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Post by Xeogred on Jun 25, 2019 19:58:15 GMT -5
Glorious. This is a genre I've felt guilty about for a long time now, like I betrayed it. I have wanted to get back into racing games for probably over a decade at least now (admittedly craving newer games). But what can I say, outside of the Burnout series it kind of seemed like this genre thinned out and became either kart racers (which I don't hate, but yeah), or the ultra realistic sim stuff, which has never been my jam, even if it's like Armored Core on wheels. I was a big fan of the early 3D era of racing games, next to Doom, Half-Life, and Tiger Woods Golf games, it seemed like racing games were another genre some older people weren't ashamed to play back in the day, so I remember being exposed to some stuff back on their PC's or at random places, friends of the parents and whatnot. I still own my big box of Need for Speed III Hot Pursuit though and it ruled, our crappy ancient family PC could barely run the thing. The OST is an earfest of 90's awesomeness.
But I was always a console kid and the San Francisco Rush series is one of my absolute favorites. I remember always jumping on the Alcatraz arcade edition's whenever I spotted it at bowling alleys or whatnot. I had the N64 port and spent probably dozens upon dozens of hours playing this game. They had some insanely hard unlockables that often weren't won by simply racing, but by exploring the levels and finding KEYS! Yes, the original Rush felt like a weird platformer on wheels when you went off road and had so many wacky secrets, ramps, teleporters, joke levels (a Midway office, you being like a Hot Wheels sized toy. Think this was Rush 2). Although people raved about Rush 2049 and its insane addition of wings for racking up stunt points, the deep customization, or the cool stunt level, but I kind of liked the simpler side of Rush and Rush 2 USA. In Rush 2, I guess they got a nice sponsorship because you also could find collectable Mountain Dew cans throughout the levels.
Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA was an N64 original and highly recommended, but you can get the arcade versions of San Fransisco Rush and 2049 on the PS2 Midway Arcade Classics compilations. However I recall there being some sound emulation problems with Rush and I couldn't figure out anyway to save stuff in 2049. It was just weird playing these versions. I'm sure the Dreamcast ports are top notch and maybe the best, but I played the trilogy on N64.
I had one or both of the Cruis'n games on N64 too, probably World. I remember it being solid, this feels a bit more in the vein of Outrun.
Star Wars Episode I: Racer was incredible too and really hard from what I remember, along with being endless. I never finished this game because it seemed like it went on forever, but it was impressive. The amount of content and customization was staggering from what I recall.
Loved the old Mario Kart's, Diddy Kong Racing, Wave Race 64, etc. Had one friend in particular I played a lot of F-Zero with and Super Off Road (Genesis). Lots of fond memories. I also played F-Zero X to death. Been a fan of this guitar arrange OST for ages now. I'm in the camp that wants F-Zero to be bigger but Nintendo thinks otherwise.
I have faint memories of the Extreme G games, wasn't there one on the Gamecube or something similar to this and Wipeout there? Extreme G 1-2 are on N64, but I recall playing something like them on the Gamecube. There was also the bizarre Kinectica on PS2 that rocks. I remember Jet Moto was a big name for the PSX back in the day.
I'm sure I played probably another dozen or two more racing games, hard to recall them all though. Maybe extra so because you don't really "beat" these I guess. I was a big fan for sure though. The Rush franchise gets my biggest endorsement.
THAT INTRO. Then that monstrous CHEATS menu! Remember fun cheats? The Rush games belong in the same conversation as the rest of the top tier Nintendo stuff on the N64 for me.
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Post by toei on Jun 25, 2019 21:01:36 GMT -5
One modern racing series that seems interesting Wangan Midnight - Maximum Tune. Started in the early '00s, music by Yuzo Koshiro. They're made by Genki, which is one of the Japanese kings of the genre since the mid-90s or so (unsurprising, as it was founded by ex-AM2 staff), though most of their games have been exclusive to Japan, arcades, or both.
A few WM got home ports, but it's still essentially an arcade series, which is why you never hear about it. It also seems to be geared towards hardcore driving / car fans who care about beating their own records, so the action isn't flashy. But they look like quality titles. This is a PS3 entry from 2007:
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Post by Xeogred on Jun 25, 2019 21:59:24 GMT -5
That looks and SOUNDS like my kind of jam, toei. Cracked up a little at that weird curved turn... but that's what makes racers fun!
I've been pretty curious about the Forza series, I imagine the Xbox originals are cheap thesedays so I've been thinking of looking for them someday. Wait... I guess the original Xbox only got Forza Motorsport (2005), the rest are 360 and up.
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Post by Ex on Jun 25, 2019 22:06:01 GMT -5
Since you guys are posting vids, I'll post a few from the retro racers I recommended:
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Post by Xeogred on Jun 26, 2019 20:06:43 GMT -5
As much as I loved F-Zero and X, I've got about nothing to say on GX because I don't think I ever beat the second level or something. Wasn't it stupidly hard? Anyways, I was more focused on the PS2/Xbox this gen.
Ray Tracers looks top notch for the PSX. There was a port of San Fransisco Rush on PSX, but it's nasty.
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Post by Ex on Jun 26, 2019 20:51:21 GMT -5
I've got about nothing to say on GX because I don't think I ever beat the second level or something. Wasn't it stupidly hard? Many people decried F-Zero GX for being obscenely difficult. I won't deny that the game is indeed obscenely difficult. It took me considerable effort to beat. There were times I started to doubt if I had it in me to pull 1st place in every track. I'm talking Expert mode too. IIRC you had to use Expert mode to unlock everything, and I wanted those AX tracks. It's easily the hardest racing game I've personally beaten. I came around to appreciating the difficulty though. The Demon's Souls of racers!
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Did anybody other then me enjoy this?:
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Post by Sarge on Jun 26, 2019 20:53:17 GMT -5
I need to play it a bit more. I know there are folks out there that prefer it to Mario Kart: Super Circuit.
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Post by anayo on Jul 7, 2019 11:23:52 GMT -5
When I was younger, racing games in the arcade would really excite me. When it comes to game consoles, though, my brain filters racing games into the same heap as sports and gameshow games 90% of the time. I'll talk about the 10%:
Virtua Racing for Sega Genesis - I found at this at Goodwill when I was 13 or 14, the age when I got into retro game collecting and started rediscovering a lot of Genesis titles I never got to play back when the Genesis was my most powerful gaming machine. This graphics flabbergasted me. By 2003 it was no big deal, but you just didn't see visuals like that on Genesis. Ever. The gameplay itself didn't do a whole lot for me. I've never "beaten" the game (which I guess would be finishing all three tracks in first place?). And I usually lose interest after 30 minutes. But the sheer spectacle of racing through an entire polygonal landscape with recognizable bridges, Ferris wheels, cliffs, trees, beaches, and cows is just so neat that I'll get this cartridge out every year or so and take it for a spin. I like this so much specifically because it's on Genesis. On anything more modern than that, it just fails to impress me (for instance I've had the Saturn version since high school and I've played it few enough times to count on one hand...) I guess I'm more in love with the idea of polygons on Genesis than Virtua Racing itself.
The Road Rash Series for Sega Genesis
I did not play this until I got my first PC in 2004. The graphics were super impressive for a 16-bit game. Back in the 90's I didn't really care for arcade racers with 100% flat graphics like Outrun or Pole Position because I could tell they drew nice looking mountains and buildings off in the distance, but they never got any closer. But the undulating terrain and houses on the side of the road in Road Rash satisfied that shortcoming for me. I also liked the illegal undertones and the brash "anything goes" road combat, like hitting dudes with chains and making them fall off their bikes.
Daytona USA on Sega Saturn - Much like Virtua Racing on Genesis, I am far from enamored with Daytona's gameplay. I seem to spin out on every turn and no matter how hard I try I can't seem to end in first place. The graphics aren't particularly flattering either. The pop-up and draw distance are pretty bad. This game's saving grace is its soundtrack. Everyone on HRG has probably heard it already but I'm going to post it anyway:
This is so cheesy, uninhibited, earnest, pure, and smile-inducing. Every time I would put this game in my Saturn it was to hear this guy's voice. The racing was just kind of a bonus activity to do while listening to the music.
Sega Rally Championship for Sega Saturn
I enjoy the way this game handles more than Daytona USA., although it still falls short of what I expected from a console racing game by the time I played it in the early-mid 2000's. Still, something about the blue skies, green grass, upbeat music, and announcer's voice would compel me to put the disc in my Saturn and take it for another go. It has such strong 90's arcade feelings. I think I play more for those feelings than the actual content.
Mario Kart DS
Back when DS was new, I wanted it to be like a handheld Nintendo 64. Instead a lot of games took more of a "Gameboy Advance 2.0" approach. In fact there were a lot of cross-generational games that came out on both GBA and DS with the DS version including some lame bonus level and a map/inventory on the second screen (maybe drawing parallels to Genesis re-releases on Sega CD or something). Not Mario Kart DS. It had really impressive 3D polygon graphics for the time and the gameplay was intrinsically three dimensional. This could NOT have come out on GBA. I also really liked how you could play it online with strangers. I guess I got into this less because it was a racing game and more because it checked the boxes for what I wanted my DS to do at a time when other games weren't doing those things.
Mario Kart Double Dash for the Gamecube
In 2017 my brother and I would compete against each other in this game. We got really good at snaking down the tracks (basically spamming turbo boosts over and over again). It really changed the way the game was played, more or less turning it into a different game than what Nintendo intended it to be. In later Mario Kart games, they removed this mechanic because a lot of people didn't like facing off other races who kept endlessly turbo-boosting down the whole track. Consequently this is my favorite entry in the series and will probably stay that way forever.
F-Zero X for the Nintendo 64
I played this a lot in the early 2000's when I wanted a Gamecube but couldn't buy one and would just play random stuff on my N64 to hold me over. I liked how HUGE the tracks were and the insane speed. It felt really dangerous, like I was in a futuristic death race where I could die. Something about it just "clicked" with me and I spent a lot of time playing it. The rock soundtrack was really cool too!
F-Zero GX for Gamecube
I'm proud to say I bought this when it came out and still have my original copy from back in the day! This game was MIND MELTINGLY fast and the graphics were phenomenal. I remember one time my Dad was watching me play over my shoulder and just got mesmerized by how nice it looked. He said, "You must be so focused on racing you can't pay attention to all the scenery. This game looks amazing." It still does if you crank up the resolution in Dolphin emulator on a modern PC. The graphics just have a timeless look to them.
Burnout Legends for PSP
The graphics were jaw-dropping for a handheld, the destruction was so satisfying, the controls were tight, and there was a palpable feeling of danger, like my life was at risk while playing. I think this is why I don't really go for a lot of safe mainstream racing games where you have to follow rules and color in the lines. I have to feel like the race could kill me to get anything out of it.
I think that's about it. I guess I don't usually go for racing games because I'm not into real life racing such as Formula One or Nascar. Also the genre seems rather samey to me unless the game in question also does something special to make it stand out, such as have awesome graphics, a sense of danger where you're risking your life to race, or some special charm or atmosphere that I just like.
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Post by Ex on Jul 9, 2019 10:05:14 GMT -5
anayo Always great to see another F-Zero fan around. Best racing series ever! >I guess I'm more in love with the idea of polygons on Genesis than Virtua Racing itself.Hey check out what a Game Boy could do: That was using pure code, not using a special graphics chip like Virtua Racing did on the Genesis. Unfortunately Nintendo fired off a cease & desist against Stunt Race FX for Game Boy. If Elmer Krieger had called it something else, maybe they wouldn't have. >Burnout Legends for PSP
That game brings back some bad memories for me, but it's not the game's fault. Actually because of Burnout Legends on PSP, I even found out the PSP existed. A co-worker of mine came into work one day talking about the game. He'd apparently bought it the night before (this was back in September 2005). I remember Scott saying; "It's soooooo much fun!" Then he proceeded to explain to me what a PSP was, because I was clueless. Back in '05 I wasn't paying attention to new gaming hardware at all, I was completely into emulating 4th and 5th gen games, in addition to playing PC stuff. I said "bad memories" because in late 2005 when said game released, my life was not great. I was super poor, my home life was a complicated mess, I was having serious relationship problems with the girl I was dating back then. Bleh not good times! Seeing Burnout Legends for PSP always takes me back to that quagmire in my life. Thankfully things eventually got much better. Oh and I guess the game is pretty good too. >I have to feel like the race could kill me to get anything out of it. In that regard, I will once more recommend HSX: Hypersonic.Xtreme (PS2) and Rollcage Stage II (PS1/PC).
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Post by Sarge on Jul 9, 2019 12:12:43 GMT -5
I still need to play more Rollcage Stage II. I bought it on PSX back in the day, but didn't put a lot of time into it for whatever reason. Probably the same as all the others; too many RPGs!
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