Top 5 Racing Games of All Time

BEHOLD THE TOP FIVE RACING GAMES OF ALL TIME! Actually, Its more of a personal opinion, and I know I will end up catching a ton of flak for some of my choices. I ask fanboys to relax, and enjoy the list. Through talking with friends who have been in gaming longer than myself (I started on an Atari 7800) have I compiled this list full of Titles and specific games themselves. There are a ton of special mentions at the bottom, and I hope everyone will be able to be pulled back in time when that game was in its hay-day.

1. Tied, GRAN TURISMO AND FORZA SERIES

This was a no-brainer for me. Each title brings something unique and interesting. I can remember when the original Gran Turismo came out for the Playstation, and I was blown away by how many tracks, and cars were available to race. Gran Turismo 2 pushed the bounds of the PS1, and started to include rally racing which was just unheard of. Forza followed with the release of the XBOX, and blew minds of the gaming community. After the release of the XBOX360 and the PS3, Forza rolled out with Forza 2 and 3, and soon I will squeal with delight of the release of Forza 4. The PS series lagged with promises of Gran turismo 5, releasing a “prologue” game of things to come. Come fall of 2010, GT5 proved to be a formidable racer that provides variety of cars, tracks and customizations.

2. MARIO KART SERIES

You can ask any of us here at Clearancebinreveiw.com that this is a racer that we can all enjoy, most notably for the N64. and for me the SNES. While in college Eric and Tristan and I avidly played this title on the N64, while ingesting alcoholic beverages during competition. If I remember correctly, Tristan coined the phrase “drunken driving” for this act. In no way do I condone drinking and driving, but when tristan posts top times (that I think are still standing) for a few tracks it really makes you wonder. I can’t think of any other Title that I could plug in four players and wreak havoc among friends and foes alike.

3. RIDGE RACER SERIES

This will be the title of the of all the crap throwing I suspect will be hurled in my direction, but I digress that without the Ridge Racer series, arcade style racers may have faded into the distance on the pixelated car they rode in on. RR made somewhat 8 titles, If you include Rage Racer and Ridge Racer 3D. Despite their lackluster performances of anything past the early 2000’s, I find myself still thinking fondly of sliding around corners while some dude yells positive comments while crazy J-Pop techno blares in the background, and wondering despite how well I race or corner, those damn AI’s are always on my butt.

4. NEED FOR SPEED SERIES

Some of the NFS series was a black eye on the arcade racing community (note my hatred for Underground) but also produced in my eyes, some of the best arcade racers I have ever played- most notably Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. This game was amazing for my 15 year old claws to get on. the cop cars, the crashes, and the tracks and roadblocks. Giving you the choice to be the law or the bandit on the run in a high powered super-car. As a person who recently became a cop and graduated the state police academy, Crown Victorias aren’t that powerful, nor do they handle as well. There’s a reason why some people call them “school buses.”

5. EXCITEBIKE SERIES

Most of our younger readers will be scratching their heads, wondering what is Excitebike. Originally starting on the arcade and moving to the NES, It brought arcade style dirtbike racing to the home, and including the frustration of defeat. Bringing to the attention of the readers, more might be accepted of the title Excitebike 64, a great title that scores high on many top tens for that system. If you haven’t played, pick it up, and remember to not let your bike overheat, and always aim for the turbo pads on the track.

SPECIAL MENTIONS: (no particular order)

Spy Hunter

Road Rash

Test Drive Series

Wipeout XL

Formula 1 (NES,GB)

Micro Machines (PS,SNES)

Daytona USA

Burnout Series

I’d like to hear from the readers, what is your top 5 racing titles of all time? What do you like of the titles mentioned above? Or- if your a poop throwing monkey, what do you dislike? Finally, If you can figure out what game the title picture came from, you will get 5 gold stars, that have absolutely no value in any way- but I’ll be thoroughly impressed.