Old games - this is a touch of nostalgia, past which even a relatively young gamer is difficult to pass. Perhaps everyone will have the “same” disc with a favorite toy, the age of which can be 15 or even 20 years. Old races on PCs may have lagged somewhat behind the more advanced analogues released in the years 17-18, but they were much more interesting in terms of plot, gameplay, and multiplayer. What kind of games in this genre remain in demand so far?
Need For Spee Underground and NFS Underground 2
It is these two parts that fans consider to be one of the most successful in the entire series. Thoughtful gameplay, the presence of a huge variation of races, the possibility of versatile tuning - all this made these games just interesting. Indeed, in fact, the old race on the PC did not pursue reliability and accuracy in management, although there are simulators in this list too. The first attempts to create an interesting street race were based on an arcade and competitive component.
Underground and Underground 2 introduced a series of innovations that became the key to the popularity of the EA franchise:
- the action moved to the streets of the city;
- tuning has become more diverse and spectacular;
- A new type of race appeared - drift with its own rating scale.
For the games of 2003 and 2004, Underground and Underground 2 look pretty tolerable even now, after more than a decade. Yes, the graphics are a bit “in the soap”, the outlines of the cars are blurred, but the gameplay seems advanced even for the latest NFS franchises from the year before last. Not surprisingly, so old PC races are still popular with a wide audience.
FlatOut and FlatOut 2
The first FlatOut was released in 2004. The developers did very wisely, not trying to compete with the previous franchise, even on paper. If NFS bribed a player with the possibility of “serious street racing,” FlatOut made it possible to participate in a derby, destroying both your car and the opponent’s vehicles literally in chips. This series of games still stands apart. It would seem like an ordinary arcade, but users appreciated the degree of interactivity in interacting with the outside world, a wide selection of cars and a variety of races.
Racing on old cars on a PC with the ability to drive off, for example, the audience liked the wheel. Of course, the graphics here are still primitive, but the specifics of the gameplay captures much more. When the car sweeps along the ramp, crashes into an obstacle, as a result of which the driver flies several hundred meters, this can smooth out any inaccuracies in the game engine or physics of the car’s behavior.
Burnout paradise
In 2008, the studio Criterion Games released the Burnout Paradise project , which was repeatedly compared with the notorious FlatOut. The key essence of the arcade is in many ways reminiscent of an earlier project. The player faces the same task - to destroy the opponent or at least slow him down. The fleet has increased in size, motorcycles have appeared. Instead of dirt tracks in the suburbs, a chic city is at the player's service. Yes, the metropolis is a bit empty, there isn’t enough additional “extras” in the form of police or busy traffic, perhaps even people. This is a little striking, but the other aspects of the game are performed at their best.
In addition, the game also has a variety of modes in case the player just gets tired of wheeling around, destroying opponents. In many ways, Burnout is a truly original project. It can not be compared with franchises, which year after year put up for sale additional content in the form of a retouched project of past years. Therefore, they still play such old races on PC.
Race Driver: Grid
Unlike all previous options, Grid is a serious, thoughtful and extremely dependent project. He is primarily dependent on the player, because he puts before him the requirement of considerable skill for controlling a car in a real racing simulator. More than 9 years ago, this approach was a breakthrough in the gaming industry, since the arcade component of racing still could not convey the true spirit of games of this kind. But this is precisely what became the main reason for the relatively small popularity of the project in the end. The average gamer was not able to provide the proper feedback and compete with opponents at the proper level.
NFS Most Wanted
Apart is the first Most Wanted. This project is not just original, it is holistic, multifaceted and, quite possibly, unique. The developer took the idea of Underground 2 and improved it, creating an excellent project from just a good one. Tuning has remained versatile, the number of races has grown, the plot and career have become more interesting. Even a relatively small fleet of 32 cars did not become an obstacle for fans to drive to Rockport. Old racing games on the PC were different, including the atmosphere, and Most Wanted only increased it. The main character wants to empathize, which is not typical for arcade games.
Racing on old cars, PC games that are still not forgotten, although a decade or more have passed, are in demand among the public. Why? Probably, the fact is that they do not have an obsessive product placement, marketing gimmicks or promises to “finalize” the project in the near future. Such games are good because they were released in the face of fierce competition by people who tried to make viable content. Unfortunately, things are completely different today.