The reference with the thumbnail is SSS++ tier

Flatout 2 was the only game in which rubberbanding never bothered me. "Oh, Benton, you're catching up? Allow me to introduce you to THE WALL!"

NIGHTRUNNERS MENTIONED WHAT THE FUCK IS ENGINE COOLING

FlatOut 2 Mentioned

fun fact: The boost explosion in motorstorm propels you forwards. This means you can technically use it to push you across the finish line faster

Funny thing worth mentioning: the Blur and Split/Second staff both went to Sumo Digital when their studios closed. They later ended up developing Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, which is also super underrated.

I miss racing games like, RUSH RallySport Challenge, Flatout 1 & 2, The earlier Burnout games, NFS: Hot Pursuit (original), Underground 1,2, and Most Wanted. Dirt 1 & 2 The Original GRID

The ridge racer 7 community especially in Japan is still strong even today. It makes you wonder why Namco still decided to axe the whole thing

man, if mw 2012 had been released with another name instead of mw, it wouldnt get that much hate as it gotten

Fun fact, Blur is now abandonware, and can be freely downloaded and shared legally. Multiplayer still works too

Split Second, Blur & Ridge Racer are all game series i wish came back But we all know they won't But i had my fair share of memories with them

So this is where you were saving up FlatOut, Ridge Racer, etc.

I know that the video is kind of about a different style of arcade racing, but I am very grateful that we have Trackmania in this day and age. Out of all the options that are available, this is the only racing game that scratches the itch for easy to learn, hard to master, easy to hop on, hard to hop off game...

I'm tired of all the seriousness and effort being put into sim racers, with the arcade genre being reduced to festival "you're the winner" racers and asphalt feeling drift fests.

There's a game series you didn't mention that could also fit very well in this category: WipEout. It was released after the original F-Zero but improved greatly on that formula imo. It's easy to learn in the slower speed classes but very challenging to master once you get to the faster ones, it feels genuinely thrilling to play. And what amazes me the most about those games are the physics. The ships have a realistic handling and weight without losing the "arcadey" feel of it. And i could also talk about the amazing soundtracks, the entire world building that feels like an actual attainable future at times, the backstory of the games, i could go on. Sadly it's not around anymore (if you exclude the Omega Collection which is a remaster for the PS4) but i think there's rumors for a new game on the PS5, hopefully that's true. Nonetheless, it also has an amazing spiritual sucessor and great tribute to the earlier games called BallisticNG, you should give it a try.

Like Gaben said: "Fun is obtained not throught realism, but reinforcement."

Fun fact there is a spiritual successor to Flatout called Trail Out and its a choppy on thevedges but the same adrenaline filled fun

As a indie racing game developer, I really think that this kind of games will be brought by indie developers, since we dont have the resources and goal to achieve the most money making racing game, but just want to put our ideas out there, mostly inspired by 2010 games since that the time we grew up!

Well I m still playing Flatout 2 about 11 years (5-16) and still getting same enjoyment. I got this game Steam version at 2023 for respect because it was my childhood. Hey at least we got Trailout which is similar to Flatout 2

I count Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2010 a "simple racing game", due to its lack of story and straightforward gameplay. Little customization, just pure Racers vs Cops, and it's one of the best games i've played in a long time. I've put over 2500+ hours into the Hot Pursuit Remastered, it's just simple yet soo easy to pick up and play for a few hours. And for me atleast, that's all I need. I know it's extremely unlikely to happen, but i'd like Criterion to give the Hot Pursuit/Rivals style of gameplay another shot, especially after the disappointment that was Unbound. Despite them continuing support on the game, I think Criterion need to take a step back on the all out tuner shit and give us something more straightforward for the next game.

If you loved Flatout 2, you should play Ultimate Carnage! It's basically a 7th gen port of flatout 2 with more gamemodes (but still including the original race career!) and 12 racers instead of 8. More chaos and more fun!

Man, that Ball_Fondler guy really came in clutch by forcing you to play the absolute GOAT of racing games

I miss them really much. Wipeout, baby, comeback! ...too bad sony closed Studio Liverpool.

Fun arcade racers then: Ridge Racer, Motorstorm, Burnout, Flatout, PGR, Midnight Club, wipEout, TXR, too many to count. Fun arcade racers now: Uh... TCM, maybe some indie racers, and possibly NFS, if you're somehow still into the new NFS games.

Another one that might count would be the WipEout series. It’s an antigrav racer though, which is basically its own genre, but that aside I think it basically meets all the criteria

BLUR MENTIONED WOOOOO

Anti-Gravity-Racer still follow your categories of simple racing games, they are easy to pick up but hard to master, ooze style and focus on racing. Some recommendations: Both Redout BallisticNG Fast RMX

it always warms my heart to see blur get mentioned in something. I always felt it was a massively underrated game, it was the only racing game I felt that ever captured the same kinda fun goofy magic mario kart has.

On New Years Day 2020 I fulfilled my ultimate Gamer Fantasy. Some of the British Formula 1 KZfaqrs I watch were having a live stream playing Wreckfest with 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button. I figured out what server they were playing on and I raced Jenson in Wreckfest!

I'll never forget when split second and Blur came out. Loved them.

Ridge Racer Type 4 for me is amazing. I also noticed some of your videos is using the music from this game. That "Move Me" music (6:45) from the game is the one I always use in the Final of Grand Prix Mode when completing all the teams. That feeling when the music plays really just hit different that I can't just explain how well it is back when I was a kid. Until now I play the game again as an adult, understanding the small story of this game then I've realized why this music hits me deep and it became one of my best nostalgia ever. In the Grand Prix mode, the Real Racing Roots '99 Grand Prix Final was set to be in the night on December 31st, 1999. Fireworks being sent off the sky in the final lap of the race to pump out the last moments of Real Racing Roots '99, together with the New Year's Eve celebration. That momentum + "Move Me" music + The win, plus the changing era to 2000. That combo is something I can't forgot for such a simple game.

That reference you made with the thumbnail alone is pure cinema. I actually genuinely hope for you to keep getting further success despite not watching the video yet.

Was happy to see the Night Runners clip near the end, one I'm really excited for.

WOOO BLUR!! I’m so glad you mentioned that game, to this day I can’t think of another racing game that feels like just like Blur. If only we actually got Blur 2

I miss blur so much, i remember playing with my friends and cousins.

Another very good video man. If I’m gonna throw my two cents in here I think most popular genres have swayed away from simple games as consoles and PCs get more powerful. Many people don’t look at how fun a game is compared to how much content it has even if it’s not that fun. Looking at you Assassins Creed.

Another excellent video. Really happy to see Motorstorm in this review as I feel it is way to frequently neglected likely due to exclusivity. One of my favorite things to do in that game is using the boost to the point of destruction of the vehicle as your wreckage would still trip the start finish and at least in the first game it usually resulted in your wreckage getting a forward boost to the line. I had actually got some use out of it in the later races of the game. Also I am not sure if you have heard of it but for a quality indy racer that came out recently that I noticed you didn't mention, Might I recommend Art of Rally. Made by the creators of Absolute Drift with a more refined physics engine, downright awesome music, and an alternate history spin on rally with group b not getting axed and group s proceeding accordingly. It was pure delight after about 10 or so minutes adjusting to the high camera perspective. I know there are PC mods for it that give it a more "Normal" 3rd person perspective as well. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mLeam7Nh2q3HaH0.html

Bonus points that you mentioned split/second! By far one of my favourite arcade racing games BUT I did use a trainer to always have a full power up bar lol

Did not know about the Blur Hz sound issue, thanks man! Great vid as always!

I want a good looking game. Doesn't necessarily mean it has to look realistic. Unfortunately real life optics seem to be the ultimate goal today.

I appreciate you mentioning the names of such memorable franchises! Thanks for introducing me to games i didn't know, and helping to preserve the name and history of these games!

28:09 hearing you talk about this specific type of boost mechanic reminds me of another game that had it, It's called 'distance: survival racing'. It's not a racing game but I think you should definitely look into it if you have time. great video as always!

the algorithm on youtube home recommended this video and... YO, DID YOU REALLY TALK ABOUT HOW GREAT R4 WAS AND HOW AMAZING THE SOUNDTRACK IS? I love you already.

Motorstorm Apocalypse is my favorite one due to the crazy spectacle they pulled off with the PS3, but that’s also it’s downfall because once you see it a few times, it no longer feels like a spectacle. Still very impressive to see.

Astounded you didn't even mention Rage Racer (aka Ridge Racer 3) it has the same type of vibe, but a pseudo-Gran Turismo approach with its career mode, money, and tuning. Also the very first instance of a "decal editor" that I can remember. As always, it also has a banging soundtrack.

Blur can still have a sequel, just get rid of the license cars and songs, replace them with unique or replicated cars, get a banger composer for the music, tell Activision they have a Mario Kart Killer, Market and Release!

Holy cow, I got fullbody goosebumps at the Ridge Racer 4 intro. Brings back memories…

Been finally looking forward for mentions of Ridge Racer and Blur! You did a fantastic job with the R4 music being included. Another bit I liked about Blur were the characters, even though there's not much to them. But it turns out it used to have an actual Story Mode with cutscenes that revolved around a group of characters traveling around the world, meeting new rivals. And it always bothered me how all of it got scrapped since it seems like it was more or less ready. It definitely would've made the career much more interesting to go through rather than the brief introductions to the events being set up by set characters. I actually played a mobile version of Blur so I even learned about characters that originally don't exist (or rather, not introduced) like Weaving, Jun, and Odalis. And for Ridge Racer, there's not much to say, I always love those cars and I still see them pop up every now and then in another Bandai Namco game. It's style is irreplaceable, and I still vibe to it's music whenever I get the chance to. Absolutely cooked, man. Can't wait for your next video.

One indie simple racer I like to give a shout out is Inertial Drift. A blend of night time street racing with Ridge racer 4 and unique twinstick control scheme for drifting.

I’m sad about the changes Gran Turismo has gone through over the years. I loved GT3 through 5 but once 6 came around I really didn’t like it. I never picked up Gran Turismo Sport or GT7.

Ahh Ridge Racer PSP, my introduction to racing games as a whole, leaving me astonished with the style that it presents, then hearing the RRT4 intro, it was marvellous. I really wished Bandai Nampo would look back into redoing a ridge racer game

One series you missed on your list (that I've been coincidentally playing through in full recently) is the Rush games: San Francisco Rush, Rush 2, and Rush 2049. They focus more on searching each track to find shortcuts and secrets, and pulling off over the top stunts (which the series took advantage of after the first game by introducing a dedicated Stunt Mode.) The main gimmick of the franchise is "moon" gravity, letting you catch massive air off even the smallest jump. There are no licensed cars or anything, but it's a very fun and stylish series in the vein of the other ones you talked about in this video.

As one of the people who mentioned Flatout before... Woooo, finally! Shame you didn't enjoy the soundtrack loads (I admit Nickleback was an unusual choice but I'll argue that Flat on the Floor is one of their best songs) but glad you enjoyed it. It's surprisingly how well the damage model has held up after all this time tbh. I played the hell out of Wreckfest too when i got that, and im very much hoping they make a sequal.. it certainly did well enough to justify one.

Amazing video! Just a few shortcomings on Split/Second though! As someone who owns the game on Xbox 360 and on PC because I simply love it (and it was friggin cheap on Steam once), it is a bit deeper than you initially let on. But yes, the game is completely borked graphics/controls wise unless you use a 1080p screen with an Xbox 360 controller. It's like a direct 360 port. 1. The actions/traps/shortcuts arent supposed to be a "you always wreck your opponents with it"-card. You need to select and carefully choose which ones you use throughout a race. Besides that, most tracks allow you to completely alter a course by waiting for the bar to fill up right to the end and then hitting that one. Sometimes a massive thing happens that will wreck everyone or it will 'only' change the course completely. This really changes up the strategy completely and makes the game slightly less boring because it will open up a whole new way to drive through a track. 2. There are 3 types of cars: The grippy racers, the slidey drifters and the burly can-take-a-few-hits SUVs. The stats dont really line up with how they drive though. And fun fact: If you are good at drifting, you can drift faster than you can drive straight... Which is ridiculous, but fun in a way. Also, the drifters are just OP and they dont understeer as nearly as much as the other 2. The game feels like it was completely rushed out to market only to let it die slowly... Which is sad. Because there is a whole story element attached to it. A whole sort of "death race-esque" vibe where the racing crash/death spectacle became the number 1 program on TV with sponsors, bets and more. They hint towards these cut story content a lot, but you are never able to experience it fully... And if you want to experience Flatout (1, 2 + ultimate carnage) in all its glory: Trail Out and Wreckfest. (Altough Wreckfest is more of a "simcade" so to speak). But you covered Wreckfest. But not Trail Out ;)

Flatout 2 has been updated officially after 18 years and on Steam it's online active with it's servers being relived.

Not exactly a racing game but Onrush had this effect for me. It was simple and easy to learn, hard to master. With an interesting spin on rally racing. Though it would have benefitted from a lap racing mode or two. I loved Onrush when I played it from launch. I can also understand why it fell through.

I forgot how good Ridge Racer 4 is as a total package.

I loved both of the juiced games they were just so simple and fun to me. Currently playing through juiced 2 now and it’s like how did move away from those types of games 😔

The Boost mechanic also was in a Wii launch title racing game called Excite Truck, which was released in 2006. It functions the exact same way with boosting too long blowing up your car and driving through water cooling it. The UI even looks similar. Edit: Also, FUEL Mentioned.

as for the problems you had with flatout 2's stunt mode, it's not made very clear by the game but using the control stick to adjust your ragdoll's trajectory slows down your forwards momentum slightly, which you can sometimes use to your advantage.

fwiw, based on the specific complaints you have, and the footage you showed, i think you’re turning incorrectly in split/second. all of the cars have a unique and very weird drifting model, and the reason you feel like you’re understeering is because you’re supposed to - usually even required to - drift all of those sharp curves.

It's not just the quality of this guy's videos,but also the quantity of his all his content... giving best critiques in my opinion I love your Content.

I was thinking recently I wish there were games these days like the early need for speed games where you just pick a cool car and a track (usually based on a location somewhere in the world) and race. No open world, no special challenges, no weapons etc.

Loved this video! I'm so happy u mentioned Blur! That game doesn't game as much recognition as it deserves! Me and my boys would go to a video game club (like an arcade but with PS3s, PS4s, Xbox 360s and Xbox Ones) to play Blur and couple other game. But Blur was the onlyracing game we played. Eventho couple of us had Xbox 360s with enough controllers to host 4 to 6 ppl, we'd still rather head to the videogame club cuz it was a whole new level of fun.

As someone who has played Flatout 2 and FlatOut UC, i can honestly say that this was, and still is, one of the best-aging racing games ive ever played. it's timeless in its own right.

The Flatout legacy also lives on through a game called Trail Out which is this oddly batshit game that adds elements of Split Second (mostly the spectacle of explosions and gunships) to the game. Its a bit of a mess but its very endearing to me.

i feel like ambition is making us lose care and love for racing games, we really should start not searching for the full experience that doesn’t excel in anything particular in every single game but enjoying and creating fairly “limited” and very creative titles. Love the focus on music on this one, keep going

I remember buying Ridge Racer Type 4 together with the Jogcon. The Jogcon was in all honesty a complete gimmick and it wasn't good at controlling the vehicle. I also couldn't get into the game either but like you appreciated it for it's art style. I remember selling it at a games store for the same price I'd bought it many years earlier though it's probably worth a lot more now.

Blur was & still is the only racing game i ever liked & actually enjoyed

I literally just rewatched Second Stage lol. Those logos should be upside down tho, also you could make them look more like slap stickers

I wish Daytona USA would get either a new game, or a proper modern port. It's one of my fav games from the arcade era.

That little interlude at 9:00 took me somewhere familiar, warm and fuzzy, yet I haven't played Ridge Racer.

Blur was a rare gem. Also, I lived for the ragdoll physics in FlatOut 2. What a great era it was.

PGR will always hurt, but that F50 GT… wow what a monster

A racing games video with Sonic music? Best. Video. Ever.

Speaking about how stylistic Ridge Racer Type 4, with its OST and menus, and mentioning Auto Modelista and NFS Unbound's cell shaded graphics for style, I feel like people have been missing out on Inertial Drift. It's a mix of R4 and Auto Modelista, with a strong focus on going as fast and looking as cool as you can while sliding through corners. The OST is heavily inspired by R4, but also has eurobeat - as any drifting game should. It's also one of those "easy to pick up, high skill ceiling to master" games, and always fun to chase a faster time around the tracks.

You absolutely missed not playing ridge racer 1 or 2 psp

Trends in gaming almost never die forever. Just need to cool off for years. 3D platformers had a similar fate until "Hat in time" and "Mario Odyssey" came out. ALSO I know that you didn't compare them and just mentioned it but do not buy wreckfest if you are expecting it to be like flatout... In short. It's a sim derby game. MUCH slower in pace and destruction doesn't have that kick that flatout had. It's not bad, but I'm tired of people saying that "Wreckfest is the flatout successor".

Your description of Blur, and feel of this video reminds me so much of Downhill Domination. It wasn't a bike simulator, it was a game. And was fun as hell, learn a few sections or just multiscreen battle your buddies in the bowl, it was always a blast

That ridgeracer song is incredible. I wish games were produced with this much soul today…

split/second mentioned we are so back

Fun fact: The guy narrating in the Motorstorm intro is also the voice of Optimus Prime

There is a game called grip that I think it fits into this category, the main reason why I like that game is that you are able to drive up side down and in any wall or ceiling, however I think that the tracks could have a more experiment design, but there is a good amount of tracks and the game can get really cheap on steam

Honestly I didnt gave much to Ridge Racer, but after listening to the soundtrack I felt like someone slapped me with a saxophone on the face, and I like it. I find unreal how a _racing_ game, a genre not even that large compared to other genres has that level of musical quality

8:20 See that's the thing. Criterion *WANTED* to go full cel-shaded with the game (similar to Auto Modellista) during development, but ultimately changed course when play testers for the game reacted unfavourably to the choice, resulting in the hybrid we ended up. And now look at the more recent updates, where they are downplaying much of the unique visuals for the more 'realistic' look, because people didn't like the effects and the stuff they kept which I felt atleast gave Unbound more of a unique identity.

22:02 then you need to play Mx vs ATV Untamed. It also had Nickelback but the song is surprisingly good (Side of a Bullet)

This is the exact reason why I consider both Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit (2010) to be the peak of NFS franchise. Hot Pursuit 2010 is the most simple and straightforward NFS game I have ever played, and it had the best car list I have ever seen in a racing game. Although Most Wanted had an open-world design and customization, It was still very simple. Every technique was easy to learn, the game in very straightforward, and heck even the customization system was very simple. We can put Most Wanted 2012 and NFS Rivals next in the line as second tier games in the franchise alongside with 80% of the classic era titles.

BLUR reminds me of NASCAR Rumble for the PS1. It was a weird game featuring NASCAR cars but no oval racing and power ups. (ie: it is not a NASCAR game) I loved that game when I was young.

Midnight club series is best childhood my Favorite open world racing games, but now Midnight Club has forgotten by Rockstar games, Because Rockstar games focused to GTA V via GTA online

So glad you mentioned Hotshot Racing at the end. Not enough people know about that one.

ur so real for mentioning that bald samples a RR4 track

I just realized you havent done a video on unreal racing games. (Im calling them unreal as they are much more out there than fictional racing like Split Second and Forza) These games have racing as a core mechanic, but have different additional mechanics to them. There's Nitronic Rush and Distance, racing games with the unlimited but overheatable boost from Rally Point and Motorstorm, except the doors are wings and you can fly and the tracks are literally in 3D. Theres also the zero-g or anti-grav racers like Wipeout, BallisticNG, and Redout, that require the use of all joysticks and triggers to drive correctly. Would be cool to see your thoughts on these types of racing games.

I believe that Blur's biggest problem was its marketing, as the ads made it out to be an "edgy Mario Kart."

Really gudddd video I agree it's insane how no one knows of Ridgeracer's ost it's banger on banger. Also are you planning on making a Nightrunner video ?because it might be some saving grace when it releases

Good video, happy to say I have most of the games mentioned here. Definitely my favourite genre of racer.

I can't disagree more with the Blur vs Split/Second take. The player-controlled hazards is still the most innovative gameplay mechanic in the genre. The Hyper focused UI was such a smart design choice too. Ngl the rest of your complaints are skill issues. Yes, I put a lot of time into the game but even when I only had an hour or two to start, I was taking out opponents and catching up after wrecking or making mistakes. Or maybe u should've tried harder to find a car that suits ur preferences?.. There's the stable but terrible turning trucks and SUVs, jack of all/master of none muscle cars, and then the quick/nimble/oversteer supercars. I remember buying the DLC Ryback Cyclone to compete with the meta Cobretti Slipstream bc I didn't like how the Slipstream drove. Meanwhile the physics in Blur never feel great, even in "grippy" or higher tier cars. I remember wrestling with the heavy weight of like, every car, trying to take turns the way I wanted. And u wanna talk about a lack of comeback mechanics? If you get too far behind, no item or shortcut will save u lmao Also it's sad that those games cannibalized each others sales. That, plus Activision ruthless sales demands and Disney backing out of publishing games (except for Disney Infinity).

My fav youtuber fr i watched all of your videos more than 3 times by now And also can you do a video on driveclub?

I feel like "Excite Truck" for Wii also perfectly fits this genre. It's the definition of a pick up and play racing game that basically anyone understands immediately, but has some pretty good depth to it once you get into it. Loved that game as a kid. Remember playing it so much with my brother around the Christmas holidays that my mum got sick of hearing the engine sounds all day lmao

Good video dude! It inspired me to play Blur again!!!

Your videos ooze with style! Another banger!