Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic racing 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 of sports video games.
Sega Rally Championship is a 1995 racing game developed and published by Sega. Originally released for arcades using the Sega Model 2 board, ports were published for the Sega Saturn in 1995 and Microsoft Windows in 1997. The Sega Rally Championship simulates driving on different surfaces, with different friction properties, with the car's handling changing accordingly. As the first racing game to incorporate this feature, Sega Rally Championship is considered to be one of the milestones in the evolution of the racing game genre. It was also an early rally racing game and featured cooperative gameplay alongside the usual competitive multiplayer.
Daytona USA is a 1994 arcade racing game developed by Sega AM2. Inspired by the popularity of the NASCAR motor racing series in the US, the game has players race stock cars on one of three courses. It was the first game to be released on the Sega Model 2 arcade system board. Released by Sega in March 1994, Daytona USA is one of the highest-grossing arcade games of all time.
Cruis'n USA is a racing video game developed by TV Games Inc. and published by Nintendo. It was first released in arcades in 1994 by Midway Games, with a port to the Nintendo 64 developed by Leland Interactive Media released in 1996. It is the first game in the Cruis'n series and features races set in locations across the Continental United States.
Street Racer is a racing video game published by Ubi Soft for various systems. It was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994, Sega Mega Drive in 1995, PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Game Boy in 1996 and PC and Amiga in 1997. Marketed as a "cross between Mario Kart and Street Fighter", the go-kart themed game combined racing with comedy and beat 'em up influenced violence. The game was a success on the SNES and Mega Drive and received mixed reviews across platforms.
Midnight Club: Street Racing is a 2000 racing video game developed by Angel Studios and published by Rockstar Games. The game focuses on competitive street racing and the import scene. Two distinct versions of the game were released for the PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance platforms, the former being a launch title for the platform. It is the first game in Midnight Club franchise, followed by Midnight Club II.
Top Gear Rally is a 1997 racing video game developed by Boss Game Studios and released for the Nintendo 64. A follow-up to Kemco's original Top Gear game, it features a championship mode where a single player must complete six seasons of two to four races, as well as a multiplayer mode where two players may compete against each other via a split-screen display. The game's tracks combine both road and off-road surfaces and can be played in different weather conditions, including night, fog, rain, and snow. Players may customize their car with different tire grips and adjust its suspension stiffness and steering sensitivity. An option that allows players to custom paint their cars is also included.
Automobili Lamborghini is a 1997 racing video game developed and published by Titus France for the Nintendo 64. It is a successor to Lamborghini American Challenge.
Need for Speed: High Stakes, released as Need for Speed: Road Challenge in Europe, is a 1999 racing video game developed by EA Canada and EA Seattle and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It is the fourth game in the Need for Speed series and a follow-up to Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. The game features more realistic elements than its predecessors and introduced a damage system that allows cars to take damage when colliding with objects, affecting their appearance and performance. It also introduced a series of economy-based tournaments, awarding players with a cash prize that can be spent on repairing, purchasing, or upgrading cars for subsequent races. The game's Hot Pursuit mode, which was introduced in Hot Pursuit, was expanded with more options, allowing players to control police pursuits attempting to stop racers.
Ridge Racer Revolution is a racing video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to the PlayStation version of Ridge Racer. Like the original Ridge Racer, the player races computer-controlled cars with the objective of winning a series of races, and supports Namco's NeGcon controller. Ridge Racer Revolution adds two hidden cars, and two-player support via the PlayStation Link cable, and took roughly the same time to develop as the first. The intention was to increase the depth and add features.
Ridge Racer 6 is a 2005 racing game by Namco released. It was the sixth console game in the Ridge Racer series following Ridge Racer V (2000), but unlike the previous mainline entries, which were released for PlayStation consoles, this entry was released exclusively as a launch title for the Xbox 360.
Ridge Racer, released in Japan as Ridge Racers, is a 2004 arcade-style racing video game developed by Namco for the PlayStation Portable, named after the eponymous Ridge Racer video game series to which it belongs. The game was released as a global launch title for the system, on 12 December 2004 in Japan and overseas in 2005. Ridge Racer has been described as a 'compilation' of the series, featuring tracks, cars and remixed soundtrack from previous titles of the 1990s. Gameplay-wise, it marked the change from the "classic" style last seen in Ridge Racer V to the new drifting mechanic and nitrous boost that the series would incorporate from there on, including on Ridge Racer 6 and Ridge Racer 7.
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is a 1998 racing video game developed for PlayStation by EA Canada and Microsoft Windows by EA Seattle, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third major installment in the Need for Speed franchise, incorporating police pursuits as a major part of gameplay. Hot Pursuit remains focused on racing using exotic sports cars, but features races that primarily take place in locations within North America, including varied settings and climates. Police AI is improved over the first game, utilizing several tactics to stop both the player and opponent. The PlayStation version was released on March 25, 1998, while the Windows version was released on October 12 the same year. The game received critical success, with praise for its graphics and customization options. It received a direct sequel in 2002 and a reboot in 2010.
Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge, also known as Sega Racing Classic 2, is an arcade racing game released by Sega in 1998 as a follow-up to the extremely successful Daytona USA. The game featured vastly superior graphics, utilizing the Sega Model 3 hardware. The majority of Daytona USA 2 cabinets were released as deluxe models, which could be linked together for up to sixteen players. A notable change from the original is the ability to select a car and corresponding driver, each with varying capabilities for varying levels of player experience. Just like before, the game has three courses – Forest Dome: a beginner course with 8 laps with a distance of 1 mile (1.6 km), Joypolis Amusement Park; an advanced course with 4 laps with a distance of 2.5 miles (4.0 km), and Virtua City; an expert course with 2 laps with a distance of 5 miles (8.0 km). The 'time lap' mode also returns, and is accessed in the same manner – by holding down start at the transmission select screen. Like the original game, mirrored versions of the tracks can also be played by holding down the Start button when selecting the course. It is recommended, however, that the player has had mastery of the course beforehand. By request, an arcade operator could put the game on Grand Prix or Endurance mode to increase the number of laps in a game. Finishing a race in the top 3 in any course allows the player to view an "ending" and see the game credits. An addition to the game was the "slingshot", corresponding to advanced NASCAR drafting techniques.
Ridge Racer is a 1993 racing video game developed and published by Namco, and the first title in what would become the Ridge Racer series. It was released initially on the Namco System 22 arcade system board and ported to the PlayStation home console in 1994. Ridge Racer was notable for being the first arcade video game with 3D texture-mapped graphics, with its System 22 hardware capable of texture mapping and Gouraud shading.
Indy 500 is a 1995 arcade racing game developed by Sega AM1. Based on the IndyCar Series, the game possesses a license from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500, and includes the speedway as one of its courses. Indy 500 was AM1's second game developed using 3D computer graphics and their first to utilize color textures. While planned as a Model 3 arcade system board release, delays in the hardware's completion led to use of the Model 2 instead. A Sega Saturn port was planned, but later canceled. Reception to Indy 500 was mixed, with some critical comparison to other games such as Sega AM2's Daytona USA and Namco's Ace Driver and Rave Racer.
Destruction Derby 64 is a vehicular combat racing video game developed by Looking Glass Studios and published by THQ, under license from Psygnosis. It is the third installment in the Destruction Derby series, released on 30 September 1999 in North America and 12 October 1999 in Europe for the Nintendo 64.
NASCAR Rumble is a racing video game created by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation. Players race through 18 different courses set in six different areas collecting powerups to aid them. The game is a departure from many NASCAR games, as it is an arcade racer featuring various tracks and Mario Kart-esque powerups. A non-NASCAR licensed sequel was made for the PlayStation 2, called Rumble Racing. There are drivers from the then Winston Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series, as well as legend racers and bonus vehicles.
Speed Racer, known in Japan as Mach Go Go Go, is a PlayStation game based on the television show of the same name. It was released by the company Jaleco in 1996, though it did not appear in North America until March 27, 1998. It met with overwhelmingly negative reviews which cited simplistic and outdated gameplay and graphics.
Screamer 2 is a video game developed by Milestone and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment, released in 1996 on September 30 in North America and November 15 in Europe. It is the second game in the Screamer series. Unlike its predecessor, which drew heavily from Namco's Ridge Racer, Screamer 2 moved towards a rally-oriented style, replacing the six high-performance road cars of the previous game with four rally cars. The game supports up to two players using a split screen and up to four players over a network. A sequel, Screamer Rally, was released in 1997.
