What is a good racing game that can be played on-line?

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frogger42

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 2, 2007
Messages
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I just discovered that the racing wheel I bought years ago for my PS2 will work on my new PC and it has me wanting a good racing game to use it with. I'd like to race against other people on-line. I'm not real picky about the type of racing. It can be dirt, street, nascar, etc... What do you guys/gals recommend?

I saw that Need For Speed Carbon could be played on-line and can be bought at Wally World for only $20. Is that game worth owning? What else?

Thanks in advance for the info.
 
Race and Track Maina on Steam; I believe both have online modes.
 
Flatout 2 is pretty fun, it has racing on and off road aswell as demolition derbies.
 
Dirt is pretty good, I really enjoyed Toca 2 also. As for sims, rfactor is great, gtr2 is fun also. I have not tried lfs but have heard good things.
 
My 1st recommendations (for RACING) would be:

TOCA 3 = more arcade / GTR 2 = more real
- Both games work well online and are really affordable.

All the other users suggestions are good too!
- I also love to play MotoGP 3, and RACE / WTCC looks great.

Just for FUN - Flatout 2 is a hoot, but leaves me feeling "vacant"
- like I might as well be playing single player...

My kid plays NFS: Carbon - it's OK, but it like a roaming free-for-all.
- not like organized "race track" racing - but I never played it online!

So.... it depends what you like to do most...
Bangin' racin', serious racin', street racin'...

$20 is cheap - so buy 'em & try 'em - or DL the free demos!

==============================================
BTW - I recently started a web site specifically about PC racing.

There is a regular group developing and we have live voice chat!
That makes it a lot more fun! Drop by sometime - and bring TOCA 3!

http://videogameracing.com :D
http://videogameracing.com/apps/phpbb-vgr/index.php
 
$20 for NFS Carbon is about all it's worth imo...but still I would get it for that price. Just be forewarned that you'll need a hack for widescreen support if you need it. (unless EA has patched it by now)
 
I 3rd Live for Speed, most realistic racing simulator ever made. Dont even try it without a wheel and pedal set.

I also agree that GTR2 is less realistic
 
I have been playing trackmania for the past 2-3 months and love it. It's online community is extensive. The racing is arcade like not really realistic, but addictivly fun.
 
Track Mania Nations, its free. Don't look down on it because it is free either.

TrackMania Sunrise/Extreme/Nations were all great. The best part about this game is the custom track utility. Tons of servers with custom, end-user made tracks.
 
moetop said:
I have been playing trackmania for the past 2-3 months and love it. It's online community is extensive. The racing is arcade like not really realistic, but addictivly fun.
Click to expand...

Actually, that's one bad point about TM: it took me a little while to realize how unrealistic the physics/controls were...

Maybe it is mentioned somewhere, but it took me a while to come to the realization that I could indeed control the speed/braking/roll/yaw of my car in mid-flight...

Once you realize you can, the game becomes a lot simpler! :D

Very addictive game, though... I love how thinking outside-the-box is rewarded!
 
simon741 said:
Richard Burns Rally
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amen. If you like rally pick this up. I just got a new copy on amazon for under 20 bucks. WARNING: this is the real thing, no arcade at all but the "tutorial" is amazing. Going through the rally school has taught me things about automotive physics that I never realized thats the way they work.

rant aside racesimcentral.com (jump right into the forum on the left) is a good place to find new (and old but still great) race sims, arcade racers,and free games from independant devs.

P.S. RBR (richard burns rally) isn't online capable out of the box there are a few mods needed to do this. Live For Speed is awesome too. the demo is great but don't hold you breath untill you find a good race online with only the demo. They can be found with alot of looking but most demo servers are filled with kids more interested in trashtalking and demolition driving.
 
todlerix said:
Track Mania Nations, its free. Don't look down on it because it is free either.

TrackMania Sunrise/Extreme/Nations were all great. The best part about this game is the custom track utility. Tons of servers with custom, end-user made tracks.
Click to expand...

I love trackmania nations - www.trackmanianations.com

Free and fun! Tons of servers too.
 
Need For Speed Carbon....

FUN GAME. Beat it a few weeks ago, but never played it online though (just wasnt interested in the online aspect).

The physics in the game were good, as far as inertia(sp) and gravity were concearned. However, crashing your car, from the minor dent to a full overturn, never hurt the cars performance. You could slam into a wall going 200mph and sure, you would crash, but you could just drive off and catch back up.

Changing and then tweaking performance in the car was possible though and moving the sliders to change the performance actually DID do something to the car.

In Carbon. It has a feature called Autosculpt....To me, this was very cool. Like the word suggests, you can manipulate the way the car looks. From front to rear, top to bottom. Hood scoops and Spoilers. And then color of course, which I might add, with good graphic capable computer, the colors were extensive and beautiful. FULL SPECTURUM. As well as types of finishes, such as Gloss, Matte, Candy, Chrome and my personal favorite, Irredesant, which made the car appear to change color depending on what angle light reflected off it.

Computer AI was decent enough to give ya a challenge. Dont make too many mistakes or you finish last. Some of them, I could swear would slow down, speed up and hit me on purpose.....maybe it was just me though.

Screwing around with the cops was alot fun for me too. Their AI was decent as well. I had a "HEAT" level of 4 on one of my cars one time and it was damn near impossible to get them off your butt. I did a 25min chase with the cops one time and they got a chopper after me. Fun Stuff!!!!

There is a NEW NFS game coming out soon. This month actually, I think..

I read a bit about it and they are saying that in the new game, Autoscupt will effect how the car drives. In Carbon, its just for eye candy, has no effect on how the car performs. However, the New NFS is more Drag racing than street racing...at least from what I recall reading.

I also got mine at Wally World, heh. For the 20 bucks...Id say GRAB IT....Very cool game.
 
simon741 said:
Richard Burns Rally
Click to expand...

I've yet to get old of that game. I love it. Incredible rally game, no arcade bs either, just straight up rally racing. If you get that game, I highly recommend you run through the tutorial, you learn a ton about how to play the game. Also, learn how to drift w/ ebrake and with your normal brakes, it'll help you a ton.

GTR2 is realistic, but the only thing the physics in that game doesn't allow you to do is drift. Some people might say it's unrealistic, but you have to realize that those are GT cars. Their stiff suspension isn't as forgiving as modded cars. You screw up accelerating out of a corner, you better not hope for a power-slide to get you out of it. Keep accelerating and you're gone for sure.

TOCA3 is an incredibly easy game compared to GTR2 and RBR. Your car surprisingly turns better at higher speeds and they seem to accelerate a little faster and are easier to control. If you're looking for realism, this isn't what you want.

NFS: Carbon is really BS. If you want to play a game like carbon, I'd suggest NFS: Underground 2. The drifting in carbon is all computer assisted.... you go into a turn and the software seems to disable physics for the back of your car so you just start sliding... too easy. NFS: Underground 2 atleast lets you have the option of doing what you want. I figured that drift-assist after trying to do a donut in drift mode. It's literally impossible. If you want cops, I'd recommend NFS: Most Wanted. It runs much nicer than Carbon and is pretty much the same thing without all the gay drifting physics.
 
StealthyFish said:
NFS: Carbon is really BS. If you want to play a game like carbon, I'd suggest NFS: Underground 2. The drifting in carbon is all computer assisted.... you go into a turn and the software seems to disable physics for the back of your car so you just start sliding... too easy. NFS: Underground 2 atleast lets you have the option of doing what you want. I figured that drift-assist after trying to do a donut in drift mode. It's literally impossible. If you want cops, I'd recommend NFS: Most Wanted. It runs much nicer than Carbon and is pretty much the same thing without all the gay drifting physics.
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The last good NFS was Porsche Unleashed, and it was also the best one. Since then they market it to uber l33t ricers.:rolleyes:
 
Eagle156 said:
The last good NFS was Porsche Unleashed, and it was also the best one. Since then they market it to uber l33t ricers.:rolleyes:
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Agreed. NFS is now for teenage punks who think street racing and running from cops is cool. It used to be a respectable racing series, but like everything EA touches it is ruined now.
 
CodeX said:
Agreed. NFS is now for teenage punks who think street racing and running from cops is cool. It used to be a respectable racing series, but like everything EA touches it is ruined now.
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I remember buying a pc gamer several years ago that came with a free copy of the original need for speed on it. I really liked the original. I have to agree that its all about the ricer crowd now. That's why I play trackmania nations. More about the best time than who has the thermaltake of cars out on the street.
 
aggr1103 said:
I remember buying a pc gamer several years ago that came with a free copy of the original need for speed on it. I really liked the original. I have to agree that its all about the ricer crowd now. That's why I play trackmania nations. More about the best time than who has the thermaltake of cars out on the street.
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I was addicted to Need for Speed: High stakes. Couldn't get enough of a game that actually incorporated vehicle damage when I crashed and stuff. I loved that game... :p
 
May I reccomend test drive unlimited. Great game. Pretty good physics. Steering wheel support. And multiplayer online all the time while you drive around the beautiful island of Oahu.
 
Live for Speed was on my computer for all of 1 hour. Sure, they claim great tire models and real life simulation. But, the game is so...f*cking...boring, that you will lose interest in a heart beat.

It has awful force feed back, dull sounds effects and music, little variety, and a narrow-minded community. I suppose it has a good tire model ...but I already said that. Bottom line: totally un-immersing.

That said, rFactor and GTR2 are both entirely different from LFS. They are much more exciting and immersing. The community is FULL of new mods/cars/tracks ...so much so, that you will never be able to keep track. Additionally, the FFB is very well implemented if you want to simulate the effects of racing.

I am no authority in the field of racing physics. But, just because you have to concentrate more on keeping the car under control, doesn't mean the game is more realistic. Watch some real life motorsports. Those cars stick to the road because they are designed to do so.

endOPINION


To the original poster, it depends on if you want simulation or arcade.
 
CodeX said:
Agreed. NFS is now for teenage punks who think street racing and running from cops is cool. It used to be a respectable racing series, but like everything EA touches it is ruined now.
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I can see you're not familiar with the series at all LOLOLOL Need for Speed was ALWAYS about street racing and running from the cops. The original Need for Speed, NFS III, Hot Pursuit, and High Stakes.

Underground and Porsche are the exception that don't involve running from the popo.
 
Grimlaking said:
May I reccomend test drive unlimited. Great game. Pretty good physics. Steering wheel support. And multiplayer online all the time while you drive around the beautiful island of Oahu.
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QFT. We need more games like this. I just don't understand why they can't make a realistic street racing game. Driving around a track is boring as fuck.
 
As mentioned already, Toca 3. Yeah it's not the most realistic game in the world. You do have different modes though. You have Sim and Pro Sim. Pro Sim is supposed to be more realistic apparently. I don't know though. I've never driven any of the cars in the game on the tracks in the game. What I can tell you about Toca 3 is that it's really competitive when you're playing online against a good group of guys. It's a fun gaming community to race with most of the people that play. Good times..
WTCC Race is a good game as well. Fun to play. Again, a bit like Toca 3 but physics are supposedly a little more realistic (from what I've heard).
GTR2 is a great game as well. Supposedly the most realistic one out. I didn't find it all that fun. I got used to the physics after a few races and when I was winning, I was winning by a minute or two. When I was losing, it was the same way. The cars are so spread out by the end of the race. Got boring to me. I like to be right on someone's tail or have someone right on my tail. First to make a mistake loses.
Now, you have to do some searching, but there is a version of Viper Racing (circa 1997) that works on XP. If you have Kali, or can get Kali, download it and get on the Descent game chat server and ask around. Ask MORG or Vrooden for a copy of it. The game is free, is like 14 megs. We still race Viper Racing online nearly every night. Great physics, great graphics for it's time. Good tracks. Don't expect to beat MORG though..not ever...cuz he's l33t.. (btw..on Kali, I'm MORG... :D )
DiRT is pretty fun, but the online mode is weak.
Flatout 2 is great fun. Dunno what dude said about it leaving him "vacant". The racing is great fun, the jumps, the crashes. Demo derby is great fun. There are some guys at flatoutjoint.net that made some great mods for it. New cars, new tracks. Great fun.
NFS Hot Pursuit and NFS Porsche are great racing games.
NFS Carbon is alot of fun usually.
 
Grimlaking said:
May I reccomend test drive unlimited. Great game. Pretty good physics. Steering wheel support. And multiplayer online all the time while you drive around the beautiful island of Oahu.
Click to expand...

Agreed! This is my favorite driving game...Love driving around the Island.
 
Dirt is currently my favorite racing game. It's an arcade type game with just enough simulation to make it tons of fun.
 
This is one of the best threads I've ever read!

The best part is - most of you gave a reason WHY you DO or DO NOT like each game.

Everyone likes something different based on their personality, their time available for gaming, preferences for full SIM racing or arcade style racing, jumping & crashing or painting & customizing, etc.

Personally, I like to run a different "style" game every few days/weeks so I have most of the games we're talking about. If you are a racer - you will have SOME fun trying them all anyway! Especially when they are so CHEAP! Plus most of these games have free demos!

Anyway - based on the comments here - I DL'd the "Live For Speed" DEMO and I have been completely sucked in! :rolleyes: I love the LFS Online STATS system, the skin templates for Photoshop, the custom skins, the SERIOUS races & tournaments, the silly parking lot "play" races, DRAG races... so much fun and I only have the DEMO!

*PS - for online racing... VENTRILLO RULES!

See ya' at the Races!
AMA_King

http://videogameracing.com
http://videogameracing.com/apps/phpbb-vgr/index.php

:D
 
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