The Online Dystopia of Modern Racing Games

[@ileutur6863]

Every modern racing game "have fun with your friends, race against your friends, share results with your friends". Any gamer with a gamer circle of friends will tell you 99% of them don't play racing games. They play FPS, MMO or fighting games.

[@zenkoz3158]

Yeah every modern racer I play makes me say "wow this would be great if I had friends to play it with" but I'm an adult and work too much to keep any real friendships going. So now the only online games I play are things I can play with my wife.

[@azi9_ity]

This is so true. Oh well...

[@Fay7666]

Even as a kid, I knew like... _a friend_ who played racing games. Nowadays... yeah, not really anybody. I do think that something like iRacing promotes a more community feel in-game which helps a lot, but for most other games it's just an "... ok guess I'm SOL" which makes today's racing games just a chore.

[@r1l426]

And then they remove couch multiplayer so even when you wanna play a quick game with your friends you can't.

[@VelocityVibeRacing]

I only play racing games. Minecraft is a exception and I only play gta for the vehicles.

[@TheDeadmanTT]

The best thing about server shutdown is that the modding chads can get to work, make it playable again and remove all the microtransactions.

[@Appletank8]

you do need the game to be popular enough to attract someone to put in the effort though.

[@0uttaS1TE]

​@Appletank8 Sometimes it's not even about popularity. You just need people who care. Blur wasn't popular and they have fanmade servers. Same with the first 3 Motorstorms.

[@rnosibZ57]

​@@Appletank8 NFS World

[@adlibbed2138]

​​​​@@0uttaS1TEand sometimes, it depends on what platform it was released on, at least NFS World and The Crew 1 get their respective 2nd winds thanks to their official PC release (the former being PC only release) M.A.G on PS3 and Ace Combat Infinity for example, are still cancelled soz thanks for two of these games being PS3 exclusives throughout their lifetime

[@LotsOfToubleUsuallySerious]

@@TheDeadmanTT *cough* SoapBox *cough*

[@Theottselmaster]

"Buy our racer, pay for a subscription, dont EVER be offline, buy microtransactions, watch the servers go offline, THANKS FOR THE MONEY SUCKER"

[@IdiotRace]

This is the reason why I haven't bought a single racing game since FM7.

[@osimos]

Racing game industry in a nut shell, you nailed it.

[@Mephisko46]

Be silent and consume!

[@free4fire]

Well this isn't just racing these days, a huge part of the triple A gaming industry is like that nowadays. I simply boycott all of em.

[@silvy3047]

Also here's a new car you can only earn by playing for 40 hours that's only available for one week 😁

[@alrecks619]

racing games community : "hey, can you make something that resembles a proper career ladder structure?" racing games publishers : "best we can do is mandatory internet connection"

[@C.I...]

Community: "Can I have a car collection, with some nice cars in a reasonable amount of time?" Publishers: "Best we can do is put them each behind a thousands-of-hours grind wall to make you pay real money for them. Oh, also each race win prize is a roulette with tiny payouts, and you can't sell your cars for money."

[@kuriankeralaIndia]

​@@C.I... Gamers: Make it harder to buy or get cars Microsoft:Here have majority of the games car list in your garage for 2 hours of game you played.

[@CyanRooper]

Players: Can we have a racing game with 2D waifus and a good soundtrack? Victory Heat Rally devs: Here you go, king. Knock yourself out.

[@Fjdjfjsz92938]

@@CyanRooper💀bro tried sneaking his game in

[@SicSemperBeats]

@@CyanRooper Nobody asked for waifus lmao gtfoh

[@irvanray1898]

I HATE ALWAYS ONLINE DRM I HATE ALWAYS ONLINE DRM

[@justajad2809]

If Roflwaffle was a racing game, the genre would be reignited.

[@EQUAL2]

he made a video about if he were to make his own game

[@CyanRooper]

Imagine a racing game where you race waffles instead of cars.

[@justajad2809]

@@CyanRooper Mario Kart 9: Write that down, WRITE THAT DOWN !

[@TallTapper]

thank god he isnt actually

[@AdolfGOhomE]

It would be oiled up hardcore c*orn

[@shira_yone]

Even Driveclub, _the_ social driving game™ lets you play the whole singleplayer career mode and let you keep your custom liveries when it went offline. The Crew 1 was sacrificed on the altar to boost it's shoddy sequels because Ubi know people still play the first game simply because it's a lot more substantive and soulful.

[@priyeshboodhram8375]

Ubi should just put the game on sale one last time before it got withdrawn from all platforms even if it meant selling for a dollar or so before car and song licenses expire and perserve the game before it went offline completely At least after their stock levels are going down , Ivory tower was given the green light to update The Crew 2 and Motorfest to have offline modes

[@djungelskog2654]

The Crew 2 is such an awful game too Filled to the brim with random BS

[@priyeshboodhram8375]

@@djungelskog2654 i wonder why it looked like that until i found out the graphics and textures were just a straight up leftover assets from The Crew 1 But I enjoyed it nonetheless

[@zenkoz3158]

​@@priyeshboodhram8375 some of the assets are worse. Watch a comparison video and you'll be saddened by some of the downgrades.

[@priyeshboodhram8375]

@@zenkoz3158 no need to I've seen it the comparison already it's a downgrade when i launched for the first time after 5 years of its release , but once the game goes offline we pirate and mod the hell out of it Screw ubisoft , they robbed TC1 owners

[@SockyNoob]

No livery editor offline is such a boneheaded move that only Polyphony could manage.

[@mrjohnnyk]

Modern gaming! Missing features we had decades ago.

[@eienookami]

I got SO pissed when I got on gtsport the day after the server shut because I honestly thought we could at least keep our designs... How foolish of me

[@MikoyanGurevichMiG21]

Forza Motorsport 5 says hello. Take Two also did this nonsense.

[@andyhelliwell4955]

The Crew being stolen from customers should be treated as a crime.I have the disks but I still cannot play this epic game ever again. Well made video btw, some great points made.

[@minties51]

wait, hold on… did the devs actually just destroy the game and prevent anyone from playing it ever again even if they have a physical copy? i’ve never played that game, so i’ve never heard anything about this

[@andyhelliwell4955]

@@minties51 Yes the devs destroyed the game. Even if you have the disks, the game has to connect with the servers to start and play, but they shut the servers down. They also stole the licenses back out of my game library to make double sure.

[@Yosh1az]

Racing games then: >Gives you a taste of the best cars >Game steal it from you >Starts at the bottom with a shitbox >Improve your shitbox >Climb your way up >Gets the car that you lose >Ends the game Racing games now: >Gives you super cars from the start >Pay real money to purchase cars >Online >Shitty grinding mechanic and progression >Never Ends

[@mrjohnnyk]

Yeah it's no wonder they have become so boring.

[@m1sst4k37]

funniest thing is, you described the NFS Unbound

[@eurosonly]

Should say need for speed most wanted vs modern racing game trends lol.

[@AloneRacecar]

While that I don’t have anything against racing games that have online features and whatnot, it does become very problematic when you won’t be able to play them if there’s something wrong with the servers or when they shutdown completely! Especially when you have spent all that money into buying the game only to not be able to play it anymore a few years later (assuming you had decided to come back to it after a while). I almost feel like the online mode of gaming has gotten so popular that the game developers decided to capitalize on it to make the games that have the quality that we are getting today. And it’s not just racing games entirely, I have seen a very similar story with sporting games too… especially with the NBA 2K series. I could definitely see myself play through the entire career story without any online connections but NOPE! Not the case at all. Lately I have been enjoying the offline stuff a little bit more now than ever. It’s like I have a bit of zen and peace. Plus I can do whatever I want and use whatever car I want without anyone criticizing me for how bad I am at racing games! 😅

[@LotsOfToubleUsuallySerious]

People (including me) were more exited for Pro Street Pepega Edition than Unbound. No commentary

[@adlibbed2138]

man, underground 2 net for underground 2 excites me a lot more than modern racing games wished it could ever be and speaking of modern racing games, I sincerely hope the new Tokyo Xtreme Racer game really needs to avoid the same mistakes, if not doing the exact opposite of what the fans wanted like TDU Solar Crown did

[@GuntanksInSpace]

Man, that mod went pretty goddamn hard tbh. MW and ProStreet Pepega had a lot more going for it past the memes.

[@boomkittyFX]

i'd literally pay if someone made an xbox 360 port of pepega tho 😭

[@LotsOfToubleUsuallySerious]

@@GuntanksInSpace both were awesome

[@AdrielBGaming]

Honestly same. A mod for an old game getting more hype than recent releases does say a lot about the state of the genre.

[@SteveBrandon]

If I remember correctly, the original excuse with Gran Turismo Sport was that the FIA demanded the anti-cheat measure which required an always-online connection just to prevent the possibility of cheating with the eSports aspect of the game, which is fair enough but I feel like people interested in playing a game as an eSport should just have separate online-only profiles without denying those of us with absolutely no interest in playing games as eSports the option to play and save offline (and, if someone changes their mind and wants to play in eSports mode, they should have to start over from scratch with their eSports profile). And the FIA was a weak excuse anyway since always-online is now affecting racing games that have absolutely no connection to the FIA.

[@Aries19974]

Always online is the death of gaming, give me back the REAL games!

[@osimos]

Amen!

[@demonNthesn0w]

Battle passes is the coffin

[@tohruberthon47]

HE IS JOINING THE BATTLE AGAINST ALWAYS ONLINE!!

[@cin2110]

Unlike that one pirate themed plant that is pretending to be customer friendly.

[@jdcp8976]

​@@cin2110 wtf are you talking about?

[@phutureproof]

Give that caps key a tap cheers sweetcheeks

[@Skumtomten1]

We lost the battle a long time ago sadly

[@sarimsalman2698]

Pirate Software? ​@@cin2110

[@marko9610]

Comparing modern Racing games to chewing gum is kinda genius considering just like gone offline mp games, you can still chew but without the flavor

[@mafiousbj]

One of my fondest memories as a kid was taking my PS1 and then PS2 with me during summer holidays. My grandparents had a small house near a beach in the middle of nowhere. It was us, a couple of neighbors and that was it. We would play in the beach all day, but if the day was rainy we would plug the console to the TV and play either Gran Turismo (remember split screen?) or some fighting games with my brother. Kinda amazing that 20 years later my own kids can't do that because the new Gran Turismo requires constant internet connection and that beachouse in the middle of nowhere won't ever get internet 😂

[@EmoDKTsuchiya]

Keep the PS2 alive

[@JoshuaC923]

This!

[@mafiousbj]

@@EmoDKTsuchiya My PS2 is still alive and well, issue is the kids are still in the "normie" phase and put graphics above eveything else 😂. So Mario Kart on the Switch it is. I always shitted on Nintendo growing up about being anti-consumer and elitist, but damn it's nice someone is still offering 4 player split screen in many games 😂

[@AMDRyzen57500F]

​@@mafiousbj taking graphics over gameplay is a bad thing. Gameplay over graphics anyday

[@Ben-Rogue]

One big problem with these always online racing games, or ones that require an online connection just to play solo, is that they often use it as an excuse to 'protect' their micro-transactions, while ALSO expecting you to spend more money on in-game content. While I'll happily buy DLC packs, or a traditional season pass if a game has earned it, I cannot justify spending a single cent in a game that will take it all away in a few years, when they're no longer turning a profit... I can hardly justify buying an always online game in the first place. If they don't respect and honor my purchase, then I simply won't give them my money.

[@2lucky2tha7]

You nailed it. I remember being far more excited and engaged with, say, Gran Turismo 3 for example. It gave a structured ladder of advancement that one had to try hard to attain. It's a basic psychological fact that human beings are goal oriented. When the ladder of advancement is removed, then the sense of motivation, drive and purpose disappears and interest is lost. The mere ability to drive any car on any track without an ultimate goal to pursue - quickly feels meaningless and pointless and thus interest is lost. The mere freedom to do anything we want at any given time doesn't result in being content because it results in diminishing returns very quickly. Edit: I want to expand upon this. First off, I totally agree that internet dependence severely diminishes a game. As you said - with the loss of internet connection or servers, the game is either unplayable or extremely diminished. That is a massive deterrent. That means that ones time spent in advancing can be taken away at any time, so there is no lasting effect. There is soo much that the developers could do to deeply engage player interest - even using their current platform. Keep the game fully playable even without an Internet/server connection. Have new desirable tracks and cars that can only be won or accessed AFTER a series of championships, etc. are won and a trophy of sorts given. It's these basic things that require a player to try hard, hone their skills, advance further, invest time and concentration, become engaged and enjoy the journey toward these end goals - thus providing a sense of hard earned accomplishment - not for these things to just be freely handed over without even trying. It makes all the difference in the world. Gran Turismo 7 for example can easily being back tracks from the previous series and implement them in a way where - say, like the old GT series - one would have to do a series of 10 different races in a series of consecutive events in order to win in the end - and that it be challenging (that it not be easy, nor impossible).

[@phutureproof]

Gran turismo 3 for example

[@aksGJOANUIFIFJiufjJU21]

Its more fun to drive any car on any track than to pursue a goal Also, I think they make the game online only so the save file cant be modified, however, polyphony could either make the save file hard to crack like in gt6 and ban people like in gt5 or make it so that whatever you do is reset back to when you were last online to make the gt7 playable offline

[@Lauriic54]

One thing this doesn’t mention is something that has been upsetting me while playing NFS2015 over the last week or so - these online features are rubbed in your face so hard that, ultimately, the game ends up feeling lonelier as a result. For NFS specifically, you’re forced to be in a lobby with others, but rarely will anyone hang out and drive with you. Maybe this was different when the game was fresh, but that just emphasises the limited shelf life of the core game. Forza does it more insultingly in my opinion - filling AI lists with usernames of your friends… look at all the people that you _could_ be racing with instead! In the older games, you just treated bots as bots. In these games, it’s a slap in the face that you don’t have anyone to share your fun with, so it just drives you away instead.

[@Doubles_Advocate]

The publisher likely sees this as a positive, that way you're encouraged to buy the next one at launch (or even pre-order please!) if you want to have the game feel lively. It's the same mentality as battlepass content being perma-locked after a certain date.

[@ModeSOLOgaming]

I like that loneliness in NFS 2015 really. Whenever I start it up again I just cruise around listening to that fantastic soundtrack, not really doing anything.

[@Inklington53]

Speaking of Gran Turismo 2, here’s a fun tidbit. I am one day younger than Gran Turismo 2. As we know, it was first released in Japan on December 11, 1999. I was born the day after. As Gran Turismo 2 is my favorite game of all time, I play it every year when its anniversary and my birthday roll around. It’s funny how such a small coincidence can make you love and appreciate a game that much more.

[@jayda1k_]

I’m 2 months and few days older than Gran Turismo 3 (released in EU and JP in May). The game was set for a March 2001 release but it was the 11th hour and Polyphony grinded what started out as GT2.5/GT2000 on new hardware with entirely new 3D car models and licensing along with a few new tracks and many new features like B-Spec- meaning it was pushed back to July in the US.

[@dasstig5274]

I play gran turismo 1 for a little bit every new years eve. It's sort of my way to reflect on the year that's gone. I think because I played it once while waiting for the new year with my uncle as a kid, and the nostalgia has stuck with me since.

[@jimmy3people0]

not a racing game, but I share an exact birthday (3/2/2000) with the release of the first WWF SmackDown game and I fucking _adore_ that series (everything up to SvR07, anyway)

[@hibbs1712]

Thank you for speaking on this at length. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills trying to convey this to people. I do not want to to buy your game if I can't play it offline.

[@Rmzkm007]

Thank you, you summarized what I have been feeling ever since TDU2 went out, I remember in the same week, emailing Eden Games wondering “what’s next” and the reply said something like this“we appreciate your time playing TDU2, but since the servers are shutdown, and we hear you want to still have the online features, we recommend you jumping into The Crew” and I remember thinking to myself “but I don’t want to play The Crew, I want to play TDU2!”

[@fabiofanf3e813]

Gotta respect devs that know when to call it quits and seven recomend other games. I mean, imagine if this was turn10 or ivory tower. They would say something along the lines of "one must sacrifice thyself for thoust purchase to work. There are no alternatives, only fals messiahs."

[@Bambeakz]

If you have a PC or Steamdeck you can still play TDU2 online with modded server and I guess every decent laptop or pc can run it. Even with modded graphics and extra cars. TDU2world, TD universe and the biggest as far as I know Project Paradise 2

[@offbrandbiscuit]

"TDU2 servers are gone, why don't you just play The Crew?" The Crew fans: 💀 stop killing our games

[@CyanRooper]

@@fabiofanf3e813 but some of the developers at Ivory Tower were former members of Eden Games. That's why they recommended The Crew.

[@TheLaXandro]

A big problem with racing games featuring real cars is that they are impossible to remaster. Not just because of licensing hell for cars, tracks and often even music, the cars themselves are the problem, every racing game that isn't specifically set in a particular time period is a product of its time. As much as we can talk about Most Wanted being a timeless masterpiece, be real, what was the last time you've seen a Chevy Cobalt on the street? In a world where half the singleplayer games are nostalgia bait remasters, and other half- big, expensive blockbusters hoping to some day get a nostalgia bait remaster to double dip into profits, racing games' specifics mean that they don't have staying power, they are transient in nature, so always online live service's transience seems like a perfect fit to the big shots. They don't see games, they only think of profits, and an expensive, content-heavy game where all the content created is guranteed to age and fall out of relevance is not an appealing proposition. If content is transient, it must be squeezed for profit.

[@millennialchicken]

this is why games like AC, NFS:MW, GT4, Forza Motorsport 4 or even rFactor 1/AMS 1 are being respected more these days BECAUSE of their completeness after their time has come. They are complete packages that can be enjoyed even now when their sequels are dropping the ball majorly.

[@superninja252]

AC is mosly liked beacuse of the mods tbh same with any rfacor based game

[@jdcp8976]

​@@superninja252yeah people forget AC is nothing without mods lol, almost nobody would play it if it wasn't because of that. I can say so because I have it, and as cool as it is to race around cities or nurburgring with traffic... none of this shit is in the actual game lol.

[@0uttaS1TE]

​@@jdcp8976Oh, yeah, AC is like MUGEN for racing games. It's kind of bland unless you add in mods, and if you aren't a PC player, or aren't knowledgeable/don't have time to do that, a potential 9/10 experience will forever remain a 5

[@AdolfGOhomE]

Firstly i think that you mentioned Assassin's Creed...

[@colins5142]

FM2 and FM3 were the greatest they ever made. 4 is right underneath them imo. It’s been a shithole ever since.

[@Speedyey]

The biggest problem i have with the live service model is that they force you to play if you want rewards... They drop one chapter of content, and you have a limited amount of time to play that chapter and unlock the rewards, and if you dont do it when its there, you wont get the reward. I dont mind a grind for rewards if i want the reward, but forceing people to play the game instead of just adding content is so extremely stupid. I PAID FULL PRICE FOR THE GAME, THAT MEANS I SHOULD GET ALL THE CONTENT, WHENEVER I DECIDE TO PLAY THE GAME!!! If this model gets fixed, i see way less of a problem with live service model... but yea, that wont happen

[@firun2635]

I miss when games had chats. That is already a big grievance I have with "social" and "online" racing games. Play with others, but you can't communicate with them. Like, what?

[@lostinkyoto.]

Yep, im a call of duty player and one of my most hated things about the new ones is how they got rid of lobbies staying together after a match, a majority of my online friends were made being able to talk before and after a match and the modern games just killed the community aspect of gaming completely

[@BM-pt6sy]

Human beings being human and saying no no words? Well, just don't let anybody do anything, duh

[@kelly2631]

28:31 I mean, the Ace Combat series arguably has even harder licenses to acquire, seeing as they have licenses for Sukhoi and Mikoyan aircraft alongside aircraft from Boeing and Lockheed in a game from a developer based in Japan, and yet they're able to make a series that mainly centers on the singleplayer experience. Nah, the reason that racing games suck is just because there's only so many publishers that make racing games. You want to play a FPS? You got a whole list of games to pick from. Want to race GT cars in a semi-realistic game? You really only have a handful of choices, further limited by platform exclusivity.

[@superninja252]

AC had focus in online with AC online and most games are unablle to be brought due licencing

[@Calvin_Coolage]

The licenses aren't cheap to acquire and it does somewhat hinder their ability to rerelease older AC games, but they're able to get them because the defense companies making the planes recognize that it's good marketing to be in a game like Ace Combat. And because the games are almost always set in Strangereal they don't have the same baggage that a COD game would have. Honestly the only reason COD doesn't go for licenses for firearms and equipment anymore because they're cheapskates who don't want to get sued, even though it really seems like the law's kinda on their side if a license holder throws a hissyfit like GM did over the Humvees in the old Modern Warfare games. It's really funny that companies who make fighter jets understands the how good product placement with minimal restrictions is compared to car companies.

[@THRILLSON2183]

I think part of it too is that companies don’t make sports cars anymore. And it seems to be harder and harder to secure licenses. New games come out with the same car list as the last 3 titles.

[@LancerloverLL]

0:11 The background music tells me you are a true man of culture!

[@Zaque-TV]

True as hell, dude. Im going to be pissed when gt7 just stops working.

[@ShiningJudgment666]

There's definitely more to it once GT7 goes offline. Because how will the Used and Legendary Cars dealerships function if Polyphony do what they did with GT Sport once it goes offline? Liveries being completely nixed once that happened was also a major misstep for that game.

[@bloodykenshiro8218]

Honesty you defined things pretty well at the end. Modern racing games are created with a time bomb strapped to their chests and numbered days. This really affects most genres that are inherently competitive like First Person Shooters and the like, and many of the same issues are present.

[@Mikauo_Xblade]

I just bought myself a racing game from 2009 called FUEL. Even though the whole game could be played online, the entire thing is also functional (and fun) to play singleplayer. This is how it should be.

[@Fay7666]

I tried playing Fuel a few years ago... frankly, it truly was a barren wasteland of nothingness. It didn't feel like there was a _game_ inside them, just a bunch of races spread around a massive map.

[@nitroxylictv]

Theres an even better 2009 racing game. Its called Midnight Club: Los Angeles.

[@Mikauo_Xblade]

@@Fay7666 Oh I get you. But I love having that giant map and just driving for the pleasure of driving. I love that I can hit the gas and just keep going in whatever direction I want to. It is almost therapeutic to me, which is funny as the game is supposed to be super 2000s edgy.

[@vis-glitch]

They broke the DRM on PC and I can't play my copy from Steam anymore. :(

[@kitsu_game]

Fuel was interesting in my opinion, they tried something

[@KrulliKlikk]

I have a slightly wobbly WiFi connection in the room where my PlayStation resides and the amount of times I’ve been kicked out in the middle of SINGLE PLAYER races because it dropped out for a minute is absolutely beyond infuriating 🤬

[@SicSemperBeats]

its hilarious how the racing genre works. Everything about Racing games outside of graphics has been outdated (in comparison to other genres) or late in catching on to trends. Every one is chasing the constantly online multiplayer focus as if they want to be the next COD, while the majority of fans seriously don't want that. Racing games aren't cod or CSGO, and the one's that are (iracing) have a completely different and clear focus on that. Not some noncommital, in the middle bs like modern GT, Forza, TDU, etc are trying and failing at doing

[@Cat_in_The-Box]

Not enough people talk about licensing. It's annoying, paywalls indie devs and screws up players down the line. In my personal opinion licensing for cars, tracks, music and so on should be indefinite for a product like game, movies too tbh

[@EmoDKTsuchiya]

Almost like all major game genres are experiencing the same thing 😂

[@Caero_]

19:01 it's not the only solution, actually. There are several games that do have private community run servers to bring back the online functionality. It can even be provided by the publishers (& ideally should be)

[@Erowens98]

The true main reason for Always Online is because Sony told Polyphony they had to. Sony benefits from always online because it improves their PSN statistics and thus makes investors happy.

[@osimos]

For real. But, in the meantime - as all investors whom never play games happily count their money - who makes the gamers happy?

[@edgarb2002]

It’s not just racing games but almost all games need online to play now. It’s a plague in the industry as bad as loot boxes.

[@shortcat]

Removing multiplayer when shutting the server down is NOT ok, NOT understandable. Up until like 2009 most games allowed players to host servers themselves.

[@Dany126PL]

I have no issue with needing online connection for game... My issue is when online play is forced when I just want enjoy single player. I don't care about multiplayer I don't want to see random players driving on map like The Crew or forcing PvP play with making single player way worst than it should be.

[@scaldabagnoincrostato5402]

In TDU2 all the DLC downloadable cars are unobtainable even if u can drive them in specific missions But at least u can play the base game without any problem

[@Yokaisan23]

Not only does online kills racing games, but publishers as well I miss my burnout and midnight club 😔

[@nitroxylictv]

Midnight Club still cancelled soz 😞

[@KingENDLESS]

*me vibing to the persona background music*

[@mafiousbj]

I remember thinking Persona 5 was likely the most stylish game I had ever played until that point. Music added to the vibe a lot. Years later and still think so, and its music (and from previous Persona games too) seem to be everywhere in video essays. Justified in my book 😁

[@KingENDLESS]

@ persona 3,4, and 5 have some of the best background music ever produced. I still listen to the soundtracks when I’m on a road trip or something too 😂

[@Fay7666]

It makes for a good chunk of the DustinEden soundtracks, and yep it's really notable that it's not just BGM, or _good_ BGM, but *GOOD* background music. ... most of his other stuff is Sega too, maybe Sega is just goated?

[@lukasjames9977]

Rofl i mean this in the nicest way possible, but your videos are great to fall asleep to. I see a new vid , pass out about 15 minutes in and then have to finish it later . Keep up the great work

[@MIKEY777_]

Lol i think its the background music

[@gabrielsobrosa]

Not only that, but games in the past, because they didn’t have online modes, tried to convince the player that the place they entered and are playing in is a real place. Look at how the old TDUs gave the feeling of being real places, with houses, dealerships, and countless games without fast travel. Today, you enter a TC where you don’t have a house and only see menus with the activities you’re supposed to do for the week. This kills the atmosphere.

[@OldSchoolgamer49]

This is why piracy will NEVER go away! Its the only way to play a decent, complete game where single player was priority over multi player.

[@0uttaS1TE]

The worst part about always-online games being shut down is that every good idea, every stylistic flourish, every cool moment, even in a game that is for all intents and purposes boring or mid, dies with it. No new players get to experience that. No new devs get to learn from it. The dev just gets their work shredded. The Crew is mid when you get down to brass tacks. The handling is odd, the story is bland and unnecessary, the openworld somehow has Ubitowers(tm) in it. But that doesn't mean it should be shut down. There were still good ideas, good gameplay moments, good art here, in spite of Ubisoft. Same with NFS Rivals and 2015 (2015 especially still has the best soundtrack in any NFS game. Bar none.), who are getting closer and closer to the same fate, given how old those games are. Same with TDU Solar Crown, even. They have to be preserved, made playable after the fact, not just tossed like the years of work from the devs and hundreds of hours from players meant nothing.

[@oli_gordon]

Hi kacey viewer Do you know what the gtpsp integration did in gt5?

[@IMX383]

Rivals at least has an Offline option which is in settings

[@priyeshboodhram8375]

Rivals can be playable offline

[@themcpolo]

Good video! Also playing music from ridge racer 5 around the 15 minute mark hit home for me. Euphoria for those wondering.

[@0uttaS1TE]

Yeah, he does use a lot of older Ridge Racer music

[@horizon_angel]

As quoted by KuruHS one day, "why would even trying something new, while removing the feature we all love? What's the point of that?" Anyway, I remember all our expectations back then is that we have a fully functional game since launch, that'll gradually update overtime with an ACTUAL updated content, not RECYCLED content, no matter what polish it is (ahem, Polyphony). And with extended fact that developers can get away with releasing a broken game at launch and fix it afterwards is, such an irony To think that racing games can only last for a time because of licensing, I do believe we can have racing games without licensed cars, music, etc. Proven by Burnout back then, and maybe even Wreckfest now (the music is probably licensed, so let's gloss over that). It's just that people now PREFER licensed cars over lookalike unbranded cars, and yet they're complaining about not be able to put LBW bodykit on a Ferrari, when clearly it's not the game fault, it's Ferrari themselves

[@SpeedHero]

Hardware has further divided the playbases as well. Where some people are only able to enjoy the game by controller, others by wheel and further others in VR. This not only makes it harder to develop consistency to match expectations, it's tough to pickup a controller when you feel like you're getting a lesser experience than others playing. Back to BeamNG

[@zays_mentos]

Honestly, as someone who's only just started playing GT7 recently (like, 4 months ago), despite how I didn't have as much of a problem with the game as many long-term fans, I'm already feeling kinda burnt out.

[@cyz44]

exactly why GT4 is still so popular - my favourite GT game by far, followed by GT5

[@MIKEY777_]

Played GT6 recently Any idea why it's not liked? Its not that different from GT5

[@Zhawn7]

​@@MIKEY777_ Too similar to GT5 and the fact it released on the PS3 even though the PS4 was already out by then

[@C.I...]

I am astounded I can still play NFS2015. I do hope they release a patch to remove the always online element before they take it offline, but I'm not hopeful. Saying that, they've kept it running for almost a decade now, so they might continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Also, taking it offline might break the bug that allows me to actually have a big car collection in the game and not just "maybe two cars if I''m lucky".

[@DerpSherman]

Well,if not mistaking,NFS The Run had also online limitations and they never patched it, meaning that the game suffered once the servers were shut down (the PC version can be patched, the console versions are not so lucky).

[@priyeshboodhram8375]

@@DerpSherman all dlcs can be unlocked by using a dlc unlocker exe file for PC

[@hamdichami4636]

​@@DerpShermanYou just turn off wifi on boot and the game runs just fine. Bit of a hassle but it isn't too bad

[@0uttaS1TE]

Yeah, say what you want about EA but when it comes to licencing and maintenance, they don't do things by half. I heard that they only JUST shut down NFS Carbon's servers last year (I think) and that game was already more than 15 years old.

[@DerpSherman]

@@0uttaS1TE Well, they kept Undercover available to buy on the Xbox 360 store until the store closed (alongside MW2012 and Rivals), in fact, they kept a really long catalog of games available until the last day for that matter.

[@MR80YT]

23:08 Agreed with everything said in the video. However, in recent FH titles, you CAN sell duplicate cars from wheelspins for half of their original value. Also, the Auction House isn't even available in FH2. It came back to Forza since FH3.

[@o_sagui6583]

Well too bad the prompt to sell a duplicate car doesn't appear when you win it mid championship. And when you're done with said championship the car will already be at your garage where you can only choose to destroy, gift or sell for 1/10th of the price in the auction house

[@MR80YT]

@@o_sagui6583 As someone who races in Horizon Open regularly, I completely understand your point :) I know the implementation is far from perfect, but I just wanted to say that it's been featured in the game.

[@GTRFREAK17]

Another sad point for racing games on platforms moving towards digital only is licensing - once the profit doesn't outweigh the licensing costs, downloading the game will most likely be turned off. Driver : San Francisco suffered this fate because it used real life cars and music - no idea how expensive licensing for cars costs but I'd happily still play it even if the soundtrack was removed.

[@ianmurray246]

This online only will turn people away from future games

[@osimos]

The ship is already sinking: Concord, PS5 Pro, all new Ubisoft games...Honestly, we do need a second game crash.

[@azerty1933]

Definitely, same for games that can only be launched after an update, I don't have much free time anymore and if I start my xbox it's only for an hour once every few weeks Now it feels like every time I want to play all I do is wait for my games to update and I end up playing nothing because everything is locked behind a 30 minute download with no option to play offline instead

[@eurosonly]

I remember when the servers went down constantly when gran turismo first came out and people were losing their save progress because the save file was and still is stored on the servers. It really spoiled my game play experience and I went back to playing gran turismo 2 and I am a happy boy as a result. Having to be always connected to the servers for a single player game is only just punishing legitimate players for there being a few hacker types.

[@ZOoM21]

You should’ve mentioned that after what happened to The Crew, Ubisoft is adding an offline mode to the most recent Crew game.

[@HikariSakai]

23:40 to be fair Forza gives you so much credits easily through wheelspins that selling cars isn't really needed lol

[@boomkittyFX]

i wish "if you can't enjoy it offline, online shouldn't be considered yet" was a thing modern games would follow. test drive unlimited 2 is still an amazing game to me even if i cant get the online stuff at all because i played it long after the servers closed. this is because its fun this sort of stuff should be considered especially if the servers have issues like... ahem.... solar crown, and if the servers end up shutting down outright such as (of course) tdu2, the older forza horizon games, and a bunch of 360/ps3 era nfs games

[@Kolby1337]

25:41 the removal of GT5 seasonal events were a nightmare for me. I didn't get to play GT5 all the time only during holidays and I would always grind with the limited time I have to buy newer cars. With the removal of seasonal events, it was absolutely grindy to buy any cars because the money that was in seasonal events made it easier and usually higher priced than in the normal mode. Had to switch to GT6.

[@thedivineswine8144]

"the van" on the October update was actually dope ! 😂

[@JimmyWelds]

Forza Horizon feels increasingly like its trying to entertain toddlers. "WOW you're the BEST XD heres a lootbox!!!" damn man I just want to collect the old rally cars

[@all3skl4r]

My issue are: - the games being online - time limited events with time limited content - they want you to treat their shitty game as a job

[@kpegc]

I know. As if juggling a real job and responsibilities wasn't enough. It's like these companies expect their games to literally become someone's entire life. It's frustrating.

[@TantoFaz13]

The racing game I'm most excited for is the new Tokyo Xtreme Racing game. I hope that game becomes the throwback to the golden era we are all craving for

[@marcellogiovannini9072]

Another case is NFS The Run, where most of the cars were unlockable only by playing online!

[@literallyhuman5990]

I genuinely don't know that game existed

[@0Synergy]

Tbh that game on PC is a fucking technical nightmare, that was back during the era of awful PC ports.

[@ShadowOfCicero]

The bigger problem was not having enough events to use most of them if you weren't online. A simple time trial mode would have tripled its longevity.

[@priyeshboodhram8375]

Yeah I was sad Unfortunately the servers were taken offline in late 2021 Worse that the Italian pack dlc was a console exclusive to the 7th generation of consoles which is impossible to get , unless jailbreak the console itself Worse the cars locked behind multiplayer and dlcs

[@b.1570]

@@literallyhuman5990 And that game was the last nail in the coffin for BlackBox Studios

[@FAT8893]

That's why I keep playing older racing games. Online-only games is still a big mistake.

[@bantuatha]

"The moment I knew the weakness is my always online racing games.... it disgusted me"

[@richardhammock2829]

It sounds like racing games now are made for shareholders and not for players. The "we'll fix it in updates" card does not work at all. If I built an apartment building that has many glaring issues and defects, I do not say to my tenants that "I will fix it some other time", like, when will you fix it, plus shouldn't those issues been ironed out before the building is deemed complete? It's similar to racing games and updates. I also doubt that the developers (like PD) even TEST their game. If the players are the testers, then you have not released a complete game at all. Adding on to this: The way big racing devs treat online only/DRM is so ignorant toward the quality of the game, how the players will recieve or appreciate the game and as well as the future of the game, seemingly because they believe in what I almost call a myth that people will just naturally move on to what their next current offering is when the predecessor gets shutdown. What if the next game becomes uninteresting? Might be a bad analogy but its like me being Apple and making older phones stop being usable so I can get my customers to get my newest phone. Not only does it just milk peoples banks for something potentially inferior, but it also makes the game less memorable. It also seems now that the only thing that we can say tht devs do great at nowadays is create hype. Hype with no substance. PD created a lot of hype before GT7 was released, so that many people could go and buy their game, only to realize that all the hype has been converted to little value for players, and a completely divided community.

[@drjk7565]

The best we can hope for is that a group of developers (from the indies, AA and even ex-AAA developers) band together and create a brand-new racing IP, one for the players and not the shareholders. It doesn't need to have the fanciest graphics (GT5 or Forza 4 levels are good enough) or the most advanced physics (e.g. IRacing or Assetto Corsa), but it has a fantastic career progression, a wide enough variety of cars from well-known icons to obscure models, and other quirky features (e.g. Photomodes, replay edits etc.) to keep you playing long after the next title is released. Most importantly, no more DRMs or the threat of end-of-service shutdowns!! At the moment, I'm keeping an eye on Assetto Corsa EVO, with the hope that when it releases, it gives the entire racing genre the wake-up call it desperately needs right now.

[@Willie_Pete_Was_Here]

Launching a game unfinished and then patching it later is like selling us the beta version.

[@s.muller8688]

we all know that by now, hence you wait at least a year to buy any game ( if ever).

[@philipkalin1928]

games back then where made to be fun. from gamers for gamers. now its only about how much money they can make. and bring out a game that is so easy to beat, that everybody can do it.

[@VermontV8]

Games turning into game services with mandatory online connection and limited lifespan is frustrating. Especially in racing genre. That's why I keep replaying classics from golden era before the industry went the wrong way

[@gillesV1227]

The excuse for GT7 not being playable off line is like if you have an headache and chop your head off… Polyphony doing Polyphony stuff

[@EQUAL2]

i started playing out of all games, webfishing, recently. i feel the reason it is already as popular as it is is because of the way the game is structured, similar to that of old gran turismo titles. you fish, sell fish and earn money, to upgrade and unlock different things, to get better fish, to sell them for more money, etc. similar to gran turismo except the prize is somewhat random. why don't more game devs realize this? i really hope concord's massive fucking flop has made devs realize that this online only dripfeed bullshit isnt going to work anymore, or at least, for too much longer.

[@CyanRooper]

"Yo, what if we made Gran Turismo but with fish?" "You son of a b I'm in."

[@yourface2464]

You know what's funny? Webfishing The game that is an online chatroom simulator The game with web in the name Is not an always online game

[@davemk9]

I seriously hate online focused games, especially for racing, but this video made me think about something. There are so many people working on these games and adding their own creativity. Even if some of these games lack features and are hated, people still work on them for a year or more. We have movies, shows, books, vehicles or whatever you can think of and even after many years we can go back and appreciate them for what they were in the past. The sad part is not only that players can't enjoy a classic, but even the people who worked hard on it. Like you said, modern games have become disposable. So much money and time wasted creating these games only to be thrown away in the end. It's a shame that game companies don't even care about their own creations.

[@lobotomyscam1051]

Most of the people who work on games shudder when a game they helped create gets mentioned; It reminds them of working long hours. Poor babies.

[@Bahraini_Carguy]

22:00 Trying to replay GT5 years after the shut down was a bit painful since the online dealership and seasonal events no longer works so earning money and buying the Formula GT is now harder.

[@tjcaltex4890]

When I played GT5 after the Online side shut down, I'd always find Save Editors where you can change your money. But the online dealership and seasonal events and even cars that could only be obtained online was the shit part.

[@garrettleo2009]

This honestly makes me wish your video about making an ideal indie racing game was a real thing now.

[@SDRIFTERAbdlmounaim]

my OCD needed to visit the ocd dealer daily 😂

[@BlackPanthaa]

The infinite problem: car manufacturers. (and music licensing) Burn them down.

[@amalekedomite]

That is a symptom, not the cause. The real issue is eternally-extended copyright. Copyright should be date of publication +15-20 years. That's it. No more. Make something new.

[@assettoGTR]

Real

[@aliekexie8467]

Says the guy who was part of the marketing of test drive solar crown. Is irony a foreign concept for you?

[@KTR_ProrataEevee]

Unless licensing becomes a non issue, this issue will probably still linger (and i do wonder if a cycle will begin as people look favorably on the games released in 2005-2011 now, but 10 years from now will they begin to see them as overrated?)

[@Zhawn7]

It already happened with MW 2005 and maybe Burnout 3, GT4 or FlatOut 2 so 10 years would be a stretch

[@yourtubisfilled7164]

Thanks for the eloquently worded heads-up. GT has always been a major incentive for me to actually buy a PS. So far I've held back on the current gen but the prospect was tempting and I was looking into it recently. Your video killed much of my interest though. The way all endgame activities were pushed into the online mode also really bummed me in GTAV. The whole career mode was so awesome in GT4, it was the main thing all of us asked for for the past two decades. I can't believe they opted for a shallow single player mode to force online play.

[@Calvin_Coolage]

Even then, you can play 7 on a PS4 if you really want to try it. That's what I did.

[@yourtubisfilled7164]

@@Calvin_Coolage Oh thanks, I didn't even know that. I gave my PS4 away to my nephew ffs :P

[@MIKEY777_]

​@@yourtubisfilled7164 still on xbox one lmao But tbh there's nothing that tempts me to get next gen ATP the current state of gaming is in shambles Maybe the following gen will be worth checking out (not hopeful though) might as well just play previous gens if things continue like this

[@leighdappa]

❗️I'm currently playing FH4 and FH5 and love this genre but the Always-Online aspect of TDU:SC took that game permanently off my 'to buy' list.

[@Yatogamiii]

FH3 still stands as the best way to implement an online open world game. Why it was never used again in any series i wont understand

[@flawlesspwrs]

any day roflwaffle uploads is a good day

[@kubenjbcz]

Piracy and community modding is always the answer, i couldn't care less if thats how they treat us as players

[@X1erra]

As long as real life cars have to abide by the licensing rules it's very tough to make a single-player focused game. After all, we would still demand more cars and tracks for the same price tag. And it's unfortunate too, that the real life car market for most of these well-known brands are at its lowest point rn, so there's no way things are gonna change soon.

[@TheNielsAlmelo]

i just want another Forza 4 again, loved that game

[@mitchellcampbell6181]

One of my dream racing games that I wish would be made would be a "Sonic Mania" type of game. Something that takes the best gameplay and graphical elements, including the menus, music, difficulty, and handling models in the PS1 generation Gran Turismo games, but update them for modern consoles. It can be called "Gran Turismo Classic" or a smaller development studio can make something like this. Just imagine, a 90s "simcade" experience, but you're driving a 992 GT3 RS in the Nurburgring, with pop in backgrounds and all.

[@brunor832]

I really think the racing genre needs its Hades, its Breath of the Wild, the major game that will shatter the genre forever. In the past, I heavily bet on Trackmania for that, but the fact that user-generated content is near-impossible to monetize killed its potential for producers and investors, and they had to rely on a subscription model. And also, Ubisoft. it's been 10+ years since its stuck in realism limbo and that online DRM is used as a way to turn the game off when the licenses expire (and also disallow/severely restrict mods as well as you can play with unlicensed cars). And the biggest fact is that the two biggest racing games that are played in the world have no licensed cars at all: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (bar the Mercedes collaboration) and GTA 5. Many players play only the racing mode in GTA V. And I'll also say the indie scene still lacks the level of polish needed for a game to break out - of course we do have some blast from the past games like Super Woden GP or Horizon Chase 2... But apart from Wreckfest (which is published by THQNordic), no other racing game can challenge the big names. I'm checking the Steam new releases every week or so to see if there's no hidden gems coming to the racing genre. But alas, nothing seems to truly emerge in a big way... Oh, and yeah, Fortnite and Epic fumbled big time with Rocket Racing. They could have made the next big thing and just made a game that has the depth of a puddle, so many people played it and deserted it a couple of days later seeing it was just Rubberbanding: The Game. Now it won't have any more updates.

[@abaeta]

I have all cars in GT7 and I hate online content. Got platinum on first month and now there is nothing to do and starting a race over 2 Km away from first place is not even close to fun. I'm not buying GT8. Probably I'll play some older ones like GT5. There was an objective (getting lv 40 A and B spec). GT7 is only beautiful. I wish to come back in past and I wouldn't let myself buy that...

[@chelli95]

This is the most complete video I've ever seen on this subject! 😊👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@UthersonL]

In the near future we'll see how Assetto Corsa 2 turns out. I'm so worried it'll end up chasing the worst trends.

[@osimos]

Please, for the love of the gaming god, let Assetto Corsa Evo be offline. It's bascially our last hope as all other racing IPs already are cursed with always online.

[@syncro9407]

Love your videos man, every time you upload its a blessing fr

[@DropsoldierLP]

perfect video my guy! I had pretty much the same critisim with the new FH5, since you start with such quick cars that it doesnt really matter what you do afterwards, you are pretty much in the top class already. It doesnt help that they drip fed cars from FH4 down as weekly bonuses. Sorry turn 10 but i am working and have a life to manage over here! i cant play every week just to get 1 car!

[@osimos]

Well, as much as FH5 sucks content wise atleast it works offline. However, I do regret that I made the mistake to buy the premium edition for 100$. Never again.

[@UnitSe7en]

No, having these game being played in 20 years' time doesn't financially incentivize developers. -But they never had a problem with doing it the right way before. The problem is greed, son.

[@Where_is_Waldo]

The Gran Turismo livery editor problem pisses me off.

[@swidr5626]

Not gonna lie the conclusion here is spot on. I guess the same is sorta happening with sports games overall as well, even if they can still sell them years in advance. Most of the features are online based because those games are supposed to last for a year and get replaced by a new shiny product, so why would you make a game that's so good that you don't want to get a new one every year? I think you can even see this issue with literally every aspect of our lives at this point. Devices, cars, every product that's not food is either artificially made useless by cutting out support (like phones), or just made to last a lot less than a good quality product would. But that's how market works sadly, why care about longevity, when it's no longer the most important thing we look at while choosing a product

[@MorganRambo723]

Hearing GT Sport music giving me flashbacks. Have you thought about doing a video about the soundtracks of the different games?

[@shira_yone]

If I recall correctly someone already made a decent video about the music in Gran Turismo