3 Overshadowed Racing Games You Should Acknowledge

[TayeezSA]

Hey guys,

I've been going through a few of my games lately and this video idea popped up since no one talks about these games that much. I'd love to see anyone of these return. Particularly since we have the likes of Assetto Corsa (Soon) and Project CARS making waves on the consoles. It would be nice to have more



Do you share the same opinion as me? Any other games worth mentioning? Let's discuss!

 

[JR98]

They are probably the 3 biggest ones of that era.

 

[ThrasherDBS]

Auto Modelista I remember drumming up quite a bit of buzz when it came out, and the cel-shaded graphics are what made it stand out from the likes of Gran Turismo and the other racing games of the time. I've heard a bit about the control being odd, but I guess if it's an arcade racer, how bad could it be? If they're rare though, I guess I should make a move on the copy at one of the local game shops that's only $2.

R: Racing Evolution I didn't hear anything about it until I came across it at the aforementioned game shop. Figured "ah, whatever, let's give it a shot." While I did enjoy the car selection and the tracks, the career mode is incredibly short. I beat the game literally the same night I got it. That and I wasn't a fan of one of the career races where it was mandatory that you finished 3rd, no better and no worse. But that was part of the story, and was supposed to be your reason for disliking your sponsor, much like your character does. I've noticed however, with the licensed cars, familiar tracks, and even down to the pit radio where you could also listen to the other drivers, it felt like a racing game that was put together with the team that usually makes Ace Combat. It felt a lot more simulation based than Ridge Racer by far, and it was made pretty interesting. Shame the game is so short though.

Enthusia. I got this game in the past year, and due to my schooling, I haven't been able to get very far into it. I feel that the physics are going to take getting used to, but I'll praise it on its car selection and its unique approach to career progression. The car unlocking process I imagine is going to be annoying though, but that's probably going to be more apparent later on.

 

[TayeezSA]

They are probably the 3 biggest ones of that era.

Alongside WRC 2 Extreme / WRC3 , GT and NFS which garnered so much popularity and went Platinum? While these didn't?

Auto Modelista I remember drumming up quite a bit of buzz when it came out, and the cel-shaded graphics are what made it stand out from the likes of Gran Turismo and the other racing games of the time. I've heard a bit about the control being odd, but I guess if it's an arcade racer, how bad could it be? If they're rare though, I guess I should make a move on the copy at one of the local game shops that's only $2.

R: Racing Evolution I didn't hear anything about it until I came across it at the aforementioned game shop. Figured "ah, whatever, let's give it a shot." While I did enjoy the car selection and the tracks, the career mode is incredibly short. I beat the game literally the same night I got it. That and I wasn't a fan of one of the career races where it was mandatory that you finished 3rd, no better and no worse. But that was part of the story, and was supposed to be your reason for disliking your sponsor, much like your character does. I've noticed however, with the licensed cars, familiar tracks, and even down to the pit radio where you could also listen to the other drivers, it felt like a racing game that was put together with the team that usually makes Ace Combat. It felt a lot more simulation based than Ridge Racer by far, and it was made pretty interesting. Shame the game is so short though.

Enthusia. I got this game in the past year, and due to my schooling, I haven't been able to get very far into it. I feel that the physics are going to take getting used to, but I'll praise it on its car selection and its unique approach to career progression. The car unlocking process I imagine is going to be annoying though, but that's probably going to be more apparent later on.

Try out AM and see if it's for you. It's getting rarer as time goes. I couldn't find one here in RSA so I ended up importing and even in the UK it's getting rare. It's a unique game but the career could have been done better, and even more tracks.

R: Racing I've been playing in dips and drabs but I haven't finished it yet. Didn't know it ends that quick but I think I'm near the end. It was an interesting game but I felt a lot of Ridge Racer in that game, it relates more to Ridge Racer on the PSP I think. I haven't tried Ace Combat though R:Racing was still interesting.

I know that schooling feel hence why I haven't been playing these games deeply, let alone why videos are taking the hit now but that's beside the point. Enthusia had unique things going for it but I felt Konami was too focused on hunting down GT. The car unlocking in Career mode can get annoying but it gets easier as you go on, but for arcade and time attack you just have to finish Driving Revolution mode and you'll be good.


Thanks for checking out the vid and discussing guys.

 

[JR98]

Only game I ever played out of those 3 was Auto Modellista. I remember having my blue R34 GT-R with all the upgrades on it just plowing through the races. One thing that suprised me was that every car was available at the start (unless some hidden cars could be unlocked). I also loved how they got Suzuka into the game.

 

[Lain]

I've played Auto Modellista and Enthusia.

Didn't care for Auto Modellista too much... the cel shaded anime art style was cool, and I dug the garage decorating and all the customization stuff. I still remember me and my brother drawing a naked girl in Auto Modellista's livery editor. But other than that I thought it was pretty terrible. Might have to revisit it someday though.

Love love love Enthusia. Really wish Konami would've marketed it better so it would've sold better and had a chance at becoming a series.

 

[Tyger]

AM is definitely try before you buy, if you can. I have it but found it very frustrating to play, physics were very odd if I remember correctly. Need to fire it up (and my PS2) again. Not sure I will go for R: Racing, looks nice but never liked RR physics or been into drifting. Enthusia is a lost classic though, for sure. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you have played every iteration of GT to death. Nice car roster too!

 

[Wolfe]

Nicely made video. I like your casual presenting style. All three of those are hidden gems in their own right, from AM's ineffable stylishness to RRE's pioneering radio chatter, and EPR's incredible physics and rewarding gameplay.

Another game worth mentioning is FUEL. It's known for its humongous playable area, but I feel the rest of the game wasn't given a fair shake.

The physics are somewhat like other Codemasters games but extra slippery, which caught out people who expected more grip, but it's more than manageable (better than Auto Modellista) if you use the brakes and mind your slip angle. The map was criticized for being a mostly-barren wasteland, but the knolls, valleys, mountains, and creek beds provide endless opportunities to go 4x4ing, along with hunting down scattered collectibles. And if you enjoy aimless driving for the fun of cruising, you can grab a road-category car and wander the highways, backroads, and mountain passes for hours without driving the same road twice. The actual racing is hampered by a tight rubber band on the AI, but there are some interesting tracks and enough events to keep you occupied for a while.

I've heard a bit about [Auto Modellista's] control being odd, but I guess if it's an arcade racer, how bad could it be?

The steering is like a rudder that pivots the car, making every maneuver a tire-screeching drift. It's not so difficult to keep control, but you lose a ton of speed when you drift, so you end up coaxing the car to drift as little as possible while still drifting everywhere.

While I did enjoy the car selection and the tracks, the career mode is incredibly short. I beat the game literally the same night I got it.

"Racing Life" is more of a story mode than a career mode. The meat of the game's content is under Event Challenge, which has events of various skill levels and championships to complete, as well as some License-Test-like challenges.

 

[ToyGTone]

I'm glad that some of you guys still know about these hidden gems. I remember owning the enthusia and playing it along with GT4. There are stuff that I preferred in that game compared to GT4, it's a shame that it didn't get enough recognize...

I remember enthusia having a mixed variety of cars... I remember doing some random races with random car classes just for the lolz

Something like...
R391, saab 9-5 Aero 2.3TS, land cruiser, 2CV6, EB110 and Nissan PICK UP Rally Car.

Or Toyota GT-one, Honda Odyssey Absolute, Seville STS, M1 procar, Chevrolet ASTRO and Smart Fortwo Cabrio



I still have my save game file...

 

[Stephan]

What about Sega GT 2002? That game was good plus it has a good variety of cars. The only thing it lacked is race cars.

 

[MagpieRacer]

I was about to say Sega gt 2002, that game was awesome. And total immersion racing.

 

[TayeezSA]

No wonder I haven't heard of SEGA GT 2002, not only because it was Overshadowed but it was an Xbox exclusive. I looked up some Youtube vids now and I must say it looks interesting.

Enthusia is fun on a wheel I must say. I was playing it last night and the famed, "Just one more race..." line kept on surfacing.

Those games honestly deserve a better chance I must say.

 

[Lain]

I'll vouch for Sega GT 2002 as well. The physics weren't amazing, but they were adequate. And the rest of the package was pretty outstanding.

 

[SVX]

There's never been another game to feature the Mid4 concept and AW11 Group B thing other than Sega GT.

Oh, yeah, and the SVX and XT.

 

[sesselpupser]

AW11 Group B thing

I don't want to be that guy, but... Well, I'm going to be! The car you're referring to is the 222D and it was a Group S car, but Group S was cancelled before they ever raced.

Also I had no idea it was in Sega GT 2002, that's probably the only Xbox game I wish I could still play. I seem to recall it had an Abarth 500 or 695 or something similar, I remember being amused that the engine cover was welded open but that was before I knew... Anything.

I don't think I have any other racing games to add to the list, I would mention the original Codemasters Micro Machines games but I don't think I've ever heard anyone say a bad word about them, it's just a shame no one has tried to even replicate that exact formula. Codemasters' own Toybox Turbos is ok but it's not a patch on the Mega Drive games, the Mario Kart-style power ups are unnecessary for a start.

Also, Rollcage. Everyone knows and loves Wipeout, Formula Fusion looks like it might revive it following Studio Liverpool's closure, but Rollcage rarely gets mentioned any more.

 

[SVX]

I don't want to be that guy, but... Well, I'm going to be! The car you're referring to is the 222D and it was a Group S car, but Group S was cancelled before they ever raced.

Many thanks for the information. 👍

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Also, Rollcage. Everyone knows and loves Wipeout, Formula Fusion looks like it might revive it following Studio Liverpool's closure, but Rollcage rarely gets mentioned any more.

GRIP is supposed to be Rollcage's spiritual successor and has just been greenlit on Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=475116317

Also, this must be the third time a nostalgia racing game thread has been made in as many weeks: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/unforgettable-racing-games.326801/ Maybe the mods can merge?

 

[TayeezSA]

Also, this must be the third time a nostalgia racing game thread has been made in as many weeks: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/unforgettable-racing-games.326801/ Maybe the mods can merge?

Covers a certain area of the Nostalgic Racing Game genre? More over games that were overshadowed whereas the thread you posted covers pretty much all the games and even popular ones?

So no, no need to merge.

 

[Lain]

Yeah, a thread about "unforgettable" racing games is a bit different than one about "overshadowed" racing games. Overshadowed games are pretty much the opposite of "unforgettable", they're the ones that history has forgotten. Though certainly, some of the very few people who actually played these games might also consider them to be unforgettable.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Covers a certain area of the Nostalgic Racing Game genre? More over games that were overshadowed whereas the thread you posted covers pretty much all the games and even popular ones?

So no, no need to merge.

Fair enough. It's just that the last few posts are starting to diverge from the 3 initial games mentioned and it's turning into a similar old racing games discussion. It's just my OCDism can't stand the forums getting too cluttered Either way, I'm not fussed if this thread continues as well 👍

 

[C-ZETA]

Most overshadowed, or as I prefer to put it, underrated, racing game I know is Advance Rally. GT Advance 3 is also right there as well.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Most overshadowed, or as I prefer to put it, underrated, racing game I know is Advance Rally. GT Advance 3 is also right there as well.

I used to play GT Advance 3 on Gameboy Advance so much. The handling is pretty good considering the system limitations. The car selection and tuning system reminds me a lot of GT. It's GT PSP before GT PSP basically. Because you can't save, once I beat the game I would leave it playing the credits music until the batteries die out

 

[C-ZETA]

Because you can't save, once I beat the game I would leave it playing the credits music until the batteries die out

...You can save. It's only if you've entered in cheats that you can't.

And sure, the physics were fine...apart from the simple fact that the higher the gear you were in, the faster you accelerated. Didn't make it any less fun, though. (I prefer its predecessor though mostly because you actually have to brake most of the time)

 

[jujunosuke]

Totally agree with that list in the video.
Enthusia was such an awesome game.
Sad that the Gran Turismo franchise was really too strong at that time for Enthusia to be able to stand out.

Also i wonder if the more realistic driving make it probably less approachable for average users?

 

[LeGeNd-1]

...You can save. It's only if you've entered in cheats that you can't.

And sure, the physics were fine...apart from the simple fact that the higher the gear you were in, the faster you accelerated. Didn't make it any less fun, though. (I prefer its predecessor though mostly because you actually have to brake most of the time)

Once you take out the batteries for a period of time the savegame is gone though. Also, I seem to remember using cheats degrades the graphical quality of the cars. This is a rumour about GBA games in general but GT Advance is the only one where I can see this happening.