When it comes to racing games, a select few annual or semi-annual series seem to dominate the genre these days, and, while that's not necessarily a bad thing, there are tons of underappreciated releases that have fallen by the wayside both recently and during previous console generations.
Even with decades-old franchises, there are entries in these series that are unjustly overlooked. From games that thrust players into the driver’s seat on movie sets, have them blasting through apocalyptic cities, or even contending with cart racing elements, here are 10 titles that, for whatever eason, didn't receive the praise they deserved when they first debuted.
Stuntman
In Stuntman, each mission is a fictional movie in which players have to carry out the orders of the director, whether it’s in a car, on a bike, or even a tuc-tuc. The game has a clear reverence to car chases in classic movies, as many of the levels in Stuntman are resoundingly familiar to some of the best 70s and 80s action movies.
Each fictional movie in the game is based on a real movie, from a British gangster film based on the best Guy Ritchie movies to John Woo-type movie set in Bangkok, to a faux-Indiana Jones flick titled "The Scarab of Lost Souls."
MotorStorm: Apocalypse
Being one of the very first games released for the PS3, the first MotorStorm game was a big hit, as it was a unique twist on off-road racing. Players had a unique set of vehicles to choose from that weren’t just run-of-the-mill off-roaders such as trucks, big-rigs, and motorbikes. Each vehicle handles completely different to one another, and there’s an element of strategy to choosing what vehicle to use depending on the track.
The series became less and less successful with each release, and the final game, Apocalypse, was the worst-received of the bunch, though it's one of the more entertaining releases. The series is notable for switching environmental themes with each release, whether it’s the desert in the first game, tropical islands in the second game, or snow-capped mountains in the third game. But, Apocalypse has a different concept, as it’s based in a dystopian fictional city with a huge amount of destructible objects, and the world crumbles as players race through the city.
Need For Speed Carbon
Once locked in competition with Rockstar's Midnight Club games, the Need For Speed series took the edge by getting annual releases, even if it did drop in quality. Carbon was seen as the first significant drop in the franchise by critics, as it followed the peak of the series, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, which incorporated police chases as well as retaining a vast open-world and in-depth customization choices.
But, Carbon features even deeper customization, as it allows players to mold their own body kits instead of just choosing them. The canyon setting of the game was also the most exciting open world of the series yet, as the downhill mountains added a level of danger that the games hadn’t seen before.
Split/Second
Though there are tons of Disney properties that deserve their own video-game, surprisingly enough, Split/Second is actually an original Disney property. However, though it might come as a shock, not everything Disney does is successful, and Split/Second received a tepid reception upon its release.
The game is similar to MotorStorm: Apocalypse in that it put a heavy emphasis on destruction. However, the gimmick here was that destruction could open up alternative paths and change the layout of the course as the race went on. It was a novel concept, and it's something we would love to see repeated at some point.
Blur
At a glance, Blur seems like a totally run-of-the-mill driving simulator, racing through bog-standard tracks against three or four opponents. However, the novelty of Blur is that vehicles can use weapons against each other, and it plays out like if Need For Speed: Underground were a kart racer.
Blur is really well presented, as there are so many detailed tracks to choose from and an enormous amount of licensed cars too. The biggest issue about the game is that, for what is ostensibly a highly-polished take on Mario Kart, it's pretty difficult, but, other than that, it’s one of the most fun driving games that doesn’t get the credit it deserves.
Driver: San Francisco
The tight, hilly streets of San Francisco may not seem ideal for a racer, but Driver: San Francisco pulls it off stupendously. The game was made by Reflections, which is the same developer behind Stuntman, so it's a given that the driving is incredible and feels so much better than any arcade racer.
There’s also a substantial narrative that’s surprisingly compelling, and it’s the first game in the series to feature licensed cars. Believe it or not, the Golden Gate Bridge doesn’t actually get destroyed, which always seems to happen in fictional media in which it is depicted.
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights was a huge improvement over the original game. Of all the street racing games released at the time, Juiced 2 was the only one not based in an open world, and most of the tracks are closed in and not on the streets at all, which kind of defeats the purpose of street-racing.
But, the locations are why the game is so underrated, as the game takes place in major cities all over the world, including Milan and Paris. But, more than anything, Juiced 2 is so great because it puts a major emphasis on do-or-die pink slip races, something which made the the street racing-themed Need For Speed games so enthralling.
Midnight Club II
Rockstar might be best known for the Grand Theft Auto series, but, before they put all their eggs in one basket by releasing one game every 5+ years, the developer released multiple open-world games every year, with some of the best of that era belonging to the Midnight Club series.
Midnight Club 2 isn’t for every racing game fanatic, as it’s more arcadey and almost the exact opposite of a game like Gran Turismo. The game features full open worlds of LA, Paris, and Tokyo, but it marries those realistic environments with wild stunts; players can drive up famous monuments, such as the Louvre, and jump over buildings. As pulling off a stunt like that is so hard to do, it’s massively rewarding when players pull it off.
Stuntman: Ignition
It’s unfortunate that Stuntman: Ignition didn’t sell well enough for fans to get a sequel, as it’s one of the most unique games in a market full of all-too-similar racing games, but, at the end of the day, fans were lucky they even got a sequel to the first one.
The series features such a niche concept, but Ignition does everything the original did, and it’s all so much bigger and better. It’s technically exceptional and offers a hilarious satirical take on Hollywood movie production that isn't often seen in the world of gaming.
Sled Storm
Though it's admittedly a bit unconventional, Sled Storm is definitely one of the most underappreciated racing games of all time. For such an old game, it has an incredible sense of speed that developers still struggle to emulate today.
There was a steep learning curve, as players had to hit ramps at the perfect time and pull off tricks while in air for less than a second, and it was mandatory to find shortcuts in order to win. In many ways, Sled Storm was almost like the blueprint for what would become the SSX series, and it’s a lost treasure.