They often license real cars and leagues, but are equally open to more exotic settings and vehicles. For the most part, arcade-style racers simply remove the precision and rigor required from the simulation experience and focus strictly on the racing element itself. Collisions with other racers, track obstacles, or traffic vehicles is usually much more exaggerated than simulation racers as well. Whereas in real racing (and subsequently, the simulation equivalents) the driver must reduce their speed significantly to take most turns, arcade-style racing games generally encourage the player to “powerslide” the car to allow the player to keep up their speed by drifting through a turn.
A key feature of arcade-style racers that specifically distinguishes them from simulation racers is their far more liberal physics. There is a wide gamut of driving games ranging from simple action-arcade racers like Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (for Nintendo GameCube) and Nick Toon Racers to ultra-realistic simulators like Grand Prix Legends, iRacing, Virtual Grand Prix 3, Live for Speed, NetKar Pro, GT Legends, GTR2, rFactor, X Motor Racing and iPad 3D racer Exhilarace - and everything in between.Īrcade-style racing games put fun and a fast-paced experience above all else, as cars usually compete in unique ways.
