Favourite Arcade Driving/Racing Game series

I'll start the ball rolling and say I'd have to go with Ridge Racer

rfactor

http://rfactor.net/web/rf2/

It's a close one between Need for Speed and Mario Kart. But since Mario Kart is not an option, I voted for Need for Speed.

Have to go with Ridge Racer Unbounded (future) series. I love the new game! My favorite arcade racer of all time. Burnout was always one of my favorites, but the whole premise has been upped with Unbounded!

Midtown Madness or Need for Speed.

Gran Turismo 5

Phht, you damned kids and your Need for Speeds and your Gran Turismos!.. but in all seriousness, the lack of titles actually stemming from arcades is kind of sad.

I am stupidly fond of Virtua Racing, favoring the 32x version most of all. Technically the Saturn version has more stuff but the menus are awful and the added tracks have some bizarre collision problems. Crash on the left side of a divided tunnel and it'll drag you through the wall and reset you onto the right-hand lane. Also, blue mystery cubes. Do not reason why they are there.

Also, I like Hard Drivin'. The full cabinets were awesome. Sure, the controls bit any misstep resulted in the car bursting into flames, but it had three-dee cows and the stunt-track loop. Usually the car'd drop off the apex and explode but that's realism for you.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 and FUEL. Both were judged pretty harshly by critics, but I think they're both fine examples of sandbox racing, much more so than Burnout Paradise. The driving model of TDU2 is really sweet, as well.

iRacing

I would agree in its day Midtown Madness had to be one of the best. I pretty much agree with all your posts about the Need for Speed series as I feel the one I have logged the most hours in has to be Need for Speed Most Wanted Black Edition. This game has found it's way back onto my PC several times. A couple of more titles, that deserve recognition:

- Grid

- Flatout 1,2 (the last one is absolute crap)

- Dirt (1,2,3 all great games)

- Midnight Club 2 (This game was so fast!)

- Split Second (Eye candy)

- Burnout Paradise (Destructive goodness!)

i like NFS , burnout takedown & paradise both

About the only arcade racer I've played is Motorstorm Pacific Rift and I had a ton of fun with that.

I would go with Flatout (lots and lots of fun) and of course Need for Speed series.

rfactor

http://rfactor.net/web/rf2/

rrpnedesigns

whole NFS series .....& BURNOUT .....

No love for project gotham racing? :O, what is this board I have come across tsk tsk.

I've always been one for arcade style racers, as opposed to simulation racing. Though, I did enjoy supposed "simulation racers" from multiple generations back, like the original Gran Turismo since such games still had an arcade feel to them. I'd have to say my favourite series would be Burnout, or more specific, games developed by Criterion. That developer creates what few other racing games manage to do successfully, which is present an intense sensation of speed with fantastic controls and dynamics that are both fun and challenging. That said, I also really enjoyed Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, and am really looking forward to Need for Speed: Most Wanted in late October.