Let me start off this wall of text by saying that this is not an attack on sim-racers overall, but just me bemoaning the lack of simple, fun arcade racers to balance them out.
Was just watching a couple of Initial D youtubes and as a frequenter of the GTPlanet boards, seeing the unfolding of what looks like to be the most boring Gran Turismo yet (GT Sport) are Sony still funding the ridiculous Polyphony Studios, just to try and keep up with the likes of Forza 7 etc?
Along with Drive Club (which is ok, i guess) and Dirt Rally, Project Cars 2 (which looks incredible already - I'm absolutely watching with interest) , Assetto Corsa etc...why do they keep focusing on releasing these sim-style games (yes i know they're mostly multi-plat) but seem to think that the actual FUN games, like Ridge Racer, any SEGA arcade racer , Burnout etc, are not fashionable any longer ?
Of course, I don't want sim-style racers to stop being made, that's just silly, but other than some real barrel scraping indie racers that are more at home on a mobile phone, there's hardly any choice of some nice pick-up-and-play racing games, that the Playstation used to have a whole lot of. I don't want sim racers to die. I just want there to be options for those gamers who find them a little boring and insurmountable without a whole wheel/pedal set-up (by the way, fuck you Sony and Logitech for absolutely taking out the software driver for the G27 wheel, just so you can force the barely imperceptible G29 on console users.)
Why did Sony decide that arcade racers had had their day, all of a sudden ? So, OK, I'd place the new Wipeout game in the same pigeon hole as Ridge Racer et al, but it's the only truly polished arcade racer out there it seems (it's a wonderful remake, i think) . But how about also an updated SEGA Rally or even an Initial D Playstation release or something? No setting up, via a million boring menus. No racing etiquette. No real world rules. Just press start a coupla times and try to get a high score. Again, the sim stuff is fine - but where is the fun stuff to go alongside it ?
With the seemingly popular remakes of old PS titles, like Crash, doing well - I'd love to see them consider a return to Ridge Racer. If they did a ground-up remake of some of the series' titles in a pack - like the Crash Bandicoot release - it'd be a success too?
Surely Crash's popularity is suggesting that the time is right to push through some old PS/Namco/SEGA etc franchises, with a new coat of paint?
The cost of paying for these franchise rights can't be that high for Sony, especially when they seem prepared to fund Polyphony for years on end, whilst people wait for - what looks to be - half of a Gran Turismo game that is only interested in online only, top-tier drivers with wheel set-ups.
And if they did, please don't try and bring sim elements into a Ridge Racer remaster, JUST leave it as it is, other than nice new graphics, a sharpening of the controls etc, just to bring it into the modern age of course.
Digital Foundry, not too long ago, did a DF Retro review of Ridge Racer 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGTR0G2xC1E . Even now it looks pretty good (was high end for PS2 certainly) . I'd be more than happy with a re-do of that game, although I think the general consensus would be that 5 is definitely not the one people would want. Whichever title is re-done isn't too much of an issue for me (maybe not that first PS3 version tho eh?) .
But to just be able to go crazy around a course, drifting with ease, using some instinctive DS4 control - rather than having to spend weeks learning how to drift with a gaming wheel set-up that likely cost you over £250 all in, is one of the reasons I'd like to see a return of these arcade games.
Console manufacturers are obviously trying to push to compete with PC now and along with that seems to come a ridiculous cost too. They're seemingly focused on making racing games that are less and less compatible with a simple console/controller set-up and more focused on having to buy a wheel, pedals, stand for wheel, VR headset even! Serious sim racing enthusiasts will always use a PC for doing it properly, so please stop pretending that consoles can do it too and stick to what consoles do best ? Isn't that supposed to be what they're for ?
TL;DR - Sim racers are fine, but they're expensive overall and a bit boring. stamps feet I want Ridge Racer to come back :( !
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