Community Questions | Best Console Racing Title?

[Paul Jeffrey]

Without doubt the array of consoles available today have a much larger pool of gamers to compete for than PC, and as such plenty of racing games to choose from - but which one is the best?

Recent years have seen an increasing number of traditional PC racing simulations make the move over to console, from the Project CARS franchise to Assetto Corsa Competizione later this year. Mix this in with traditional console titles like the Gran Turismo Series and Forza franchise, plus a few outliners like Wipeout and Mario Kart, console gamers have plenty to pick from when heading over to the store and selecting something featuring wheels to purchase.

Out of the many different choices, which console racing game do you think is currently the best of all?

Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Mike Smith]

For now, Project CARS 2. In 3 months, Assetto Corsa Competizione.

 

[Richard Coleman]

Personally for me it is and always will be Gran Turismo 4. The sheer car roster, tracks and for the time graphics will stick in my mind. Heck, I went and bought a brand new PS2 at the time just to get it in the bundle. Even all these years later I have the PS2 and still boot up and have fun in GT4.

 

[Kurupt CDN]

Forza series...for me I enjoyed FM4 the most, it kept me entertained for yrs. I ran the DirtT Tuned Racing team which had several top painters, tuners and hotlappers in the game, we also got spot lighted several times for community events and made a ton of credits and was what pushed me into more advanced sims...good times

I always hoped that PC1 would be that bridge between simcade and hard core sims...it had the potential but never became the title I hoped it would be simply due to the short development time of 1yr before jumping to the next project making the same mistakes.

 

[Alex Townsend]

When I was on console it was always a toss up between GT and Forza. But now I guess if I were still on console it would be AC and I'd be looking forward to ACC

 

[ShredatorFIN]

Wondering how ACC will run on current gen consoles. I'm guessing it must be 30 fps lock? Honestly, I have hard time seeing how it would run properly in anything other than the upcoming new gen of consoles. Maybe I'm biased because of being PC gamer, but 30 fps is not enough for a racing title. For strategy maybe

 

[General_RIMT]

ACC might become the best, but if i had to pick a console-focused *racing* title in general? Mario Kart. it's just too damn good. like come on everyone, let's be real [Edit] Especially since you can't get it on PC or any other platform besides Nintendo.

 

[Alex Townsend]

ACC might become the best, but if i had to pick a console-focused *racing* title in general? Mario Kart. it's just too damn good. like come on everyone, let's be real [Edit] Especially since you can't get it on PC or any other platform besides Nintendo.

Ahem... Dolphin...

 

[Riblo]

Assetto Corsa hands down... The most accurate simulation on consoles right now...
Soon Assetto Corsa Competizione will take the lead for the even more accurate simulation...
Other games may have more cars or tracks but they are just arcade...

 

[Nick Hill]

All time, for me, it would have to be Dirt to Daytona. I'm not a big stock car fan, but that game is console racing gold.

- Best career mode you'll ever play
- Great control and feel for the car (handles better with controller than wheel)
- Raceable AI
- Realistic setup changes/effects
- Really nice looking game from that era (obviously can compete with modern titles, but the graphics still really work)

It's great fun, I still fire it up on my old PS2 from time to time. If I recall correctly, the people who are making the latest NASCAR Heat games are some of the same that made DtD...too bad they don't seem to have recaptured the magic.

 

[Jugulador]

Midnight Club LA... followed by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Road Rash 2 (that never had a true successor). Maybe Forza Horizon 3 and 4.

No console simulator deserves to be named because they will aways be an inferior experience compared to PC counterparts.

Even them:

All time, for me, it would have to be Dirt to Daytona. I'm not a big stock car fan, but that game is console racing gold.

- Best career mode you'll ever play
- Great control and feel for the car (handles better with controller than wheel)
- Raceable AI
- Realistic setup changes/effects
- Really nice looking game from that era (obviously can compete with modern titles, but the graphics still really work)

It's great fun, I still fire it up on my old PS2 from time to time. If I recall correctly, the people who are making the latest NASCAR Heat games are some of the same that made DtD...too bad they don't seem to have recaptured the magic.

This game was fkng special to me. Used to play on max difficulty/realism and 100% racing length. Was amazing to see the AI adapting it's pace (every AI driver felt like it had it's own strategy). I don't remember much more games that gave me races like it. It's everything you said, specially the career mode.

 

[Dazmaniac]

Wondering how ACC will run on current gen consoles. I'm guessing it must be 30 fps lock? Honestly, I have hard time seeing how it would run properly in anything other than the upcoming new gen of consoles. Maybe I'm biased because of being PC gamer, but 30 fps is not enough for a racing title. For strategy maybe

I appreciate what you're saying about the FPS, but the 30FPS lock never did DriveClub any harm. It looked fantastic and ran very smoothly.Add in the games' wet weather effects and the bikes and you often forgot there was a 30FPS lock in place.

 

[Joe Gaffey]

AC and DR1/2 are the best right now from what I have seen. PCARS1/2 also have their moments.
Mostly on PC myself though so I could be missing something good.

 

[Joe Gaffey]

AC and DR1/2 are the best right now from what I have seen. PCARS1/2 also have their moments.
Mostly on PC myself though so I could be missing something good.

AMS1/2 ports could be something really special.

 

[Alex Townsend]

In fact, thinking about it some more, nothing quite came close, back in the day before PC of course, to booting up the original Wipeout on Playstation with the console hooked up to an Tecnics HiFi system.
Man I thought I'd arrived then...
Similarly the first time booting up Gran Tursimo, bus journey takes 10 minutes to/from the shopping centre where I lived yet it felt like hours on the way home I couldn't wait to play it so badly... and I just checked and I would have been about 21 at the time and then 22 when Colin McRae came out.

 

[FishPapp]

GT Sport for the looks and AC for the feel (even though the Ps4 version lacks the detailed FFB of the PC version). DriveClub looks good but has dumbed down handling and Dirt 2 well, it's probably good but I just can't get excited about rallying - I race people, not clocks.

And PC/PC2 just, no. PC2 looks abysmal and the handling of both titles can be exceedingly ropey (car dependent). For now I play AC on my aging laptop as it still beats all console titles hands down.

Hoping some magic can happen to get ACC running well but I'm doubtful, especially as the console seems to have an output limit for FFB (and graphics, cars on track etc) - maybe it'll be the king of next-gen.

I'm sure GT7 will be the shiniest game ever made when it drops, but Polyphony really need to focus a lot more on handling (and sim aspects in general) and AI that doesn't drive like my nana. Also drop the bloody photo modes and crap non-race cars. So much guff.

 

[ShredatorFIN]

I appreciate what you're saying about the FPS, but the 30FPS lock never did DriveClub any harm. It looked fantastic and ran very smoothly.Add in the games' wet weather effects and the bikes and you often forgot there was a 30FPS lock in place.

I guess ACC will do fine if it can reach and hold a 30 fps lock. Wreckfest is locked to 30 fps too on consoles, people seem okay with it.

I remember not caring about 30 fps that much when I had Xbox and nothing else, 15 years ago. Now though, 30 fps just looks so bad, there's no going back for me. No matter the graphics. It doesn't appear to be moving naturally, but a slideshow. Funny to think how it didn't bother me

I guess I'm being picky nowadays. Too used to the 60 fps good life. But there's lot of PC gamers who can't stand even 60 Hz anymore, with their 120 and 144 hz screens. At least I haven't gone there. Probably would happen to me too, if I had a screen like that. But triple screens (both the purchase cost and the required power to render 3 viewports) have kept that one in check

 

[Dr. Death]

TOCA race driver 3.

 

[eSEA One]

I have only had one Forza Motorsport 4, I bought the XBox 360 just for it.
So I will have to say Forza Motorsport 4.
When it upgraded to Forza Motorsport 5 you needed a new console, at the time I was considering a wheel, I had been using the "U" shaped controller for a wheel . Also my PC was getting to the geriatric stage. Well the PC won because I used it for work too. I built the new PC, bought a wheel and found this beta racing simulator on steam "Assetto Corsa" all for not much more than the new console. I have never looked back until this thread, I am considering firing up the XBox 360 and FM4 just for nostalgia

 

[Zhabik]

Manx TT Superbike on the Sega Saturn.