411 Games Top 5 6.04.09: Week 14 - The Racing Edition

Posted by Todd Vote on 06.04.2009

This week the boss is away, so the staff will play... racing games that is. It's week 14 of the Top 5, and the 411 games staff checks in with our favorite racing games. Everything from Mario Kart, to the Need for Speed series is covered. Come in and check it out.

It's the 411mania.com Games Top 5! This week, as most of the staff is away at E3, we decided that it would be good to break from our past few weeks of E3 hype to bring you a list of our favorite racing games. I decided to have racing games include all the different sub-genres such as arcade racer, battle racers, sim racers... you get the drift (no pun intended). Racing games have been a staple of gaming almost as long as gaming has been a part of pop culture. Show of hands, who remembers Pole Position? Alright, who remembers RC Pro Am? See, thats the point, every generation of gaming has brought us some incredible new racing titles. With that in mind, the games staff sat down and got making our lists.









Before we get started a big huge thanks goes out to B3yond the Superfan Eric for creating that kick ass banner you see above here. I told the man I wasn't to picky, gave him a list of games that I enjoyed, and that is what he came up with... I'll wait a few minutes while you all soak in the awesomeness that is Superfan Eric's banner.

Alright, for this week, since we are back to our regular format for the time being, we will be bringing back The Top 5's whacky point system. Speaking of whacky, what better way to start off this week than with them two cards from B3yond the Report, Mark Salmela, and the one and only Shaq-fu!

Your local B3yond the Report team: Mark Salmela and Shaq



HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Target Terror - Don't lie to me Salmela, you don't have any excuse for including this. Don't lie to me Shaq, you don't have any excuse for missing the 2009 NBA playoffs. That's it, I'm sitting this one out. Have fun smartass…
I think it is fair to give Mark 15 points for pissing off his sidekick right out of the gate. This is why you can't have nice stuff Mark

5.) Virtua Racing - This is the hardest list we've ever had to make. You see, racing is one of my favorite genres of games. I like them so much I couldn't possibly chose a top 10, much less a top 5. I'll probably love every title someone posts in this column. So take this list with a grain of salt, I'm not even going to include racing shooters such as Twisted Metal.

4.) Micro Machines - Doesn't matter which version of the game you're talking about, because I love both the 8-bit and the 16-bit version of Micro Machines. Hell, I even loved Walter, the morbidly-obese fat blob before it was popular. The tanks were awesome in this game. Oh, and one of the levels was a pool table, how awesome is that?
10 points for Micro Machine love, plus a bonus of 5 if you can talk as fast as the dude on the commercials.


Cruisin' USA

3.) Crusin' USA - With the exception of the abortion that was Crusin' on the Wii, the original Crusin' games were bad ass. There were hot babes, cool cars, and cool places to race. What more do you want?
Digitized hot babes... 5 points. Cool cars...5 points... Racing across Iowa, priceless.

2.) Crash Team Racing/Mario Kart - As someone who's been playing a lot of Crash Team Racing for the PS1 lately, I felt it necessary to put a tie for number 2. Because let's be honest, all of the Mario Kart rip-offs are the same. But Crash Team Racing was one of the few that managed to be just as good, if not better than Mario Kart.

1.) Motorstorm: Pacific Rift - I get an adrenalin rush just thinking about this game. One of the reasons why I'm not in favor of making a top 5 list on racing games is because I feel most racers get better as the graphics get better. Of course Motorstorm seems like a better game than Daytona USA, it has vastly superior sound, physics, and graphics. Well going off that standard Motorstorm is still king, and I love me some Motorstorm.

Thanks Mark, and I guess I should thank Shaq too even though he slacked big time this week. You two finish up with 35 points. I really wanted to know what Shaq's favorite racers are, but I guess it's a lost cause. Up next is a man that brings us the Wrestling Zones Brace for Impact, which is a really great way to stay up with TNA, without dealing with the lame ass announcers. Chris Lansdell, you're up.

The Lansdell, Scourge of Rail Shooters

Destruction Derby (PSX) - Great fun if for no other reason than mutiplayer matches were normally decided by who finished, not who finished first. As someone who hates and sucks at traditional racers, the ability to win by default appeals to me.
Plus it helps to be able to take out your frustrations on other cars, 10 points

Cool Boarders (PSX) - Another non-traditional racer (get used to that...) and one that sparked my nascent liking for snowboarding games. It's kept out of the top 5 because it lacked a lot of the frills that I would grow to love in snowboarding games. It was still good fun though.

5. Built 2 Win (NES) : I must find a way to include this game in more lists. This was like the precursor to Gran Turismo: you raced, won licences, customised your car and tried to get on the F1 circuit. It suffers a little from the ability to go to Vegas and win money on the slots, which in turn means you can uber-pimp your car, but the gameplay and concept was revolutionary at the time, and it practically got stuck in my NES one summer. Besides, you started in a Mini Cooper...what more could you want!

4. SSX Tricky (XBos): Beats out Cool Boarders because it's more arcadey and has more outlandish tricks which, if I'm honest is the real reason I like snowboarding games. Plus it has Run DMC. It's tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time, but this game is really easy to pick up and play, making it great when you need something for a casual gaming friend. Landing on your head trying to turn that triple flip into a quad flip is also amusing to watch, and the comments from the announcer are suitably deriding. I enjoy everything about this game, especially the kooky Japanese indoor level. Because everyone loves kooky Japanese levels.
This game was so much fun, and it offered a bit of a variation on the old racing formula. 20 points for busting out some RUN DMC

3. Gran Turismo (PSX): I have a feeling a lot of people will have this higher, but they can go ahead and be wrong. They will also probably have the sequels, but for me they don't come close to combining a solid control system, startling realism, kick-ass soundtrack and rewards for skill. It remains the only pure racing game I ever enjoyed.

2. Mario Kart 64: A lot of people will be going with the Wii sequel or the SNES prequel, but for me this one takes the cake. The N64 controller was perfectly laid out for this game, it was tremendous funfor hardcore and casual gamers alike, and nothing beat the multiplayer mode at the time. The reason this slips above GT, apart from the ease of play, is the fond memories it brings back. At the time it came out I was managing a major video games retailer in the UK, and come 6pm every evening we'd all be playing this. I used to kick everyone's ass on the first 4 tracks playing with one hand. Ahhh good times.
The 'Z' button is probably the best place for a gas button on a controller. Plus the game was fun as all get out. 5 points


Rollcage

1. Rollcage: That cacophony you just heard was the majority of our readers going "HUH?"That's fine. There are only two types of people in this world: those who love Rollcage, and those who never played it. If you don't love this game, you're a Communist. It took the arcade feel, powerups and small field of Mario Kart, the weapons of Twisted Metal, the futursitic feel of Wipeout and F-Zero and the soundtrack of a rave, and then added the ability to drive on the walls and flip your vehicle over while still driving. What's not to love? It truly is the Spectral Force 3 of racing games: beloved by the few who played it, ignored by the masses. It received great reviews when it came out, but for some reason (I forget what) it was largely overlooked by the buying public. Then again, this is the same buying public who continue to buy Tomb Raider games.
I totally know what this is, but only because Chris told me about it last week. 15 points for what may be our most obscure title of the week.

Thanks Chris, good to have you back in the top 5. You have managed to grasp the top spot from Salms this week with 50 points. I am sure he won't be happy about that. Up next is Scott J. Simpson. What does the J stand for anyway? Something really cool?

Scott J. Simpson

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Need for Speed: Underground - I enjoy the Underground series (Underground, Most Wanted, Carbon), but Electronic Arts milked the series for all it was worth. Most likely trying to cash in on the success and popularity of The Fast and The Furious film. However the original Underground game was quite enjoyable, but as the series continued the gameplay became a tad bit too repetitive.

5.Mario Kart 64 - My Top 5 list focuses on racing games that I own, so I could have put the original, Super Nintendo, Mario Kart on this list, but I have never played it, nor do I own a copy of the game, so Mario Kart 64 will have to suffice. I chose this game because Mario Kart 64 defined the combat racing genre. The game takes characters from the Nintendo universe (technically the Super Mario Bros. series) and places these characters behind the wheel of a go-kart and forces them to compete against one another as they pick-up power ups and unleash their fury on the competition as they race to become the first to cross the finish line. This game started the kart-racing craze. Although Mario Kart on the SNES may have been the original, the popularity of Mario Kart 64 spawned numerous rip-offs. Disney, Looney Tunes, Crash Bandicoot, Star Wars and even Mortal Kombat each created their own variation of the combat racing game, but Mario Kart 64 was the originator.
Oh look! He said Mortal Kombat!, luckily we fixed that glitch, but I'll give ya 20 for trying

4.Star Wars Episode I: Racer - If you are looking for a fun racing game than you may want to check this one out. Star Wars Episode I: Racer took the pod-racing scenario from the film and turned it into its own racing game. Episode I: Racer combines faced paced racing action with the ability to upgrade your pod racer and even repair your vehicle after it has taken damage. Yes, you read that correctly, your pod racer actually receives damage during races, so you must be careful with the way you handle your vehicle during a race. If your pod racer accumulates too much damage, you could lose the function of certain parts of your vehicle, which could hamper your pod racer's top speed or braking power, possible affecting the outcome of your next race. For a game that was based off a small portion of a film, Star Wars Episode I: Racer is a surprisingly solid racing game with smooth controls and the added functionality of being able to upgrade your pod racer with new parts and even repair your vehicle after it has taken severe damage.


Road Rash II indeed

3.Road Rash II - Few things in life are more satisfying than whipping out a chain and bashing the jerk next to you riding his motorcycle. Too bad we cannot do this legally in real life, but thanks to Road Rash II, we have an outlet for our road rage without the worry of receiving severe repercussions. Aside from beating up your competition, this game is simply fun to play. You will be weaving in-and-out of traffic, avoiding deer and dead cows, navigating your bike around an insane amount of S-curves, all while avoiding police and of course pummeling the 14 other bikers on the road whom you are competing against. In addition to the action that takes place on the road, the game gives players the opportunity to purchase new bikes in-between races. With a new, high performance bike you can smoke the competition with your new wheels while beating down anyone that gets in your way. YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!
FINALLY, someone mentions Road Rash. thats worth 15 points by itself. This was the grandaddy of beat 'em up racers right here. Bonus points: anyone remember Skitchin'?

2.Jak X: Combat Racing - Another combat racing game? Sure I may have been critical of other combat racing games that stole the same gameplay formula from Mario Kart 64, but Jak X does something completely different that the competition has never tried before, they actually build upon the formula. Jak X could have simply taken characters from the Jak universe and thrown them into a generic combat racing game (like the ones mentioned earlier), but the folks at Naughty Dog decided to do something slightly different, and because of their efforts, they ended up creating one of the best combat racing games on the market. So what makes Jak X so special? For starters, this racing game actually has a storyline behind it, and a decent one at that, Jak and his friends have been poisoned by Krew and they must race to save their lives. It may sound like the plot from a cheesy action flick, but it works. Aside from the fact that the game is built around a storyline, the game also brings a few other things to the table. For example, the game allows the player to upgrade and customize their vehicle, and the game in not simply just about racing around a track and firing weapons at your opponents as you inch your way closer to the finish line. Jak X actually features other races. The game contains a Twisted Metal-style match where the player tries to defeat as many opponents as he or she can in an open arena. In addition, the game also features time trails, modes where you have to collect more artifacts than your competition, and my personal favorite, Rush Hour, which requires the player to drive head-on into oncoming vehicles as they race around a track. Jak X improves upon the combat racing genre in more ways than one and is immensely fun to play.

1.Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 - This is the moment you have all been waiting for (you can admit it, I will not tell anyone) my favorite racing game is Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. This is how a racing game should play. It needs to be about speed and it needs to be fun to play, which is exactly what Hot Pursuit 2 delivers, at least in my opinion. The game puts you behind the wheel of a fast sports car while you are being pursued by multiple police cars, and, oh yeah, a police helicopter. I know some people who prefer a traditional racing game and are not big fans of being chased by police cars while they are racing, but I love the cat and mouse chase. It is more than just about racing, it is also about strategy. That may sound silly, but it is true. In order to become the first car to cross the finish line, you have to plan your mode of attack, and in some cases you will only have a spit second to initiate your move. You will have to maneuver around traffic, avoid spike strips, blast through roadblocks and lose those pesky police cars that keep slamming into your bumper, all while trying to avoid the payload the police helicopter is trying to hail upon your precious car. It may seem kind of unfair that the helicopter will only target your car in the game (not your AI's), but I enjoy the challenge of dodging missiles and explosive drums. In the end, it is a rewarding and fun experience to watch your opponents, and even the police, drive over spike strips or into explosive drums while you drive away with a huge grin on your face as you speed toward the finish line.

Scott finishes up ties with Mark at 35 points, which means that Chris is still our leader this week. Up next we have column regular Adam Larck, Larck takes a bit of a different route with his list, and thats... okay.He's good enough, he's smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like him. Can his unorthodox style counter the onslaught brought on by Lansdell? Let's get to it and find out, Adam?

Adam Larck

Writers note: I chose to group by series, not individual games. Otherwise, two or three series would have made up my whole Top 5.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:


Uniracers

Uniracers - For such a simplistic game, I had a ton of fun with it. The stunt challenges were good, but could get competitive. It was the races and multiplayer that made this a blast to play during my Super NES days..
I've never heard of this beast either... Maybe I should give him points for obscure titles as well. It's only fair, so here is 15 points.

5.F-Zero Series - Primarily the Super NES and Gamecube games are the ones that I'm talking about here. I liked the high speed races, and the big number of competitors always made for tough challenges. As an added bonus, this was also my first introduction to one of my favorite Super Smash Bros. fighters, Captain Falcon.

4.Gran Turismo Series - For realistic racing games, I always come back to Gran Turismo. I also liked the different license tests, and the amount of car customization was great. However, I have not played a new one since Gran Turismo 3. It had everything I looked for in a realistic sim, and I never have found a need to try the newer ones.
Never really been a huge fan of the racing sim type games, but the third title in the series was the very first title I ever played on the ole PS2... Chokes me up a bit... here just take your 10 points.

3.Mario Kart Series - Great single and multiplayer fun. The stages were always varied and interesting. Although I do think that the better games were the early ones for Super NES and N64, the series as a whole has done great for Nintendo and is enjoyable to play from time to time.

2.Twisted Metal Series - When I want weapon-based car destruction, I still go to the Twisted Metal series. The two best games for me were TM 2 and Black. TM 2 was the first one I tried, but none of the other games in the series has matched up to that game for me. Black, however, really got me hooked due to the darker feel the game had and more brutal action. I still remember being able to fry three convicts on a level.
I honestly expected Twisted metal to end up on more lists. But since Adam has it all to himself, he can have some points here, how about another 10 points

1.Burnout Series - Talk about getting better as time goes on. The first two games in the series I never checked it. It wasn't until a Burnout 3: Takedown demo that I even got remotely interested. After the demo, I was hooked. I full completed that game, throughly enjoyed Revenge, and am still hooked on Paradise. You can often find me on there just driving around, finding new areas or driving with friends on the multiplayer.
SMASH your opponents, smash your own car... Sounds like a recipe for 15 points if I ever seen it.

Uh-oh. That puts two of our writers in a tie. We will deal with that in a moment, but first let me get my list out of the way.

Todd Vote


Galaxy 5000

5. Galaxy 5000: Racing in the 51st Century: Some may not remember this one, hell I'd bet most of you don't. If you do not remember, try to envision RC Pro Am using hovercrafts and slightly more menacing weaponry. There now you have an idea of what Galaxy 5000 was. Growing up in a tiny town of 300 people, the only way to rent games was at the local library. This was definitely a favorite of mine back in the day, it was fun, and had this annoyingly catchy music that me and my cousins used to drive each other nuts with long after the game was shut off.

4. NFS: Most Wanted: Unlike my colleague Scott J. Simpson, I happen to think that this was the pinnacle of the "Underground" series. It was a launch title with the current gen systems, and it was amazingly detailed, and really fun to play. Running from the cops was so fun with the use of the speed breaker button, that friends and I would avoid the racing in light of seeing who could have the grandest chase with the cops.

3. RC Pro-Am: Where is the update of this game? Why has it not been released on any system following the NES? If ever there was a game that was primed for one of the current systems "arcades" this is it. If you haven't played this game, you owe it to yourself to tradck it down and give it a shot.


Rush

2. RUSH Series: I guess this could be considered the sister franchise to Cruisin', as both were highly unrealistic arcade racers, but both were also incredibly fun. Rush had a great sound system built into your chair in the arcades, and it made the game almost come to life as you could hear cars whizzin by your head.

1. Mario Kart: This is my number one just for the number of hours that was spent with the 4 player split screen on the N64 version of the game. Many many hours used up on multi-player races for this one.

Alright, you may have noticed from above, that this week we have our first tie. The tie is between Chris and Adam. Both had a really obscure title in their list, so we will let that one decide the fate, and who our winner is. That means it is up to you guys, who had the more obscure listing this week? Was it Chris' RollCage, or did Adam have the lesser known game with Uniracers? Chime in on the comments and we will name a winner next week.

That about wraps us up for week 14. Speaking of next week though, the staff returns from E3, and those that attended the show will be checking in with their favorite E3 2009 moments. Be sure to check back for that next Thursday in a special E3 hangover edition of the Top 5. Until then, I leave you with this video from the Onion News Network regarding a new FPS title. Check it out below.

Bonus Video: The Onion News Network brings you Close Range!