Best PSX racing games

[zetastrike]

Why does anyone care for Diddy Kong Racing, that game is so fucking boring. It's slow as shit, the tracks are boring, and most of the characters suck.

Why does anyone care for any N64 game? Stockholm Syndrome from their childhood.

[GreyFox]

F1 97 by the same team is fantastic too. Higher red smoother graphics and I believe split screen for 2 players.

V Rally is an interesting one. If I remember correctly for the Platinum release they added analog support but also changed one of the available cars (or added a car)

V Rally 2 is also worth a look.

Believe on Wip3out and the Soecial Edition you could link two systems for 4 player action.

[A Black Falcon]

Why does anyone care for any N64 game? Stockholm Syndrome from their childhood.

Fortunately, your ignorant N64-hate only affects you, not anyone actually willing to play the games. (And this applies in reverse to the PS1 as well, or any other console.)

And in other news today....

Sega-16's biggest Nintendo fanboy accuses other forum members of being "Sony Fanboys" for stating a preference for Crash Team Racing over Mario Kart. KTS16NEWS tried to get a comment from the Irony Fairy but was informed she had been admitted to hospital having suffered a Myocardial Infarction.

We will have updates at 10!

I doubt I'm the biggest Nintendo fanboy here, I imagine there must be some here who think the SNES is clearly better than the Genesis for example (while I of course think that they are equally great), but even if I have biases, I give the games a chance. If I acted like zetastrike sounds like above, saying "every PS1 game is bad why would anyone care for that stupid thing" or something like that as if it was still 1996, I wouldn't have found the better PS1 games, and there are plenty of PS1 games I like a lot! I already mentioned some great PS1 racing games earlier in this thread, but again... while the N64 is definitely better for racing games, the PS1 has an impressive library for sure. It's got greats such as the Wipeout games (3 is probably my favorite), the Rollcage games (they're both amazing!), the Need for Speed series (High Stakes is my favorite one, very impressive game for a 5th-gen console), Red Asphalt (yes, it's HIGHLY under-rated!), Sea-Doo HydroCross (maybe the best water racing game I've played on PS1 so far...), Motor Toon Grand Prix (the best PS1 "kart" racer?), Circuit Breakers (pretty good topdown-style racing game), Road Rash 3D (am I the only person who actually likes this game?), Rush Hour (another good topdown-style racer), Rage Racer, and Sled Storm are good games.

Probably because I wasn't a PS1 fan I have often found that I like some lesser-known titles better than the more popular ones, though. So for example I think that games like Egg, Megatudo 2096, Evil Zone, Steel Reign, Sea-Doo HydroCross, Red Asphalt, Threads of Fate, Galeoz, and more are good to great games that more people should know about and play, while stuff like Crash Bandicoot, Tekken, CTR, R4, or Spyro I don't like nearly as much, and the CoolBoarders and 1/2/3Xtreme games I think are quite bad even if they were quite popular. (Croc is my favorite 3d platformer on the PS1. Always have liked the game.) Of course I like some more popular PS1 games too, such as Star Ocean: The Second Story, the Lunar remakes, and such.

Anyway though, there are a huge number of racing games on the PS1, so there's always more to discover. Trying PS1 racing games I hadn't played much before late last year, some are AWFUL (1/2Xtreme, Coolboarders 2, Rush Down), many okay (JetMoto 2, Tomarunner vs. L'Arc-en-ciel, Rally de Africa, Running High, etc.), and some good (Red Asphalt, Rush Hour, NFS: High Stakes), but that's why they're worth playing, to find the good ones. Or also uniquely interesting ones even if they aren't great, such as Tomarunner (more on that weird game, and most of these games, in my recent PS1 thread update). And sometimes even bad games are amusing, such as Extreme Go-Kart Racing.


Oh... and Barone, Turbo Prop Racing has redeeming qualities? I didn't see any in the time I spent playing it...

[Hidden_Darkness]

I really enjoyed megaman battle & chase. it may be a mario kart clone but it's fun and being able to steal parts from other characters cars after races made it have good car customization for a kart racer.

[Barone]

It's not heresy, it's just crazy and a sign of being a Sony fanboy, as far as I'm concerned. I mean, the game is better with a wheel or Performance Dual Analog gamepad than it is with the regular Dual Shock, but even with that the controls, track designs, etc. still don't come even close to Nintendo or Rare's work that generation... this "CTR is actually better than MK64 (and presumably also DKR)" thing some Sony fans say makes no sense to me, the games are not even remotely close. MK64 is one of the best kart racers ever (my favorite kart racer ever is either MK64 or the modern Wii or Wii U Mario Kart games), while CTR is forgettably average...

A lot (all?) of the best games have been mentioned, so I'll take the liberty to modify the topic creator's request to "best overlooked racer":
Buring Road (by TOKA, of questionable Soul Fighter fame). Also has analog support.

Feels like Daytona USA, with catchy music and fast paced gameplay. A shame the American release got new voice data. I like the orignal one best due to the French accent

Most important hint to enjoy the game, especially on the 2nd and 3rd course: avoid using the breakes and deliberately ram into walls at the correct angle to do fast curves.

I didn't know about that detail, thanks for the info.
Too bad Explosive Racing, its sequel, wasn't released in US.

And in other news today....

Rep given.

I'm weird and prefer the original Wipeout over Wipeout 3 ..lol

Several people have this opinion. I think the first two games have a different atmosphere compared to the third one.

- however if you can find it you might want to pick up Wipeout 3 - Special Edition, I believe it was only available in Europe but it has both the regular WipeOut3 tracks and also a selection of tracks from the other 2 games but with the advantage of using the superior WipeOut 3 graphics engine) Other driving/racing games that I would recommend and/or have heard good things about are:

Wipeout 3 - Special Edition is actually a PAL release for Wipeout 3 which had been released in Japan.
The Japanese version already had all those extras and it's fully in English. It's pricey nowadays though, so the Euro version is probably cheaper.

Formula One - 1996 - Bizarre Creations/Psygnosis: Being a big F1 fan I was really excited when this game was announced, for me the game did not disappoint, nice graphics, good music and both arcade mode and a more realistic mode - not sure if it was analog stick compatible or not. Made by the same development team as Metropolis Street Racer.

That and the 1997 game were classic, hugely successful in Europe.

After that, Studio 33 was given access to Bizarre Creations' engine for Newman Haas Racing (1998); with the later F1 games by Studio 33 on the PS1 all using that engine but vastly improved in many aspects.

Formula One 2001 looks phenomenal IMO:



Destruction Derby Raw is probably using that same engine but tweaked, of course.

V-Rally - Infogrames/Electronic Arts - 1997

I prefer the second one, by Eden Studios.
I just didn't recommend it to zetastrike because I know that he prefer more arcade oriented stuff and while arcade-ish, V-Rally 2 has some "less fun" aspects IMO.

V Rally is an interesting one. If I remember correctly for the Platinum release they added analog support but also changed one of the available cars (or added a car)

The platinum release added Dual Shock support for V-Rally, it already had analog support through the neGcon protocol.

Believe on Wip3out and the Special Edition you could link two systems for 4 player action.

Yep.

Fortunately, your ignorant N64-hate only affects you, not anyone actually willing to play the games. (And this applies in reverse to the PS1 as well, or any other console.)

It was a natural response to your shitty fanboy N64 off topic propaganda.

Mario Kart 64 has one of the cheapest AI of the entire gen.



That, alone, is a pretty good reason to put it behind Crash Team Racing, Speed Punks, Diddy Kong Racing, etc.
Nobody is obligated to worship a lucky-based racer with broken AI and foggy graphics. Not everyone will consider the supreme gold each and every game which has those same Nintendo faggot characters for the nth time.

About Diddy Kong Racing, I find it much better than Mario Kart 64 but I'm not partial to its cute story nor to its iffy frame rate.
CTR benefited from the fact that it was released after those games and covered many of their issues. I know that for a hardcore Nintendo fanboy like you it's impossible to consider any Crash game as good as your Nintendo holy grail but there's a lot of people out there who consider it the best kart racing of that gen:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=779270

For 1P I prefer Speed Punks because it doesn't have rubber band AI and it's a more technical racer than a combat one or a lucky-based one like Mario Kart 64; once you fall behind you're done.

Oh... and Barone, Turbo Prop Racing has redeeming qualities? I didn't see any in the time I spent playing it...

Your dismissive "opinion" didn't surprise me.
I know how much you dislike racers which require more thoughtful and accurate driving than "full gas; hit the wall, hit the wall; nitro; hit the wall, hit the wall; explode the leader; hit the wall, hit the wall; win!!!!!".

[Gogogadget]

Why does anyone care for any N64 game? Stockholm Syndrome from their childhood.

Well, the N64 is a shit console but everyone knows that.

[zetastrike]

I already have the first Wipeout on the Saturn. I like it a lot apart from the lack of analog support. I've heard it supports the wheel, which I have, but I haven't bothered trying it due to the lack of analog acceleration and braking. I've also read that it doesn't offer true analog steering in that specific case. I wish more PSX games used the right analog stick for accel/braking like Moto Racer 2.

Is it true that in the PSX version of the original you come to a complete stop if you brush against a wall?

[Barone]

I wish more PSX games used the right analog stick for accel/braking like Moto Racer 2.

A lot (most?) of its racing games do, the thing is that several of those games will only enabled the analog gas/brake when using a neGcon compatible controller (that Performance Dual Impact and most of the Steering Wheels).
I've also found a few games which will also enabled such feature for both neGcon and Analog Joystick compatible controllers but not for Dual Shock compatible ones.

Dual Shock analog driver is usually set for bigger dead zones and steeper movement progression. I think some developers were just trying to play it safe by not allowing gas/brake analog controls for such cheapo controllers. Some games also have both the digital and analog options enabled when using the Dual Shock compatible controllers.

Is it true that in the PSX version of the original you come to a complete stop if you brush against a wall?

Yep, a lot of people here prefer the Saturn version for that detail and I find it very reasonable.
To play the PS1 version with digital controls can be very frustrating considering that.

[EPSYLON EAGLE]

Sled Storm is a very cool game.

[Qjimbo]

Well, the N64 is a shit console but everyone knows that.

Another thing I never understand is people who cover their N64 in stickers... nobody does that with any other console, why the N64?

[Dr Robotnik]

Micro machines v3 deserves a mention.

The series transitioned very well to 3D and is really fun to play.

I think it's been overlooked a bit as it came out during a time when racing games were often being used as technical showpieces, and top-down racing games were losing popularity.

[A Black Falcon]

I prefer the second one, by Eden Studios.
I just didn't recommend it to zetastrike because I know that he prefer more arcade oriented stuff and while arcade-ish, V-Rally 2 has some "less fun" aspects IMO.

Another reason to pass on the PS1 version of the second game is that there's also a better Dreamcast version of the game. If you want to play V-Rally 2, play Test Drive V-Rally for the Dreamcast, it's the same game but better!

The first V-Rally is also on N64, as V-Rally Edition '99, but unfortunately the port isn't very good. It's got awful graphics and doesn't play great either. I haven't played the PS1 version for comparison, but it's not very good on N64, the second game on Dreamcast is far better.

It was a natural response to your shitty fanboy N64 off topic propaganda.

Not off topic, comparing kart racing games is quite on topic to any kart racing game discussion.

Mario Kart 64 has one of the cheapest AI of the entire gen.



That, alone, is a pretty good reason to put it behind Crash Team Racing, Speed Punks, Diddy Kong Racing, etc.
Nobody is obligated to worship a lucky-based racer with broken AI and foggy graphics. Not everyone will consider the supreme gold each and every game which has those same Nintendo faggot characters for the nth time.

About Diddy Kong Racing, I find it much better than Mario Kart 64 but I'm not partial to its cute story nor to its iffy frame rate.
CTR benefited from the fact that it was released after those games and covered many of their issues. I know that for a hardcore Nintendo fanboy like you it's impossible to consider any Crash game as good as your Nintendo holy grail but there's a lot of people out there who consider it the best kart racing of that gen:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=779270

For 1P I prefer Speed Punks because it doesn't have rubber band AI and it's a more technical racer than a combat one or a lucky-based one like Mario Kart 64; once you fall behind you're done.

I said that because I've heard people say that before, and played the game a fair amount, but I can't even begin to understand how someone could think that unless it's almost entirely because of anti-Nintendo bias... yeah, MK64 has a luck component, most kart racers do, but it has better controls than CTR, better track designs, etc. Of course I also like the characters, graphics, and music a lot more than Crash too, so that'd be a subjective component, but still.

As for Speed Punks, I haven't played that one, but from your description, it sounds more like something like Motor Toon Grand Prix or Extreme Go-Kart Racing than a Mario Kart-style game. They technically are in the same genre, I guess, but it's a very different take on it...

I know that for a hardcore Nintendo fanboy like you it's impossible to consider any Crash game as good as your Nintendo holy grail

Hah, no. If the game was as good, I'd say so. Virtua Tennis is better than any Mario Tennis game, for example, and I have little interest in Mario Baseball compared to more realistic games like Hardball III or High Heat; I want some realism from a baseball game, not Mario arcadey stuff. And there are some great kart racing games that aren't Mario too, such as Snowboard Kids 2 or Sonic & Allstars Racing Transformed. Or for fighting games, I like Smash Brothers, but not nearly as much as SNK's fighting games, which are my favorite (Last Blade 2, best fighting game ever!).

Crash, though... seriously, the Crash games on PS1 are okay, but the three platformers are fairly simple games, half run-down-a-corridor and half 2.5d sidescrolling. I've never liked the art design of the series much at all, and the 'tude is overdone. Sonic works, but Crash is just annoying. The gameplay is okay, though. CTR is similar; the style is off-putting, it plays okay, but nothing too memorable or great.

Your dismissive "opinion" didn't surprise me.

Did you actually read my opinion on the game (in the other thread)? I'm going to guess not.

I know how much you dislike racers which require more thoughtful and accurate driving than "full gas; hit the wall, hit the wall; nitro; hit the wall, hit the wall; explode the leader; hit the wall, hit the wall; win!!!!!".

I know you know better than that, so how about you actually read some of the things I write and try again? You do know that Rush 2049 is my favorite racing game ever, yes? That game requires quite a bit of skill to be competent at, even more so when you play it in Deaths mode as I often do. Or for water racing games, the original Wave Race 64 is my favorite water racing game, and that requires a lot of skill to master! I love Wave Race Blue Storm as well, despite its high difficulty level; that's one tough game. Of course I like arcadey games too, and Hydro Thunder is another of my favorite water racing games (and also Jet X2O on PS2; very impressive game, that! Hydro Thunder Hurricane on X360 is also fantastic.), but I don't only like those games.

Anyway, Turbo Prop Racing has mediocre graphics, tracks that are about three feet wide in a game design which punishes you if you hit the sides, has poor controls, and more. It seemed to me like a very frustrating game, and a pure memorizer too -- memorize exactly when to turn at each moment or you lose. As usual on early to midlife 5th-gen racing games the tracks are far too narrow, which really emphasizes the memorizer element. The game is at least not quite as awful as the complete disaster VR Powerboat Racing is, but it's down there. It's clearly a game that would require a LOT of effort to get competent at, but why put that effort into a game which is no fun to play? I'll put that effort in if the game is good -- again, see Wave Race: Blue Storm, or the Micro Machines games which require perfect memorization of every course to succeed at but I really love anyway -- but Turbo Prop Racing isn't.

I already have the first Wipeout on the Saturn. I like it a lot apart from the lack of analog support. I've heard it supports the wheel, which I have, but I haven't bothered trying it due to the lack of analog acceleration and braking.

I don't think it's actually analog with the wheel, control feels digital and not proportional to me. Wipeout XL/2097 for Saturn does have analog support, though.

I've also read that it doesn't offer true analog steering in that specific case. I wish more PSX games used the right analog stick for accel/braking like Moto Racer 2.

Ugh, I hate that right-stick-as-gas thing so much! One major plus of the Peformance Dual Analog pad is that it lets you use neGcon mode in games that otherwise force you to use the right stick for acceleration, which has to be one of the worst ideas for racing game control I've seen. That controller in wheel mode makes games like Test Drive 4 and Road Rash 3D that otherwise have right-stick-only acceleration actually fun to play in analog mode, because the neGcon uses the buttons for acceleration.

Is it true that in the PSX version of the original you come to a complete stop if you brush against a wall?

Kind of. You lose all of your acceleration, to be precise. You don't actually come to a complete stop, but you lose some speed and acceleration goes down to zero. It's pretty annoying, stick to the Saturn version for sure. The Saturn version, as in all subsequent Wipeout games, has you only lose a chunk of acceleration for hitting a wall, not all of it.

Micro machines v3 deserves a mention.

The series transitioned very well to 3D and is really fun to play.

I think it's been overlooked a bit as it came out during a time when racing games were often being used as technical showpieces, and top-down racing games were losing popularity.

On the note of Micro Machines, I've already said that Circuit Breakers and Rush Hour are two very good Micro Machines-inspired racing games on the PS1, but Dare Devil Derby 3D and Micro Machines V3 are definitely worth a try as well, for anyone who likes that kind of game. MMV3 (aka Micro Machines 64 Turbo on the N64) is probably the hardest of them, it's got the most of those classic wallless Micro Machines tracks and a somewhat confusing 3d camera, but they're all tough. I don't know if any are quite as hard as Micro Machines 2 is, though... that's one hard, HARD game! It's so fast, and with few walls on the tracks you really must memorize EVERYTHING to not lose. It's such a great game though, it's absolutely worth it. (MM2 is for PC, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color and also Genesis, SNES, and Game Gear in Europe. I have the PC and GBC versions. It's even harder on handhelds thanks to the limited draw distance. Stick to the PC and Genesis/SNES versions.) V3/64 really is a very good game too, though, and Circuit Breakers, which is from the same team, is a bit more approachable and lots of fun.

Oh, the Game Boy Color version of MMV3 is interesting. As with the GB/GBC/GG ports of MM1 and MM2 it is indeed a port of the console game, but gone 2d of course. It actually works pretty well, and I like the static camera -- that spinning 3d camera in MMV3/64 and MMV4 is kind of hard to get used to.

[j_factor]

Mario Kart 64 is utter shite. I never saw how people could possibly consider it a good game, let alone a great one. I don't mind "rubberbanding" to an extent, I mean on some level it's fairly standard for non-sim racers I think. But it should just be a subtle speed adjustment to let the racers behind catch up more easily, and it should be fairly constant/predetermined. The AI shouldn't literally cheat. I've seen things like AI players ghosting through solid objects and even other racers, and I just find that sort of thing very very irksome on a visceral level. It seriously floors me that anyone can play a game and not be completely turned off by something like that. I mean, for real, that doesn't bother you at all? Really? Really? Are you sure? Just, wow. I really, really don't get it.

To this day, apart from being coaxed into Mario Kart Wii multiplayer a couple times, and I guess Konami Krazy Racers for GBA, I haven't played a single kart racing game that came out after 1997. Every single one gets compared to MK64, which to me is a huge nope.

[Zz Badnusty]

It's about time people start getting real about Mario Kart 64.
Now if only more people would call out Ocarina of Time for the boring game that it is.

I can't really add much to this thread, considering I grew tired of racing games by the mid-90's.
I did just pick up that Muppet kart game -thanks Baron!- I like the Muppets and Travelers Tales yet somehow never knew of that game.

[zetastrike]

I'm sorry, this is OT, but google doesn't yield an answer and I don't want to interrupt another thread to ask: What is the signal used by the PSOne LCD monitor? If it's RGB I may spring for one.