Back in the 16-bit era (and a bit later too đ ), racing games, thanks to the titles like Out Run and F-Zero, had a well-established position in the gaming world.
Approximately 30 years later, as pixel-graphic indie games in the vein of Hyper Light Drifter, Broforce and Hotline Miami are holding strong, and the retro vibe in gaming community is even more pronounced, there is absolutely no reason why we shouldnât dust off 6 classic racing games that grew old like fine wine. So fasten your seat belts and rev up your V8âs! 3…2…1âŚ
Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge
| Release year: | 1990 |
| Developer: | Magnetic Fields |
We kick off our list with a genuine 8-biter. Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge, released in 1990 for Amiga, Atari, ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64, was approved by British car manufacturer â Lotus. Although heavily pixelated, the game is really cool.
There are numerous opponents to beat in each race and the tracks vary in difficulty and road conditions. Also, we have to make pit stops for occasional refueling. Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge is a must for all low-spec games fans as well as those who simply cannot bear playing Hard Drivinâ or RoadBlasters anymore and look for something similar in graphics yet very different in gameplay at the same time.
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Super Mario Kart â 1992
| Release year: | 1992 |
| Developer: | Nintendo |
Ah, what would this list be without the mighty Mario? Mario is everywhere and he goes karting too! Not only is Super Mario Kart the âfatherâ of its cult-classic successor for Nintendo 64, but it also takes up a role of a forefather of the whole kart racing subgenre.
Its single-player mode, with four multi-race cups and 20 tracks over 3 difficulty levels and a couple of traits like powerups, sliding as a method for cutting corners, etc., turned Super Mario Kart into a blueprint for kart racing games, as well as fourth best-selling SNES video game of all time. Oh, and the Battle Mode in which you have to pop three balloons surrounding your opponentâs kart is simply glorious.
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The Need For Speed
| Release year: | 1994 |
| Developer: | EA Canada |
The third place belongs to The Need For Speed. A protoplast of the series which doesnât need any introduction. With supercool hypercars of the 90âs to drive â Dodge Viper playing the first fiddle, or, rather, taking pole position here â it was THE racing game for all speeding maniacs.
This classic was notable back in the day for its realistic driving physics and sound effects. EA even collabed with Road & Track mag to recreate the clinking sounds made by gear control levers. If you are still not convinced to give this title a shot, let me ask you this: would you skip driving the car owned by Harvey Keitelâs Mr. Wolf from Pulp Fiction â Acura NSX? Well, we certainly wouldnât and didnât.
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Sega Rally Championship
| Release year: | 1995 |
| Developer: | Sega AM3 |
Welcome to the gravelly world of WRC! Sega Rally Championship is a bit of an oddity; having 3 cars and 4 tracks available, it still delivered. And what a fantastic delivery it was! Tetsuya Misuguchiâs team really worked their fingers to the bone.
The level of sheer preparations and raw development really opens oneâs eyes. A highly detailed feedback from Toyota and Fiat, a 3-week period of photo snapping in the West Coast of The US for texture mapping, not to mention car studies led during Asian Pacific Indonesian Rally, etc. Result? A game in which you get to drive a car on different surfaces and all driving properties change: friction, acceleration, car handling, etc. – something unheard of in 1995! SRC really was Japanese (gaming) engineering at its finest. And you get to drive Lancia Stratos â a crème de la crème of cult rides!
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Crash Team Racing
| Release year: | 1999 |
| Developer: | Naughty Dog |
On 5th position we have the world-famous Bandicoot and a funky bunch of his friends driving karts. Crash Team Racing â once a main contender to overthrow Mario Kart 64 from the throne of kart racing games â is a tilte which brings so much fun itâs impossible not to adore it.
16 diversified tracks, 15 playable characters (8 by default, 7 to unlock) with different kart specifications, colorful cartoon graphics, let alone lots of powerups to halt your opponents and/or to boost up your speed, create one of the most playable games for PSX. But thereâs more: in 2019 CTR got remastered and re-released under CTR Nitro Fueled title. It looks so amazing old Millenials who played the OG version would definitely shed a tear of nostalgia, while gen Z and A are going to blast that tracking missiles and drop TNT crates as if there was no tomorrow.
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Daytona USA
| Release year: | 1994 |
| Developer: | Sega AM2 |
Gentlemen, start your engines! Daytona USA, another spectacular success from Sega stable and another state-of-the-art wonder of Japanese engineering, competed with the best in the business back in the day. Converted from the Sega Arcade System Board Model 2 to Sega Saturn and PC, it was conceived to outperform its greatest rival â Namcoâs Ridge Racer.
Development of the game was given to Yu Suzuki who had previously deved Hang-On and Out Run. Meticulous preparations like the use of satellite imagery and photographing Daytona International Speedway from the outside wall to the pit lane seemed like a bread and butter for Sega AM2 dev team. Game planner even bought himself a sports car and watched Days of Thunder maniacally. After all the toiling and moiling, Daytona USA turned out to become one of the best mid-90âs racing games. Adaptive difficulty, realistic driving physics with drifting and lift-off oversteering, and 39 opponents to beat, proved Daytona USA was the real deal.
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Thatâs our take on 6 old racing games that never get old. Ransack your attic for that old Sega Saturn of yours or speed to the basement for the racing wheel of your brotherâs, download the emulator on your PC and donât hesitate any second. And remember â giving away a head start is always bad practice.