To continue with elements of racing games, I decided to focus my energy for this post on nighttime street courses. Formula One fans had the chance to see the second running of the Grand Prix of Singapore. This is where lots of lights were set up to illuminate the course to be as bright as a regular daytime race. In the background is the lively downtown sector of Singapore. It is a racing paradise for the Formula One circus. This gives me a chance to talk about some of these courses in racing games.
--- The Nighttime Street Course Explained ---
It's as simple as it gets- a street course at night. This concept is really nothing new in gaming. Racing on city streets at night in a suburban or downtown setting has been in racing games for a while. What makes this kind of course fun is just the simple fact that you can race on city streets and highways at night. The realist would scoff at these kinds of courses because the courses are too bright for a nighttime setting. If one relied on street lamps alone in a racing environment, the course would actually be very dark. Sufficient lighting would be needed for a proper street course race on city streets because basic street lamps lack the lighting power to illuminate a course properly.
The appeal to street courses at night is unmistakeable- city streets at night. You get to be enveloped in the lighting provided by city buildings, flood lights, street lamps, and any other artificial lighting. Night can range from twilight to deep into the night.
My dream setting would involve a lively suburban or downtown city as the sun disappeared over the horizon, but still a good amount of blue and orange colors from where the sun set (obviously, a clear or mostly clear night). The skies immediately above are either black or a very dark blue. And all the while, the city lights up the night with many office buildings and high-rise apartments with lights turned on. Maybe for the city itself, I imagine some locale that includes city streets and maybe even an illuminated bridge over water. I want the city to be engaging in design. I want to race around in a game in a city that is beautiful to race as it is to gaze at all the surroundings.
--- Examples of the Street Course at Night ---
Among the Gran Turismo realm, look no further than Special Stage Route 5 and Special Stage Route 11. SSR11 is more like the street course version of Grand Valley in respects to a signature-type race course with its own unique flair and flavor. Almost the dream race track for most people is racing at full speed while weaving in around around towers and businesses. Gran Turismo has a handful of other nighttime street courses, including:
* Seattle Circuit in GT3 and GT4 (GT3 and GT4 are what I will consider night races)
* Hong Kong
* George V Paris
* Las Vegas Drag Strip
--- Other Games with Street Course Races at Night ---
Night Section A and Night Section B (Sega GT). All other tracks in Sega GT are mundane and boring... except these two. Even still, both Night Section tracks are lacking in the personality department, though they are the two toughest courses in the game.
Marco Strada- Night/Rainy (Enthusia Professional Racing). Marco Strada may not be an urban jungle, and it may not be a stroll through downtown. However, the night race (which is run in the rain) is one of the most beautiful courses in Enthusia. The beauty of this course lies in the fact that rain is falling and that everything is lit up beautifully. As the rain falls and as light sparkles off of the metallic objects, it provides a beautiful and unforgettable experience.
Tokyo Circuit and Pacific Shipyards (Forza Motorsport). Tokyo Circuit is somewhat a twisty nightmare on narrow streets in Tokyo. Pacific Shipyards is a point-to-point race at night on city streets. It is a combination of racing in the city along with racing along the industrial sector of the city.
Edge of the Earth, Brightest Nite, and Shooting Hoops (Ridge Racer Type 4). Edge of the Earth is my personal favorite course in RRT4. This game doesn't consist of actual roads in the cities represented. However, it doesn't mean they still can't be fun. Edge of the Earth is one of the two New York City courses in the game. The setting is lovely and perfect- the sun's gone down, but not COMPLETELY down. This gives off a nice orange hue in the sky to mix in with the darker blue and green colors in the sky. It's a real pleasure to the eyes. "Naked Glow" is the song I jam to in racing that track. Brightest Nite (as it's spelled) is the other New York City-based course that has the best jump of any of the eight courses in RRT4. I also play "Naked Glow" as the music for this course. Shooting Hoops is the only Los Angeles-based course in the game. Forget the other songs and go with "Movin' in Circles." It's THE song to play for this course to me. This is a fantastic high-speed course. It is also the finale of Real Racing Roots '99, set on New Year's Eve.
Tokyo's Highways (Tokyo Xtreme Racer Series), and the Highways of Nagoya and Osaka (Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3). The highway battles in the classic Tokyo Xtreme Racer games allow you the opportunity to race on the highways against rivals deep into the early morning. This is all in an attempt to be the king (or queen) of highway battle. TXR3 allowed you the opportunity to race on the highways of Nagoya and Osaka. I personally thought the Nagoya stages were boring. Osaka had a much lovelier set of highways.
New York (EA Sports' NASCAR games). The streets of New York get introduced to some beatin' and bangin' and all the drama NASCAR has to offer. This is always a fun course to get your fix of racing.
(any course in Juiced 2). All of the courses in "Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights" take place on city streets at night. The cities include London, Rome, Bavaria, San Francisco, , and Tokyo
Toad's Turnpike (Mario Kart 64). This is an urban-style course that takes place on a busy highway. Contact with ANY of the passing automobiles results in you getting owned. In the Extra class, the oncoming track drives AT you.
Mushroom City (Mario Kart Double Dash!!). Mushroom City is like Toad's Turnpike from the previous Mario Kart title, but with many new twists. There are multiple roads to choose from on each lap. Be wary of the bomb car, which blows up in your face if you run into it. The blast radius can also affect other racers on the track.
Lisbon, Kyoto, and Las Vegas (World Driver Championship). For the Nintendo 64, the game that is arguably the best-looking racing game for the N64. Lisbon seems more like an early morning race while the other two are true night races. The pro-style racing is a great draw as you're racing around mostly city streets in this game.
Ridge Racer Extreme course (Ridge Racer 64). This course is only raced at night and takes place on a very fast, yet very short race course with no checkpoints (except the finish line).
Neo-Yokohama (Cyber Cycles). Cyber Cycles was a motorcycle racing game by Namco back in 1995. It featured two courses. One is a proper racing track while the other is a futuristic street course at night. Neo-Yokohama is a tough course, so make sure you know how to take on all of the corners and laying down consistent lap times.
There are MANY to name. I only named as many as I can.
--- [Some Of] Street Courses at Night in Action! ---
Check out these YouTube videos I've found to see these courses in action!
^ Night Section B-Normal, in Sega GT (Dreamcast)
^ Tokyo Circuit, in Forza Motorsport 1
^ Pacific Shipyards, Forza Motorsport 1
^ Special Stage Route 5, Gran Turismo 1
^ Special Stage Route 11, Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec version
^ Special Stage Route 11, Gran Turismo 1 version (laggy video)
^ Minato City, Total Immersion Racing.
--- Overall...
This is about the most basic kinds of courses that show up in a racing game. These courses mostly show off nighttime racing with a wide variety of cars with lovely chrome mapping and lots of lights. Then too, just racing in settings like these are a loved experience for many gamers. Most just wish to be able to race full speed ahead on city streets without the police asking you to pull over. These courses are also a testament of the level of challenge and appeal each course provides. Putting in all the buildings and the various urban structures usually puts a premium on a racing game's engine. It's one of the most basic kinds of fantasy courses.
Sometimes, I wonder if Gran Turismo or some other racing game can have a street course built in the style of the F1 Grand Prix of Singapore. Imagine a street course all aglow with lights illuminating the way to where it feels more like a daytime race than a night race. I mostly envisioned this for GT courses like Hong Kong or something. There just aren't really any real lively locales in the Gran Turismo realm to sample this. I even imagined Special Stage Route 11 having something like this all the way around.
Thanks for reading! You're awesome! ^_^ Oh... and don't forget to comment.
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