Top 10 Favourite Racing Games

 

Boy, this was a tough list to make, I had 10 entries in mind, but deciding an order was tough, I wanted to take aspects like online gaming and sentimental experiences out of the equation but that felt wrong. So, here’s goes nothing.

Honourable Mentions

F-Zero 99 (Switch) 2023

F-Zero 99 really came out of nowhere considering, we hadn’t seen a new title since 2003. But, boy is it fun. It takes the original SNES F-Zero and modernizes it with better visibility and modern touches from F-Zero X & GX like boosting and spin attacking. It’s free to play (and I mean it), but what stopped it from making the top 10 was the fact it’s online only, which means that in a few years, this high octane, thrilling racer will be nothing but a waste of space on your Switch. Pity.

Mario Kart Double Dash (Gamecube) 2003

Much like F-Zero 99, Double Dash is a really exciting game to play, what with 2 characters to a kart, special items and so on. It also has a fantastic roster of characters, good kart and track variety, and a cracking soundtrack. So why’s it down here? Simple, the controls. I notice this a lot in older games but you don’t feel as in control and less as though your driving the car and more hanging on for dear life which results in a lot of falling off tracks and crashes. Shame, because it is damn good fun and brimming with colour and personality.

Number 10: Cars the Videogame (Gamecube, PS2 & Xbox+360) 2006

Now licensed games are normally pretty bad, for every Shrek Super Slam, there’s a tonne of E.T, Pimp My Ride and NES Ghostbuster’s out there.

But Cars bucks the trend big time. It picks up where the movie left and even has all the movie VA’s reprising their roles. Yes, everyone from Owen Wilson to Paul Newman is here. Second, is the 3, yes 3 open hub worlds to explore, complete with chatty NPC’s, races and Mini games. The roster is good too, there’s the usual suspects but also side characters like Chick Hicks, Wingo and The King are playable too. The soundtrack is good too. Overall, Cars has a lot of variety for a game of its type. The only criticisms are the god awful load times on the PS2 version and the wonky physics when crashing or jumping which lead to you ending up way off course. Also, the game feels a little short story mode wise.

Number 9: The Simpsons Hit and Run (Gamecube, PS2 & Xbox) 2003

The best way of defining Hit & Run is a combo of Crazy Taxi, GTA & Need for Speed. Despite the fact it came at a time when Simpsons popularity was waning, this game has maintained its popularity and like a lot of games on this list, has a strong modding community. Hit & Run ticks all the boxes, a strong and varied mix of cars from a variety of Simpsons episodes, 3 areas of Springfield to drive around, a mix of races, destruction and collectathons and there’s even alternate costumes as well. So, what’s keeping it down the list? Well, the graphics haven’t aged too well and there is a big difficulty spike towards the end. Just say “Set to Kill” to anyone who played this and they’ll know what you’re on about.

Number 8: Cars 2 The Videogame (Xbox 360) 2011

Lacklustre film, awesome game. First, there’s the multiple game modes. You’ve got traditional racing, battle racing with weapons like missiles and oil slicks. Then you have the Hunter mode where you must destroy a certain number of other cars and Survival as well, all of which just add so much variety to what could have been a rather bland Mario Kart clone. The 360 version also has a tonne of downloadable characters like Chick Hicks, Ramone and The Queen to add to the already large roster of cars. Whilst there’s no hub world and not as many cutscenes as previous Cars video games along with the rather poor button choices ( jump is A and tricks are the bottom joystick instead of the D-Pad), the sheer amount of content more than makes up for that and earns it a slot on this list.

Number 7: Gran Turismo 2 (PS1) 1999

What puts GT2 so high up despite it’s age is: the event variety, the high roster of cars that give this game so much personality; a lot of which haven’t been since this game, and you know me, I love retro cars whether its a Fiat Cinquecento Sporting or a TVR Cerbera and the nice soundtrack is also another plus. However, this game lacks a lot things we take for granted in modern racing games: braking lines, traction control and the ability to change cars when selecting events are all absent. The other big problem is more to do with the controller. With an Xbox controller, the trigger buttons function like pedals, whereas on a PS1 controller the throttle and brakes are essentially an on/off switch. But, that also makes this game much more skilled based, with a high learning curve, learning to adapt to its ways. Oh, and if you want to know how to steamroll this game obtain these 4 cars. Primera GT ’95, Skyline GT-R V-Spec R33, Daishin Silvia & Unisia Skyline GT-R.

Number 6: Mario Kart DS (DS) 2005

I’ll say this was probably the first Mario Kart game with handling that felt like you were in control of the kart, the handling is superb, even in heavier karts you feel stuck to the road and like you really are in control. This game also introduced the ever-useful Bullet Bill item and the less useful Blooper, before if you ended up in 7^th or 8^th you had to rely on Golden Mushrooms or shortcuts to catch up, but now you can jump up from 8^th to 4^th in half a lap with the Bullet Bill. This game also introduced single player battle mode and mission mode which was a nice feature. I also like the inclusion of the emblem editor which is a fun if slightly pointless feature. Overall, it’s still a really great game even 20 years (and counting) later. There’s so much personality in the kart design, the tracks may be a bit safe and flat by today’s standards but they’re good courses: Waluigi Pinball, Rainbow Road, DK Pass, Cheep Cheep Beach etc. And then there’s the credits’ theme. My god, the emotional beats in that theme are extraordinary.

Number 5: Forza Motorsport 3: Ultimate Edition (Xbox 360) 2010

It was tough choosing between Motorsport 3 & 4. 4 had the better overall roster but a lot of the best cars are now inaccessible due to DLC being delisted. The gameplay is basically the same between them but 3 has just a few small things that push it above 4. The biggest is the inclusion of endurance races similar to Gran Turismo. Porsches as standard instead of DLC, the game looks more colourful and alive, despite the overly clinical menus. You also get trivia and facts about cars and companies before races, which is a nice touch. Motorsport 3 really is just a very good game, only downside is that there’s no Top Gear test track, but that’s a small price to pay for a game that even now is still such a joy to play when the newer Motorsport games feel so thin. If your dissatisfied with modern racing games, pick up Motorsport 3 Ultimate Edition, that way you get 95% of the entire roster, for FREE!

Number 4: Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (Xbox 360) 2011

Sonic’s reputation for good racing games isn’t a big one. Sonic Drift 2 was good for a Game Gear game and Riders had a lot of personality. But All-Stars Racing from the opening intro to the end credits, this game is brilliant. What it gets right most of all are the quality of life improvements over Mario Kart. For example, in Mario Kart you usually have to rock the control stick back and forth to build up a mini turbo when drifting. Whereas here, you (ironically) hold the brake when cornering to build up a boost and let go to boost. Or how about when you fall off the track, instead of waiting for Lakitu to crane you out and having to start from 0, here as soon as your off, your back on and accelerating again. Small changes like this make the game so much more fun, and you’ve got the All-Star moves which whilst technically a copy of a Double Dash idea is at least unique to every character, you’ve also got an excellent soundtrack and even character bios, mission mode and then there’s the SEGA miles system. To buy new tracks, characters, and music, you earn SEGA miles by driving in races, the more you race, the more you earn. But the best thing, is the commentator. We don’t know who he is, just a voice talking during the race, and you know what? The races feel empty without him, a nice feature I didn’t know we needed. My only gripes are the forgettable items, and the only Sonic tracks are from Heroes, except Death Egg Zone, I mean where’s City Escape? Chemical Plant, Speed Highway, Sky Sanctuary? Oh wait, they added that in the next game.

Number 3: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) 2017

Now I will say from the outset, I have a lot of personal reasons for liking this game. I can’t tell you the amount of memories I made playing this game with friends and family. There’s one moment that stuck out beyond all though. I was so proud of a friend at the time, I gave him a high-5 (which from me is high praise). The game itself is chock full of content. It has effectively 2 games worth of content with the Expansion Pass. Which whilst over £20 is very much worth it even if the graphical quality isn’t up to scratch as the various Tour and recycled retro tracks are all ripped from the Tour mobile game. But there’s a lot more to this game than just DLC. The main improvements over the standard Mario Kart 8 on Wii U are the new and also returning characters: Bowser Jr., Diddy Kong, King Boo, Pauline, Kamek and of cause the Inklings from Splatoon, double items returning from Double Dash and proper Battle Mode instead of playing on short sections of tracks. You also get returning Items like the Boo and the Feather (Battle Mode exclusive). Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, at least for now, is probably the ultimate Mario Kart game excluding Wii CTGP since that’s a mod for Wii, it has virtually everything you could want from a game of this type, and hey, if you get bored racing CPU’s, there’s always online which, take it from me, really teaches you how to race fast. Let’s hope the next game is even half as good as this one.

Number 2: Forza Horizon 1 (Xbox 360) 2012

My only gripes with FH1 are the small car roster, which can be forgiven since it was the first in the series, plus now defunct DLC did beef up the roster. And that’s literally it. FH1 got the theme and structure so right, I wonder how all the sequels continued to get it wrong. You start at the bottom and work your way up, beating other top drivers, earning money, before becoming number 1 and the Horizon Champion. Not very original, it’s basically every Pokémon game minus the evil team shenanigans. But there’s more to it than that. You need specific cars for events, meaning you have to be wise with your money, take advantage of the high payouts from street races and find the discount boards to lower upgrade costs, you get free cars from Showcases and win the Horizon stars cars as well. What I’m getting at is that real thought and effort was put into the structure and progression system of this game that simply is not in all the other games. I’ll be honest, I don’t play this game to race, more just drive and take photos but what that shows is that this game has kept me coming back for 12 years and I don’t think a lot of the newer titles will. My main hope is that the Microsoft devs see the love me and the other old school fans have for this game and give us a remaster with better graphics, more cars, tracks and an expanded map, because that’s what Forza need, not a synth radio station.

Number 1: F-Zero X (N64, Wii U & Switch) 1998

Probably weren’t expecting this one were you? So what helps F-Zero X stand above the rest on this list? After I’ve gushed about so many other games. Well, the soundtrack for one is brilliant. Nearly every track is an uplifting, head banging classic of a tune. From Mute City’s Endless Challenge to Port Towns Crazy Call at Cry, every one just makes you want to race harder and faster. You’ve also got the sheer variety of machines and pilots. 30 in total, which was a lot for game at this time. All of them with unique backstories and setups. Do you prefer low durability but high boost and cornering? Or do you trade handling for durability? It’s your choice. What’s more the game has a real sense of style with the comic book like aesthetic. Much like Gran Turismo 2, this is more about skill and learning the games mechanics. You need to master when to boost to avoid running out of energy and blowing up, when to use the drift to get round tight corners, and when to side or spin attack to eliminate your opponents from the race. Call it unsportsmanlike but those are the rules. And if the base game doesn’t excite you, then there’s the Expansion Kit with 2 new GP’s, more songs and a car and track editor, it has it all…

But the Expansion Kit is exclusive to Japanese versions and has never been released over here despite F-Zero X getting 2 rereleases on Virtual Console and N64 Expansion Pass. But who cares, the base game is solid enough, it doesn’t need DLC to make it a complete package as it’s great enough on it’s own. I still come back to this game to test my skills and I probably will do for the rest of my days.

With the current state of most racing games being rather poor compared to predecessors ( compare Forza 3 to FM8 and it's night and day) I think F-Zero X will stay at the top for a very long time. If you want to play any of these games, they're all reasonable affordable and available. Also be sure to check out these mods:

Cars: High Octane (combines all the cars, tracks and music from Cars, Mater National, Race-o-Rama, Cars 2 & 3 Driven to Win with some new routes and playable cars too)

The Simpsons: Hit & Run- Mod of Stupidity (one of multiple mods now featuring: Wallace, Hank Hill and Mr. Bean, features new cars, missions and modded cutscenes)

Gran Turismo 2 A-Spec (ever evolving mod with more cars (Ferrari 355, Renault Sport Spider & Mercedes CLR) to name a few, also has a couple of new races and a Discord server to make recommendations)