I think console publishers are headed in the wrong direction. Maybe it comes from days gone by when those classic arcade races where simple and fun and sold games.

Well, you can't just cast you line in the general pond of gamers with any genre nowdays and expect to do well. FPS developers don't try to incorporate some NBA twist into their game to the attention of basket ball fans. Madden doesn't add platforming missions in the hopes of pleasing that audience. So why is the racing genre trying to homognized there games into these something for everyone all over the map things that end up pleasing nobody including the racing fans they should be targeting.

Racing is first and formost a sport so why has so few games touched on this aspect? How come I can play an entire season in Madden or NBA 2K but pick up any racing game and you play 3 or 4 racings in a row and that's a level. You don't buy cars, build cars, build a team, hire anyone, design anything or have any type of season where you build rivalries and relationships. You build drama.

Another area that almost every sports games requires nowdays is online user created leagues and tournaments. What racing game provides that? Most don't even provide any type of worth stat tracking let alone league tracking.

What about real rules, real race day stuff and really making the person feel like they are there - at some big event. Commentators, TV views, behind the scene stuff. This stuff is manditory in a sport game if it wants to survive but racing games just ignore it and give you some sterile feel. What about winning and podiums and celebrations and all that.

Now I am not saying all games have to be like this - no. On the contrary because even though there is MLB2K there is also The Biggs. So there is room for both but I think the main problem is they are casting this net in the general populace and hoping to gain fans instead of getting the customers that are fans first and growing from there.