Is Racing Gaming On Its Last Lap?
 

Next Generation has posted an article entitled, Is Racing Gaming On Its Last Lap?

"Impossibly shiny cars, breathtaking speed, blue skies and roaring engines: racers were once videogaming’s ultimate expression of realism crossed with escapist fantasy. But while other genres have rapidly evolved, from the thunder and bluster of modern FPSes to the vast scope of RPGs, racers seem stuck in the same old routine of race upon tournament.

Even the biggest sellers don’t seem to be performing as well as they used to: once a perennial fixture at the very top of the UK Christmas chart, Need For Speed managed only fifth place as 2007 turned to 2008. Buried in the blizzard of last year’s big releases, Project Gotham Racing 4 has failed to ignite the same fervor as its predecessors. And can Gran Turismo’s luster really sell PS3 the same way it once did PS1 and PS2?"

Re: Next Generation: Is Racing Gaming On Its Last Lap?
 

did PGR4 really do that bad, compared to the 3rd? I remember getting PGR3 for $15 off ebay well before the 4th came out.

I'm glad they talk about Test Drive Unlimited. It was an amazing game that took a step forward for the genre, yet why haven't they released it for the ps3, or put out info on a 2nd?

Re: Next Generation: Is Racing Gaming On Its Last Lap?
 

PC racing sims are alive and thriving, even though the amount of quality new releases has reduced in the last two years. The incredibly active, generous, talented mod community is keeping games like NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, Richard Burns Rally, Grand Prix Legends, GTR 2 and rFactor very relevant and very current.

RACE 07 was a disappointment as a new release, but ARCA Sim Racing looks like a promising new release. Plus iRacing is coming, even though its subscription-based MMO model is too expensive, in my opinion.

The racing scene may be stale on consoles due to the emphasis on arcadish, tuning games, but proper sims are alive and well on the PC.

Honestly, I don't understand the panic in this story. It's no secret: Console racing games are following the same path as console team sports games in this generation -- all flash, little function. Only the window dressing is different. People moan about EA sports games being nothing but roster updates with prettier graphics and a meaningless feature thrown in, and many racing games only feature shinier cars and meaningless modes.

Take care,
PK

The last racing game I played for any length of time was Papyrus' Nascar games. Mainly online leagues.
I can't really say why I haven't been into the console racing very much. I went from spending days setting up my car for the weekends online race (Then waiting for the league to decide whether I was at fault for the 10 car pile up in turn 3 at Atlanta) to virtually no racing at all.
I migrated back to consoles at about the same time with less PC gaming. "Real" racing did not follow me to the consoles.

Games like Burnout and Need for Speed are entertaining me more than ever.

Re: Next Generation: Is Racing Gaming On Its Last Lap?
 

forza had potential to be a great game, but it felt shallow and rushed. It didn't even have the same amout of cars and tracks as the xbox version. Add in slow DLC and slow movement by the developers to fix glitches, and the community it did grow fell away only months after release.

Re: Next Generation: Is Racing Gaming On Its Last Lap?
 

Racing games are fine on PC, im not sure about them on 360 or PS3, but this year will be a very good year for PC based sim racing.

Alot of big things are going to be going on. With The Sim Factory putting the winner of their series into an ARCA car, and Iracing narrowing their market to those who treat sim racing like it is real racing. The amount of numbers wont be there, mainly because their isnt a NASCAR sticker stamped on the boxes. But the quality of racing will be there and make it more interesting than ever.

Re: Next Generation: Is Racing Gaming On Its Last Lap?
 

I know some people who play racing games with the controller on their consoles. Totally defeats the point.

GTA5 is gorgeous, photo realistic, and a big reason why I got a PS3. Still, nothing beats the arcade scene, Daytona or Sega Rally with your buddies in a packed arcade.