What are the best PS2 racing games?

[Erik_Twice]

OutRun 2006 but the Xbox and PC ports are better.

[Octopod]

I generally dis-like racing games but I enjoy the stuff on the Midway Arcade Treasures Vol. 3 disc.

[J T]

I played some Midnight Club 3 last night with the racing wheel. OMG! I haven't had that much fun with a game in a long time. I was grinning from ear to ear. As a long time fan of drum n bass, hip hop, and various other forms of electronic music, I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with the soundtrack Rockstar put together for Midnight Club 3. It fully adds to the experience and the open world environments made me feel like I was just driving ridiculously fast through the city (something you rarely can do in the congested traffic of Seattle). It was liberating and a total blast!

I like the wheel best with these arcade style games since most games are meant to react to the sensitivity of an analog stick, not a racing wheel, which means that you have to turn it quite a bit before you see any movement, so you really look like a spaz when you're driving. This is fine for an arcade racer, but in a game like Gran Turismo that demands God-like precision in your driving, it's kind of a pain in the ass. I can race much better with an analog stick in Gran Turismo, but the wheel is still fun. I'd like to try a high end force feedback wheel with the Gran Turismo games to compare.

I had recently bought Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift 2, but it was kind of glitchy and when it was working, the game just sucked, so I took it back and exchanged it for ToCA 3. That was a very smart move! ToCA is a seriously underappreciated racing game. It controls really well, and it feels like it was more designed for the racing wheel because it responds to small movements as well as large ones. Plus, this game doesn't have as much of a gear head emphasis. I like to race the cars, not buy parts for them. I get board in the garages of most racing games. There is some customization in ToCA 3, but it really focuses on the driving experience. God bless em for that. The controls are great, the graphics are great, you have this Irish racing manager who is a really likeable and funny character and gives the game a story-like aspect to it. If you like racers, you really should check this game out.

[J T]

I just realized that I can play all of my Grand Theft Auto games with the wheel. Sweeeet.

[michaelclark]

Hi J T...

I am playing Gran Turismo 4 and Burnout 3: Revenge with my PS2.