The roar of the engine, the incredible torque of the cars, the vibrations of the controller – there’s nothing quite like a rock-solid racing game to get the adrenaline pumping. And nothing quite like a car racing game to really turn your console hands clammy.
Appealing to fans across the gaming universe, players don’t need to know the difference between suspension and shock absorbers to feel the need for speed with these all-time classic car racing games.
So we’re letting the handbrake off at Time Out Towers and opening the throttle on the five racing games that you need to get behind the wheel of right now. Ready to get in the fast lane?
The best-seller: Gran Turismo 4
Can you be considered a racing game gear head if you haven’t turned the ignition key on Gran Turismo? The series is the biggest selling car racing game under the PlayStation brand and GT4 is its elite vehicle, with more than 700 cars from 80 manufacturers. That is a lot of horsepower and, fortunately, there is plenty of room to gallop with 51 circuits and 34 missions for players to earn A-Spec points and become a part of racing game royalty.
Overall rating: 9/10
The rally race: Colin McRae Rally 2.0
It’s time to strap yourselves in for this rally car racing game. Master drifting in the snow in Sweden, whizzing through the streets of Corsica and thundering through the forests of Wales in the famous Ford Focus RS WRC (and all from the safety of your own sofa) with Colin McRae Rally 2.0. Racing against the machine not piquing your interest? Challenge mates in one-on-one scenarios to determine who can fill the driving gloves of the late, brilliantly great Colin McRae.
Overall rating: 9/10
The all-time classic race: Mario Kart 8
We’ve checked the manual and Mario Kart 8 has passed the MOT for inclusion in the best racing games round-up. The eighth instalment of the colourful, car racing game franchise (what gave it away) sees the little man in the red cap and blue dungarees (and his lively cohort) causing more mayhem on the racetrack, up mountains, in space and pretty much everywhere in the universe. Eat your competitors with a piranha plant, knock them out of the contest with a boomerang flower or use the tried and trusted banana peel. This game causes plenty of laughs and a couple of Luigi death stares.
Overall rating: 8/10
The car chase: Need for Speed Heat
Love the sound of loud engines? Live for thrilling car races and police chases? Heart pumping fast? Friends, you have a need for speed. The 25th edition of the uber popular car racing game franchise sees players jump into the front seat of a Dodge Racer and take on all comers on the tarmac for money during day meets, and for rep at illegal night encounters where police pursuits can become very nasty (but only if you’re too slow). Sure there is a storyline (which we love in our games) but when it comes to Need for Speed Heat, all we care about is the game’s one rule – floor it.
Overall rating: 7/10
The championship race: F-1 World Grand Prix
It would be remiss of us to not mention a game dedicated to the most popular motorsport on the planet (especially with the F1 season beginning a fortnight ago), and F-1 World Grand Prix stands on the centre podium. Get into the cockpit (an actual camera angle) as legendary drivers Michael Schumacher, Mika Häkkinen and more, and enjoy the high speed chase for the Drivers and Constructors Championships from the ’97 season. First released for the Nintendo 64, deal with problematic pit-stops (hopefully not too many), avoid crazy crashes, pull-off dramatic over-take manoeuvres and take home the ‘W’ with the F1 edition that was ahead of its time and still ahead of the rest on the gaming grid.
Overall rating: 9/10
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