Which games do you consider as serious racing simulators?

  • Thread starter Strittan
  • 145 comments
  • 13,362 views

Which game(s) do you consider as serious racing simulators?

  • Gran Turismo 5

    Votes: 218 69.6%

  • Forza Motorsport 3

    Votes: 55 17.6%

  • Need for Speed Shift

    Votes: 6 1.9%

  • iRacing

    Votes: 185 59.1%

  • rFactor

    Votes: 180 57.5%

  • Live for Speed

    Votes: 168 53.7%

  • GTR (and the other SimBin titles)

    Votes: 167 53.4%

  • Richard Burns Rally

    Votes: 111 35.5%

  • Nascar Racing 2003 Season

    Votes: 37 11.8%

  • Other (please state in your post)

    Votes: 21 6.7%
  • Total voters
    313
Gran Turismo is an awesome franchise, and everything leading up to GT5 has been even better. GT5 will be the most realistic driving/racing/whatever game/sim available on a gaming console.

However, from everything I've tried, it's not quite a great racing sim. GT5 will push that thought to the fullest extent, but until you try the likes of iRacing, you won't understand what I mean. I am a long time fan of iRacing who has had all the previous GT titles since GT2. I love Gran Turismo, but I'm not going to make it something it's not just because it's the best available for a console.

There is so much missing when it comes to the racing aspect in GT. Don't get me wrong, there's tuning, there's great cars in awesome detail, lots of gorgeous real-life tracks, etc. But it's missing some key racing elements that would put it in a "serious" racing sim category. I'm actually glad PD hasn't pushed it to that point, though, because "serious" sim racing is not for a mass audience. It's very difficult and frustrating, which GT can be, but to a different degree.
 
I think we should revisit this after GT5 is actually released. If I were judging GT5P, I wouldn't put it on my "racing simulator" list, as I find the physics and feedback in Spec II & III to be far less realistic than many other products listed here. I expect GT5 will be back up to GT-series quality levels though. So really, this isn't a fair poll at this time, is it?

I did start a thread concerning Need For Speed Shift where we attempted to work out driving and ffb settings which produced a reasonably "sim-like" experience. In the end it definitely isn't a true racing sim, but you can make it more challenging than it is "out of the box". It can be pretty fun for a while - I got my money out of it, then tired of it, then put it away. I think the general consensus was that there were a lot of good points, but that the overall experience didn't live up to what a sim should be.

Ferrari Challenge should be on there. Very convincing driving. Graphics pretty poor though.

Finally, I've voted based purely on physics and feedback. I simply don't enjoy a racing sim unless it simulates real cars. There are a number of "racing sims" which simulate physics well but (for the most part) don't simulate real-life cars. That doesn't do it for me and never will. They may be a racing-sim of sorts, but I can't generate any personal interest in them beyond playing with them to get an idea of their physics and feedback quality. I don't want to drive a "generic mid-engined sports car". I want to drive a Lotus Elise and know that the people programming the game have tried very hard to make the experience at least reasonably true to life. This is where the GT series truly shines above all others and I think this is where those of us here who love it are mostly coming from. Unlike some though, I do also want a "purist sim" mode in terms of driving physics, feedback, and difficulty.
 
Last edited:
hardvibes
OUT RUN is the real deal
:bowdown:
outrun-1.jpg
Click to expand...

Haha brilliant 👍.
 
Grand Prix Legends
Screamer 4x4
Mercedes Benz Truck Racing
Enthusia Professional Racing ( not played it although i think it's more sim than GT5p & previous GTs )
RBR ( PC vers. & on PS2)
GTR series
TRD 3
NFS Prostreet ( rolling physics is a bit poo )
 
Anyone got an idea what's going on between GT5 and iRacing? I mean, both holds the licenses for both NASCAR and IRL. Coincidence, or do PD realise which sim is the best and therefore follow it's foot steps? :)
 
Strittan
Anyone got an idea what's going on between GT5 and iRacing? I mean, both holds the licenses for both NASCAR and IRL. Coincidence, or do PD realise which sim is the best and therefore follow it's foot steps? :)
Click to expand...

Probably more to do with both the IRL and NASCAR having their respective video game contracts recently expire and trying to stretch their appeal.
 
warpspeed2slow
A "serious" racing simulator?

This is all a matter of perspective; if you have played or are a fan of Iracing, LFS, etc in no way will you consider GT5 a serious racing simulator. If your only point of reference is GT however.....
Click to expand...

Completely agreed.
 
Tapey
You find GTR games boring?!?
Click to expand...
Yes, boring is put mildly tho...
H20HYBRID_GT
Ok, two physics are nonsense, although I see them more as difficulty levels, nevermind.

What I still don't get however, is the point you're trying to make about why GT is not a simulator. Which things are you saying are missing from real life races?
Click to expand...
First sorry for late reply, but as others have already said, I think it's a question of ones viewpoint, but all these games ( the ones I played ) don't reflect RL properly IMO and thus aren't "serious" sims in my view.

What's missing from RL races in GT so far?
realistic tire wear / damage
realistic chassis /mechanical damage
realistic pitstops / strategy
realistic collisions
changing weather / road conditions
debris
tiremarks for too hard braking/ accelerating
rollovers
smart A.I.
... umm I can continue this endlessly, but that would be a good start for a "serious racing sim" afaic

:)
 
H20HYBRID_GT
First sorry for late reply, but as others have already said, I think it's a question of ones viewpoint, but all these games ( the ones I played ) don't reflect RL properly IMO and thus aren't "serious" sims in my view.
Click to expand...
There are no simulators at all in your opinion then. Fair enough. :lol:

H20HYBRID_GT
What's missing from RL races in GT so far?
realistic tire wear / damage
realistic chassis / mechanical damage
realistic pitstops / strategy
realistic collisions
changing weather / road conditions
debris
tiremarks for too hard braking/ accelerating
rollovers
smart A.I.
... umm I can continue this endlessly, but that would be a good start for a "serious racing sim" afaic

:)
Click to expand...
Those in red are already confirmed to be in GT5, and those in green are very likely to be in...
 
H20HYBRID_GT
First sorry for late reply, but as others have already said, I think it's a question of ones viewpoint, but all these games ( the ones I played ) don't reflect RL properly IMO and thus aren't "serious" sims in my view.

What's missing from RL races in GT so far?
realistic tire wear / damage
realistic chassis /mechanical damage
realistic pitstops / strategy
realistic collisions
changing weather / road conditions
debris
tiremarks for too hard braking/ accelerating
rollovers
smart A.I.
... umm I can continue this endlessly, but that would be a good start for a "serious racing sim" afaic

:)
Click to expand...

Other big items like penalties (not like the stupid 5 sec. thing) and stuff like being under caution also make for a more realistic racing sim.

It also changes your strategy in regards to fuel & tire wear when the race goes under yellow.

I forgot to add the fact that you should also be able to make changes in your setup when you're in the pits.
 
Last edited:
arvin charles
Other big items like penalties (not like the stupid 5 sec. thing) and stuff like being under caution also make for a more realistic racing sim.

It also changes your strategy in regards to fuel & tire wear when the race goes under yellow.

I forgot to add the fact that you should also be able to make changes in your setup when you're in the pits.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I forgot the stupid penalties... or rules in general. :banghead:

As for changing setups, that's part of what I mean with realistic pitstops/ strategy. 👍
 
H20HYBRID_GT
Yeah, I forgot the stupid penalties... or rules in general. :banghead:

As for changing setups, that's part of what I mean with realistic pitstops/ strategy. 👍
Click to expand...
If you didn't already knew though, setups has been a big part of GT since the first game (even GT5 Prologue), so you'll most likely be able to setup your car in GT5 as well.
 
Ha ha, I like how GT5 has the most votes given that it's not even out yet and is lacking in many aspects that PC sims have had forever.


But that's GTPlanet for you, I guess.
 
panjandrum
Ferrari Challenge should be on there. Very convincing driving. Graphics pretty poor though.
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Ferrari/Supercar Challenge is essentially Forza 2/3 tweaked up on the PS3. For the person who mentioned Enthusia, I find it horrible at simulating anything, but it does have a niche group who love it.

I'm not sure how you can go through any kind of laundy list of what makes a certain game a sim and another not. For instance, I haven't seen any kind of pit stop in GTR Evo yet, though I haven't done any endurance racing in it. I will say that the A.I is very robotic, and sometimes very very stupid. And yet I doubt that anyone would quibble about it being a racing sim.

rFactor is such a stupidly designed game that I haven't done much with it - like, I can't even remember how I finally found the automatic/manual transmission selection! On top of that, having almost all - or all - of it based on fantasy vehicles leaves me not too enthused about it, especially when I find Live For Speed to have superior physics.

And LFS itself has just a bare bones racing structure to it, and yet it probably has more fans calling it a racing sim than iRacing.

Which brings me to GT5. From what Gran Turismo has offered as far as racing structure in the past, it hasn't been any more shoddy than any of the other racers, certainly not Live For Speed for instance, and Gran Turismo never had tires that completely melted one or two laps past their defined tire life. Prologue already impressed me how much it felt like GTR and Live For Speed. And now, we have the amazing Time Trial demo, which surprised me a lot how many factors of real car physics are involved in it.

It's not as if GT5 has to be classed with all the other PC sims, but after the taste we've all had of the TT demo, I think refusing to give it a nod in that sense is being unfairly critical or judgmental.
 

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