The first racing games I played were on the Decca game console I think, then came the VIC-20, after that the MSX-1. The games I remember the most from that period are mostly Konami's.
Road Fighter, a classic top-view racer where you hopped on your Ferrari lookalike to face time challenges divided up in stages, with water and oil spots on the track to slow you down or make you spin, and some crazy opponents who tried to crash you. Like most Konami's games of the golden-age, it was very well made and entertaining.
Hyper Rally another fun racing game, more sophisticated than Road Fighter, and relied on chase view instead.
Chequered Flag which was a coin op, one of my favorites, I liked it much more than say the classic Outrun. It sort of simulated an arcade version of a racing career, also had damage and other stuff I can't quite remember now. Top-view again. Spent entirely too much money on that
From the PC era, the only ones I can remember are: Test Drive 1 and 2, Stunts, GP2, Indy 500. I stopped playing regularly around 1993-4 IIRC, with some occasional come-backs which had nothing to do with racing (e.g. Quake, Warcraft II, Transport Tycoon, StarCraft, Warlords III, Caesar 3, Blade Runner, Fahrenheit).
I got back into regular playing at the end of 2007, and the culprit was TrackMania Nations. Someone there mentioned LFS in a conversation about controllers and the rest is history. I still play a few TMN-F, mainly with my SO (who despises LFS thoroughly)
OMG Bruno Gourdo!!! How could I forget him! Though I still remember Skid Vicious from Stunts
PS: I came up with some more titles which were quite fun:
Atari Super Sprint this was a big coin up with up to 4 wheels IIRC and just as many players. The screen was absolutely giant for the time.
Ironman very similar to Super Sprint, played this both as a Coin Op and on the PC.
Death Rally from the same Finnish guys who wrote the famous demo 2nd reality (anyone remember Purple Motion?? I loved his mods, I still use one as my cell phone ringtone )
Very nice game with upgrades, top-view, a real classic.
Mmm, started off with GP2. Then I moved to Screamer 2.
After that, I found myself with that Johnny Herbets F1 Game thing.
I moved onto GPL and found myself playing that, alongside GT1 and GT2. When LFS came out I started playing the demo way back in early 2004 or something. After a year I bought S1. About a year later S2 came out so I bought that.
I sometimes play Race 07/GTR Evo, often play LFS and sometimes GPL when I can find the cd! :doh:
Hmmm, that's not actually intro from the game I was talking about. I thought that was it's name and I know that it was labeled by Ubisoft. It was very similar at least the incar cam was but it was a bit more modern I think. IIRC it's intro only featured a formula driver walking or something. It also didn't have license for real F1 teams so the cars colours weren't like IRL and it also featured a game mod with some like 1950's Formulas.
Maybe there were something like Formula 1 Racing Simulator 2 or similar then?
- Gran Turismo 2
- Gran Turismo 3
- Gran Turismo 4 Prologue
- Gran Turismo 4
- Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
.... a lot of gran turismo
Also did a lot of Colin McRea Rally 2 (PSone) and a few years later DTM Race Driver 2 & 3 (PC), followed by GTR2 (PC).
Have known LFS for quite a bit, but havent been playing it until last september. After a month or so I bought myself a S2 license. No single regret, LFS is great.
It's scary that I recognize that DOS stuff from the early 90's. My sim history goes way back as well, and I even have a Porsche 928 battery powered clicker thing like that Tomy Racing Turbo toy.
Let me just say a few words about GranTurismo One. It rocked my world. It turned it upside down and it blew me away. Although I hate what GranTurismo represents today, I have to admit that I was once one of those kids with GT1. Y'know... thought they knew everything there was to know about cars, and had the video game to back it up?
I even remember trying to drift with an AE86 and wondered why I couldn't. Well because the physics were fcking messed up! I didn't know better back then. They lied to me! They told me I had a simulator! Screw you polyPhoney! Damn it they got me again with GT3. Then they got me again with GT4.
I'm smarter now. I have a driver's license now I have track experience now. They won't get me again. GT5, LFS, NKP, and especially iRacing, I raise my eyebrow at you with skepticism
So what hasn't been mentioned yet...
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDGE Racer! Was this the first time we saw a 900-ish degree wheel with clutch and H-shifter?
And was it not until Ferrari F355 Challenge that we saw 3 pedals again?
Omg I remember the F355 challenge. I'd go bowling JUST to play on it. I'd use all three pedals and H-shifter when I was like 11. Hah, those were the days. I'd dream of buying the arcade machine and sticking it my garage. Gah, those were the days!!
Nope.. the Hard Drivin' arcade machine had ~900 degrees (can't remember exactly how many, but the wheel turned a lot) and had both clutch and H-shift box. Even had a key you had to turn to start the engine! Out way before Ridge Racer
I can't remember exactly when I began getting into racing games, but I think this list *should* be fairly accurate to my "racing career": Games in italics are ones I still play to this day
before 1997: Ridge Racer (PSone/PSX) Daytona USA Deluxe (PC) Test Drive 4 (PC) Sega Touring Car Championship (PC)
1997: Crash Team Racing (PSX) Need For Speed II (PC) (12 cars on track at once rather than 8 in SE - loved it )
1998: Gran Turismo (PSX) Test Drive Le Mans (PSX) Killer Loop (PSX) Moto Racer (PC)
Newman Haas Racing
V-Rally 2
Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo 2
Gran Turismo 3
Gran Turismo 4
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
Gran Turismo Concept 2002-Tokyo Geneva
Colin McRae Rally
LFS
rFactor
Motorstorm
TDU
Race 07 (+GTR Evo)
GTR
GT Legends
GTR 2
Test Drive Unlimited
F1 Fia world championship ( something like that ) First formula 1 game on PSX
and also was first game i ever played
Gran Turismo 1-4
Toca Race Driver 1
Colin McRae rally games (1-4)
Tommi Mäkinen rally
Crash Team Racing (one of my favorites)
Moto Racer (1-2)
Need For Speed 1 and 2, then the series turned crap
LFS ^^
Few other racing games whos name i dont remember
Wooo i cant even remember the DOS games but after those days:
Viper racing
NFS1,2,3,4,5,u,u2,than stopped playing nfs....
Driver(1! the best game ever )
Screamer 4x4
toca 1 and 2
STCC 1,2
Destruction dery on ps2
Few more driver games
Colin 1,2
RBR(best rally game)
Jowood rally trophy
LFS
gtr2
GTL
TDU
iRacing
than stopped everything,play on lfs, but i didnt play anything now for a month