Support NeoGAF

[Paperclip Killa]

Everything is trying to be a sim or having sim controls and physics with Arcade frosting sprinkled on top, but we barely ever see companies release Arcade Racers at retail much anymore outside EA mishandling Need for Speed, other than that there's very few.

In the past, we got games like these releasing on the regular:

Now all we have is EA putting out another half-effort Need for Speed and Forza Horizon which is a sim with arcade coating with few other real choices.

It's not hard to make an arcade racer with fun stuff just focusing on getting to the finish line or point to point racing, compared to a sim that requires attention to detail, but we get so few of them anyway. Even AA there's nothing coming from major gaming companies, just limited efforts with indies but those aren't what the examples pictured above are.

I miss the days when there were shelves of arcade racers to choose from on the shelf. When games Hi-Octane and Burnout were always plentiful.

 

[SmokedMeat]

I still haven’t picked up Cruisin’ Blast. After seeing the arcade version I wish it was on a platform besides Switch (I know, not happening).

 

[Skyfox]

Bey you didnt buy Dangerous Driving

or Xenon racer

Ps. Hint for anyone who buys Xenon - double tap handbrake to drift.

 

[El Muerto]

Wreckfest is more arcade than sim and it's incredibly fun. Hot Wheels Unleashed is an excellent arcade racer too.

 

[Skyfox]

Daytona USA 3 also ignored even though it was awesome. Didn't make it out of the arcades sadly.

 

[Umbasaborne]

Seems like most triple a publishers were scared away from the genre. But indies seem to be picking up the pace

 

[Holammer]

Another reminder that 90's Arcade Racer is still stuck & unreleased in some sort of ownership dispute.

 

[Paperclip Killa]

Seems like most triple a publishers were scared away from the genre. But indies seem to be picking up the pace

Not really, they are about smartphone quality.

 

[Spyxos]

I just want to see burnout again. I like Forza Horizen but it is still too simulation heavy for me.

 

[onQ123]

Everything is trying to be a sim or having sim controls and physics with Arcade frosting sprinkled on top, but we barely ever see companies release Arcade Racers at retail much anymore outside EA mishandling Need for Speed, other than that there's very few.

In the past, we got games like these releasing on the regular:

Now all we have is EA putting out another half-effort Need for Speed and Forza Horizon which is a sim with arcade coating with few other real choices.

It's not hard to make an arcade racer with fun stuff just focusing on getting to the finish line or point to point racing, compared to a sim that requires attention to detail, but we get so few of them anyway. Even AA there's nothing coming from major gaming companies, just limited efforts with indies but those aren't what the examples pictured above are.

I miss the days when there were shelves of arcade racers to choose from on the shelf. When games Hi-Octane and Burnout were always plentiful.

Crazy thing is that PS5 & Series consoles are perfect for them with 120fps , SSDs & powerful CPUs

 

[Spyxos]

Crazy thing is that PS5 & Series consoles are perfect for them with 120fps , SSDs & powerful CPUs

So many great games. Many of them are no longer playable today.

 

[Spyxos]

This little game is really good.

 

[Paperclip Killa]

Some of the racer on the Xbox BC program for solid or frame rate increases but several didn't, and many aren't BC at all. But the fact it's the only way to play some of those games these days without searching bargain bins for old consoles (legally) is a shame.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Hotshot Racing is the closest I’ve seen to a classic Sega arcade racer. To me they’re one of the few that understands what an arcade racer is/was. It’s not just the feel, but the fun tracks, and cars. The “arcade” style announcer.

These modern “arcade racers” that are just flashy cars on boring city and rural tracks aren’t capturing what made arcade racers so cool.

 

[GreatnessRD]

I don't think y'all understand how much I would pay for a Driver remaster. My grandfather used to love watching me play it as a kid. I should bring him over and pop it in the PS2, one time for the one time.

 

[Umbasaborne]

Not really, they are about smartphone quality.

You should play nfs unbound, its a really fun new major arcade racing game. Shame ea sent it out to die, same with grid legends

 

[Brigandier]

I say this in every thread like this but I'd love a Ridge Racer with all the cars/tracks from the series touched up a bit in 4k 120fps...

 

[KloetenQuetsche]

The lack of racing games released the past 20 years with really good physics is even more disappointing!

 

[Skifi28]

It seems like people kinda stopped buying them, what can ya do.

 

[ZoolNL]

Another reminder that 90's Arcade Racer is still stuck & unreleased in some sort of ownership dispute.

Hahaha this is why I bought a WiiU

 

[Paperclip Killa]

It seems like people kinda stopped buying them, what can ya do.

They stopped buying them because they stopped releasing them.

 

[DEAD ORIGINAL]

Hotshot Racing is the closest I’ve seen to a classic Sega arcade racer. To me they’re one of the few that understands what an arcade racer is/was. It’s not just the feel, but the fun tracks, and cars. The “arcade” style announcer.

These modern “arcade racers” that are just flashy cars on boring city and rural tracks aren’t capturing what made arcade racers so cool.

Free on Ps Plus Extra

 

[Skifi28]

They stopped buying them because they stopped releasing them.

Why would they stop releasing something that was selling? I still think it's the other way around.

 

[jufonuk]

FAST RMX
Mario kart 8 Delux
Horizon Chase Turbo

 

[Fbh]

The genre went to shit in the AA-AAA space when it switched over to Open World.

 

[Paperclip Killa]

Why would they stop releasing something that was selling? I still think it's the other way around.

Last big releases sold millions. What happened is that some studios just stopped releasing them even if they were making profits, or other studios either closed or got brought out. Criterion would be a popular example.

The genre went to shit in the AA-AAA space when it switched over to Open World.

I would argue that happened after that died. Burnout Paradise didn't have many series copying it, and Need For Speed was already going in that direction. You didn't see the open world racers once the output fell. Now the biggest Arcade racer in the industry is an open world racer that's really a sim with arcade paint.

 

[TwiztidElf]

The 2023 iteration of this thread is late this year.
There are decent arcade racers out there if you bother to look. Wreckfest being the best of the lot IMO.
But nah, the AAA publishers haven't forced one down my throat in years, so they must not exist eh?

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/where-are-the-arcade-racers.1628342/

 

[SmokedMeat]

Free on Ps Plus Extra

My favorite price!

 

[KXVXII9X]

I mostly agree with you and vastly prefer arcade racers as they are a big highlight of my childhood, but we just got a trailer for Lego 2K Drive and Disney's Speedstorm. I think Horizon Chase Turbo also counts. We also keep getting more tracks for Mario Kart 8 (I know, I know. It is a really old game). I guess the Forza Horizon series could be considered arcade in a sense too. I could be wrong in that these aren't the kind of arcade racers you are referring to. I wouldn't mind more traditional, linear arcade racers though.

 

[Paperclip Killa]

The 2023 iteration of this thread is late this year.
There are decent arcade racers out there if you bother to look. Wreckfest being the best of the lot IMO.
But nah, the AAA publishers haven't forced one down my throat in years, so they must not exist eh?

I didn't say AAA but ok.

 

[BossLackey]

I miss PGR so bad...

 

[Guilty_AI]

Not a whole lot of them get released as it used to, but we still get some every now and then.

From the last 13 years:

 

[onnextflix5]

I think devs just jumped ship to make rpgs and such and no one wants to spend $70 on AAA arcade racer. Yeh miss them, they were fun games

 

[drganon]

I'd say ea needs to bring back burnout, but they'd just screw it up.

 

[64bitmodels]

Daytona USA 3 also ignored even though it was awesome. Didn't make it out of the arcades sadly.

hard disagree, it feels like a cheap imitation of the original. no new courses were added & the graphics despite coming out 19 years later look worse than Daytona USA 2.

 

[drotahorror]

I'm still playing Motorstorm Pacific Rift and Apocalypse. 2 of the best modern arcade racing games of all time. Emulation scene has done wonders on them as well.


But yeah, dead genre. One of my favorites. Cruis'n Blast was dope, too bad it was Switch only. There's been a few fun ones here and there but none that have me keeping on going back like Motorstorm and older Sega titles.

Also, teknoparrot has some great arcade emulation. H2Overdrive is fucking amazing (Hydro Thunder spiritual successor) and F&F Super Bikes 2 and 3 are sick as well. Of course all made by the same company (Raw Thrills, same peeps that did Cruis'n Blast).

 

[Slikk360]

Only going to do what sells most of the time or what's popular. Souls like games and battle royal games.

 

[ReBurn]

If people actually bought them they would make more.

 

[SteelCurtain 59]

100%, Burnout 3 is still my favorite racing game ever, and I also loved Paradise and the old NFS games. Forza Horizon is good for what it is, but it's still closer to a sim than an arcade racer as far as I"m concerned

 

[hyperbertha]

The genre went to shit in the AA-AAA space when it switched over to Open World.

Really? The best game in the genre imo is open world. And you can probably guess which one I mean.

 

[Fake]

I indeed miss some arcades.

 

[64bitmodels]

Also, teknoparrot has some great arcade emulation.

A teknoparrot shoutout on GAF...

The genre went to shit in the AA-AAA space when it switched over to Open World.

Nah. Most Wanted (2005) and Underground are masterpieces and they're both open world design. Forza Horizon's also got a great formula when it comes to open world

it really has to do with the execution. Open world isn't an inherent downside & infact can be more interesting than track based.

 

[64bitmodels]

Another reminder that 90's Arcade Racer is still stuck & unreleased in some sort of ownership dispute.

OH MY GOD that looks so good, it's like the 2002 scud race sequel we never got WTF. dude i hope that gets settled & released, it looks like it could be a great homage and a great game on its own

 

[64bitmodels]

there's also Over Jump Rally, an Unreal Engine 5 remake of Sega Rally.



it's really high effort looking so i can't imagine it's coming out anytime soon but what's shown looks incredibly faithful and promising. the original game still looks good today but this dude took it to the next level

I'm not as interested in replaying Sega Rally again as much as i am the possibility of this being extremely moddable and enabling people to have their own tracks, online matches, cars etc. turning it into a sort of fan updated Sega Rally playset. that'd be amazing

 

[Soltype]

Sega stubbed out the genre with F-Zero GX, no other racing game is as exciting.Hope the switch port rumors are true.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Really? The best game in the genre imo is open world. And you can probably guess which one I mean.

Burnout Paradise?

 

[alphachino]

Inertial Drift makes the relative paucity of arcade racers in recent years bearable

 

[Gamerguy84]

Burnout remastered is a great game if you didn't play out the ps360 version too much. I bought it for 5.99 and it plays great.

 

[Rocco Schiavone]

We got a thread for you:

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/where-are-the-arcade-racers.1628342/page-2#post-265464036

 

[Hoppa]

Yeah, I’m not a big racing game fan but sometimes I just have that itch and there only seems to be Kart racers. I will say though Forza Horizon was a lot more arcade than I ever would’ve expected, having never played a Forza game I always thought it was a straight racing sim like GT