The Problem With Modern Racing Games 

Before commenting, please watch my "responding to viewers critiques" response to this video. I go over “racing games don’t need a story”, “horizon 4 is a sandbox” “why didn’t you mention The Crew 2?” And my revised stance on engine sounds in Horizon 4 among others ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QVml3ZtXN_g.html

the main problem is developers dont care about single player anymore. They assume everyone just goes straight to multiplayer racing.

Forza Horizon 4 is technically amazing, but it feels like it's designed for kids. The way the characters talk to you etc... Also you get Ferraris etc. way too easily (from wheel of fortune) so they don't feel meaningful like in TDU2 where you had to collect money, drive into the store etc.. Hope TDU Solar Crown is more sim and for adults

What i loved in TDU1, was that you could rent cars for limited time and test them or use them for races without having to buy them 👍

Forza Horizon 1 is still an incredible looking game, even nearly a decade later. This game pushed the Xbox 360 to its absolute limits.

One hundred thousand views. Absolutely speechless. When I uploaded this video I had 800 subscribers and was getting 200-300 views a video. So for one of my silly little videos to hit 100 thousand is just insane. Thank you all so much for everything. Heres to even better videos in the future!

I remember when horizon 3 came out and I started to question why I was racing because you could come last in every race and still progress through the campaign.

A lot of people forget the first 5 NFS games, especially High Stakes and Porsche Unleashed: Every single one of these, even The Need For Speed in 1994, had cockpit view, real-world performance data & history for the car manufacturers, a 3D view of the real car's interior, and a roster with all kinds of cars: Not just tuners and supercars, but some contemporary muscle cars, concept cars, Australian muscle, luxury cars and such. NFS II+ added performance fine-tuning and night racing, III Hot Pursuit and High stakes allowed playing as police + added weather conditions + FREE DLC + OFFICIAL MOD TOOLS, and High Stakes added damage, 3D interiors for cockpit, animated drivers, upgrade parts and visual upgrades! It's a damn shame most people ignore these games simply because they came before Underground.

tdu2 was one of those games to me that despite being 30+ hours into the game and not even being close to completing it, i never got bored, it had so much attention to detail and especially with the open world that even i had to slow down to like cruising speed, obeying traffic laws cuz the police actually react to certain violations, indicate turn signals, opening the roof while driving, customizing your character and just the amount of stuff that game had. The view despite the graphics not being too great was still amazing to me at the time and the music. the devs really made you feel that you are in control, you earn what you earn, everything just blended well for being a rags to riches type of progression almost

i wish playground games would listen to us instead of shoving new cars into our faces

Three modes of “difficulty” : arcade, casual and reality check.

So. Let me clarify some things here. This video is a rant, and these are all my SUBJECTIVE opinions, I whole heartedly respect if you feel differently than me. so don’t take this to heart as it’s me getting a lot of my feelings out about something I’m very passionate about. Alot of people are getting the vibe I hate Horizon 4. I really don’t. It’s an amazing game it’s just in my opinion not as good as some previous entries. If you love Horizon 4, AWESOME. I don’t want to make it seem like you shouldn’t like the game as it’s still amazing

As the great Whitelight said, racing games are like umm... horn, they dont need story but a good story elevated it massively.

Midnight Club 3. Good memories man I love another MC-style game with multiple maps and customization and bikes

I definitely have issues with the new “its a sandbox! Go play theres nothing you really *need* to do anyway!”

Thank you everyone for all of the attention this video is getting, I can’t even keep up with all of the comments so if I miss yours it’s not on purpose. I’m trying to respond to as many as possible, thank you guys!

I told my mom I wanted chicken nuggets for dinner and she gave me pizza

This is exactly what the racing games community need, constructive criticism about the genre, supporting these type of videos, so that we, as a whole, can improve in such things. Keep up with the good content

PGR 3 Had a very similar feature to TDU2. You could buy car lots to store your cars, walk around them, move cars around the garage, and there was even a secret arcade game in each garage. There were also secret concept cars locked behind Kudos rewards so you actually had a purpose to race and unlock it. Additionally it had the test drive feature

I think the term we are looking for here is PERSONALITY. Older games had creative ideas and went with it. Devs took risks, now it more about playing it safe for the sake of the bottom line. Burnout 3 and NFS Most Wanted (2005) had personality and probably wouldn't be made nowadays.

I miss when racing games had an actual story in them. Remember Need for Speed Carbon? Popular anime like Initial D and Wangan Midnight prove that you can excellent racing media with a good story to tell.

I think Driveclub was a damn good game too. I know a lot of people weren't fans of its driving, but for me it struck the perfect balance between a simple arcade feel and a challenging adrenaline rush

I definitely miss the boss characters from Horizon 1. It tied in so well to the design philosophy of working your way up the ladder, and I really think this sense of direction given to the player really helped make the experience great. It also reminded me quite a bit of Most Wanted 2005 or Midnight Club 2. I really hope Horizon 5 takes more cues from the first game, especially regarding the atmosphere (I miss the music festival aspect) but I highly doubt it will.

“You need to work in TDU2 for cars” Me: Used Dealership Glitch

I have Forza Horizon 4 and really like it. I kinda wish Playground Games was more aware of the issues in the game.

They prioritize , story, sound over " dabbing emojis" and hoodies for your character. End of discussion

IMAGINE: The first FH5 expansion is one where the player can go to a private island of high stakes. One where you race for pinks on crazy courses. Basically, a location designated for those looking for a hardcore experience. High stakes, and high rewards with its own community based hierarchy... Maybe even little cliques are formed and have turf wars lol. Could be so many neat things you could do with that. It'd make players appreciate their cars and money that much more.

The "get what you get" aspect of older racing games is really what made beating the game worth while, sure it might discourage people from playing because it's hard but you cant sacrifice the depth of the entire game just to suit the needs of every passing player. The long lasting players will always be around to play the newest releases, and companies just don't think capitalizing on the dedicated fanbase is profitable.

Ok, now i understand why i had that weird feeling about FH4 being kind of empty.

Here are the games I love then and now: NFS shift 1 & 2, grid 2008, Blur, split second, motorstorm, Flatout, gran turismo 5, project Gotham racing, forza Horizon 1... yoU can see where I’m going with this

Dream driving game. Forza Horizon 2 Physics, crew 2 map. TDU 2 innovations, some Mirrors Edge freeruning for out of vehicle exploration and a Forza Horizon 1 Story structure. Also when i first started up Forza Horizon 4 i was immediately awarded the Koenigsegg One 1 and Koenigsegg Regera, completely destroying all progression before even playing the game.

I was born in 2001 I really loved the time I played NFS ug2 Mw2005 NFS undercover,tdu2 Tdu2 is ma fav racing game

My child hood racing games where NFS:MW, The Crew, Asphalt Xtreme. I now have FH4, TC2

Companies think graphics is what we love but they forgot that a good story makes a gamer happy

As much as i enjoyed Horizon 4, I always come back to the same question everytime, "why does Horizon 4 feel so lifeless and limited compared to older Racing Games?" And it still sucks, that newer racing games will never be like the older racing games. Games like NFS Carbon, where you fight against every Clan which is based on the main story itself, or Most Wanted list in NFS MW '05, where you have to climb your way up the beat the No. 1 blacklist through races, challenges, speed traps and etc. Game Companies and Publishers these days just doesn't want to take risk anymore. They think by shoving a lot of cars on our faces will gain more money for them, a lot of variety of cars is great and all, but where's the fun and true innovation? Remember the days when we have a lot of racing games which that doesn't need licensed Cars? Games like Burnout, Split Second and etc. they just let their creativity out without worrying too much about expired license deals. Or maybe Blur, a fun arcade-combat racing. Is just sad. But i only have a little of hope for racing games this 2021, and i doubt it would make any difference, we'll just have to wait and see :(

I don't particularly care about characters in racing games, I just want racing games where the main focus is on the offline single player career mode as well as the return of pure AAA arcade racers like OutRun and Midnight Club plus simcade series like Project Gotham Racing.

Horizon 1 is one of the best of the franchise with a PURPOSE. Horizon 2 has a kinda confusing map but an amazing intro with a nice music which connects you to the car. After 2015 everything changed...

Need For Speed: Underground 2 is an unmatched street racing RPG to this day. My favorite and I've yet to play anything that will scratch that same itch

THANK YOU dude for making this video everyone share it so when a developer sees it they realize what racing games are about

TDU has had this ethos since 2006 and that's just 1 of the reasons why I loved it so much. I just commented on another video related to the original TDU and that was the abstract fact that I, to this day remember those hours as a reality I lived in and not just played. That too for a 2006 game! (we might just be in a simulation after all eh?)

some elements from tdu2 are actually in the crew 2 like the features from the dealership because some of the developers that worked on tdu2 are now in ivory tower

Put so many hours into TDU2 and that was after the online went down for good, was all just single player, such a good game, and it felt so good to get your first proper super car, like you actually had to work for the cars, and drive to the dealership, walk round it, choose your exact spec and then drive it away. The immersion the devs created was just glorious, playing that game for a few hours really makes you feel like you’re on holiday

Well said, MO! Graphics and quantity isn't everything. Quality and well-crafted gameplay is the way to go!

I’ve played every horizon game, and the first ones progression and campaign and characters are absolutely untouched. One of my favorite random details in horizon 1 is that whenever you did official horizon races your character would wear racing gloves and a helmet, but wouldn’t wear them in free roam.

Probably one of the most innovative racing games I remember was Driver: San Francisco. I've never owned it, but I remember being younger and watching playthroughs on RU-vid all the time. There's videos out there that describe it better than I could, but dang was it different

This is an interesting video and a lot of great points that you’ve mentioned.

Brother you just spoke out what I had in mind for years, there is little to no purpose in playing current racing games now.

It just feels like any racing game is just left in the dust as soon as a new title comes out, obviously there's massive hype around FH5, and like you said in even a year, no one will be playing FH4 and will just be forgotten. Great video BTW

Gran turismo 7 looks like its going to be a return to form, can't wait. Ps5 comes in the mail today woot woot

Very good and informative video, I share your opinion completely. TDU 1+2 made my childhood, no other game had such a Charme like tdu2. Using the Blinkers, speccing the car with oem colors and wheels, opening the roof of a cabriolet and visiting the Casino and playing poker with your friends. Good old days and memories. Hopes are high for TDSC, let's hope for the best. Subscribed 💪🏻

In TDU2, I also loved having to find "wrecked cars" all over the map as an additional way to earn vehicles. It also incentivized exploration off-road.

For a Horizon 1 was so perfect. From the music to the Vibe, the way the map was crafted.... I’m speechless

I really want TDU solar crown to come with the option to buy aftermarket wheels and body kits and such. There's no shortage of aftermarket manufacturers for people who can spend money with reckless abandon in real life like ABT, Mansory, Brabus, Vorsteiner, and such. Adding those things would set TDU right into the market, even though most of those items portray zero sense of taste that you might wanna test yourself for Covid if you install them to your six-figure cars.

Don't forget about Ridge Racer Type 4; especially with the games story being based around the manufacturer you choose

Your point about racing got you into video games resonated so much with me. These games were my first games on console! Thanks for the video

Enjoyed the presentation :) Keep up the good work!

The problem with modern racing games is the gameplay doesn’t feel different between games anymore back then every game had a different vibe gameplay design and atmosphere that is obvious the moment the main menu pops up what the hell happened to days of midnight club ridge racer or Tokyo extreme racer honestly forza horizon 1 was the last good forza game that decided to go a different route and did it wonderfully

how do you only have 935 subscribers??? 🙌🏽🙌🏽👏🏽

Man your newer videos are a blessing... But these old ones are a 2x must.

Added to my "Favourite Videos" playlist. Will show this to my kids someday if RU-vid will still be around. They should know.

man hearing the music from the home in tdu mmm i would literally go to my homes just to hear that.

Finally!!!! Someone understands what makes the OG Forza Horizon was so damn good! It's simply a great game with great gameplay released in a dark age of racing games. Kids nowadays prefered the Horizon 4 simply because it has so many cars and huge map with lot of DLCs, but the game feels bland and boring especially when your starter car were already Audi TTS and Ford Focus RS. Even i wouldn't called the Charger as a starter car. Though the game was a huge improvement from the Horizon 3 which i think it's the 2nd worst Forza game i've ever played.

That intro to Horizon 1 was the peak for the entire series for me. God I wish I could live in that moment again, where the music syncs with the player taking control of the car while flying at top speed. Insane.

Great video man, we need more people to start pushing this message because it seems like modern racing game titles are on a decline with quality

TDU series, BLUR, NFS MW were my favorites. Countless hours spent on those games.

You nailed it my guy, huge TDU fan here. Can't wait to see what Nacon and Kylotonn are do! I recommend AlexVII, he has very interesting videos about TDU :)

What made Test drive so good to me was the feeling of seeing somone in a bugatti and almost being star struck by the guys with the most amazing cars. With a difficulty slider this effect would be gone but i see your point.

The video is really good. Thanks for doing it

I feel that we're starting to go through a cycle with racing games. First, they start with the vision and make a prototype due to the current technology limitations. Through time as technology improves, they work on the pure mechanics such as graphics and handling of cars. This is where we are and it almost seems like developers are selling their progress by not actually progressing with the original vision but rather building a foundation. Last is the complete vision of where that great story that they once told now followed up with the best graphics and handling they can offer. Developers will have no limits to their imagination and we'll have some solid racing games. No idea how long that'll take but its fun to wonder.

Half a year ago I've bought a used xBox 360 and Forza Motorsport 4. Since 2011 I wanted to play it, but had a PS3 and was short on disposable income for a long time. And I can tell - it is still breathtaking. Considering the hardware is 17 years old, it still amazes me. What is so brilliant about it? Well: - The gameplay isn't distracting - you race cars, you earn money and win cars + customization. - No randomized card system - you want more difficulty - just set sliders to he right, and you'll win more, simple as that. - Menus show the age - lack a few options and could be a bit faster to navigate, but it's still manageable. - Menu music (courtesy of Lance Hayes) is beautiful, I still listen to it when driving IRL or when walking to work - it's soothing, relaxing, yet dynamic. Hard to describe. - The cars are the STARS. No distractions, no "cool yo homie" underground stuff or battle royale aesthetic, neither is it a full on GT3 racing sim only for the hardcore. Some may call FM4 sterile, "too clean" - I love it. The feeling that you're in a huge warehouse with hundreds of both exotic missiles and humble grocery getters on opposing ends of the spectrum. And all of the wonders in between. I yearn for a next-gen game like this.

You motivated me enough to buy this game tomorrow. TDU World, here I come!

The Crew 2 has bits of all these things you mentioned, a home area to display cars, customization and wraps, story to climb the ranks in each section AND a great "boss battle" to finish it all in those sections, and since the map is the whole of the US you get very differnt enviroments to drive through

Automodelista allows u to change garage interior :D also swapping engines is amazing there!

Defo agree! Indeed the future looks very promising with both GT7 and FM implying that they 're going back to their roots. Just hoping they could deliver with them not being Year 1 exclusives.

Really great review. What you mentioned is not limited to racing games but the whole gaming scene today..

What I would really like to see in one of the next racing games is the possibility to park your cars and choose others without the ones beforehand despawning. Like parking 3-4 cars in your driveway

The thing I miss most about older racing games is any sense of achievement. It has all been removed from the modern games because they just hand everything to you on a silver platter. I remember in gran tourismo 5 which was the first one I played I started with a gem 1 MX5 and slowly did the cheapest upgrades to make it better until I could finally afford my next car. Then the sense of achievement I got when I went to buy my first Ferrari was so exciting. You look to today and every time you do a race in the two racing games I play GT sport and horizon 4 you get free stuff and too much money. I have nearly 500 unique cars in forza 4 and I probably bought about 80 of them. STOP GIVING ME FREE SHIT it takes the fun and excitement out

This is why I getting the new TDU solar clown.🤗

I like how horizon 1 had a boss battles, and they would be included in regular races as well.

Ahh man! The golf course in Horizon 1 was my favourite spot! My friend and I would always go and mess around there

I feel like another great example of a drop off is the crew 1 vs the crew 2, I don't even need to explain. I feel like on modern game that handles itself relatively well, except that grinding reputation isn't too hard is NFS heat, it's just fun.

TC2 has houses/garages that seems similar to TDU2. And The Crew series had the ability to chose colors, wheels, interior when buying the car, and test drive it. TC2 is super grindy, you have to do like 10-20 minutes for like a 40k car. The Crew series may be more arcade physics, and funny physics, but that's why I like them.

I like your videos, good stuff dude, keep it up 👌🏻

Even something as small as being able to lower and raise the roofs of convertibles or indicating left and right was amazing in the test drive series 🔥

In my opinion TDU2 is pinnacle and unbeatable as an open world racing game. And since TDU World released on PC, the game can be relived again yay. Hopefully Solar Crown is good.

If you take a step back you'll notice the whole of society is like this, it looks good until you get closer and realise how flawed everything is.

I'm glad you mentioned CMS cause that was one of the things I loved about it, you can play by how you feel and there attention to detail of a lot of the parts is incredible. I'm very excited for when CMS21 releases.

i think the sandbox/casual vs. expert/hardcore mode thing is a rly good point. ive thought before abt how my ideal racing game would have a sandbox mode where every car and track/location is unlocked from the start, you can customize them freely, theres no money, do what you want. this would then make space for a career mode with a much more grounded progression/economy where if u manage to own even one supercar its like wow damn, and every car that you do own u have to seriously invest in and its very much Your Car and not just a car

do u guys remember blur? its pretty feels like asphalt 9

Now that the dust has long settled....driveclub is one of my favorite racing games.

Big respect for this vidéo bro i feel thé same as you i Hope they bring that back

What I loved on TDU was the Houses the ability to show off and flex your garage of expensive cars, clubs and its unique cars with club wars, customization of both properties and Avatar and details like the ability to move the roof in covertibles or turn on turning signals. Every car had unique digital speedo. The details that TDU had is what made it beautiful.

older games were more ambitious, they had different race styles and different in game features. No they all seem to be competing for graphics only.

Would just like to add a game to this list that, in my opinion, perfectly showcases just the amount of quality you could get all those years ago. Hot Pursuit 2 (PS2 version). To this day, i still cannot think of a game that has tighter races (honestly one of the few examples of rubber-banding done right), or more intense chases. Even if it's showing its age, a genuine sense of progression as you play through the tournaments, as well as giving you the option to branch out any way you like is very much appreciated. Add to that unique engine sounds, A-mazing track design, a very, very suitable soundtrack (you cannot tell me that "One Little Victory" during a chase doesn't get you pumped up) and so, so much more, and even almost 20 years from now, i still return every now and then to replay it. (also, this is probably one of the better recommendations RU-vid gave me recently, it was a really nice video)

this is what happen when publishers force the devs to turn a fun little side project to a big annual franchise

Holy shit you just put the feeling of fh1 in words i legit cried remembering this game hearing the song in the background i .. had a big nostalgia rush even tho its the 4th one songs its still making me remember still feelsgooman

I feel that Horizon changed directions yes between FH1 to FH2. But I feel that the biggest difference was between FH2 and FH3. Horizon 2 still had the festival as an important thing. Horizon 3 pretending to act like they care about the festival. Horizon 2 still had characters, cut scenes, and dialogue. FH2 and FH had a sepia tone a filter which Fh3 removed. FH3 in the trailer did not included people or the festival, they made this cinematic. Horizon 3 was trying to sell itself as a spectacle with the cinematic trailer and the hot wheels. The expansions in the early Horizon expansions were realistic and the fast and the furious expansion did not go as unrealistic as hot wheels or speed champions.

I do agree that the modern games don't have stories, but nostalgia plays a bigger part than the lack of story. Plus you can be impressed easier as a child.

Anyone remembers when midnight club 3 was like the dark souls of all the racing games for its intensity? Or nfs underground 2 and most wanted to give you that fast and furious vibe? You literally had to race characters that were part of some sort of criminal organization or just underground racers and you had to work your way up to be able to get a chance to complete with bigger and well known racers? Now I feel like the devs just ignore all of that and just assume everyone plays online

I'm so happy to hear an opinion just like mine in regards of new racing games and specially FH4. For years I dreamed of playing the original Horizon game and TDU2, and after that happened when I finally bought my 360 I was not a little bit disappointed, now I just want to go back to it. Anyways, very nice video and cheers from Brazil.