Car racing games on PC?

Leper Messiah

Leper Messiah
Zak, Just a heads up regarding Project Cars 2, there's a LOT of vitriol regarding that game from certain quarters i.e. fans of rival sims (Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista, iRacing, think how a lot of Elite fans react to Star Citizen and NMS). Yes it has issues (less than Elite), but in the main is a pretty solid sim that has a LOT of content.

It runs fine on my i5 3570k 3.8ghz, 1060 at 1360x768 (max res of my LCDTV driving rig setup).

Do you have a steering wheel? if not then I don't recommend it....it's a proper sim (despite what some think) that needs a wheel to play it properly.

Oh PC2 is the only racing sim with "seasons" so you can race in spring, summer, autumn and winter with the ambient and track temp changing accordingly. Rally Cross is also in it and a LOT of fun.
 

Zak Gordon

Zak Gordon
Leper Messiah said:
Doesn't meet Zaks want of "Varied terrain types" though. Doesn't sound like he wants a full on modern sim.
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Yeah i'm more into that 'old school' Outrun vibe i guess? But looking for a good campaign length and modern improvements with increased realism, but not so much it becomes a pure sim effort. Just doing my research i can see that really this is a genre the consoles moved to hoover up as many players as possible!

@Leper Messiah, Project Cars would be in the running, but Steam only on PC it seems? So that's a no sadly. Oh and no, no steering wheel. It would have to be a truly fantastic game, that ticks all the boxes i've set, to get me to drop ££'s on extra plastic ;) (I use an old joystick and keyboard+mouse for ED for example and will not get a hotass thing).

@Henkka77, yeah if i was into MP then Wreckfest would be an option (love watching let's plays of it, but not my play style.) :)
 
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Leper Messiah

Leper Messiah
Zak Gordon said:
Yeah i'm more into that 'old school' Outrun vibe i guess? But looking for a good campaign length and modern improvements with increased realism, but not so much it becomes a pure sim effort. Just doing my research i can see that really this is a genre the consoles moved to hoover up as many players as possible!

@Leper Messiah, Project Cars would be in the running, but Steam only on PC it seems? So that's a no sadly. Oh and no, no steering wheel. It would have to be a truly fantastic game, that ticks all the boxes i've set, to get me to drop ££'s on extra plastic ;) (I use an old joystick and keyboard+mouse for ED for example and will not get a hotass thing).

@Henkka77, yeah if i was into MP then Wreckfest would be an option (love watching let's plays of it, but not my play style.) :)
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Yeah I'm certain PC1+2 are steam only and very much sim especially the 2nd.
 

dubsdj

dubsdj
TDU2 was the best driving game of all time as far as I am concerned. When I first played it I wasn't sure but once I got past the poor acting I absolutely loved that game. The graphics were nothing to write home about but the immersion was outstanding. The Car models were pretty good, my favourite being the Nissan GTR.
 
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dayrth

Volunteer Moderator
dayrth
I never used to be in to racing games, but when I got myself a Rift I thought I'd try one out in VR. I got DiRT Rally. I't fantastic. The only game I play more now is ED. I don't believe DR2 has VR support planned. If this is the case I won't be getting it :(
 

Arry

Arry
Zak Gordon said:
So my list has become this (in no particular order):

1. GRID (2008) - this seems the 'better' version (vs GRID 2) from what i've read about it.

2. Dirt 2 (2009) - offers more than just 'rally' style racing (staggered timed races etc), so as a 'rally' sim would work for me.

3. Need For Speed Underground 2 (2004) or Most Wanted (2005) - these have the advantage of if being difficult to find on PC i could just likely find a PS2 or Xbox version in a store for like £1 (probably).

4. TOCA race Driver 3 (2006) - GRID supersedes this in the timeline, but i'm not sure which i would pick just now.

Grand Turismo 4 could be an option (PS2 only, so not PC) and as an outlier (as it seems to just be a track racer) GTR 2 (Game of the Year edition) might do, but it's near impossible to find.

The BIG issue with all options is finding it on PC DVD, then dealing with any issues in that (nasty DRM and stuff like Games for Windows Live etc). I do have tools to deal with most of that, but it can be a problem. Which i guess is where the Need For Speed options might be most practical as i can easily pick them up for my old consoles.

@Arry, GTA isn't really my kind of game (to 'thugish'?), but i know they are highly thought of. It was the racing (and campaign around that) I was interested in more than murder and mugging old ladies ;)

@Mengy, I suspect Dirt 4 will either be too demanding for my rig OR require some kind of online authentication/Steam etc?

There seems to be a 'sweet spot' year wise for all these kind of games, just looking at the cashcow for EA that the Need for Speed games have been (like how many versions!?), in recent years you can see all the 'monitisation' stuff that has crept in to many franchises, so i'm looking at a retro period probably in the 2005-2010 era?

Anyway the search continues for a 'classic' best in class racing game with great campaign mode and no nickle and diming. I didn't realise it was such a popular genre (and Agony_Aunt is correct they seem better made for console), with so many options. The early list above should give me what i'm after, but i need to dig into the Forza Horizon series a bit more (4 looks poor gameplay wise to me, 3 had issues (performance and DLC) etc).

Edit: that didn't take long! Forza Horizon on PC is a no go for me, so i'll stick with my original Forza on Xbox ;) You can get Forza 6 Apex for free IF on Windows 10! Like drug pedellers at the school gates ;)
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I played all of the TOCA games and enjoyed them all. GRID was the best for many reasons, Grid II, which felt like I finished in five minutes and went back to the 1st game for fun. Only issue with toca and grid, was that are track based.

Need For Speed. Good fun and sort of open plan world. Note sure which of the above are on P.C.

I also enjoyed Collin M'Cray Rally car.

As you can tell, not played for years.
 
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Zak Gordon

Zak Gordon
@dubsdj, thanks a new entry for me to look into :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_Drive_Unlimited_2

Arry said:
I played all of the TOCA games and enjoyed them all. GRID was the best for many reasons, Grid II, which felt like I finished in five minutes and went back to the 1st game for fun. Only issue with toca and grid, was that are track based.

Need For Speed. Good fun and sort of open plan world. Note sure which of the above are on P.C.

I also enjoyed Collin M'Cray Rally car. As you can tell, not played for years.
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TOCA Race Driver 3 has a mix of tracks; "Open wheel, GT, Oval racing, Rallying and Off-road racing were all featured" - from it's wiki

GRID is indeed tarmac only, i had read 'street' and 'fictional tracks' and hoped it would include off-road, but it does not sadly. I will have to move TOCA 3 up the list and demote GRID. I think all the games i've listed so far have been for PC, although often the PC port is maybe not as good as the console original if there was one? Buggy PC ports seems to be a common theme.
 

Zak Gordon

Zak Gordon
Well i did get curious (and a little lucky today) and ended up coming across PC DVD versions of TOCA Race Driver 3 and Test Drive Unlimited (the first one), all for the princely sum of £10 :)

Now i also found out that Test Drive unlimited has some seriously good mods and here is the one i ended up picking:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x7VVTBNoH0

I've not looked into mods for TOCA 3 yet, but i do know that in general the first Test Drive Unlimited game was considered the 'best' of that series of 'open world' type games. I can play it in single player as well, which is my preference. I think with those two (and what ever modding goodness i can add to them) plus the fun, but slightly crazy Flatout 2 (got mods for that too!) i should be good in terms of PC car games for a while.

Thanks to all the advice and if any of the above three i've ended up with fail to deliver i have a bunch of other titles to look at. Cheers for all the input.
 

Manticore

Manticore
Grid 1

Race Driver 3

If you're really keen you can get hold of the whole Simbin RACE ON 07 collection for next to nothing these days.

It's old software but runs great in W7 with what is a reasonably high end rig.

I like any game where you can drive the old Nurburgring Nordschleife:
The Green Hell Legend

Since its construction (1925 - 1927), the Nordschleife has enjoyed a reputation as a terrifying and merciless route through the Eifel forests. An English journalist who visited the Nordschleife during the opening race on 18 June 1927 even concluded “that it seemed as if a reeling, drunken giant had been sent out to determine the route”. The Formula 1 pilot Sir John Young Jackie Stewart – after all a three-time world champion in 1969, 1971 and 1973 – was so impressed by the circuit that he gave it the name which it will probably never lose: Green Hell (Grüne Hölle).

Racing and winning on the Nordschleife has always been very special for racing drivers, because the track is one of the most demanding in the world. Tricky corners, treacherous crests, steep inclines and gradients an d constantly changing road surfaces demand great skill from the driver and put vehicles to a hard test.
The best-known event today is the ADAC Zurich 24-hour race, which is held on both the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix circuit and which for four days transforms the entire circuit into a huge spectacle. Up to 800 amateurs and professionals in up to 200 cars take part in this race.
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[VR] Deggial

[VR] Deggial
I am certainly not the person to give advice in this thread, as I have no broad knowledge about racing games ... at all. Three days ago, I didn’t own a single racing game.

However, I just bought ‘Dirt Rally’ (2015) for a bargain (8,50 €) and my oh my, this is an unexpected experience!
I was watching this game for quite some time now and could never really bring myself to purchase it. It supports VR, which is mandatory for me. But I don’t own a stirring wheel and actually don’t want to purchase one due to the hefty price for a good one (200.- € +). Would it work with my HOTAS & (spaceship) pedals - and would it be enjoyable?

Well, it does! Not as well and immersive as a wheel would be, of course. But well enough to make me enjoy the drive (or should I say flight?) over the track.
Alfer a 10 minutes race, my heart is pumping and I need a break to calm down a little bit (I just write stuff at the forum ... ;)).

The pedals work nice and while I still learn how to make best use of combined breaking and gas-giving (for a nice drifting), I am more and more convinced that this game is certainly not arcade!

There is a campaign, lots of tweaking possibilities, upgrading, staff hiring and so on and so forth. But I haven’t dipped into any of this so far and can not comment on it.

Long story short - if you can get the game during a sale, get it! It seems to check all your boxes and even if not, there is not much lost for that price.

And now I have a challenge in Greece waiting for me ... I have to beat a time!
 
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Zak Gordon

Zak Gordon
I was after a 'mix' of racing, so not just rally (or F1, touring etc), but that is a good series for sure :)

One other aspect to consider if going for 'retro' games in the genre is the copy-protection they often contain. In my case:

TOCA race driver 3 = Starforce

Test Drive Unlimited = SecuRom

Luckily i have tools to get around those, but there might also be some jiggery-pokery required for online setup etc. Not that i'm looking to play online, but 'modern' gaming often introduces extra hoops to get through around this.

One other aspect i'm considering is getting a second hand Xbox 360 and two Forza Horizon games (1+2) for it. But for now i'll see how i get along with the retro PC titles.
 
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