Racing games are avideo game genre in which the player participates in aracing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realisticracing simulations and more fantastical arcade-style racing games.Kart racing games emerged in the 1990s as a popular sub-genre of the latter. Racing games may also fall under the category ofsports video games.
Usually,arcade-style racing games put fun and a fast-paced experience above all else, as cars usually compete in unique ways. A key feature of arcade-style racers that specifically distinguishes them from simulation racers is their far more liberal physics. Whereas in real racing (and subsequently, the simulation equivalents) the driver must reduce their speed significantly to take most turns, arcade-style racing games generally encourage the player to "powerslide" the car to allow the player to keep up their speed bydrifting through a turn.Collisions with other racers, trackobstacles, or traffic vehicles is usually much more exaggerated than simulation racers as well. For the most part, arcade-style racers simply remove the precision and rigor required from the simulation experience and focus strictly on the racing element itself. They often license real cars and leagues, but are equally open to more exotic settings and vehicles. Races take place on highways, windy roads, or in cities; they can be multiple-lap circuits or point-to-point sprints, with one or multiple paths sometimes with checkpoints, or other types of competition, likedemolition derby, jumping, or testing driving skills. Popular arcade-style racing franchises includeBattle Gear,Out Run,Ridge Racer,Daytona USA,Need for Speed,Sega Rally,Cruis'n,Burnout,Rush,Midnight Club,Project Gotham Racing,TrackMania,MotorStorm andForza Horizon.
Conversely, many arcade racing games inamusement arcades frequently use hydraulicmotion simulatorarcade cabinets that simulate the look and feel of driving or riding a vehicle. For example, a motorbike that the player sits on and moves around to control the on-screen action, or a car-like cabinet (with seats, steering wheel, pedals and gear stick) that moves around in sync with the on-screen action. This has been especially common for arcade racing games fromSega since the 1980s.[1][2] However, this can typically only be found in arcade racing games for amusement arcades, rather than arcade-style racing games for home systems.
During the mid-late 2000s there was a trend of newstreet racing; imitating theimport scene, one cantunesports compacts andsports cars and race them on the streets. The most wideentries in theNeed for Speed andTest Drive series,Initial D series, theJuiced series andFlatOut 2. Some arcade-style racing games increase the competition between racers by adding weapons that can be used against opponents to slow them down or otherwise impede their progress so they can be passed. This is a staple feature inkart racing games such as theMario Kart series, but this kind of game mechanic also appears in standard, car-based racing games as well. Weapons can range from projectile attacks to traps as well as non-combative items like speed boosts. Weapon-based racing games include games such asFull Auto,Rumble Racing,Grip: Combat Racing,Re-Volt andBlur. There are alsoVehicular combat games that employ racing games elements: for example, racing has been featured as a game mode in popular vehicular combat franchises such asTwisted Metal,Destruction Derby andCarmageddon.
Simulation style racing games strive to convincingly replicate the handling of a realautomobile. They often license real cars or racing leagues, but will sometimes use fantasy cars built to resemble real ones if unable to acquire an official license for them. Vehicular behavior physics are a key factor in the experience. The rigors of being a professional race driver are usually also included (such as having to deal with a car's tire condition and fuel level). Proper cornering technique and precision racing maneuvers (such astrail braking) are given priority in simulation racing games.
Although these racing simulators are specifically built for people with a high grade of driving skill, it is not uncommon to find aids that can be enabled from the game menu. The most common aids aretraction control (TC),anti-lock brakes (ABS), steering assistance, damage resistance, clutch assistance, and automatic gear changes.
Sound plays a crucial role in player feedback in racing games, with the engine and tire sounds communicating what is physically happening to the car. The three main elements of car audio areintake, exhaust, and internal engine sounds. Recorded samples of those elements are implemented in-game by methods such asgranular synthesis, loop-based modelling, or physical modeling. Tire sounds modulate loop samples or pitch based onslip angle and deformation to let the player know the limit of grip. The best sounding games effectively integrate the sound model with the vehicle and tire simulation models.[3][4][5]
Some of these racing simulators are customizable, as game fans have decoded the tracks, cars, and executable files. Internet communities have grown around the simulators regarded as the most realistic and many websites host internet championships. Some of these racing simulators consist ofForza Motorsport,Gran Turismo,GTR2,Assetto Corsa,iRacing,Project CARS,Automobilista 2 and many more.[6]
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Kart racing games have simplified driving mechanics while adding obstacles, unusual track designs and various action elements.[7] Kart racers are also known to cast characters known from variousplatform games orcartoon television series as the drivers of "wacky" vehicles.[8] Kart racing games are a morearcade-like experience than other racing games and usually offer modes in whichplayer characters can shoot projectiles at one another or collectpower-ups.[8][9] Typically, in such games, vehicles move more alikego-karts, lacking anything along the lines of agear stick andclutch pedal.[7][10]
Whilecar combat elements date back to earlier titles such asTaito'sCrashing Race in 1976, the kart racing subgenre was popularized byNintendo'sSuper Mario Kart in 1992 for theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), which spawned theMario Kart series. The game was slower than other racing games of the time due to hardware limitations, prompting the developers to use a go-kart theme for the game. Since then, over 50 kart racing games have been released, featuring characters ranging fromNicktoons toSouth Park.[11]
Anti-gravity racing games are a type of racing game where players use vehicles that hover or glide using anti-gravity technology to race against the clock or other competitors. These games often featurescience fiction themes, with high-tech vehicles and futuristic track designs. A number of anti-gravity racing games may also featurevehicular combat elements.
In the arcades, anti-gravity racing games (originally known as futuristic racers) date back to the 1980s. Thelaserdisc gamesStar Rider (1983) andCosmos Circuit (1984) featured animated racing, using animated laserdisc video for the backgrounds.[12][13]Alpha Denshi'sSplendor Blast (1985) combinedPole Position style racing withZaxxon style sci-fi vehicles, space settings andshoot 'em up elements.[14]STUN Runner (1989) byAtari Games featured3D polygon graphics and allowed players to blast other vehicles.[15]
On home consoles, anti-gravity racing games were defined byNintendo'sF-Zero (1990) for the SNES, which spawned theF-Zero series. ThePlayStation gameWipeout (1995) byPsygnosis featured 3D polygon graphics and spawned theWipeout series. TheF-Zero series subsequently made the transition to 3D polygon graphics withF-Zero X (1998) for theNintendo 64.[16]
The basis for racing video games were arcade drivingelectro-mechanical games (EM games). The earliest mechanical racingarcade game dates back to 1900, when theLondon-based Automatic Sports Company manufactured a mechanicalyacht racing game,Yacht Racer.[17] Mechanical car driving games later originated from Britishamusement arcades in the 1930s.[18] In the United States,International Mutoscope Reel Company adapted these British arcade driving games into the electro-mechanical gameDrive Mobile (1941), which had an uprightarcade cabinet similar to what arcade video games would later use.[19] Asteering wheel was used to control amodel car over a road painted on a metaldrum, with the goal being to keep the car centered as the road shifts left and right. Kasco introduced this type of driving game to Japan asMini Drive in 1958.[18] Capitol Projector's 1954 machineAuto Test was adriving test simulation that usedfilm reel to project pre-recorded drivingvideo footage, awarding the player points for making correct decisions as the footage is played. These early EM driving games consisted of only the player vehicle on the road, with no rival cars to race against.[20]
EM driving games later evolved in Japan, with Kasco's 1968 racing gameIndy 500,[18][21] which was licensed byChicago Coin for release in North America asSpeedway in 1969.[22] It had a circular racetrack with rival cars painted on individual rotating discs illuminated by a lamp,[18] which produced colorful graphics[18] projected using mirrors to give apseudo-3Dfirst-person perspective on a screen,[20][23][24] resembling a windscreen view.[25] The gameplay involved players driving down a circular road while dodging cars to avoid crashing,[20] and it resembled a prototypical arcade racing video game, with an upright cabinet, yellow marquee, three-digit scoring, coin box, steering wheel and accelerator pedal.[19]Indy 500 sold over 2,000 arcade cabinets in Japan,[18] whileSpeedway sold over 10,000 cabinets in North America,[21] becoming one of the biggest arcade hits of the 1960s.[18]Taito's similar 1970 rear-projection driving gameSuper Road 7 involved driving a car down an endlessly scrolling road while having to dodge cars, which formed the basis for Taito's 1974 racing video gameSpeed Race.[26]
One of the last successful electro-mechanical arcade games wasF-1, a racing game developed and released byNamco in 1976, and distributed in North America byAtari the same year.[27] The gameplay is viewed from the perspective of the driver's viewpoint, which is displayed on the screen using a projector system.[28] It was Japan's highest-grossing arcade game for two years in a row, in 1976 and 1977.[29]F-1 is believed to have been influenced byIndy 500,[30] and would in turn be influential on Namco's racing video games in the 1980s.[28] Another notable EM game from the 1970s wasThe Driver, a racing-action game released by Kasco (Kansai Seiki Seisakusho Co.) that used16 mm film to projectfull motion video on screen, though its gameplay had limited interaction, requiring the player to match theirsteering wheel, accelerator and brakes with movements shown on screen, much like thesequences in laterLaserDisc games.[31]
TheBBC television programTomorrow's World broadcast amainframe computer racing game played between TV presenterRaymond Baxter and British two-timeFormula One world championGraham Hill on their 1970 Christmas special, broadcast on Christmas Eve, 1970.[32] The game was written byIBM-employee, Ray Bradshaw, usingCALL/360 and required two data centre operators to input the instructions.[33]
Atari founderNolan Bushnell had the idea for a driving video game in the early 1970s. When he was a college student, he worked at an arcade where he became familiar with EM driving games, watching customers play and helping to maintain the machinery, while learning how it worked and developing his understanding of how the game business operates.[34] When he founded Atari, Bushnell had originally planned to develop a driving video game, influenced bySpeedway, but they ended up developingPong (1972) instead.[35]
The earliest rudimentary racing video game to be released dates back to 1972, with the release of the firstvideo game console, theMagnavox Odyssey. It included a game calledWipeout, where the player moves a dot around a race track that is outlined by an overlay placed on the television screen. It required the use of physical items to play, including arace game board, screen overlay, car tokens and pit stop cards.[36] In 1973, Atari releasedSpace Race, anarcade video game where players control spaceships that race against opposing ships, while avoiding comets and meteors. It is a competitivetwo-player game with black and white graphics and controlled with a two-way joystick.[37] The following year, Atari released the first driving video game in the arcades,Gran Trak 10, which presents an overhead single-screen view of the track in low resolution white-on-black graphics.[38][39] It inspired theKee Games cloneFormula K, which sold 5,000arcade cabinets.[40]
In late 1974,Taito releasedSpeed Race designed byTomohiro Nishikado (ofSpace Invaders fame), in which the player drives down a straight track dodging other cars.[41][42] The game usedvertical scrolling,[43] inspired by two olderelectro-mechanical games: Kasco'sMini Drive and Taito'sSuper Road 7.[26]Speed Race was re-branded asWheels byMidway Games for release in North America and was influential on later racing games.[44] Midway also released another version,Racer, with a sit-down cabinet.[45]Speed Race became a hit in Japan,[26] whileWheels andWheels II sold 10,000 cabinets in the United States.[40] Its use of vertical scrolling was adopted by Atari'sHi-way (1975), which introduced a sit-down cabinet similar to older electro-mechanical games.[43]
In 1977,Atari releasedSuper Bug, a racing game historically significant as "the first game to feature a scrolling playfield" in multiple directions.[46] Sega'sMonaco GP (1979) was one of the most successful traditional 2D racing games, becoming the most popular arcade driving game in the USin 1981, and among the highest-grossing games that year,[47] while making a record number of appearances on theRePlay arcade charts through 1987.[48] In 1980,Namco's overhead-view driving gameRally-X was one of the first games to havebackground music,[49] and allowedscrolling in multiple directions, both vertical andhorizontal.[50] It also uses aradar, to show therally car's location on the map.[51]
In February 1976,Sega released the arcade gameRoad Race,[52] which was re-worked into amotorbike variantMoto-Cross,[53] also known asMan T.T. (released August 1976).[52] It was then re-branded asFonz in the US, as a tie-in for the popularsitcomHappy Days.[54] The game featured a three-dimensional perspective view,[55] as well ashaptic feedback, which caused themotorcycle handlebars to vibrate during a collision with another vehicle.[56] In Spring 1976,[57] the arcade gameNürburgring 1 presented afirst-person view.[58] Considered the first "scandalous" arcade game,[59]Exidy'sDeath Race (1976) was widely criticized in the media for its violent content, which only served to substantially increase its popularity.[60] Sega released a two-player version ofMan T.T. calledTwin Course T.T. in January 1977.[61][62] 1979 saw the release ofVectorbeam'sSpeed Freak, athree-dimensionalvector racing game, whichKiller List of Videogames calls "very impressive and ahead of their time".[63]Turbo, released bySega in 1981, was the first racing game to usespritescaling with full-color graphics.[64]
Pole Position, developed by Namco and released by Atari in North America, was released in 1982. It is considered "arguably the most important racing game ever made."[65] It was an evolution of Namco's earlier racingelectro-mechanical games, notablyF-1 (1976), whose designer Sho Osugi worked onPole Position.[28]Pole Position was the first video game to be based on a real racing circuit, and the first with a qualifying lap, where the player needs to complete atime trial before they can compete inGrand Prix races. While not the first third-person racing video game (it was predated by Sega'sTurbo),Pole Position established the conventions of the genre and its success inspired numerous imitators.[65] According toElectronic Games, for "the first time in the amusement parlors, a first-person racing game gives a higher reward for passing cars and finishing among the leaders rather than just for keeping all four wheels on the road".[66] According toIGN, it also "introduced checkpoints," and its success, as "thehighest-grossing arcadegame of 1983 in North America, cemented the genre in place for decades to come and inspired a horde of other racing games".[67] It sold over 21,000 arcade cabinets in the US by 1983,[68] and again became the highest-grossingarcade game of 1984 in the US.[69]
Taito'sLaser Grand Prix, introduced in July 1983, was the first racinglaserdisc game, using pre-recorded live-action footage.[70][71] In 1984, several other racing laserdisc games followed, including Sega'sGP World with live-action footage[72] andUniversal'sTop Gear featuring 3D animated race car driving.[73] The same year,Irem'sThe Battle-Road was avehicle combat racing game with branching paths and up to 32 possible routes.[74]Geoff Crammond, who later developed theGrandprix series (Known collectively as GPX to its fanbase), produced what is considered the first attempt at a racing simulator on a home system,REVS, released for the BBC Microcomputer. The game offered an unofficial (and hence with no official team or driver names associated with the series) recreation of British Formula 3. The hardware capabilities limited the depth of the simulation and restricted it (initially) to one track, but it offered a semi-realistic driving experience with more detail than most other racing games at the time.[75]
Since the mid-1980s, it became a trend for arcade racing games to use hydraulicmotion simulatorarcade cabinets.[1][2] The trend was sparked bySega's "taikan" games, with "taikan" meaning "body sensation" in Japanese.[2] The "taikan" trend began whenYu Suzuki's team at Sega (later known asSega AM2) developedHang-On (1985), aracing video game where the player sits on and moves amotorbike replica to control the in-game actions.[76]Hang-On was a Grand Prix style motorbike racer.[77] It usedforce feedback technology and was also one of the first arcade games to use16-bit graphics and Sega's "Super Scaler" technology that allowedpseudo-3Dsprite-scaling at highframe rates.[64]Hang-On became the highest-grossingarcade game of 1986 in the United States,[78] and one of the year's highest-grossing arcade games in Japan[79][80] and London.[81]
Suzuki's team at Sega followed it with hydraulic motion simulator cockpit cabinets for later racing games, notablyOut Run (1986).[1] It was one of the most graphically impressive games of its time, known for its pseudo-3D sprite-based driving engine, and it became an instant classic that spawned many sequels. It was also notable for giving the player thenon-linear choice of which route to take through the game and the choice of soundtrack to listen to while driving,[82] represented as radio stations. The game has up to five endings depending on the route taken, and each one was an ending sequence rather than a simple "Congratulations" as was common in game endings at the time.[83] It became Sega's best-selling arcade cabinet of the 1980s,[84] with over 30,000 arcade cabinets sold worldwide.[85] The same year, Durell releasedTurbo Esprit, which had an official Lotus license, and working car indicator lights.
In 1987,Square releasedRad Racer, one of the firststereoscopic 3D games.[86] In the same year, Atari producedRoadBlasters, a driving game that also involved a bit of shooting.
One of the last successful pseudo-3D arcade racers was Sega'sSuper Monaco GP (1989), a simulation of theMonaco Grand Prix.[87] It was the third highest-grossingarcade game of 1989 in Japan,[88] and again the third highest-grossingarcade game of 1990 in Japan.[89] In 1992, Nintendo releasedSuper Mario Kart, but it was known that it waspseudo-3D racing. Here it has items to affect players from racing and the referee,Lakitu will help you out to know the rules and rescue racers from falling down.[90]
In 1988, Namco releasedWinning Run,[91] which used3D polygon graphics.[92] It became the second highest-grossingarcade game of 1989 in Japan.[88] In 1989, Atari releasedHard Drivin', another arcade driving game that used 3D polygon graphics. It uses force feedback, where the wheel fights the player during aggressive turns, and a crash replay camera view.
Sega producedVirtua Racing in 1992. While not the first arcade racing game with 3D graphics (it was predated byWinning Run,Hard Drivin' andStunts), it was able to combine the best features of games at the time, along with multiplayer machine linking and clean3D graphics to produce a game that was above and beyond the arcade market standard of its time, laying the foundations for subsequent 3D racing games.[93] It improved on earlier 3D racing games with more complex 3D models and backdrops, higher frame rate, and switchable camera angles including chase-cam and first-person views. IGN considers it the third most influential racing game of all time.[67]
In 1993, Namco releasedRidge Racer. Its 3D polygon graphics stood out for the use ofGouraud shading andtexture mapping.[94] And thus began thepolygon war of driving games. Sega later releasedDaytona USA, which featured 3D polygon graphics withtexture filtering.[64] The following year,Electronic Arts producedThe Need for Speed, which would later spawn one of the world's most successful racing game series and one of the most successful video game series. In the same year,Midway introducedCruis'n USA.
The now defunctPapyrus Design Group produced their first attempt at a racing simulator in 1989, the critically acclaimedIndianapolis 500: The Simulation, designed by David Kaemmer and Omar Khudari. The game is generally regarded as the first true auto racing simulation on a personal computer. Accurately replicating the 1989 Indianapolis 500 grid, it offered advanced 3D graphics for its time, setup options, car failures and handling. Unlike most other racing games at the time,Indianapolis 500 attempted to simulate realisticphysics andtelemetry, such as its portrayal of the relationship between the four contact patches and the pavement, as well as the loss of grip when making a high-speed turn, forcing the player to adopt a proper racing line and believable throttle-to-brake interaction. It includes a garage facility to allow players to enact modifications to their vehicle, including adjustments to the tires, shocks and wings.[75] The damage modelling, while not accurate by today's standards, was capable of producing some spectacular and entertainingpile-ups.
Crammond'sFormula One Grand Prix in 1992 became the new champion of sim racing, until the release of Papyrus'IndyCar Racing the following year.[95]Formula One Grand Prix boasted detail that was unparalleled for a computer game at the time as well as a full recreation of the drivers, cars and circuits of the 1991 Formula One World Championship. However, the U.S. version (known asWorld Circuit) was not granted an official license by the FIA, so teams and drivers were renamed (though all could be changed back to their real names using the Driver/Team selection menu):Ayrton Senna became "Carlos Sanchez", for example.
In 1995,Sega Rally Championship introducedrally racing and featuredcooperative gameplay alongside the usual competitive multiplayer.[96]Sega Rally was also the first to feature driving on different surfaces (includingasphalt,gravel, andmud) with differentfriction properties and the car's handling changing accordingly, making it an important milestone in the genre.[97]
During the early-to-mid-1990s, Sega and Namco largely had a monopoly on high-end arcade racing games with realistic 3D visuals. In 1996, a number of competitors attempted to challenge their dominance in the field, including Atari Games withSan Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing,Gaelco withSpeed Up,Jaleco withSuper GT 24h, andKonami withWinding Heat.[98] In 1996,Nintendo created a 3D game calledMario Kart 64, a sequel toSuper Mario Kart and has an action so thatLakitu needs to either reverse, rev up your engines to Rocket Start, or rescue players.Mario Kart 64 focused more on the items used.[90] Atari didn't join the 3D craze until 1997, when it introducedSan Francisco Rush.
In 1997,Gran Turismo was released for thePlayStation, after being in production for five years since 1992.[99] It was considered the most realistic racing simulation game in its time,[100] combined with playability, enabling players of all skill levels to play. It offered a wealth of meticulous tuning options and introduced anopen-endedcareer mode where players had to undertakedriving tests to acquiredriving licenses, earn their way into races and choose their own career path.[100] TheGran Turismo series has since become the second-most successful racing game franchise of all time, selling over 80 million units worldwide as of April 2018.[101]
By 1997, the typical PC was capable of matching an arcade machine in terms of graphical quality, mainly due to the introduction of first generation 3D accelerators such as 3DFX Voodoo. The faster CPUs were capable of simulating increasingly realistic physics, car control, and graphics.
Colin McRae Rally was introduced in 1998 to the PC world, and was a successful semi-simulation of the world of rally driving, previously only available in the less seriousSega Rally Championship.Motorhead, a PC game, was later adapted back to arcade. In the same year, Sega releasesDaytona USA 2 (Battle On The Edge and Power Edition), which is one of the first racing games to feature realisticcrashes andgraphics.
The year 1999 introducedCrash Team Racing, a kart racing game featuring the characters from Crash Bandicoot. It was praised for its controls and courses. Crash Bandicoot and its racing series has continued, with the most recent game beingCrash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled (June 2019). The year 1999 also marked a change of games into more "free form" worlds.Midtown Madness for the PC allows the player to explore a simplified version of the city of Chicago using a variety of vehicles and any path that they desire. In the arcade world, Sega introducedCrazy Taxi, asandbox racing game where you are a taxi driver that needed to get the client to the destination in the shortest amount of time.[102] A similar game also from Sega isEmergency Call Ambulance, with almost the same gameplay (pick up patient, drop off at hospital, as fast as possible). Games are becoming more and more realistic visually. Some arcade games are now featuring 3 screens to provide a surround view.
In 2000, Angel Studios (nowRockstar San Diego) introduced the first free-roaming, or the former "free form", racing game on video game consoles and handheld game consoles withMidnight Club: Street Racing which released on thePlayStation 2 andGame Boy Advance. The game allowed the player to drive anywhere around virtual recreations of London and New York. Instead of using enclosed tracks for races, the game uses various checkpoints on the free roam map as the pathway of the race, giving the player the option to take various shortcuts or any other route to the checkpoints of the race.In 2001Namco releasedWangan Midnight to the arcade and later released an upgrade called Wangan Midnight R. Wangan Midnight R was also ported to thePlayStation 2 by Genki as just Wangan Midnight.
In 2003, Rockstar San Diego'sMidnight Club II was the first racing game to feature both playable cars and playable motorcycles. Namco released a sort of sequel toWangan Midnight R calledWangan Midnight Maximum Tune.
There is a wide gamut of driving games ranging from simple action-arcade racers likeMario Kart 8 Deluxe (forNintendo Switch) andNicktoon Racers to ultra-realistic simulators likeGrand Prix Legends,iRacing,Virtual Grand Prix 3,Live for Speed,NetKar Pro,Assetto Corsa,GT Legends,GTR2,rFactor,X Motor Racing,CarX Street, and iPad 3D racerExhilarace.[103]
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