Elements of Racing Games - Fall/Autumn Tracks

(UPDATED: January 21, 2012)

Ever realize how some racing games have Autumn-like settings? That is something I was thinking about in preparing my blog post here. The beauty of Fall/Autumn is in seeing Fall/Autumn foliage and also in seeing leaves fall from trees. For games that have featured these settings, I will discuss racing games that have featured Fall/Autumn settings. These are only some of them.

--- Elements of Racing Games: Fall/Autumn ---

For many of us American sports fans, Fall/Autumn usually means gridiron football season. Fall/Autumn from a visual standpoint is a beautiful one. Think of dark blue sunny skies with many trees with golden and brown leaves. Also imagine cloudy days with the same golden or brown leaves. Whatever the attraction is, there's just something beautiful about not only Fall/Autumn, but also racing in these settings. I will explore this time of year in this blog post.

Autumn Ring and Autumn Ring Mini.

The Gran Turismo series' contribution to Fall/Autumn beauty has been with Autumn Ring and Autumn Ring Mini. These two courses personify the beauty of Fall/Autumn with the lovely foliage. A neat effect I've noticed in Gran Turismo Concept was how leaves are kicked up when going off-road at Autumn Ring. Here is a look at Autumn Ring Mini in Gran Turismo 4:

Autumn Hill and Autumn Mountain.

Enthusia's contribution to the beauty of Fall/Autumn was made with this one distinctively Japanese locales of Autumn Hill and Autumn Mountain. This track is really one of the most visually-appealing natural locales in Enthusia Professional Racing. Only Löwenseering is lovelier. Here is a look at this venue, using Autumn Mountain:

Maple Valley Raceway.

Forza Motorsport's Fall/Autumn contribution is (and has been) Maple Valley. This course has been in just about every Forza, and may likely be included in Forza Motorsport 4. It is a club-like circuit that's tricky on many levels.

Autumn Valley.

In "The Need for Speed" back in the mid-1990s, one of the most fun closed-circuit tracks to race was Autumn Valley. I remember racing this track in the demo version of "The Need for Speed" with the demo car, a Dodge Viper R/T-10. Autumn Valley is a great racing challenge the way the track flows. Leaves will REALLY fall when this V-10 beast rips up Autumn Valley when you check out this video:

Hometown.

Need for Speed 3 featured Hometown in a Fall/Autumn environment. Hometown was designed to be a small American town on a lovely Fall/Autumn day. It is a mostly high-speed track with many hints of Fall/Autumn around from the trees to the leaves on the ground. Here is this track in a German version of NFS3:

Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2/Kaido Battle 3 Tracks.

Three long courses in Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2 (or Kaido Battle 3) are in Fall/Autumn settings- Omote Rokko, Shiga Kusatsu, and Nikko. I couldn't find a better quality video, so enjoy this video of this Corner Attack video run of Nikko:




It seems like the beauty of Fall/Autumn is nicely exemplified nicely in these games. There's just something about Fall/Autumn scenery that appears so scenic and lovely to feature in a racing game. I hope my blog post has provided a little insight on the loveliness of Fall/Autumn in racing games. What do you think about these settings in racing games? Feel free to comment!





Thank you for reading!

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
• Subscribe to John's Blog Space!
• Subscribe to John's Shop Space! (http://jbmshopspace.blogspot.com)
• Subscribe to John's Gran Turismo Space! (http://johnsgtspace.blogspot.com)

Elements of Racing Games - Tunnels

Why do so many fictional courses have tunnels of some kind? Is it an obsession like what the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco has? One thing I've learned from racing games is that tunnels help you to gain a bit more speed. Part of the reason is because you don't have as much turbulence from racing at full speed out in the open. So when you did the Max Speed Challenge in Gran Turismo 3 and Gran Turismo 4, you picked up a little extra speed once you go into the tunnel at Test Course (especially since GT3 and GT4's renditions of Test Course include a tunnel down the backstretch). I'm not crazy about tunnels myself. In fact, many of my own race tracks I've created feature no tunnels. Then again, you can also think of tunnels more like getting shot out of a cannon.

Funny that so many of these tunnels are in various racing games. Here's your insight with many games featuring certain tracks that have tunnels to them...


^ Special Stage Route 7 (Gran Turimo 5)


^ Rio de Janeiro (Forza Motorsport 1)


^ High Level (Ridge Racer - PS1)


^ a track created in the Island environment using TrackMania United Forever.

Are you as crazy about tunnels as most fictional courses and fictional course makers have? You just see a lot of tunnels in a lot of courses, both fictional and non-fictional courses. Traditional Ridge Racer games have always had some sort of tunnel at every track.





Thank you for reading! If you're reading this, then you're awesome! :D Subscribe to my blog via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Click on the graphics below to subscribe to both of my blogs, and also Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page:
* Subscribe to John's Blog Space!
* Subscribe to John's Shop Space! (http://jbmshopspace.blogspot.com/)
* Subscribe to the all-new John's Gran Turismo Space! (http://johnsgtspace.blogspot.com/)

Test Drive Unlimited (PS2 Version)

A racing game MUST be good if it's "the most important leap in racing game design since Gran Turismo." Test Drive Unlimited for the PS2 may not be as in-depth as the XBOX 360 and PC counterparts, but don't let this be a deal breaker for you. Test Drive Unlimited is one of the most immersive racing games I've EVER played. It is a wonderful title for so many reasons. Through this blog entry, I'll be sure to explain as much as I can about the PS2 version of this game.

--- Test Drive Unlimited at a Glance ---

If I can't find decent box art images to use, I'll just use in-game pictures. So here you go:

^ from: tgdaily.com (best picture I could find- either this or nothing) - Test Drive Unlimited (PlayStation 2 version).

Test Drive Unlimited was a game released in 2006. The game literally lets you rule the streets and highways of Oahu Island. This paradise is yours to buy cars and enjoy racing. This game, however, is MUCH more than buying cars and going racing. You can buy houses to store more cars. You can purchase upgrade packages to enhance the performance of your car.

The PS2 version does not have features like buying clothes, buying certain cars, no custom paint options, and there are NO motorcycles in this game. I think it also lacks other kinds of events to take part in the game. These are some of the many things you can't do with the PS2 version of this game (which I am discussing in this blog entry).

The kinds of races and cars you have access to depends on your Master Points. Simply driving fast boosts your Master Points. You earn more Master Points by performing drifts, entering slipstream battles in races, and flying off of ramps and hills. There are five different levels for you to reach in getting up the leader ranks. The higher ranking events are harder and longer. You will also be able to access much more powerful cars in addition.

This island is basically yours to go explore in your car. However, you need to remember that this is not some illegal street racing game. The cops WILL pursue you if you drive too reckless. Ramming into cars or driving too fast down highways will mean that you will be chased down by the cops.

--- Elements of Racing Games: Test Drive Unlimited ---

To get you interested in Test Drive Unlimited, allow me to go through a few talking points.

House Buying.

Across Oahu, you will have the ability to purchase houses. These houses are good for storing multiple cars. Smaller houses can hold a a maximum of four cars while the largest houses hold ten cars. Just like you could in real life, you can own more than one house in Test Drive Unlimited. The importance of having multiple houses is in being able to store more cars. Each house a Realtor offers allows you to buy, exchange, or sell homes. You can go on a Virtual Tour of each house in the game. You can check out the Exterior, the Garage, and the Living Room. You will not be able to adjust any options about how the house looks, but you do get to have places to store your cars. The Exterior view shows you the house as it is on the outside. A full 360° view of the house is shown in this tour. The Garage shows you how the Garage looks. This is where you can envision what it would be like to place your cars in that house. It shows just two different angles of the garage. Finally, the Living Room lets you see what the living room looks like. Your living room is what shows up first when starting or resuming a game. Two angles showcase the room that you're in.

There are two ways to purchase a house- either find one at a Realtor, or find a house for sale as you drive around Oahu Island. Each Realtor will allow you to purchase a house based on whatever properties they offer. All the houses cover various parts of Oahu. You have the ability to sell houses or trade houses to knock off the price a bit of more expensive houses. If you intend on getting multiple cars to own and use, you'll need at least three houses. If you keep buying more cars than you have room to store them, you may have to end up selling prize cars for cash. So buy houses as your collection of cars increases. It doesn't matter where your bought houses are on the island- just look for more storage for your cars.

You can exchange houses, which allows you to take all of your cars from one house and move them to another. In the process, the price of the house you are exchanging for has its price knocked off. Still make sure to have sufficient funds to make the exchange happen. Also, it's dumb to go from a big garage house to exchange for a small house, so ABSOLUTELY AVOID THIS!

You can sell your houses if you're looking for more money. The cars you have at them, however, may all be gone unless you have a good enough other house to store your cars in.

ANALYSIS: This setup allows you to store as many cars as you like. The important thing to remember is that when you start getting more cars, you'll need to buy more homes to put them in. I recommend you try to exchange houses ONLY when you don't want to get rid of any of your original cars. Otherwise, look for other houses to store your cars. What makes this method different from the Gran Turismo series? Well, Gran Turismo has a nearly endless garage for storing your cars. This one is more realistic as you can have a proper garage and be able to see all of your cars as they are. Something you may notice is that some houses look the same and have some of the same rooms. Don't worry about this too much.

The best thing of all- you don't have to worry about paying any bills! That's the beauty of gaming- regardless of any economic situation, you don't have to deal with real-world situations. So don't worry about some housing market- just buy a house in the game and be happy!

Car Buying.

Where do I start? Test Drive Unlimited features the BEST car-buying experience of any racing game I've EVER played. There are multiple car dealers spread across Oahu. In addition, there are many other places where you can simply rent cars. Showrooms can have anywhere between just one car to up to four. Without even wanting to buy a car, you are free to inspect each car by pressing R1. You are free to play-test various features of each car in a lot or in your garage. You know... open the doors, let the windows down or up, even sit in the car and look around. You may arrange to have a Test Drive, allowing you two minutes with a certain car. Of course, you can cancel your test drive at any time and return to the dealer. This provides the most amazing experience in any racing game.

Let's begin with Showrooms. There are two kinds of showrooms- showrooms of specific manufacturers and showrooms offering a certain category of car. The categories of car range from nationalities of car to certain eras of car. For example, British Independents specialize in British cars and only features British cars. Remember that you are free to inspect ANY car in any showroom... even if you can't afford the car or if you haven't completed certain objectives to win that car. When you're ready to buy a car, this is where the fun begins! Not all options are available to you to customize, but options on wheels, paint, and interior are all available to you. You are able to have your own car for those that allow such options. With some cars, certain options you select can impact any paint or interior options. Wheels let you determine what kind of wheels you want for your car. Paint allows you to pick a certain base color for your car. Interior lets you pick out the interior colors for the inside of your car. It is recommended to look around to see what makes each car's interior different. All that remains now is to pay for the car and enjoy your new ride!

When you visit a Car Rental lot, there are only so many cars for you to purchase at a time. You are allowed two denominations of rental time- 30 minutes and 60 minutes. The option to rent a car entitles you to use that car in races and just to drive around the island. This is good if you want to race some of the more powerful cars early on in case you get bored quick with the less powerful cars. There are a few things to keep in mind- YOU DON'T OWN A RENTED CAR! So therefore, you are unable to change the car's colors or upgrade the car's performance. And of course... make sure to return the car when you're done. :)

ANALYSIS: The game allows you a great way to enjoy cars in this game. You can enjoy racing by renting cars or owning your own. Owning a car entitles you to modify its performance with performance packages and to change any exterior colors. The key word for cars is RACING. The showroom experience is exceptional, perhaps one of the best experiences in any racing game. It even influenced me to question the Gran Turismo series' showroom displays.

Aftermarket.

Give your car a performance boost by going to an Aftermarket shop. The process can be tricky, though. There are two things you must keep in mind before upgrading any car. The first thing to consider is that aftermarket shops only cater to certain vehicles. While this is realistic, it may be annoying if you're trying to purchase upgrades for your specific manufacturer's car. So you may have to drive around Oahu to find the right aftermarket tuner for your car. The second thing to consider- some performance upgrades boost the class level of your car. While it may sound like something significant, it may disqualify your car's chances of competing in certain races based on the class level of cars. So upgrade cautiously based on the specific requirements for each event. There are as many as three different upgrade packages for each car. The upgrades only upgrade the performance characteristics of each car. You have no control over fine-tuning each car, so what you're buying is an all-around upgrade package that makes your car much better than stock.

ANALYSIS: This game does not allow for detailed manipulation of your cars, so buying upgrade packages seems highly unrealistic. Especially if you are a Gran Turismo or Forza type, your options are severely unfulfilling in modifying cars in their most intricate details.

--- Test Drive Unlimited: Racing Action ---

NOTE: I have NEVER played this game online, so I will be unable to discuss online play.

You basically own the island. So feel free to go race in any number of events across Oahu. [At least] The PS2 version has three types of events- Time, Speed, and Race. Depending on how many Master Points you have, you may only be able to race in certain races. Only a certain number of races will be available to you based on the amount of Master Points you have. As you progress through the game and get more Master Points, harder and longer races await you. You go from races that go around short courses a few miles in length to courses that are very long... even one Master-level race that is as long as 103.6 miles!

Time events require you to complete a time trial in the quickest time possible.

In Speed races, your job is to clear the course in the fastest time while posting the fastest time at each speed trap. If you go off the road, penalties will be added to your run. So stay on the road as much as you can while performing your runs.

Race events range from closed-circuit and open-circuit events. They are divided up ranging on classes and difficulty level. Harder races are longer with more powerful cars. You can make the most money from races by racing in Hard difficulty. Difficulty level only affects the quality of the opposition you race against. To get the best edge, get the highest upgrade for your car and make sure your car is within specification of the race or series.

You may have to enter certain race series for some of the various events.

--- Test Drive Unlimited: Clubs ---

Spread across Oahu are various clubs. These clubs give you a chance to enjoy racing against others and representing clubs. Various clubs are devoted to certain classes of car, kinds of car, or anything like that. The job of each club is to go from the lower ranks to being president of the club. Each race is a one-on-one point-to-point race held in random parts of Oahu. First to the finish wins. When one member of the club is defeated in a race, you go on to all the others until you become president of the club. You receive various bonuses for your work, usually an upgrade package sold for free or a new car. Make sure to explore Oahu to find as many things as possible around the island. Seek things like car clubs, car dealers, houses, and more. Finding these things can be helpful for when you want to properly access certain parts of the island quickly.

--- Test Drive Unlimited: Tips ---

It is now time for me to recommend you some things.

* Literally explore the island. There are miles and miles of road for you to use and utilize. If you want to able to access certain parts of the island quickly, you'll need to access certain points of the island. This game takes you all around Oahu Island and through various cities (including beautiful Honolulu). You will need to access the various icons to quickly access other parts of the island to take part in races and other things. Also, it's also good to just drive around the island to get a feel for what roads and highways this game has to offer. There are even some locations that may not have their own race, but make for great roads to race on. For example, there are some twisty roads that make a great touge stage on Oahu. So have some fun here!

* Turn off the Auto GPS to cruise without distractions. The Auto GPS feature quickly links you to race events you to take part in. You can access the map quickly (by pressing Select) and even set certain points you want to access. You can still race in events and purchase things, but it isn't required for you to always seek race events. So when you just want to cruise and enjoy your car, disable Auto GPS.

* Stay on the road! You only gain Master Points when you're on the road. Some races even have penalties if you go off road for too long. You will be disqualified if you leave the road for too long in some races and events. So make sure to stay on the road as much as you can.

* If being pursued by police, going off-road can help. The police will NOT chase you if you're far off-road. You may be able to access any other road by going off-road and finding the first available road to you away from the police. The police will back off when either they can't keep up with you or if you drive smarter on the road.

* Learn on-the-fly when doing club races. The reason why I put this in is because events set up by car clubs are completely random. This even includes driving on roads that go in the wrong direction! You'll need to avoid oncoming traffic as well as stay on the road. It may be unfair to be in some of these races, but it isn't impossible to win these races.

* Take advantage of test drives and rentals. Especially early on, give yourself a chance to be adjusted with cars. You can basically play-test any car in the game. Why not take advantage of this to adjust yourself to the various cars in the game? If going with rental cars, don't pay for more time than you'd like to in using the cars. If you're not going to use a rental car for 60 minutes, don't pay for 60 minutes with a car.

* Exchange houses early on. You have enough money to get a 100,000 Credit house when starting out. Once money starts rolling in and you want to go bigger and better, exchange your first house for a bigger and better place. The cars you own will go with you to your new house. Keep saving up money to seek better houses.

* Upgrade your car to better your chances in harder races. Purchase the best upgrade package to gain the edge in races. Be warned that some upgrades boost your car's class level. So if this is the case, cautiously upgrade your car so that you don't have to buy a new car or disqualify your car for a certain event.

* Unlocked/Earned cars can be bought again. You will be able to buy any car that you win as a prize. So if you earn a car but don't have enough garage space, you can always buy that car in the future. So it's not like in Gran Turismo games where a certain car can only be won once and can't be bought again.

* New clubs and races become available when purchasing certain cars. For example, if you purchase a luxury car, you will be invited to compete in a club devoted to luxury cars. Take advantage of these opportunties to continually enjoy racing in a variety of cars.

* Showrooms you can't access? Because there are some things the PS2 version doesn't have in the game (like motorcycles or certain car companies), you MIGHT find what looks like basic car showrooms... except that you can't access them! There's nothing you can do about these except move on.

--- Test Drive Unlimited: Review ---

Now it's time for my commentary piece encapsulating my review of Test Drive Unlimited for the PS2.

To say the least, Test Drive Unlimited is the most immersive racing game I've ever played. For a game that isn't about Gran Turismo-style pure racing, Test Drive Unlimited really makes you live in a certain space. You instantly feel connected once you start competing in races. Oahu is featured beautifully and with a lot of items for you to access. Even when you go into the Map view, the zoom-out is beautifully done. It makes you feel like the entire island is rendered for you beautifully. The cars all sound and look amazing. Interior views are spectacularly detailed. Even without features found in the XBOX 360 and PC versions of Test Drive Unlimited, the PS2 version is absolutely no slouch. While I am not an online gamer, I'm sure online play is even solid. The game asks if you want to go online even when you start a new game or resume a saved game. Don't have to go online, but the replay value is immense for a game like this. There is honestly nothing you are unable to do with this game. There are few disappointments, if any. This is an open-world style of game for car fans. The driving is pretty good as well. Test Drive Unlimited is an arcadish racing game, but the driving dynamics are very realistic. It doesn't feel as arcadish to where certain performance figures are vastly exaggerated, though. If you're a racing fan and/or a car fan, you should have this game in your PS2 lineup.

The only disappointing elements is that there are a number of cars and car companies absent, no motorcycle racing, no clothing options, or anything like that. Still, the game is still worth playing. Oh, and there's no damage either. It is still a fantastic game.





I thank you for reading my blog entry on Test Drive Unlimited for the PS2. If you enjoyed my review and want to purchase this game, I have this Amazon link for you to buy this game on Amazon. Buy Test Drive Unlimited for the PS2 (or for any other system) here:

--- Off-Topic: Test Drive Unlimited 2 Preview ---

Before I go, here's a bonus section I wanted to add. I learned a little more about Test Drive Unlimited 2. TDU took you around Oahu. Apparently in TDU2, it takes you around not only Oahu, but also Ibiza. Yes- Ibiza as in the beautiful Balearic island... that's world-famous for its night parties.

It seems like elements such as customizing yourself, your house, your cars, and more can be done in this game. You can even board flights to go around both Oahu and Ibiza. You can even get out of your car and interact with others. I think I read you can even buy yachts. This is a game I surely want to get for when I get a PlayStation 3.

To learn more about Test Drive Unlimited 2, visit www.testdriveunlimited2.com, or check out this trailer:

^ courtesy of Machinima; the song is "Ghetto Burnin'" by Phonat





Thank you all for reading! Subscribe to my blog via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Click on the graphics below to subscribe to both of my blogs, and also Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page:
* Subscribe to John's Blog Space!
* Subscribe to John's Shop Space! (http://jbmshopspace.blogspot.com)

Elements of Racing Games: The Next Best Thing

The goal of any game (let alone racing games) is to deliver real-world experiences in a unique way, but when you can't have the experience you're looking for, that is why you try to come up with the next best thing. Delivering a true experience or an experience you're trying to re-create can be done by using your creative muscle.

Here is how this blog entry works:

WHAT THEY WANTED:
^ This explains what kind of experience the certain element to be featured in a game. This is primarily about a certain experience or facility that they wanted to express or feature. The items featured are based on what a certain experience clearly expresses.

WHAT WE GOT:
^ Based on what the game developers PROBABLY wanted, I try to express what we eventually got in the game.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
^ How does what we got in the game compared to the kind of real-world experience the game tried to feature? That is the question I hope to answer with my own commentary.

--- The Next Best Thing: Basics ---

Here is a basic look at what this blog entry is about.

I am categorizing this as "The Next Best Thing" in talking about how racing games feature a variety of racing game experiences. While a lot of games don't feature actual cars and experiences, what developers try to do instead is to make their own racing experiences in the spirit of the real life series they represent. The same goes for fictional race tracks and cars. A lot of the cars have some fictional paintschemes despite the cars being 100% real. Some games even have fictional drivers and teams either representing real-world drivers or simply fictional altogether.

Is it, then, a bad thing to not feature actual racing series and drivers and tracks? It depends on the game and what the game is about. I will mention four games in this blog entry. All of which, feature a variety of things that was offered when the game developers PROBABLY were looking to add certain real-world features. What were the game developers looking to add to their games? What were we given instead? How do these experiences compare to what the games were probably trying to deliver or emulate?

--- The Next Best Thing: Gran Turismo Series ---

Unlike the ToCA Race Driver series, the Gran Turismo series is more focused on cars and racing than any sort of intense commitment to real-world motorsports. This focus has changed in recent times as Gran Turismo 5 has featured NASCAR and the World Rally Championship.

* Formula GT.
WHAT THEY WANTED: Formula 1 Racing
WHAT WE GOT: Formula GT/Formula Gran Turismo
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
Gran Turismos 3 and 4 featured Formula GT. There was a plan by Polyphony Digital to make their own Formula 1 racing game. The plan was dashed as Codemasters built their Formula 1 game. The first true Formula One race car was first featured in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue when the Ferrari F2007 was featured. It would also be featured in Gran Turismo PSP. Gran Turismo 3 is the most diverse of the F1 racing as multiple F1 cars of various kinds were featured. Gran Turismo 4, however, only featured one F1 car. I've never done a Formula GT race except for doing some qualifying in one race in the Nissan R92CP at Tokyo R246.

* Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini.
WHAT THEY WANTED: Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini
WHAT WE GOT: Ruf (GT2, GT3, and GT4) and Cizeta (GT4)
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
People have constantly complained of a lack of supercars and sports cars in Gran Turismo titles. Like, I had to deal with people constantly bitching about how there are no supercars in GT4. So I guess cars like the Saleen S7, Ruf RGT, Ford GT, Jaguar XJ220, and Spyker C8 Laviolette are just a bunch of Kei cars. Bull. The lone Cizeta in GT4 is sort of a combination of a Ferrari and a Lamborghini as it looks. So I'd say it's a pretty good tradeoff. For Gran Turismo 5, you won't need to worry about a Cizeta because Ferrari and Lamborghini will be featured with their own lovely cars.

--- The Next Best Thing: Enthusia Professional Racing ---

Some people saw Enthusia Professional Racing as a failed attempt at making a game that could contend against Gran Turismo 4. Many others, however, sensed the goodness this game had to offer and thought it was much better than what people said they were.

WHAT THEY WANTED: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
WHAT WE GOT: Speediapolis Ring
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
Speediapolis Ring is a dead giveaway of what Konami was going for. The name sounds completely unoriginal, but you do get to race [in spirit] the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Since there are no pit stops in Enthusia, prepare to race for a long time around this course.

--- The Next Best Thing: Pro Race Driver ---

More than anything, the ToCA Race Driver series on PS2/Gamecube/XBOX featured a variety of series that offered experiences that seemed to mimic what Codemasters really wanted to go for (or could have gone for). Here is a short list from this 2002 game:

WHAT THEY WANTED: NASCAR
WHAT WE GOT: AAS (only Chevrolet Monte Carlo stock cars)
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
First of all, the cars are only Chevrolet Monte Carlo stock cars. Second, the one-size-fits-all cockpit suggests the cars have MoTeC-style data loggers and a sophisticated cockpit. I don't think there is a single thing inside of a stock car that is digital. The action is... pretty good for what it is. Also, these ovals have styrofoam boards denoting distance into a corner. Name me a single oval that has styrofoam boards to note the distance into a certain corner. The courses could even be raced in the rain. I even tried to race Sears Point in the rain in a Free Race. Rain on an oval is pretty dangerous having high-speed racing on an oval. So, it's your call as to how it REALLY compares.

--- The Next Best Thing: ToCA Race Driver 2 ---

Pro Race Driver was an epic fail despite its great qualities. ToCA Race Driver 2 is where the series really wanted to evolve and make itself worlds better than Pro Race Driver. It featured a lot more styles of racing that the series hasn't yet experienced before up to this point. It does, however, have a bunch of racing experiences that I think Codemasters was trying to accomplish with real-world series, but failed in doing so. So here are the next best THINGS we got:


* Lightning Truck 500.
WHAT THEY WANTED: NASCAR Truck Series
WHAT WE GOT: Lightning Truck 500
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
For starters, these are actual stock trucks and not the pure race cars perceived and and taken like stock trucks. These are essentially stock trucks racing on two different ovals in the game. These trucks, however, make give-or-take 1/2 of the brake horsepower a NASCAR Truck puts out.

* Truman Stockcar League.
WHAT THEY WANTED: NASCAR Cup
WHAT WE GOT: Truman Stockcar
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
Unlike Pro Race Driver, the stock cars are all fiction. As an added bonus, however, you get to race these stock cars around Laguna Seca and Road America. None of the stock cars' paint schemes even resemble any real stock cars. The cars are just simply called "Championship Stockcar."

* Pan-American XKR Series.
WHAT THEY WANTED: SCCA Trans-Am
WHAT WE GOT: XKR Series
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
This championship only features the Jaguar XKR Trans-Am race car. The paintschemes are all fictional, but most everything about the car is authentic from bumper to bumper. The action is Trans-Am intense as well.

* American 1000.
WHAT THEY WANTED: more likely the IndyCar Series or even the Champ Car World Series (now defunct and merged with IndyCar)
WHAT WE GOT: American 1000
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
American 1000 is clearly inspired by either the IRL or CART. The car is fictional, yet clearly can be made out to note some of the Indy car features of it.

* World GT Series
WHAT THEY WANTED: (maybe?) traditional sportscar racing series
WHAT WE GOT: World GT Series
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
The reason why I mention traditional sportscar racing is because this series features only the Jaguar XJ220 and the Koenig C62, which reminds me of the Porsche 962C. Part of me probably says that the Koenig would be able to easily beat the Jaguar XJ220, but the racing in this series is so close that there isn't really any comparison as to which is better. At least, the Career Mode version features some intense racing...

* Masters Grand Prix.
WHAT THEY WANTED: Formula 1
WHAT WE GOT: Masters Grand Prix
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
I haven't gotten this far in ToCA RD 2 yet. This is the final regular championship in the game, and the championship you work to race your way into through Career Mode. The ultimate goal is to race in the Masters Grand Prix with some of the fastest cars in the game. While it's called the Masters Grand Prix, the action CLEARLY resembles Formula 1. Again, I haven't gotten this far in ToCA Race Driver 2, so I cannot comment any further.

--- The Next Best Thing: ToCA Race Driver 3 ---

ToCA Race Driver 3 was a quantum leap in featuring many more styles of racing and mutliple disciplines of motorsport. A lot more real racing series were featured throughout the grander scope of the game. Two of the newer series featured in the game are the IndyCar Series and British GT among others.

* US Muscle Car Tour.
WHAT THEY WANTED: (maybe) vintage Trans-Am Racing
WHAT WE GOT: US Muscle Car Tour
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
This series reminds me a whole lot of old-school Trans-Am racing. Maybe it doesn't have any premier muscle cars that has helped define Trans-Am, but it does have good old vintage racing.

* Silver Arrows Grand Prix Series, Silver Arrows Grand Prix Endurance, 1930s Vintage Grand Prix, and 1960s Grand Prix
WHAT THEY WANTED: vintage Formula 1 racing
WHAT WE GOT: Silver Arrows Grand Prix Series, Silver Arrows Grand Prix Endurance, 1930s Vintage Grand Prix, and 1960s Grand Prix
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
Nothing like vintage formula-type racing. The series mentioned feature various forms of motorsport through the glory days of racing. Racing with all of these cars gives you a sense of old-school formula racing- even before the Formula 1 namesake (especially the 1930s Vintage Grand Prix). As with any kind of vintage racing, the eminent challenge is to try to keep all four tires on the track while trying to wrestle with old-style technology. You'll have your work cut out here.

* 1970s GT.
WHAT THEY WANTED: (Historic GT racing?)
WHAT WE GOT: 1970s GT
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
All you get are the BMW M1 ProCar and the Lancia Beta Monte Carlo, two sensational GT racing machines. This was great GT racing from way back when. Both cars are a joy to drive in this series.

* GT Tuning Cup
WHAT THEY WANTED: Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini in one series
WHAT WE GOT: GT Tuning Cup - Koenig GT, Gemballa GTR 750 Evo, and Koenig GT-D
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
Who doesn't love seeing a battle between three of the most famous exotic sports car marques? Codemasters couldn't get Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini; so they got Koenig and Gemballa.

* World Sprintcar Series.
WHAT THEY WANTED: World of Outlaws (maybe?)
WHAT WE GOT: World Sprintcar Series
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
Nowhere near traditional sprint car racing, it just doesn't have the level of performance and skill in handling sprint cars on dirt ovals. This series could have benefited from true short dirt ovals instead of the fairly longer ovals. Both of the oval races are fictional courses.

* US Speedtruck Challenge.
WHAT THEY WANTED: NASCAR Trucks
WHAT WE GOT: US Speedtruck Challenge (Chevrolet Silverado stock trucks only)
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
Anyone who is a fan of NASCAR Trucks will find something to love about racing these trucks. It compares very nicely.

* Dodge Super Speedway Tour.
WHAT THEY WANTED: NASCAR Cup
WHAT WE GOT: Dodge Super Speedway Tour (Dodge Charger stock cars only)
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
You only race Dodge stock cars. In addition, some of the many paintschemes somewhat resemble actual cars, though completely fiction.

* Supertruck International Series
WHAT THEY WANTED: FIA European Truck Racing or (more relevant) the former STRANA series
WHAT WE GOT: Supertruck International Racing
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
In ToCA Race Driver 2, the Ford 9000 truck was used with up to eight of these to a track. This series features an outstanding 20 super trucks on the track at once. I think the model is supposed to be a racing truck from Freightliner.

* BMW Williams F1 Challenge, Williams Team Challenge, 1980's Williams Grand Prix, and 1990's Williams Grand Prix
WHAT THEY WANTED: Formula 1
WHAT WE GOT: BMW Williams F1 Challenge, Williams Team Challenge, 1980's Williams Grand Prix, and 1990's Williams Grand Prix
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
Formula One Racing has always been perhaps the grandest goal of any simulation-type racing game. What you get here is Formula One in all of its intense challenge. I have always been terrible at Formula One racing in games. Since you're using just one car (unless doing the Williams F1 team challenges), you don't have to worry about one car dominate while everyone else leaves you in the dust. You still need to race hard. If you want a real challenge, try to unlock the Bonus BMW Williams F1 Challenge and race around Bathurst in an F1 car! A lot of the cars in these series have just one actual Williams F1 paintscheme to each series, then a bunch of fictional ones.


If I think of any others (or if you like to contribute), I'll edit this section.

--- The Next Best Thing: rFactor ---

rFactor drew on the modding success of Sports Car GT and expanded upon it. The variety of racing series and tracks in rFactor makes for one of the best out-the-box racing experiences anywhere. A number of the series featured immediately are based more on real cars rather than actually featuring real cars. So let's see the next best things rFactor came along with.


* Formula IS.
WHAT THEY WANTED: Formula 1
WHAT WE GOT: Formula IS
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
Even though rFactor gives you the BMW Sauber F1 cars, its own response to the Formula 1 World Championship is Formula IS (with the IS more than likely meaning Image Space, makers of rFactor and various other racing games). You have to do a LOT of racing and spend about 2,100,000 Credits to purchase your own Formula IS car. When

* rF3.
WHAT THEY WANTED: Formula 3
WHAT WE GOT: rF3
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
The rF3 cars are very fun to race. These are great cars to race in this game. Absolutely fun.

* rTrainer.
WHAT THEY WANTED: Skip Barber Dodge Racing
WHAT WE GOT: rTrainer
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
rTrainer makes for a wonderful introduction to racing. It is to help you to racing some of the more powerful and capable formula cars.

* NSCR.
WHAT THEY WANTED: NASCAR Cup
WHAT WE GOT: NSCR (all fictional cars)
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
While none of the cars are real, NSCR features three fictional cars. The three car companies are Centennial, Edgar, and Titan. You can purchase and equip packages designed for four different kinds of racing. The action is pretty intense and fierce. It's pretty cool stock car racing unique to rFactor.

* Jacksonville.
WHAT THEY WANTED: Daytona International Speedway
WHAT WE GOT: Jacksonville
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
Jacksonville has the right kind of idea. Daytona Beach is in northern Florida, and so is Jacksonville. The track rides a lot like Daytona for the most part. Jacksonville is the restrictor plate-type oval.


Of course, many mods were created featuring real series and real paintschemes. rFactor just featured a broad variety of racing series and kinds of racing out the box.

--- The Next Best Thing... Good or Bad? ---

I don't want anyone to think that all of this is a bad thing in any such way. It's just that not every game and game developer can deliver the kind of experience. A lot of people just think that every racing game should feature every possible racing series to avoid being a fail. On another hand, maybe some game developers just want to make their own experiences without having to actively pursue actual licenses. In this sense, you have to credit the creativity and resourcefulness to make their own experiences apart from the actual series, cars, and tracks represented.

For most people, it's inexcusable to not have actual racing series, cars, and drivers. That's true if you are trying to market a racing game to feature all kinds of licensed racing series, but not as critical to have if you're just trying to deliver any kind of real racing experience. Gran Turismo 5 will feature NASCAR and the World Rally Championship (to what extent of the WRC remains to be seen). However, is the Gran Turismo series predicated on real racing series? Never has, never will. The reason why is because Gran Turismo is focused on driving and a variety of cars. Gran Turismo is giving itself some new character by featuring actual series. Still, cars and driving is more the focus rather than the most intense and realistic racing experience. ToCA Race Driver, however, is more focused on intensely realistic racing experiences more than cars and driving. It is this authenticity that gives ToCA its character. So any focus on real racing series and real venues really depends on the game and the game developer.

So is looking for these alternatives a good thing or a bad thing? To me, it depends more on what you look for in a racing game and what a game actually has to provide. Not every racing game should go out and pursue all sorts of licenses to feature all kinds of real-world racing series. Also, it doesn't make a game bad to not feature any kind of real-world racing. It just means that the developers of a game will have to make a racing game to emulate a certain experience. And yes- you CAN make different experiences based on real-world racing series. You just have to be creative and thoughtful. I am someone that admires creativity more than trying to always seek the licenses to big name cars and car companies. Even rFactor shown to be a great racing game even with a majority of fictional race cars and some fictional tracks. Just be creative and make something of your game.





Thanks to all of you for reading my material! Subscribe to my blog via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Click on the graphics below to subscribe to both of my blogs:
* Subscribe to John's Blog Space:!
* Subscribe to John's Shop Space:!

Elements of Racing Games - Gran Turismo vs. ToCA Race Driver Series

The "Elements of Racing Games" series will be expanded to include more games and analytical looks at various racing games. This blog entry will hopefully be the first of perhaps many racing games I will try to talk about in an element-by-element basis. The first of this expansion of this topic will be on the Gran Turismo series and the ToCA Race Driver (Pro Race Driver, ToCA Race Driver 2, and ToCA Race Driver 3 series). If the drive is your spot of tea, go GT. If actual racing is your love, go ToCA. Gran Turismo and the ToCA Race Driver series are both compelling game series. What makes them different, however, is in various aspects of each title that makes them different. I will explain my own ideas as to what makes GT and ToCA different.

--- General Synopsis ---

The Gran Turismo series is focused on cars and driving. Many have criticized how there's no personality or realism in racing dynamics in Gran Turismo titles. Gran Turismo 5 will probably change that completely. As for the ToCA Race Driver series (meaning, all the games before GRID), their games are more predicated on believable racing championships. Their merits are based solely on racing and racing cars than some kind of car collecting deal.

--- What Does Gran Turismo Bring? ---

Try asking this question in 1997. Since 1997, we know full well what this game brings to the racing game table. Gran Turismo HD was always about the drive and the experience of driving. It was about giving and encompassing a collection of cars while also giving others a chance to race cars many of us will likely never race. For people who look deep at Gran Turismo games, the games have not possessed any sort of true Career Mode or any true sense of belonging in a proper racing game. This has led to most true critics of GT games to question the overall character of Gran Turismo.

Many people would fancy games like GTR or something on the basis of actual gameplay and actually feeling like part of a true racing game with true racing cars. Most other critics usually like thinking Gran Turismo games are more about Japanese cars than most cars most gamers care about. There has been a steady progression of race cars featured in Gran Turismo games. Gran Turismo 1 featured the first rally car in the series with the Subaru Impreza Rally Car. Gran Turismo 2 debuted faster touring cars, GT cars, and even some GTP and GT1 cars. Gran Turismo 3 debuted formula racing cars. Gran Turismo 4 debuted Le Mans Prototypes and a greater variety of touring cars and GT cars past and present. Gran Turismo 5 looks to feature more formula cars and NASCAR stock cars.

Gran Turismo, then, is more about the drive and more about an overall and complete experience. GT games have the right balance of everyday driver, dream cars, and dream racing cars in one package. There is never any compromise. It is a whole experience very few games have been able to meet or beat.

--- What Did the ToCA Race Driver Games Bring? ---

This area is focused on Pro Race Driver, ToCA Race Driver 2, and ToCA Race Driver 3. The ToCA Race Driver series, however, features more real racing cars and much more believeable championships. Its focus was more on believable championships. A big plus for the ToCA Race Driver series pertains more to actual racing machines and machines tuned for racing. You feel more connected to actually racing than you do with the Gran Turismo games. You had team names and driver names to make it feel like an actual racing series instead of just an AI race against nameless drones. There were even facilities to help you keep in mind where you are in the championship rankings. ToCA games are all about realistic championships.

Pro Race Driver only offered so few series. Where this game shone, however, was in how believeable and credible each championship was. The second tier featured more powerful cars as well as some actual series and cars, such as the DTM and Australian V8 Supercar Series. Everything was executed in a smart way on the racing front. Too bad that the game had such thug AI.

ToCA Race Driver 2 expanded upon what PRD had to offer. And in it, you get a vast variety of racing machines and racing types. You can race everything from a Formula Ford to a semi truck to some fast single-seat cars. You can race on everything from road courses, to ovals, to a four-stage rally course. The ToCA series' realistic character was enhanced with the races. Selecting a car to use now allows you to pick a car, choose a team, and pick a team driver. The championships are structured beautifully. Let me give you an example. One of the series in ToCA Race Driver 2 is the Bridgestone Street Series. Only the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII and Subaru Impreza WRX are used, and they are only raced on street courses in Sunset conditions. Since there is no night racing, city streets in sunset conditions is a nice tradeoff. Codemasters did very well in coming up with a variety of races and race types for this game.

ToCA Race Driver 3 featured an absolute quantum leap in realistic and believable racing action. Rather than various series scatterbrained, you have series divided among motorsports disciplines. What makes this game unique and gives it its character are things like flag systems unique to each motorsport as well as various Practice and Qualifying formats. In some series (like DTM), you can actually compete in a realistic qualifying session which has the top qualifiers competing in an extra session to round out the grid for a race. What this allows for is the most realistic and believable experience for which to enjoy racing. Whether you're racing a go-kart, any classic car, an Indy Car, or whatever... the most realistic racing experience was at your fingers. There was even an upgrade system designed to enhance certain elements of cars in the game. One more thing to include so I don't forget, there is also class racing in ToCA Race Driver 3. All cars can compete at once, but you were only responsible for winning in your class.

The real key for the ToCA Race Driver series was in going from so few cars to 20 cars to a track for most series. More cars to a track makes for the most realistic racing experiences.

--- Gran Turismo and ToCA: Fundamental Likenesses ---

The respective Gran Turismo and ToCA Race Driver series have their own fundamental likenesses. The true merits for both series lie in giving gamers multiple cars to choose from in going racing. Both games feature a variety of cars and tracks to go racing with. Both games deliver their own intense racing experiences. They are as intense as the respective makers see fit.

--- Gran Turismo and ToCA: Fundamental Differences ---

Despite their likenesses, there are elements that completely divide themselves apart.


Actual Racing... Who Has the Advantage?
The ToCA Race Driver games clearly have the edge in the actual racing department over the Gran Turismo series. Even in ToCA Race Driver 2 and 3, you have a realistic format and schedule of races. Points are paid realistically as well. Gran Turismo games just pay out a certain number of points. Usually, the same number of points for various rounds. The real beacon of light for ToCA is in ToCA Race Driver 3, where you can race in World Tour, Pro Career Mode, and Simulation Modes. The Pro Career Mode of ToCA RD 3 is where you can race a full season going to every track and with various rules enforced. Races and championships in Gran Turismo games don't feel like fully-sanctioned series. Not even the Gran Turismo World Championship feels like some sort of big deal championship. There is much more racing character in ToCA Race Driver games than in Gran Turismo games.

The biggest difference is that ToCA Race Driver games feature point-to-point rally stages and an extremely believeable rally racing system. When you cross the checkpoints, you get an idea as to where you are on the time charts as you clear each section. Spain in ToCA Race Driver 2 and the United Kingdom Rally in ToCA Race Driver 3 offered two lovely courses for which to enjoy rally-style racing.

Imagine if Gran Turismo 5 allowed for realistic paying of points. What I mean is... rather than the usual number of points for each race and championship in GT games, what about some bigger point totals? Look at NASCAR and the spread of points paid out. The only interesting aspect of Gran Turismo from a championship perspective was in the Polyphony Digital Cup in GT3 (and maybe GT4) where you win money ONLY if you win the race.


Cars and Races For Them... Who Has the Advantage?
While 20 cars for ToCA Race Driver 2 and ToCA Race Driver 3 are impressive, Gran Turismo games have the depth advantage. If you look at the ToCA games, you only have so few cars allowed for a series. Let me give you an example...

Compare the Spider and Roadster races in Gran Turismos 3 and 4 to the Convertible World Cup in ToCA Race Driver 2, for example. Even though ToCA RD 2 will have more cars on track than Gran Turismo, your options are only limited to what you are given in ToCA Race Driver 2. Gran Turismo games have only one qualification- it must be a spider/spyder or a roadster. Your options, then, are more varied than with ToCA Race Driver 2.

Let's use another example. Compare the Japan Championship in Gran Turismo 4 to the Japanese Works Car Cup in ToCA Race Driver 3. Polyphony Digital would clearly have the advantage since Gran Turismo is a Japanese title. You can basically bring in almost any potent Japanese car as long as it has Standard or Sports Tires. ToCA Race Driver 3, however, only limits you to the Nissan 350Z and the 21st century Honda NSX. ToCA Race Driver 3 also does not have a single Japanese race track in the game, so you can't even use Japanese cars on their home soil in the game.

I will use one last example. Compare the Aston Martin Carnival from Gran Turismo 4 with the Excalibur Cup in ToCA Race Driver 2. Both series feature Aston Martins, but the Excalibur Cup in ToCA RD 2 features only one Aston Martin- the Aston Martin DB9 Coupe. You are tempted to race almost any Aston Martin had this deal been in GT4.

These car discussions become moot points when you consider that ToCA Race Driver games have many more real race cars than what Gran Turismo mostly provides. This also includes many more kinds of race cars that ToCA Race Driver games have over Gran Turismo. I WILL say this in ToCA Race Driver's defense- I have enjoyed racing monster trucks and the Bowler Wildcat in ToCA games! :)

The long story short is that Gran Turismo games offer more depth in what cars you can race. There may be more cars to a track in the ToCA Race Driver games, but the depth of cars to choose from is severely limited compared to the Gran Turismo games. Where ToCA Race Driver games really shine over Gran Turismo is in having racing series with their own unique character. Rather than certain One-Make races (like in GT games), you have actual championship names that may actually feature just one or two cars (sometimes three or more). ToCA Race Driver games have you feel more like competing in championship series, as opposed to what seems like generated championships in Gran Turismo games. Another edge goes to ToCA Race Driver 3 as you actually feel like you are in actual series with actual rules enforced, compared to Gran Turismo games.


Tracks and Venues... Who Has the Advantage?
I am not really sure. I will give the slight edge to the ToCA Race Driver series because of more real-world places as well as more kinds of venues. There are even variations of tracks that have some other uses. Brands Hatch comes to mind, as you can race the Indy course, the Grand Prix course, or even the Rally Cross/Rallycross course around Brands Hatch. Another advantage for ToCA- point-to-point rally courses.


Fun Factor... Who Has the Advantage?
This really depends on what you want in a racing game. The ToCA Race Driver series is too focused on racing to where it's not really fun to just go out and race any car casually. The Gran Turismo series can be fun either casually or trying to be professional. Gran Turismo hasn't a professional touch, but it can be enjoyable for casual drives rather than always having to race. So by my description, I'd give the edge to the Gran Turismo series.


Action... Who Has the Advantage?
Considering you could damage cars in ToCA Race Driver games, this clearly has the advantage over Gran Turismo games. The damage element is not without thuggish AI in ToCA Race Driver, however.





This has been my more analytical look at both series. I hope you've enjoyed my blog entry as much as I've enjoyed making it. Feel free to comment away if you have something [intelligent] you'd like to share!

Elements of Racing Games: The Temporary Street Course at Night

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.

Elements of Racing Games: The Grand Prix Course

I'm going to try to focus on a few elements of racing games this week. I never try to devote any one week to a certain thing, but I'll try for this one.



--- The Grand Prix Circuit Explained ---
In a proper circuit-racing game, I would describe the Grand Prix course as an intimidating and imposing race course. I would consider the requirements for such tracks as follows:

* a signature, game-defining, closed-circuit race track
* permanent race course (some exceptions if the best one is a street course)
* for some games, a FICTIONAL race course
* long or even very long (x > 2 miles, or x > 3.22 km for most games)
* great layout and rewarding to race on
* at least be moderately difficult
* makes a great test track
* utilized fully by various racing series in a game or in various championships
* a track that just looks like it could host a Grand Prix event. This can consist of massive grandstands, a nicely-appointed race course with great facilities, etc.

Since I do a lot of Gran Turismo videos and posts, the true Grand Prix course in GT is Grand Valley Speedway. Why this course? It's a no-brainer. Grand Valley Speedway is Gran Turismo. Grand Valley has been in every major GT game including Tourist Trophy. While a fictional course, if it were a real track, it could easily be a candidate for a Formula One Grand Prix event for its complexity and challenge. The track is long with some very interesting corners. It's courses like these that make for great racing.

I also think that Apricot Hill is a great Grand Prix-style course, though it's much shorter than Grand Valley. The layout of this course suggests a Grand Prix-style racing facility. Grand Valley is king, but Apricot Hill is just as intense to race.



--- What Are Some Other Examples in Other Games? ---

Löwenseering (Enthusia Professional Racing). Löwenseering is a great example of a Grand Prix-style race course. The course seems to be a mixture of various other circuits. Its layout is amazing, and the challenge it provides is unlike any other- including the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It's the most formidable and rewarding circuit in Enthusia.

Alpine Ring Raceway (Forza Motorsport). I like to think of Alpine Ring as a course that defines Forza just for the amount of challenge it provides.

Solid Circuit (Sega GT). Sega GT's track lack any character or personality. However, if you had to nominate any one track to be a great Grand Prix-style racing course, it's Solid Circuit. Solid Circuit is neither long nor imposing. However, it provides a great challenge for a PERMANENT race course.

Peach Circuit (Mario Kart 64). Weird of me to include a track from an ARCADE racing game. Even for a childish and fun game like Mario Kart 64, the track itself is laid out like a very good Grand Prix course. It's long with plenty of challenging corners.

Essington Park and Orchard Park - Road Course (rFactor). Essington Park has a layout that really has a Grand Prix feel to it. I included Orchard Park's road course because the track flows nicely and isn't too difficult. To be honest, I use Orchard Park's road course as my test track in rFactor.

Training (MotoGP 4). Every other track in this game are real except Training. It is a track that you could probably play on an arcade machine because of its look and feel.



Can you name some from games you've played?




--- [Some Of] Grand Prix Courses in Action! ---

Check out these YouTube videos I've found to see these courses in action!


^ Grand Valley Speedway, Gran Turismo 4


^ Löwenseering, Enthusia Professional Racing (forgive the music)


^ Alpine Ring Raceway, Forza Motorsport 1


^ Solid Circuit, Sega GT (HD Available)


^ Essington Park, rFactor (may need to turn the volume up)


^ Royal Raceway, Mario Kart 64





--- Overall... ---
These courses are among some of the most rewarding to race and most rewarding to win on. Every proper circuit-racing game needs that one or two+ circuits that really defines racing in a given game. These are the courses that have a character all their own and are imposing in their own ways. Whether they are graphically-impressive, rewarding to race, too good to be real, or whatever... these comprise a wonderful kind of race course for racing games.





This concludes this blog entry. Thank you for reading.