You may be expecting us to delve into the world of Forza, Gran Turismo or even Grand Theft Auto, but we are going deeper than that. Much, much deeper…
You may not recall the era where games were 8-bit or made up from squares more apparent than a Lego house, but for a generation of gamers mainstream racing games were class-leading and deserving of dedication. The likes of Need For Speed, Project Gotham, Grand Theft Auto and Twisted Metal pushed the gaming world forward to an impressive degree, but there are a number of obscure vehicle games out there based on particular cars that many of us have forgotten, such as these weird and wonderful examples…
6. Yaris (2007) - Xbox Live Arcade
A game based on the Toyota Yaris? No, it’s not packed with levels where you reverse into solid objects in multi-storey car parks nor does it involve extensive pile up montages where points are gained for scuffing the biggest number of body panels in an orgy of over revving and chronic gear crunching. In fact, according to Toyota, it’s a simple, small, fun game that will leave users pleasantly surprised, if by ‘pleasantly surprised’ they mean ‘mentally scarred’.
Offering the grand choice of Three-Door Liftback Yaris , Four-Door Sedan Yaris or Four-door ‘S’ Sedan Yaris- in the most exciting array of potential racing cars ever - the ‘realistic’ levels begin with giant toasters, round men on mini bikesand flames so unrealistic they resemble traffic cones. The most unbelievable aspect isn’t the giant toaster with fiery rocket feet however, it’s that the Yaris can accomplish 180mph. Have a look for yourself:
5. Corvette (2003) - Playstation 2, Xbox, PC, Gameboy Advance
If you have the burning desire to drive a Corvette, but in the safety of your own home using a controller less plastic than the new Corvette's dashboard components, this is the game for you. Receiving mixed reviews upon launch in 2003, this platform game for PC, Playstation 2, Xbox and Gameboy Advance featured the entire range of Corvette vehicles up to that point.
As you won races there were minor upgrades up for grabs, although it sadly didn’t include a way to make the Corvette more reliable. There was also a lack of realism in this particular game for real Corvette drivers - as they excluded the level where you had to drive into the woods to bury a body.
4. SCEE Porsche Challenge (1997) - Playstation
Not exactly the crowing achievement from Porsche’s vast mechanical catalogue, players must decide between one of various different coloured Porsche Boxsters before hitting the racetrack. Racing against some more Porsche Boxsters, the results list is rather spectacular - almost like a dodgy car garage inventory - filled with nothing but Porsche Boxsters.
‘My Boxster!’ is commonly spewed out in digital format from dodgy sounding characters when having a crash, which strangely helps to make the Boxster look better. The ultimate question here is - why pay for a game to use only a Boxster when you could have 300 different vehicles in Gran Turismo?
3. Durell Software Turbo Esprit (1986) - ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64
Less likely to catch fire or breakdown than an actual Lotus, the Amiga version of Lotus Esprit Turbo was immensely successful and even spawned two sequels. However, we are more interested in the 1986 release for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64.
This one was special, as instead of simply racing, it involved a storyline around crime and heroin. Once locating a courier car throughout one of the four main cities you could use the inbuilt machine guns to annihilate the villains or apprehend them, for which you would gain points. You even had to plan fuel stops, like a real Lotus driver. This was apparently a major influence on the later Grand Theft Auto series.
2. Sega Out Run (1986)
Despite the misleading title, it doesn’t actually have anything to do with O.J Simpson, basically, it’s a game all about the Ferrari Testarossa Spider. Which is no bad thing. Rather than thetypical birds-eye view affair presented by so many driving games of the time, Out Run was a rear third-person perspective road adventure game that set the tone for games to follow.
The player had to race to the end of each stage as fast as possible, against the clock, while avoiding traffic; akin to the look most Ferrari drivers appear to be going for. Alongside the nonlinear gameplay you could even change the radio station, written by legendary Hiroshi Kawaguchi, at that point a member of Sega’s official band - the S.S.T. Band. No, we aren’t making that up.
1. Core Design Jaguar XJ220 (1993) - Amiga, Sega Mega-CD
Released for the Commodore Amiga and Sega Mega-CD in 1993, the game based on the infamous Jaguar was ultimately more successful than the actual car - and for good reason. While the XJ220 was a disappointment to may, the game bearing the cars name was revolutionary. It even featured a track editor, where you could build your own race circuit.
Set around a series of championship races across 12 countries, the game play was praised as highly intuitive while the detailing set it far above rival racing games of the time. It was even deemed the ‘essential purchase’ of the year - and is our favourite racing game you can’t find for love nor money.