Need for Speed: Shift

You're nothing if you're not racing in the World Tour. Nothing.

In stark contrast to Race Pro's engine-focused offering comes Need for Speed: Shift, a complete package of a racing simulator and attractive (though now a little dated) menu design wrapped up around a career mode that spans multiple disciplines that you actually want to try out. Sorry, Race Pro.

Fancy graphics and design can only go so far, though. If your cars suck to drive, it doesn't matter what your career mode looks like, and the Need for Speed name is at stake here. Sort of. It's been bounced around several different racing genres, for better or worse.

Okay, maybe it's not at stake, but it comes with a certain quality. Will it be on show in Shift?

Race Pro

Actually not a working title.

Source // Giant Bomb

Growing up, my idea of a racing simulator was Gran Turismo, but as this 1001 has taught me, there's a much deeper world of race sims out there, and they've got solid ground on which to drive their arguments for being better simulators.

Some of the notable highlights I've been introduced to are GT Legends for some old school authenticity, and GTR 2 for a more modern track day outing, both powering their way to the PC from SimBin Studios, and both getting me to consider putting more time and effort into unlocking their content through their respective career modes.

At some point in the late 2000s, when the consoles got beefier and the potential to make more money elsewhere was mighty tempting, it was time for the PC racing simulators to come into the living room and show players what they were missing by only playing Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport. What were Xbox 360 gamers missing? Race Pro.

Yeah, its name hardly inspires, does it? It's what under the hood that counts, though, right?

Fuel

You can climb those mountains.

Source // MobyGames

The Earth is pretty darn big, isn't it? Compared to people, I mean. There's an awful lot of land out there, and several video games aim to capture that kind of scale with huge maps for players to run across, drive through, and explore in whatever fashion they like.

Most, however, stop after a reasonable distance. A city. An island. A fantasy countryside. A fictionalised representation of America. Fuel didn't stop until more than 5,500 square miles had whizzed by, and it's not a sprawling fantasy action RPG, but a post-apocalyptic racer.

A tad ambitious, no?

Colin McRae: DiRT 2

"Has Ken tried to sell you any shoes yet?"

Source // MobyGames

The Colin McRae series of rally games was already changing with the release of DiRT, with Travis Pastrana taking us through all kinds of offroad events, many of them unknown to an audience who thought Colin McRae games were all about point to point racing through a soggy Welsh field.

After his death, the DiRT series took on a form all of its own, and it was at its most extreme in Colin McRae: DiRT 2, where rallying meets the X-Games, and everything is gnarly and neon.

I've played DiRT 2 to completion on my trusty PlayStation 3, and you might want to as well.

Forza Motorsport 3

Where Dreams are Driven

Source // Giant Bomb

I must confess that all these racing games have really started to blur into each other as I jump around history looking for my next fix of rubber-wheeled metal boxes waiting to be hurled around tracks of all kinds, real or imagined.

I've done the DiRT series beginning with 3 and ending with 2, which we'll get to very soon. Once I learned that Race Driver: Grid used that engine, or a version of it, I was absorbed in that. Then I had the great fortune of having bought Grid 2 at some point in the past, so got to enjoy that 2013 game for the first time in 2021. Chuck in the first Project Cars and I honestly couldn't tell you what was actually going on in 2009 when Forza Motorsport 3 was released.

The best comparison I can make is, of course, to Gran Turismo, which at the time was honestly making Gran Turismo 5, no, really, we won't delay it again, here's Gran Turismo on the PSP while you wait. So racing games looked pretty good, okay. That's a start.

As mentioned previously, I've come to the Forza series very late and through board gaming. Spoilers: They're the things that you find on the back of cars. Actual spoilers: I'm probably going to spend the afternoon playing some more Forza Motorsport 3.

TrackMania DS

Hold forwa- wait, again?

What did I just say, TrackMania? I said, "I'd much prefer to watch this one than touch it again." Why do you and the 1001 list insist I play TrackMania DS as well, a condensed (for obvious reasons) version of the TrackMania we're familiar with?

Well, at least we know what we're heading into.

TrackMania: United Forever

Hold forward?

I like my racing games to involve racing, far more often than not. Doesn't really matter too much what surface I'm driving over, or whether I have access to weaponry to launch in the direction of my opponents, if a racing game involves racing, it's aight.

TrackMania: United Forever involves racing, but only against the clock, and the times recorded by the hundreds of thousands of players who are determined to push the incredibly simple controls to the limit - and beyond.

Forget what you think you know about how cars and physics work, and hold on tight.

Wipeout HD

Cannon.

Source // MobyGames

When last we saw Wipeout, I said it was awesome and it'd only get better. At the times, others might have argued that the series only appearing on the PlayStation Portable was a sign that it had run its course. Yes, it was technically impressive, but it was lost on a handheld that wasn't bought in huge numbers and showed little sign of life on the consoles it belonged on.

And then an HD blend of Pulse and Pure for the PlayStation 3 was announced, a cheap little download that promised improved visuals and buttery smooth gameplay, and as a fan, you know I bought Wipeout HD in an instant.

Pure

Fresh? Stale?

Source // Steam

"Quad-bikes aren't cool," is the gist of the 1001 write-up for Pure, but they're actually more versatile and interesting than you might think. Light and nimble, they're a cross between the stability of an off-road car and the showmanship of a motocross bike.

Stick a boost on them, point them at a gnarly hill, and you can get extreme, and all the kids love extreme racing, right? Mud is all the rage, as shown by MotorStorm, isn't it?

Well, let's find out.

Race Driver: Grid

Go Fast Man: Start line

Racing fans have been treated with these past few 1001 entries. If you're looking to tear around the city streets, you've got Midnight Club: Los Angeles. If you want a colourful arcade offering closer to Mario Kart, you can try MotorStorm: Pacific Rift.

If you've been following along, though, you'll know I prefer my racing games to be on the more formal side - not necessarily in terms of being simulations, just structured into something of an FIA-sanctioned race.

Race Driver: Grid isn't quite the legal alternative to Midnight Club or MotorStorm, but it is a lot closer to my wheelhouse and from a developer with some serious racing pedigree behind them, it's a title that interests me... but one I completely overlooked at the time.

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift

"The stage is set. The land braces itself. Welcome to MotorStorm."

Source // PlayStation

Nearly 100 games have gone by since I last saw MotorStorm. I ended that write up by saying "I'm not sure how people who didn't play it at launch will see it, though. Hopefully, with a smile at least."

I also mentioned in that write up that I hadn't played any of its sequels, and now that the time has come to play MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, where we're going to put that statement to the test. Will I see this sequel with a smile at least? Has MotorStorm's time in the sun long gone? Does anything hold up 13 years later?

Enough waffle, crank up the volume and let's get this festival rocking.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles

What on Earth is DUB?

Source // PlayStation

The Midnight Club series of racing games blazed their way across the PlayStation 2 as early as 2000, but no matter what the street racing culture of the day looked and felt like, I just wasn't interested in goofy-looking cars with neon-lit skirts, hideous vinyl artwork, and rearview mirrors full of red and blue flashing lights.

Whether colourful or gritty, arcadey or simulation-centred, street racing wasn't my thing, and even after playing a couple for this 1001 list, the genre still isn't doing much for me. Will the next game of the series, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, out on new hardware, make me think again?

Burnout Paradise

Oh, won't you please...

Source // Steam

It's fair to say I was never mad for the Burnout series. Enjoyable, but I wasn't desperate to own or play each and every title. When the series went open world, giving players the playground that was Paradise City in Burnout Paradise, it still wasn't a title that entered into my thoughts.

So far as I can tell, it wouldn't be until 2011 when I got it as part of the apology deal for the massive PSN outage, and even then, I was more interested in inFamous and whatever else I downloaded. But, eventually, at some point in time, I played Burnout Paradise for some six hours or so, and it wasn't bad at all.

When was that and what did I get up to? I've got no idea. It might as well never have happened, so let's consider this hectic street racer a fresh new title to sink my teeth into. Probably right into the dashboard, if it's a Burnout title...

Mario Kart Wii

Blue. Shell.

Source // Nintendo

At last, we have made it to the final Mario Kart title on the 1001 list, Mario Kart Wii. The series has been a bit hit and miss, highlights including DS and, obviously, Super Mario Kart, and the games have been a clear example of knowing what you're going to get.

New Nintendo console? New Mario Kart title. New controller gimmick? Better show the world how to use it. Grab your plastic steering wheel attachment and stick new batteries in your Wiimote, because we're about to go racing.

Again.

Wipeout Pulse

Quake.

After briefly skimming through my thoughts on the previous two Wipeout/wipEout/wipE'out" titles the 1001 list insisted we played, I have to conclude that the series can come across as a bit of a mixed bag. The games are a phenomenal blend of techno and action, set against the most stylish graphic design languages gaming has ever seen. Probably. But they can be a right pain in the arse to play sometimes, even when you call yourself a fan.

I do call myself a fan, but I must admit that, like the 1001 list, I kind of ignored the series in its middle. I can't actually remember if I ever owned the seventh entry - blimey, seventh? - the PlayStation Portable's second Wipeout, Wipeout Pulse. wipEout pulse. Whatever.

If I do still own it, I was a clever enough sod to leave it a few hundred miles away in the safety of a garage, which is a tad unfortunate, but there are ways and means to play video games, aren't there. And I'm not talking about the PS2 port of this, either...

Colin McRae: DiRT

"Looking forward to getting my hands on that trophy," says the passenger...

Source // MobyGames

It has been too long since this 1001 list has had an entry for rallying, but is there any better series to pick or games to start with than Colin McRae: DiRT?

Thanks to the board game Rallyman, and its upcoming DIRT remake, I've been hot on rallying. I guess I was lukewarm on it before - always enjoyed it, but not enough to follow along. Now, though? Hot.

Over the years, through bundles and deals, my Steam library has welcomed some of the later entries in this DiRT series. I started with DiRT3 and loved it. I went to DiRT: Showdown and hated it. I dove into DiRT Rally and DiRT Rally 2.0, but really wasn't any good at actual simulated rally racing, preferring the more arcadey side of things, so bought DiRT4 on the cheap and thoroughly enjoyed that too.

I don't think this PC meets the minimum specs for DIRT5 (now with a capital 'I') sadly, so what better time to go back to the PlayStation 3 for the DiRT that kicked all this off?

Forza Motorsport 2

Get your motor running... Head out on the test track...

Source // MobyGames

The 1001 list is taking us from one console-exclusive racer to another next, as we wash away the mud and get out the turtle wax for the Xbox's competitor to Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport 2.

As you might imagine, being locked to the PlayStation - through choice, might I add - I was very much on Team Turismo, and it'd be a long time before I was even in a position to see first hand what the Forza series offered players. Quite a lot is the answer, and often before Gran Turismo offered the same things.

Thanks to board gaming, of all things, I've been getting more familiar with the Forza Motorsport series, and this first release on the Xbox 360 is where we're kicking off, described as 'more of the first game, but better'. Excellent.

Where are my keys?

MotorStorm

"But tonight, on this small planet, we're going to rock civilization."

Source // MobyGames

Monument Valley. Iconic sandstone buttes towering above dusty, sun-soaked plains. Don't you just want to hold an over-the-top motorsport music festival right there, with loosely defined tracks around - and on top, and through - the mesas, designed for spectacle, rather than safety?

If the answer is yes - and the answer really ought to be yes - then the PlayStation 3 has you covered with MotorStorm, a chaotic, muddy thrill ride that tears through the landscape to the sounds of rock, metal, and metal colliding with rocks.

It was thoroughly enjoyable back in 2007. What about now?

FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage

Not responding

Physics engines and chaos go hand in hand. Everything dissolves into chaos, so why not just factor chaos into your game in the first place? Burnout games involve lots of crashes and collisions that absolutely batter your car, but what if your car was already a beaten up wreck to begin with? Then we can just immediately get to the smashing and be done with it.

Such is the philosophy of FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage, an Xbox 360 remaster of sorts of Xbox title FlatOut 2, or Burnout meets banger racing.

Purchase a heap of junk, race it through all the debris, and work your way up to better cars to crash in a whole load of environments. Sounds good to me.

OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast

How far are you gonna take me?

The leisurely driving - not racing - game that was OutRun finally got an arcade sequel in 2003 and that arcade sequel got an expanded remake in the form of OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast for home consoles a few years later.

Bringing the arcade experience into your living room, you're able to throw Ferrari's into vicious powerslides around stages that take you through a miniature road trip around the world, all to impress your girlfriend or a big guy known as Flagman. Or both, seeing as there is plenty of content to get stuck into here.

And just like the arcade games, getting stuck in is easy.