, unfortunately, it also has the smallest car selection.

Shutokou Battle 2 probably has the best car selection, and may be a better place to start, even though it's not as pretty as Import Tuner Challenge.

 

[Viata]

I used to play Tokyo Xtreme Racer on Dreamcast. Those were the days. I believe that was the last racing game I have played.

 

[catfood]

 

[deama]

Looks like I'll have to spread out a bit, was hoping cop chasing would be a bigger thing, oh well.
I'll start with that Driver: san fransico and then try out those weird tokyo ones, thanks.

 

[Master]

Same thing here. Running away from cops in expensive cars is such a good idea but it seems only MW did it.

 

[Freddie]

Test Drive Unlimited 1 (2006) and 2 (2011) comes to mind, though I don't know how they work without online part, as studio developing them was disbanded.

TDU takes place on Oahu, Hawaii. There are all sort of distractions from driving, but IIRC cop chases could be epic if you messed with the law enough. Driving model and physics are also very good for this kind of game, but roads, particularly hills have bit of unique irritation.

TDU 2 is bigger, it's set on Ibiza and Oahu. Driving model is more adjustable for arcade and I was fine playing it with xBox360 pad (on PC). Controls lacks some sharpness of the first TDU but then roads are even better and it includes also off road tracks. Cop chases were good in this one too IIRC.

Now I don't have any idea how if any on-line feature works in these games any more, but both games offered also off-line mode. I don't usually recommend this, but since Atari screwed us who bought the games quite royally, I'd say if possible, you might try to look for some sort of demo versions before buying.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

I personally loved Hot Pursuit. I wish it had car customisation, and the (optional) missions playing as the police are weak, but I absolutely love the drive-feel in it. I've completed it and keep it installed at all times anyway to enjoy the occasional race, and to play it with my brother when he visits. Definitely worth a sale purchase at least IMO

 

[Dzupakazul]

Would Flatout 2 fit this criteria?

 

[:Flash:]

If you've never played the original "The Need for Speed" you should definitely do so. It is still a very fun game to play, the presentation is unsurpassed to this day, and it has tons of atmosphere. The three legs per race mechanic is also very unique, although I guess back then it was just because otherwise the tracks wouldn't have fit into 8MB RAM. Man, when we were kids we went from playing Lotus III directly to this, and it blew us away. In the German version the added bonus was that the announcer was the very characteristic voice of the guy who narrated the "drive safely" spots on TV every week, so it was quite ironic that he was urging you to put the pedal to the metal in this game. Has street racing with traffic and police chases.

Then there's Speed Busters, which was supposed to be Ubi Soft's Need for Speed competitor but tanked badly. The main reason for its tanking though was that it is very difficult and unforgiving. In NFS the AI waits for you if you make a mistake, always giving you the chance to win. In Speed Busters, if you make a mistake, the race is pretty much over. But it has great tracks and a very good feeling. In the game's plot, a cop wins the lottery and goes insane, and he gives you cash rewards for being being as fast as possible in his speed traps. That's the only way to earn money, which you need to repair and tune your car. So you always have to balance your nitro with regard to winning the race or speeding the speed traps.

 

[deama]

Test Drive Unlimited 1 (2006) and 2 (2011) comes to mind, though I don't know how they work without online part, as studio developing them was disbanded.

TDU takes place on Oahu, Hawaii. There are all sort of distractions from driving, but IIRC cop chases could be epic if you messed with the law enough. Driving model and physics are also very good for this kind of game, but roads, particularly hills have bit of unique irritation.

TDU 2 is bigger, it's set on Ibiza and Oahu. Driving model is more adjustable for arcade and I was fine playing it with xBox360 pad (on PC). Controls lacks some sharpness of the first TDU but then roads are even better and it includes also off road tracks. Cop chases were good in this one too IIRC.

Now I don't have any idea how if any on-line feature works in these games any more, but both games offered also off-line mode. I don't usually recommend this, but since Atari screwed us who bought the games quite royally, I'd say if possible, you might try to look for some sort of demo versions before buying.

I tried to get into TDU 2 but the driving just felt off to me. In most wanted going 60mph felt pretty fast and very nice to control, but in TDU going 60mph felt nowhere near as fast or orgasmic.

 

[Freddie]

Test Drive Unlimited 1 (2006) and 2 (2011) comes to mind, though I don't know how they work without online part, as studio developing them was disbanded.

TDU takes place on Oahu, Hawaii. There are all sort of distractions from driving, but IIRC cop chases could be epic if you messed with the law enough. Driving model and physics are also very good for this kind of game, but roads, particularly hills have bit of unique irritation.

TDU 2 is bigger, it's set on Ibiza and Oahu. Driving model is more adjustable for arcade and I was fine playing it with xBox360 pad (on PC). Controls lacks some sharpness of the first TDU but then roads are even better and it includes also off road tracks. Cop chases were good in this one too IIRC.

Now I don't have any idea how if any on-line feature works in these games any more, but both games offered also off-line mode. I don't usually recommend this, but since Atari screwed us who bought the games quite royally, I'd say if possible, you might try to look for some sort of demo versions before buying.

I tried to get into TDU 2 but the driving just felt off to me. In most wanted going 60mph felt pretty fast and very nice to control, but in TDU going 60mph felt nowhere near as fast or orgasmic.

Most important factor contributing to that is Field of View. IIRC it's adjustable in both TDU games.

 

[GrainWetski]

So remastered.

 

[Ivan]

Not mentioned thus far:

Midnight Club 3 (will have to be emulated)
Forza 3 Horizon (currently playing and really enjoying it)

 

[Bigg Boss]

Midnight Club was the best series for this kind of thing, but I have been out of the racing genre for about 15 years or so.

 

[wyes gull]

If you've never played the original "The Need for Speed" you should definitely do so.

I endorse this notion. For the tunes. But also for Alpine. And for the best looking 911. And AYYYEEYAYAHAHAHAYAYAetc.

Other than that I remember liking the first TDU, which someone already brought up, mostly for the selection of cars and the openness and size of the island. Some nice vistas too. Freddie is right that it has problems with going up/downhill, for some reason the cars behave like they suddenly lose 70% of grip for no reason. But I don't remember it being that big an issue.
Richard Burns Rally is probably still the game that feels the most like driving an actual car. Rally isn't for everyone but nailing a corner has never been as good as in this.

 

[Apostle Hand]

I was having fun time with Need For Speed Carbon back in the days.
Just pop couple of extacy pills, laid back and drive powerful cars.

 

[Master]

Carbon somehow sucked.

 

[McPlusle]

Midtown Madness 1 & 2
Midnight Club 3/LA
Street Racing Syndicate has novelty if only for its hilariously bad live-action """striptease""" videos. The driving is actually kinda decent, though.
Juiced is okay if you don't mind the difficulty going from braindead to bullshit after the first region.

 

[Ash]

If the parameter is street racing ONLY, then:

NFSU2
NFSMW (2005)
Midnight Club 3
Juiced
Forza
NFS: Carbon
Driver
Carmageddon

Overrated: Burnout series. Gran Turismo series.

Genre peaked in the early-mid 2000s, then decline. Even racing games are typically dumbed down and microtransaction-riddled these days. To be fair I haven't thoroughly explored modern street racing games but those I have sickened me.

 

[Gerrard]

Carbon somehow sucked.

I finished that game in like 6 hours, it was an awful cash grab. Most Wanted was what started the decline after NFSU2 which still stands as an example of what a good sequel should look like, I don't know if there's a game that had a bigger assortment of parts, the increase of complexity of models obviously had an impact on this. And it was the last game until Pro Street to have parameter tuning.

You can try The Crew since it has a free demo, the police stuff kinda sucks though, and you need the DLC to play as police (you can play as the escapee without it).

 

[wyes gull]

Most Wanted was what started the decline after NFSU2 which still stands as an example of what a good sequel should look like

Can vouch for NFSU2- it more than holds up, still. Graphics are what they are but there's a HD texture mod floating around the torrents for good measure. Not a MW hater (especially when given Carbon) but it's clearly inferior to U2, the police and destructible scenery not making up for the stiff handling, not to mention the lack of customization.