X-box driving games...

CharlieDelta · Post by **CharlieDelta** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:40 pm

It's been awhile since I've done any driving on my Xbox. The field isn't short of contenders either. The way I see it, I've narrowed picks down to NFS Underground 2 (due out in about a month as near as I can tell) Juiced (played the demo on a demo disc. I was underwhelmed by the physics) Street Racing Syndicate (Borrowing this off a friend likely on Monday, so I'll be able to see it in action then) and the reletively far-off Forza motorsport (probably the best looking, but maybe not quite what I'm looking for)

Basically, what I'm looking for is something that doesn't put too much "twitchiness" in it's physics (I'm a powerslide nut and a drift junkie) allows me to tune my car, has licensed vehicles, and has some sort of free-roaming through streets. Forza looks to satisfy on some/most fronts, but AFAIK there's no free roaming. But it looks damn sweet and I'll probably be picking it up anyways.

Ideally I'd want physics a la PGR2, graphics like Forza, effects like NFSU with tuning and free roaming like SRS and/or Juiced. Am I being too demanding?

Any other Xbox drivers out there? What have you been playing? I feel like I've neglected the Genre, and I want back into it with a nice Rice-Rocket style tuner game.

(Please, don't anyone say "Auto Modellista". Cel shading makes me want to gouge my eyes out with white-hot dessert forks.)

ChaoZ · Post by **ChaoZ** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:22 pm

Aside from SRS, Juiced and NFSU, the game you describe does not exist.

I don't count Sega GT Online because it was very underwhelming. You can give it a rent (or buy it for $20). It emulates Gran Turismo, but not well. There's no free roaming

Only NFSU2 and SRS has Free-romaing mode.

What you're looking for is Tokyo Extreme Racer, and that's only on Playstation 2 and Dreamcast. Graphics aren't quite up to snuff though.

SRS is kinda fun though, but there's just something missing that I can't describe.

My current addiction is Apex. It's far from the best racing game out there, but something about having you own car company, even though there's nothing in terms of customization, that makes the game enjoyable.

NFSU2 seems to fit most of your categories though. I'm awaiting the release as well.

Kael · Post by **Kael** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:28 pm

Although it doesnt match any of your crtieria Burnout 3 is the best racing game on the XBox. Before you buy anything, if you haven't played it do yourself a favor and rent it from Blockbluster. You won't be sorry.

EngineNo9 · Post by **EngineNo9** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 12:10 am

Kael wrote:Although it doesnt match any of your crtieria Burnout 3 is the best racing game on the XBox. Before you buy anything, if you haven't played it do yourself a favor and rent it from Blockbluster. You won't be sorry.

Hear this well, for he speaks the truth.

CharlieDelta · Post by **CharlieDelta** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:18 am

For the record, that's just what I'm sort of "In the mood for" at the moment. Before I sold my forst Xbox (needed the money. Had it since release day) I'd enjoyed PGR/PGR2 and Sega GT 2002 (Pre-online) so I don't mind games or suggestions that don't fit the criteria exactly. I'd hoped in the few months that I'd been 'boxless, (Ha! your Console moderator had no console! It's a travesty!) maybe something had come out that I'd missed, but guess I'll just give SRS a whirl and rent Burnout 3. Does Burnout 3 have licensed cars?

Thin_J · Post by **Thin_J** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:55 am

Burnout 3 doesn't have licensed cars. The manufacturers would never let them put their precious vehicles into the Crash mode.

If you want free-roaming, tuning, etc.. wait and rent Need For Speed Underground 2 when it comes out. It won't have the physics of PGR2, and probably not quite equivalent graphics to Forza, but I can't imagine it not being an absolute blast to play.

freelunch · Post by **freelunch** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:00 am

will NFSU2 be a night-driving only game again?

I hate night-driving, even in games.

Thin_J · Post by **Thin_J** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:03 am

Actually, I have no idea if it's going to be night-time only. If it is, I'd have to say it would be sort of odd, given the free-roaming city part.

That's one thing that always kind of irritated me in the midnight club games.

It didn't bother me in NFS because I was racing in little chunks, not in a big open ended city.

CharlieDelta · Post by **CharlieDelta** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 5:17 am

Thin_J wrote:That's one thing that always kind of irritated me in the midnight club games.

So, um, what were you expecting, really?

FWIW, I think many of these games race at night because they cater to the Tuner Subculture. The kids who rice out their rides and spend all night hanging out at the coffee shop admiring each others cars and racing. It's also the crux behind SRS street mode where you just drive around (at night, IIRC from the reviews) and see what you can set up by flashing high beams and cash at other raceable cars. This sounds like it'll keep me interested for awhile, so, until I can get my hands on NFSU2 looks like SRS is the way I'm going to go.

I still want to re-acquire PGR2. I'd had that game just about finished when I got rid of it last time, so it'll be kinda depressing to have to go through all of that all over again, but I remember the smile that broke across my face the first time I Time-trialled Nurburgring in an Enzo Ferarri

freelunch · Post by **freelunch** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 5:22 am

if you didn't delete the save file from your X-BOX you might be able to take it up where you left off...

CharlieDelta · Post by **CharlieDelta** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:42 pm

Sold the Old Xbox, so not only is the Xbox gone, but the person I sold it to modded it

so the Hard Drive is gone too.

I may have saved some stuff on a mem card that he says he's never used, so there may be something of it left. I'll ask him at work tonight if he still has it or if he wiped the card too.

CharlieDelta · Post by **CharlieDelta** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 6:04 am

Update: NFSU2 isn't due out for another month or so, but SRS should keep me busy for the time being.

Still haven't tried burnout 3 yet, but I just spent the last *6* hours accumulating a small stable of tweaked out rice rockets in SRS. I cruise around town in a tricked out Suburu Impreza 2.5 (that does 0-60 in about 3.5 seconds

) and antagonize the cops.

This is mostly what I was looking for, but it has it's...oddities. In the starting area, it's always night, but you can travel to other areas that represent different types of countryside, from urban cityscapes, to freeways, to mountains, and other areas are in a different time of day. it's a little wierd going into a tunnel at night in an urban cityscape, and emerge on a parkway in broad daylight on the other side

Still, as far as the racing goes, it's not too bad. It's a little on the easy side though, as you can work up enough money very early to trick out some serious rides that will get you through most of the game. The 2003 RX7 is a drift-monster when you trick it out to 500+ HP, and after buying a stage 3 weight reduction, it was actually so light, and so powerful I had to brake hard before going into turns or the car would flip if it touched the curb

Also, extended drifting was a no-no, as eventually, the car would just spin right around and start doing 360's into the wall. Not a good way to win races

Still, in straightaways, having a car that accelerates like a sport bike has it's advantages. Tack a Nos kit on there and you've got a dyed-in-the-wool death-machine

(I don't drive the RX7 anymore. I came to learn that there IS such a thing as too much power! )

Still looking forward to Burnout 3...if I can tear myself away from SRS long enough