There might not be a console better for racing game fans than theXbox 360. Not only was it one of the first home consoles to offer stable online play, but it also had a library of diverse, high-quality racing titles spanning several different series.
It’s because of the success of the Xbox 360’s racers that Microsoft consoles have continued a lineage of prioritizing high-quality racing games. The Xbox 360 saw both the continuation of fantastic series and the launch of several brand-new ones.
More of an action-adventure game on wheels than a proper racer, Driver: San Francisco is the first game in the series to use real cars. The driving mechanics were significantly more detailed in this version than in previous ones.
You still have the ability to leave your car during missions, making it reminiscent of the original classic games on PlayStation. Compared to most racers, it has a highly elaborate plot, and it is one of the better sandbox games of its time.
The fourth entry in the Forza series established it as a premier brand for Microsoft. Forza 4 is a technical masterpiece, with highly detailed graphics, car designs, and a massive selection of vehicles. It feels like a proper rival to the Gran Turismo series, and in many ways, it surpassed it.
The handling is the most impressive feature of Forza 4. Gran Turismo sometimes feels like you’re driving on ice, with a lack of sensation for the car’s weight and traction. While Forza 4 is no racing simulator, it captures the sense of speed and the excitement of drifting very well. Forza 4 is a good mix of realistic physics and arcade-style driving.
Motorsport versus Horizon is the story of the casual driver against the serious one. Both Forza series have their merits, but Forza Horizon gets to the core of what makes racing games fun. Fine-tuning your car, a strength of the Forza series in general, is much quicker and more convenient in Horizon, allowing you to dive into the races more easily.
Forza Horizon is less of a time investment than Motorsport. You won’t have to practice a single turn for half an hour to pass a level in single-player mode. Roaming around the world in Forza Horizon is effortless. Even if you only have a five-minute break, you’re able to turn on Forza Horizon and get a taste of that high-octane speed.
WHERE TO PLAY
Perhaps other than Forza 4, no other racing game on the Xbox 360 offers the customization options of Midnight Club LA. There are hundreds of choices to make, from the exhaust to the steering wheel. Unlike Forza 4, though, its gameplay doesn’t feel as slow.
The street racing vibe adds a lot of character to the game. The tracks feel both glamorous and urban. Many of the turns are straight, allowing you to reach top speeds more frequently. The open world is well done, and you could keep yourself entertained just by practicing a drift on a random street corner.
Sonic fell behind Mario in terms of quality platformers, but in the go-karting realm, he puts up a good fight. Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed is a well-rounded sequel, with much better pure driving physics and mechanics than the Mario Kart series.
While it never reached the popularity of Mario Kart’s dominance in the karting genre, it’s a much more balanced game. Mario Kart can sometimes feel like Mario Party on wheels, whereas Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed offers a more skill-based and rewarding experience.
Following up Burnout 3: Takedown, arguably the best racer of its generation, wasn’t an easy task, but Burnout Paradise managed to capture the speed and creativity of prior entries in the series while adding its own unique twist.
Open-world racing was fine-tuned to perfectionin Burnout Paradise. This is a game that gives you a true sense of freedom, and it’s incredibly fun to play even when not in a proper race. Burnout Paradise rewards players for driving recklessly, giving them a chance to continue racing after a crash.
The pinnacle of the Need for Speedseries is Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Evading the police in style makes you feel like you’re in the middle of an old-school Fast and Furious movie. The racetracks and plot points are designed to make the police chase segments feel grandiose and larger than life.
The cinematic features provide a lot of longevity for this underrated racer. When going around tight turns, you can use a bullet-time feature that slows things down, which not only allows you to execute hard maneuvers more easily but also gives you an incredible visual experience.
It’s not an easy game to learn; it takes a while to get used to the handling, but once you do, Grid feels fantastic. Every car available, from muscle cars to prototypes, feels fast. After adjusting to Grid’s learning curve, driving in most other series feels stale and unsatisfying.
Team-based driving is something that only Grid has nailed. Taking into account where your teammate is on the track and occasionally strategizing alongside them adds a layer of tactics absent from most racers.
Despite not being a kart racer, Blur has cartoony physics and aesthetics that are even more outlandish than what you’d find in the Mario Kart series. Blur is about collecting power-ups around the track to make yourself stronger, better handled, and of course, faster.
Blur probably has more in line withfuturistic racers like Wipeout and F-Zero, except it features licensed cars racing in the real world, making it feel more like a Need for Speed game. Blur’s explosive acceleration and speed boost make it the most dynamic racing game on the Xbox 360.
The definitive pick-up-and-play game, Project Gotham Racing 4 might be the finest arcade racer of all time. Amazing speeds, unrealistic but high-octane drifting, and wild racetracks that pit motorcycles against cars make this game feel unique.
Racing is a hard genre to get into; it can be alienating to learn the intricacies of racing. If you simplify it too much, your core fan base will get bored with its shallowness. Project Gotham Racing 4 is the perfect blend of elements for casual fans to get drawn into the genre, while long-time fans of racing games can have a blast touring the world.
