Racing Games?

[gaelan]

For someone who doesn't normally play racing games, what would you recommend. I have LIVE btw.

I have narrowed it down to Burnout 3 or Need for Speed 2. Are there anymore out there I should consider. Which of the two above are recommended?

[Pope On A Rope]

Go with Burnout 3. It's far better than NFS.
Project Gotham 2 is good if you're looking for a 4-player split-screen racing game.

[javeryh]

Uniracers.

[fieldkillah]

Outrun 2 is fun. I got it at wal-mart for 20 and its the only game I've been playing for the last couple days. Out of the two you mentioned, go with burnout 3.

[Greyman7]

I second the Burnout 3 recommendation. I would also suggest PRoject Gotham Racing 2 as well (considering it's 14.99 at EB games). I hadn't played it before and started last week, I'm kinda hooked on it and I don't play many racing games. It's a lot of fun on Live, especially with the ghost racers.

[Zman310]

I would definitely recommend both Project Gotham Racing games, they're probably two of my favorite racing games ever.

[St_Genesius]

If you'e at all interested in a more sim-type racer (i.e., a game entirely unlike NFS or Burnout) conisder Sega GT 2002. It's $2.99 at Gamestop, and that includes a copy of JSRF! That's $1.50/game! It's cosmologicaly impossible for them NOT to be worth it.

[Sheik Rattle Enroll]

BO3 is pretty awesome. NFSU 2 isn't bad, although I found driving around the city tedious and almost prefer NFSU 1.

[doubledown]

I have Burnout 3, Project Gotham 2 and Rallisport 2 and they all are decent games. Pretty fun on LIVE, especially PGR2. Burnout 3 is addictive, but can get a bit boring after a while playing it....but still good.

MTX Mototrax was a decent LIVE motorcycle game also.

[silverandcold]

Project gotham racing games and Need for speed underground are 2 my favorite racing games on Xbox.

[jbroush99]

Burnout 3 and TOCA 2

[cruster]

I third and fourth the Burnout 3 recommendations - the on-line play is massively fun. The single player is pretty cool too.

The Project Gotham games are great. A friend of mine works at MS - wait until you see PGR3...amazing graphics.

It's hard to go wrong with any of the Need for Speed games, too. But of the ones the OP originally mentions I'd go for Burnout 3, so long as you've got Live.

[daikaiju]

Burnout 3 and TOCA 2

Right ON.

Toca 2 getting some of the love it so rightfully deserves.

FANTASTIC racer

[chickenhawk]

Burnout 3 gets my vote, but mainly for the fact that I haven't played the other games on Xbox yet. I have always enjoyed the Need For Speed games too though.

[Indiana]

Project Gotham 2 is my favorite right now... but I do not have NFSU2 or Burnout 3

I have NFSU and Burnout 2... and Gotham 2 is much better than either of those.

[bmulligan]

I'd give the nod to Burnout 3 also(I guess that's a fifth). I love racing simulations like Nascar racing series, GT3, etc. but Burnout has an arcade-like playability. Most people I know who don't like the standard racer take a liking to the Burnout series because it's fun to be wreckless (pun intended) and create mayhem. The sense of speed in Burnout is terriffic, much better than Need For Speed, or SRS, in my opinion.

[Indiana]

I third and fourth the Burnout 3 recommendations - the on-line play is massively fun. The single player is pretty cool too.

The Project Gotham games are great. A friend of mine works at MS - wait until you see PGR3...amazing graphics.

It's hard to go wrong with any of the Need for Speed games, too. But of the ones the OP originally mentions I'd go for Burnout 3, so long as you've got Live.

I assume that PGR3 is coming out on Xbox 2... it would only make sense for them to have that game and Halo 3 as Launch titles... I know that those two games will make me want one pretty bad.

[hiccupleftovers]

I'd go with either Burnout 3 or Outrun since you say you normally don't play racing games. Those'll be a blast to play and you will enjoy them either single player or multi. PGR2 isn't bad either but I think that is more of a GT type and that is more for serious racers.

[BigDirty]

I've got a ton of XBX racing games, so I'll throw my two cents down on a couple of titles:

Colin McRae Rally 3/04/2005: The series is hands down the best rally racing game available in the US. If you're not into some tuning, racing only against the clock, technical tracks and you need background music, this is not the series for you. I also must say it's got a pretty steep learning curve for a racing game. Top notch effort by Codemasters. The 04 version features Live scoreboards and the 2005 version has Live Racing.

IndyCar Series/IndyCar Series 2005: The name says it all, its Indy Car racing, just like you'd expect a NASCAR labled game to feature that series cars & tracks. Very touchy controls, realistic physics, more of a racing fan's game than an average gamer. However, it is another excellent Codemasters game. The 2005 edition features Live racing.

NASCAR Heat 2002: Basic NASCAR game, features the 2002 season, so some drivers and tracks have changes, but the game does feature all of the tracks, including Daytona. This one is normally found cheap and can be played in a system link configuration. Very accessible to anyone.

Project Gotham Racing 2 : I think this is the premier racing game on the platform at the current moment. Easily accessible but plenty of depth, lots of track variations, plenty of cars, and a great Live community still. It helps out that this is now a PH and can easily be found for <$20, many times around $15.

Quantum Redshift: A futuristic racer. Lacking in several areas when compared to the Wipeout series on the PS2, and even outshined by Acclaim's XGRA. It may be cheap, but it also feels that way. Steer clear.

R: Racing Evolution: A semi Ridge Racer sequel, not truly part of the series but has some of the feel, especially musically and a little in the controls. The game is based on a story, so once through, unless theres lots of people to play with, little replay value. Fairly easy to pick up and play, however controls might be a little much for non racers.

RalliSport Challenge 1/2 This is the inverse of the McRae series, this is a very Americanized Rally game where there can be several cars on the track, less tuning, and a semi-arcadey control. Graphically stunning, and like PGR with the easy to pick up with depth, RalliSports are a good addition to a racing collection. RSC 2 has Live play.

Sega GT 2002/Online: First and foremost 2002 is CHEAP, if you don't have it in your collection, you can add it for less than $5 with the first holiday bundle disc. The game features lots of cars and some tuning, plays like a Gran Turismo, but far from the polish of that series. Controls are nice and balanced so its not the easiest to pick up and play, but a good addition to a collection. Online has Live play, but the community is next to non-existant.

Test Drive: This one always goes over looked. Easy controls and arcade style physics are what it's full of. Plenty of circuit and point-to-point racing along with some drag racing. A pretty good licensed soundtrack, and fairly easy to find cheap is what makes this one appealing. The AI and traffic however can make the game frustrating. As an added bonus, loading screens feature PONG!

[andrew333]

b3 is pretty awesome

top 5 racing games in order IMO:

b3
moto gp 2 (consider this!!!!)
pgr 2
rspt chl 2
nfsu 2

[Gauss]

NFSU2 is awesome. You can customize your car making it look great. IMO I love the game and is better than Burnout 3. Burnout 3 is awesome to, but I love Need For Speed Underground 2.

[CappyCobra]

No Love for Pro Race Driver? :(

[Lexian]

I only have PGR2, but it's a lot of fun. I got it back at the 2 for 25 deal at EB during BF, so it was a great grab. I'm also looking to nab NFSU at some point. I heard NFSU2 was cool, but I keep hearing that driving around the city is fairly tedious and that doesn't appeal to me.

[KingDox]

I would recomend this:

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/245359.asp

As far as I know TOCA still sells for 30 bucks, so it's like getting Colin McRae Rally 04 for free.

I've only seen this at one B&M but I hope to someday find it for $20 or less.

[Mospeada_21]

try Midway Arcade Treasures 2 collection - Hard Drivin' (the original DMV driving sim.) oooooweeee, watch that speed! (look out for the cow!) :P

[cruster]

I third and fourth the Burnout 3 recommendations - the on-line play is massively fun. The single player is pretty cool too.

The Project Gotham games are great. A friend of mine works at MS - wait until you see PGR3...amazing graphics.

It's hard to go wrong with any of the Need for Speed games, too. But of the ones the OP originally mentions I'd go for Burnout 3, so long as you've got Live.

I assume that PGR3 is coming out on Xbox 2... it would only make sense for them to have that game and Halo 3 as Launch titles... I know that those two games will make me want one pretty bad.

Yep - it'll be for XBox 2. My friend is rocking a devkit in his office. Only playable thing right now is PGR3...

[msdmoney]

NFSU2 is awesome. You can customize your car making it look great. IMO I love the game and is better than Burnout 3. Burnout 3 is awesome to, but I love Need For Speed Underground 2.

Why am I not surprised that you chose NFSU2.

I personally really enjoy the Burnout series. I guess I like more of an arcade racer, and the crash mode is extremely addicting.