Favourite track in a driving game?

[MattyP]

So pondering this whilst working through various driving games recently...

 

For me it has to be Fujimi Kaido in Forza Motorsport 3 just lovely driving road and scenery just flows so well.

 

Probably a few others that come close but really enjoy virtually driving on this.  

[Parappa]

Most of Driveclubs

Grindelwalk - Gran Turismo

[Jazz Glands]

Sunset Bay or Drake Lake from Wave Race 64

[MattyP]

4 minutes ago, Parappa said:

Most of Driveclubs

Grindelwalk - Gran Turismo

Oh yes.. DriveClub loved the tracks in that. Grey misty roads of Scotland were some of my favourites. 

[thesnwmn]

There are two that simply represent the games and their series for me...

 

Gran Turismo - Trial Mountain

Forza Motorsport - Maple Valley

 

Both iconic. Spent so much time on them i

[Nick R]

Sega Rally - Desert/Forest/Mountain. (Lakeside can bugger off, though.)

 

Gran Turismo 3 - Swiss Alps

 

MSR - Nishi Shinjuku Restaurant. I think that was the longest track in the game, and about as technical as MSR ever got. The one in the video below isn't exactly the same as that track (the one I'm thinking of had its lap checkpoint on the very long straight seen at 1:35, with a swap from one side of the road to the other through a gap in the central dividing fence), but it's very similar, using most of the same roads:

 

 

[Alex W.]

I have very fond memories of Crystal Summit from Burnout 2, which I could eventually do as an unbroken chain of drifts. Perfectly pitched track.

[Qazimod]

 

I've always enjoyed the Beginner Course in Scud Race / Sega Super GT, with it's big wide sweeping corners and the glass "tunnel" thing. It's not exactly technical but it's a fun time nevertheless - and it was awesome to see what they did with the bonus tracks in Outrun 2. And I'll never stop being salty about the fact that this game gets ignored while everyone spooges over Daytona.  

[Simbo]

Loved driving around Edinburgh tracks in PGR2.

 

More recently it's all F1 22 ... Portimao, zandvoort and Melbourne park are current favourites (especially in VR).  I'm excluding Spa because it's going to be up there in any case but I love that too.

[Fused gamer]

Rainbow Road. Cause.

[SeanR]

45 minutes ago, MattyP said:

So pondering this whilst working through various driving games recently...

 

For me it has to be Fujimi Kaido in Forza Motorsport 3 just lovely driving road and scenery just flows so well.

 

Probably a few others that come close but really enjoy virtually driving on this.  

San Francisco, in anything with San Francisco in it.

Recently: Watchdogs 2.

 

 

[Darwock]

Sebenco Climb

[the_debaser]

Mount Wario. 

[Uncle Mike]

27 minutes ago, Alex W. said:

I have very fond memories of Crystal Summit from Burnout 2, which I could eventually do as an unbroken chain of drifts. Perfectly pitched track.

 

The reverse Airport track was a great one for that. (Airport 3?) Just one unbroken chain, amazing. I was coming in here to say that was an all-time fave.

[ScouserInExile]

If I had to pick one, it'd be Red Rock Valley in Gran Turismo 2:

 

It only appeared in the one entry of the game, but I loved it. Really high speed track, but not just flat out he whole way. 

 

Le Mans is always a cracker as well. I've loved driving it in both GT and Forza. If you can get a version without the chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight, even better.

[Corrogate]

Nordschleife, Project Gotham Racer 4, Lotus Exige, weather: snow.

 

Wonderhill in RRT4 was great, too.

[Hyper P]

59 minutes ago, Nick R said:

Sega Rally - Desert/Forest/Mountain. (Lakeside can bugger off, though.)

 

Lakeside was great! A good run through feels amazing!

 

 

[Fry Crayola]

I don't remember many driving game tracks, but I do remember the Sweden arcade track in Colin McRae 2.0. A mate and I spent many an hour as students shaving milliseconds off each other's best time. 

[fat flatulent git]

You’ve gone off two of your favorites.

 

 

Some of mine:

 

Rio - Forza 6-7

Mount Wario - MK8

Jeddah Circuit - F1

 

I like the look of Fujimi Kaido but I never have all that much fun driving through it.

[Escape]

OG R11 wins:

 

 

Not far behind:

 

[thesnwmn]

1 hour ago, fat flatulent git said:

You’ve gone off two of your favorites.

 

 

 

I look forward to having this conversation again in January next year.

[Ry]

The Edinburgh tracks in PGR2 were amazing. 

 

In fact PGR2 had the best tracks ever. 

[Thor]

The original Ridge Racer track around the mountain is good. 

 

Also, any excuse to post this again:

 

 

[Jackson]

12 hours ago, Jazz Glands said:

Sunset Bay or Drake Lake from Wave Race 64

Yeah! The fog lifting in Drake Lake is still a beautiful moment. 

 

I'd add Polar Wharf from mashed. So fun, a perfect loop with the ice adding a nice edge. It was really a game of chicken, how late do you dare brake?

[Strafe]

Trial Mountain, Gran Turismos.

 

I can’t wait to play it in VR 

[kiroquai]

I obviously love my 'serious' racing games so this answer might be a surprise, but for me it's Yoshi Valley on the Mario Kart 64 . Love the various routes that you can take to get through it, and the thing that made the N64 version infinitely better than the (admittedly lovely) remake of it for Mario Kart 8 was that it obscured the leaderboard so you never knew who was in what position throughout.

 

If I had to pick another, Trial Mountain from the Grand Turismo series. They've kind of butchered it a little bit in GT7 by turning a banked corner into a tight hairpin and getting rid of the final kerb-slinging chicane, but it's still great fun to drive.

[Benny]

So favourite track in a "driving" game (I will not take this erasure of non wheel-based racers lying down!!):

 

F-Zero X - Silence

 

 

 

"But it's just going in a straight line!" I hear you cry. Well, you can shut your goddam mouth, because that's the point: time-trialling this means a laser focus on optimisation, with each tweak and nip and tuck of your craft using F-Zero X's sublime controls becoming a true moment of zen.

[Art Vandelay]

MSR had an amazing soundtrack when it wasn't the worst rawk music you've ever heard. Holding On especially completely slams.

 

 

[Down by Law]

It's Sega Rally - Desert with Conditioned Reflex blasting out the speakers! A time trial for the ages.

 

 

Close second would be Dinosaur Canyon from the original Daytona, nailing the powerslide round that last bend makes you feel like a driving god.

[Corrogate]

48 minutes ago, Strafe said:

Trial Mountain, Gran Turismos.

 

I can’t wait to play it in VR 

 

Legit, GT3, in the Lancer Evo - when I first got my PS2, driving up the first dirt part into was one of those "holy shit" moments at the graphics.

 

Edit: Pardon, that was Smoky Mountain.