Imagining Classic Driving Games as VR Experiences
Let's be honest, with lockdown measures in place, real-life doesn't have many opportunities for one to go exploring. As a result, this makes immersing yourself in the fictional worlds created by Virtual Reality (VR) games sound far more appealing in this day and age. There are plenty of games on the market you can explore through consumer gadgets such as the Oculus Rift, Playstation VR, HTC Vive and many more. As with anything, there is always a scope to take any tech innovation and give it a much broader scope of appeal. That's where this post comes in; imagine the experiences VR could bring to some legendary racing titles from decades past? Here is how I would interpret being placed into the imaginary worlds of five iconic titles.
Burnout
Making its debut in 2001, Burnout raced into the market as an over-the-top arcade driving game with a spectacular party trick - crash cameras. Prior to this series jumping onto the scene, a hard impact in a racing game would result in you significantly being slowed down and perhaps some damage (damaging modelling wasn't such a big thing back in the day) being shown on the car. In Burnout, you are treated to a cinematic showing your car dispersing debris and tumbling down the road. There is even a mode dedicated to causing as much destruction, called Crash mode. While experiencing an exaggerated car crash sounds like a recipe for motion sickness, any Burnout player must have been curious to experience what it would be like to be an occupant inside the car. And live, of course.
Crazy Taxi
As the longest-standing franchise, this arcade favourite would be an absolute rollercoaster to experience through VR. This is mostly thanks to the jaw-dropping elevation changes its map, which is based on a retro rendition of San Francisco. Racing against the clock, the player will blitz through city streets as they have an often very chatty passenger in the back seat. With a VR treatment, a great feature to implement would be a set of responses the player can choose to build a relationship with their passenger, and potentially bag a larger tip. This could also act a remedy for socializing during lockdown too, right?
Split/Second
The last two games would seem like a walk in the park compared to this suggestion. Even though this is the least known franchise out of all the games listed, Split Second is arguably the most unique. The game takes place on a movie set which features tracks with a twist; competitors have the ability to set off traps which cause the destruction of the surrounding environment, causing explosions, crashes and different manners of chaos which stop racers dead in their tracks. Even as a conventional gaming experience, it is ridiculously intense; imagine your pulse if you saw a cargo plane hurtling towards you from above? A Split Second VR experience is certainly not for the faint-hearted.
Project Gotham Racing
If a slightly more sedate approach to driving is more your thing, then the next two entries will be of interest. Project Gotham Racing was Microsoft's flagship arcade racing series in the mid-2000's, featuring real-world licensed cars, as well as a mixture of street circuits and permanent race tracks. The fourth installment also added bikes, adding a new challenge to a series that already offered a lot in terms of variety.
The main draw is that the Project Gotham Racing series provided an accessible driving model so you can feel like you are driving a real car without the unforgiving nature of racing simulations. That becomes more useful as a VR port will allow you to get distracted by the highly detailed and often eccentric locations the game allows you to race on. If you can't catch flights to places such as Macau, Florence, Stockholm, Quebec as well as other cities, Project Gotham Racing in VR may be the best place to be a tourist, while also having the option to breeze past landmarks at over 200mph.
Test Drive Unlimited
If there is one racing game that is fully ready to immerse the player into its world, this would be the top candidate. Not only does Test Drive Unlimited allow you to cultivate your dream garage and explore exotic islands through exploration and driving missions, you could also buy properties and deck out your wardrobe with the finest designer labels. If picturing yourself driving open-top supercars across the coastline wasn't appealing enough, looking down at your avatar wearing an outfit worth a four-figure sum might be a fantasy that makes this a worthwhile VR proposition.
Are there any other racing games (or any games in general) that you would like to see have a VR port? Feel free to share your suggestions in the comments!
Burnout
Making its debut in 2001, Burnout raced into the market as an over-the-top arcade driving game with a spectacular party trick - crash cameras. Prior to this series jumping onto the scene, a hard impact in a racing game would result in you significantly being slowed down and perhaps some damage (damaging modelling wasn't such a big thing back in the day) being shown on the car. In Burnout, you are treated to a cinematic showing your car dispersing debris and tumbling down the road. There is even a mode dedicated to causing as much destruction, called Crash mode. While experiencing an exaggerated car crash sounds like a recipe for motion sickness, any Burnout player must have been curious to experience what it would be like to be an occupant inside the car. And live, of course.
Crazy Taxi
As the longest-standing franchise, this arcade favourite would be an absolute rollercoaster to experience through VR. This is mostly thanks to the jaw-dropping elevation changes its map, which is based on a retro rendition of San Francisco. Racing against the clock, the player will blitz through city streets as they have an often very chatty passenger in the back seat. With a VR treatment, a great feature to implement would be a set of responses the player can choose to build a relationship with their passenger, and potentially bag a larger tip. This could also act a remedy for socializing during lockdown too, right?
Split/Second
The last two games would seem like a walk in the park compared to this suggestion. Even though this is the least known franchise out of all the games listed, Split Second is arguably the most unique. The game takes place on a movie set which features tracks with a twist; competitors have the ability to set off traps which cause the destruction of the surrounding environment, causing explosions, crashes and different manners of chaos which stop racers dead in their tracks. Even as a conventional gaming experience, it is ridiculously intense; imagine your pulse if you saw a cargo plane hurtling towards you from above? A Split Second VR experience is certainly not for the faint-hearted.
Project Gotham Racing
If a slightly more sedate approach to driving is more your thing, then the next two entries will be of interest. Project Gotham Racing was Microsoft's flagship arcade racing series in the mid-2000's, featuring real-world licensed cars, as well as a mixture of street circuits and permanent race tracks. The fourth installment also added bikes, adding a new challenge to a series that already offered a lot in terms of variety.
The main draw is that the Project Gotham Racing series provided an accessible driving model so you can feel like you are driving a real car without the unforgiving nature of racing simulations. That becomes more useful as a VR port will allow you to get distracted by the highly detailed and often eccentric locations the game allows you to race on. If you can't catch flights to places such as Macau, Florence, Stockholm, Quebec as well as other cities, Project Gotham Racing in VR may be the best place to be a tourist, while also having the option to breeze past landmarks at over 200mph.
Test Drive Unlimited
If there is one racing game that is fully ready to immerse the player into its world, this would be the top candidate. Not only does Test Drive Unlimited allow you to cultivate your dream garage and explore exotic islands through exploration and driving missions, you could also buy properties and deck out your wardrobe with the finest designer labels. If picturing yourself driving open-top supercars across the coastline wasn't appealing enough, looking down at your avatar wearing an outfit worth a four-figure sum might be a fantasy that makes this a worthwhile VR proposition.
Are there any other racing games (or any games in general) that you would like to see have a VR port? Feel free to share your suggestions in the comments!
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