TheXbox 360 erais arguably the greatest generation that Xbox has ever had. From classic RPG titles like theFablefranchise to epic action titles coming fromGears of War, the Xbox 360 truly had an amazing library of software throughout its lifespan.
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The crowning achievement of the Xbox 360 racing genre was the fantasticForzaseries. A wonderfully crafted series of simulation racing games that went head-to-head withtheGran Turismofranchise on Playstation. Spinning off from the simulation racingForzaprovided, gamers got spoiled when theForza Horizonseries burst the doors down for the arcade racing scene.
7Forza Horizon 2
Easily forgottenForza Horizon 2took the foundations of the original game and expanded upon them to bring the series closer to what they play like today.Forza Horizon 5the latest in the serieshad an incredible open world that received wide praise and was a bunch of fun.
Forza Horizon 2was a cross-gen game released on both the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One consoles. Having such a fantastic arcade racer on the Xbox 360 was nothing short of miraculous. Participating in the amazing-looking festivals in both France and Italy truly was a great send-off for the franchise on the 360 generation.
6Midnight Club Los Angeles
Midnight Clubwas an amazing arcade racing franchise from the minds that brought playersGrand Theft Auto,Max PayneandRed Dead Redemptionto name a few. Superb handling and an open-world setting truly madeMidnight Clubstand out from the crowd.
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Racing around the streets of Los Angeles in this open-world arcade racer was extremely fun. Cars could be customized and tuned up just to players' liking. The races felt solid and fair while exploring the city was an absolute treat. A crying shame that Rockstar hasn’t decided to revisit its racing series with a new entry in the franchise.
5Split Second: Velocity
Released in 2010 by Black Rock Studio,Split Second: Velocityis one of the most unique racing games ever to be released.Split Second: Velocityhas a detailed graphical style that still holds up today, using a TV show style to tell its narrative, the game truly tries to stand out from the crowd. The elements all come together to makeSplit Second: Velocityfeels like one ofThe Rock’s latest Hollywood action movies.
The idea the team at Black Rock Studio had been to focus on the environment around the player’s vehicle and not just the vehicle itself. Terrain can change as players drive through the track, with various elements like falling rocks or crashing airplanes all designed to give an extra challenge and create a living feel for the maps.
4Blur
Project Gotham RacingandMetropolis Street Racerare the franchises that came before Blur from developer Bizarre Creations. Controls are very challenging as under steer is heavily used along with drift to retain speed around corners and around other players. It was unusual to have such difficult controls considering the kart-based foundations that inspiredBlur.
Blur is a strange game, a hybrid of arcade racing andMario Kart. Realistic looks and environments combined with special power-ups was an unusual blend to see when shooting off rockets and other weapons at opponents are usuallykept to the cartoonish karting worldthat the mascots reign supreme in.Blurnever received a sequel to this day, but perhaps with its unusual mix-up of elements from other racers, being a single-entry franchise suits the title best.
3Ridge Racer Unbounded
TheRidge Racerfranchise is a track-based arcade racer. With the release ofRidge Racer Unboundedfrom the speed kings over at Namco in 2012, the developer’s Bugbear Entertainment were trying to revitalizeRidge Racers' core gameplay which had become unchanged and a bit stale over the years.
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Destructible environments and an urban setting made for a very different entry into the racing franchise. TakingRidge Racerfoundations and combining them with the elements from games likeBurnoutandSplit Second, made for an interesting entry to the series.
2The Crew
Certain things go into makingan Ubisoft Gamethese days. Almost a genre in itself, Ubisoft Games take open-world elements, side missions, and unlockable landmarks for fast travel and tie them together across huge maps. The Crew is Ubisoft’s standard open-world game template applied to an arcade racing game.
With an action movie-like story and a wide-open world to explore,The Crewwas a cross-generation title that stretched the limits of the Xbox 360s abilities. A connected feeling multiplayer experience that would only come to fruition in the sequel title and a weird Ubisoft open-world feeling was spread throughout the entire DNA ofThe Crew.
1Need for Speed Most Wanted (2005)
TheNeed for Speedfranchise is perhaps the only racing franchise that besidesNeed for Speed Shift, has kept true to its pure arcade racing roots.Need for Speed Most Wantedis the subtitle for twoNeed for Speedgames, this one is the 2005 version.
Need for Speed Most Wantedfrom 2005 was the first iteration of the series to release on the Xbox 360. With huge improvements in graphics and the customization options, the arcade roots shine through. Often forgotten about thanks to the release of the other Most Wanted releasing in 2012, the original is still a fantastic entry to the long-running franchise.
