Racing games of years past always bring a smile back to those who experienced them. So that got us thinking, which driving games do we really want to see remastered?
Whether touring car racing or stuntman driving, playing classic racing games is sure to re-ignite a wealth of happy memories. Racers all around the world were brought up on a range of iconic driving games.
Many titles across various genres have gotten remastered for more up-to-date hardware. Therefore we began wondering, which iconic racing games should get the remastered treatment?
TOCA 2 Touring Cars Remastered
Supertouring cars, big names and Tiff Needell on commentary. What more could you ask from a British Touring Car game from the late nineties? Whilst the audience for a British Touring Car Game would be assumed to be small, TOCA 2 Touring Cars sold brilliantly across the world.
TOCA 2 also included support championships with Fiestas and Formula Ford on offer. The Fiestas were perfect for learning the physics of the game, whereas the Formula Ford’s required a lot more precision to master.
TOCA 2 had a fully licensed career mode with all the tracks, drivers and cars from the 1998 British Touring Car Championship season. Tiff Needell lent his voice to the pre and post-race menu screens. Alongside the commentary, your pit chief would be in your ear telling you when to pit in the feature races, a revolutionary concept for 1998.
Motorsport Games currently holds the British Touring Car Championship licence. A remaster is almost impossible. But, there is always hope for the future that the 90s supertourers will once again return to our screens in the form of TOCA 2 Touring Cars: Remastered.
Burnout 3: Takedown Remastered
There is an argument that the entire Burnout series deserves a remaster. Burnout 3: Takedown is the jewel in the Burnout crown and a remaster would certainly revitalise a series that holds a special place in a lot of sim racers hearts.
Players had to speed, drift, crash and force their way through traffic and hazards whilst racing a grid of other highly tuned street cars. The well-loved split-screen aspect of the Burnout series would be a welcomed return to a remastered version of this iconic racing game.
Released on PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. Burnout 3: Takedown’s remaster would emphatically re-ignite the passionate fanbase. Additions such as the iconic ‘CRASH’ modes would be a welcomed return to the franchise.
With Burnout Paradise‘s remaster missing the mark with fans, would you want a Burnout 3 remaster? Could it just be a cash cow and seen as recycling content? Let us know in the comments below.
Driven To Destruction/Eve Of Destruction
A blissfully simple, and severely underrated title that defined the future of destruction racing games. Consequently, Driven to Destruction was a smash hit on the PS2 as well as the PC. A realistic view into the USA derby racing scene was a fresh view of the genre. Driven to Destruction was a ground-breaking title that paved the way for modern titles like Wreckfest.
A comprehensive and individualistic campaign mode defined this title as iconic. Buying scrap cars and repairing them gave the most realistic derby experience fans had seen back in 2004. The ability to spray paint and customise your cars created endless opportunities to decorate your derby car collection.
Modes like trailer racing and figure eight racing made Driven to Destruction a stand-out title that, if remastered, would fly off the shelves with the popularity of modern destruction games like Wreckfest.
Stuntman/Stuntman Ignition Remastered
Stuntman and Stuntman Ignition created a new outlook on racing games. Their clever point-to-point mission-style campaign was revolutionary. The incredibly unrestrictive map editor mode and engaging campaign have created a vibrant and active community, even in 2023.
The Stuntman series was designed around the base of a movie stuntman perfecting driving stunts like handbrake turns and jumping through various moving objects like a train carriage and a burning building. The AI in the chase sequences are basic, but with a remaster; there’s so much potential for a truly great title.
FlatOut 2 Remastered
Bugbear Entertainment’s second instalment to the FlatOut series is the most recognisable. AI-controlled characters with their individual personality traits revolutionised the destruction genre on PlayStation 2, PC Xbox and PSP.
Flatout 2 defines what an arcade racer should be. A fun, fast-paced and rewarding game with plenty of progression and challenge as you progress through the rankings in the career mode. The upgrade system is basic but necessary and the gameplay is dynamic and provides hours of fun past just the career mode, even in 2023.
FlatOut 2 had, at the time, ground-breaking online multiplayer capabilities at release. Sadly, the servers have been shut for over a decade. Splitscreen multiplayer was a big selling point of FlatOut 2. The ability to play with up to four other people played beautifully into the ‘Living room’ style of games that ruled the market in 2006.
The ability to unlock hidden cars through cheat codes, such as the Batmobile-style car and a school bus, is a firm pillar of mid-2000s arcade game magic. Unfortunately, FlatOut 3 and 4 were disappointments at release, with FlatOut 3 being among one of the worst-reviewed games on Steam.
FlatOut 2 was the runner-up in E3’s best PS2 racing game of the year in 2006. A title many believed it should have emphatically won. FlatOut 2 will forever be one of the greatest racing titles the PS2 ever had, but a remaster with all the original characters would be immensely popular.
Which racing games would you want to see remastered? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
