HELP:What console racer of this generation am I looking for?

[webdanzer]

Unlike past generations, this console generation hasn't given me a racer that I really love, although to be fair, there are many in my library right now that I've only had mild playing flirtations with, as other games and lack of time have kept me from really exploring many of them that didn't grab me hard straight off the bat.

So what am I looking for?

--Good RACING. I want the AI to be tough but fair, preferably behaving somewhat realistically (not seeming like robots holding their line at all costs, sometimes making mistakes, etc.)

--No or very minimal rubber banding or catchup, for me or the AI. If that means one crash prevents you from winning or you can have the race locked up by the 2nd lap, so be it.

--Good challenge. I want the game to have a setting that requires that I perform pretty well, without sacrificing the first two points.

lesser importance:

--Preferably, some sort of season or championship mode across various races.

--Damage and/or the ability to crash yourself out of the race.

That's pretty much it. I don't care if the rest of it leans sim or arcade. If it has the above, I'll throw turtle shells or tweak 947 different car parts. I don't care if I race on asphalt, dirt, water...hell, I don't even need it to be cars I'm driving. Bikes, hovercraft, dinosaurs, whatever. Don't care about graphics, or online. Don't care if it was a launch title or released yesterday. Needs to be console, though. (360, PS3, Wii)

Any suggestions?

[Dave]

Race Pro.

Maybe F12010.

[dbdynsty25]

F1 2010 is the closest fit as far as I'm concerned.

[Naples39]

Race Pro meets most of those, even though it's somewhat "dull."

[Brando70]

I think Dirt 2 is also pretty close. That's the most fun I've had with a racing game this generation.

[toonarmy]

Dirt 3 is coming out soon and should be very good. Dirt 2 was excellent and well worth the price. The racing is a lot of fun and varied with all of the vehicle types. The AI is fair. F12010 is awesome as well if you do not like racing on dirt and do not mind the lack of variety in vehicle types.

[webdanzer]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I actually had a list of four in my head that I saw as front-runners based on my playtime with them, and you named three of them immediately (Race Pro, F1, Dirt 2...Indy Evolution was the other)

Keep opinions coming, though, if you have them!

[Naples39]

I gamefly'd indy evolution and I just couldn't drive it. I wanted to like it, but I couldn't find a difficulty that worked for me. YMMV.

[DChaps]

I have only had a brief period of time at a friends over the weekend, but I was surprised at how much fun I had with Shift 2. It was with a 360 controller as opposed to a wheel, and I am not sure the difficulty/assists level, but it was far better than my expectations. So much so that I am probably going to pick it up to try it with my MS wheel. I have not had enough time with it to give it a hearty recommendation based on your criteria though. Could just be that I had such low expectations and not in my "sim" mindset when playing without my wheel, etc. Anyway, I will post more impressions if I end up giving it a more comprehensive test drive.

[vader29]

I think Dirt 2 is also pretty close. That's the most fun I've had with a racing game this generation.

I also had a lot of fun with Dirt 2, other than Toca 3 it would probably be my favorite racing game of all time. Hope that Dirt 3 is as much fun.

[GB_Simo]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I actually had a list of four in my head that I saw as front-runners based on my playtime with them, and you named three of them immediately (Race Pro, F1, Dirt 2...Indy Evolution was the other)

Keep opinions coming, though, if you have them!

Race Pro was my immediate thought but you could make a case for all four.

All of your choices satisfy the first two of your key points, mate. In terms of challenge, the career modes in Indy 500 Evolution and Race Pro are reasonably easy to see off for the most part and allow you to make mistakes here and there. Indy also has a scenario mode where you re-enact notable events from the years featured in the game, but you'll get through that with full marks in one sitting. Both games have single race modes where you can set higher difficulty levels, though, and Race Pro allows separate championships for each car class in the game, which can also be set at a harder level than career races.

F1 2010's difficulty is up and down like a yo-yo in an elevator operator's pocket, so you'll always go very well in Bahrain and Canada, for example, but have nightmares in Spain and Monaco. The AI are generally very impressive, but on those tracks and a couple of others, you'll hardly ever interact with them.

Dirt 2 had a wide range of difficulty settings and I don't recall ever being brave enough to try the hardest one, so you'll certainly be able to find a setting that requires a decent driving performance. Dirt 2 is probably the one I'd give the strongest recommendation to, now I've given it some reasonable thought. I'd pop Indy in 4th largely because it's not that challenging and the handling model isn't all that deep, and have F1 just ahead of Race Pro because it's that bit less dry and more immersive. All fine games, though.

Another game worth considering is SBK: Superbike World Championship. It lacks the visual polish of a Codemasters game and for the first few races the biggest challenge is trying not to fall off the bike, but it fits the bill in most respects. The AI love to race so much they almost love it too much, so you'll spend a lot of time dicing with other riders. Damage can be enabled for bikes and riders, there are no particular issues with rubber banding and while you can mix and match assists and AI settings to create a custom difficulty, you won't beat the game in a weekend no matter how you set it up. Might be worth looking into, especially as it should be fairly cheap by now.

[Rodster]

One thing I love about F1 2010 that made the game much tougher for me was enabling tyre simulation. I've read it doesn't affect the AI but boy do you have to manage your tyres. And once enabled the car you choose is somewhat matched to what the team did during the season.

During qualifying you can expect Vettel, Webber, Hammy, Button and Capt. Morgan to lead the pack. I have no problems with T.S. set to off but it gets real interesting and makes me look bad when I enable it. It's more reason why i'm so amazed at how easy the drivers in real life make it look in F1.

[Feanor]

Might be a bit outside what you're used to, but Wipeout HD is the best racing game I have played this generation.

[XXXIV]

Race Pro meets most of those, even though it's somewhat "dull."

It is a bit dull and has what look like last gen graphics but from the games I played Id go with Race Pro as your console sim.

I still havent played F1.

[Rodster]

Might be a bit outside what you're used to, but Wipeout HD is the best racing game I have played this generation.

I think he meant a car racing game not a hovercraft racer.

But yes Wipeout HD is awesome and there's a rumor that the PS3 is getting a new Wipeout game.

[WPatrick]

Dirt 2 is fun It has never left my rotation since I bought it on release day.
Formula 1 championship and F1 2010 are both great games. Forza 3 is my favorite for relaxing driving zen. I can't comment on Shift 2 but based on Dons comments I will be checking it out.

[Rodster]

Forza 3 is my favorite for relaxing driving zen.

For me TDU and TDU2 fits the bill nicely.