10 Ways to Get Racing Action in your Game Room

Sit-down arcade driving games deliver one of the classic arcade experiences.

There is something about sitting down, with that subwoofer firing off in your rear, having force feedback on a real steering wheel, a real gas pedal and the entire works.

Sure there are great racing games on the Xbox 360, PS3, and even the Wii — but unless you have a serious custom rig set up — even very old sit-down arcade racers will provide more of a racing rush in your game room.

Just about every gameroom with the space should have one of these. The great thing is considering how much space they take up, many of these games are available at very low prices. I would say on average between $300 and $700 depending on the title and condition.

So which one to add to the game room mix?

Below are some recommended sit-down drivers.

10. Sega Rally — Sega just made an amazing amount of great driving games. I could write up a list of top ten driving games just made by Sega. Sega Rally gets special credit for being one of the first games to feature weather and road conditions as major elements in the game.

9. OutRun 2 — Wait another Sega game already? I was a huge fan of OutRun and just loved how retro this game felt, but with much improved graphics. Kind of like fudge-covered Oreos — you have a classic that just as tasty as the original…but with a little something extra.

8. H2Overdrive — A spiritual successor to Hydro Thunder. Has more tracks and better graphics than the original. Great if you can afford one. But since it just came out in 2009 — it will be a very expensive game to purchase (otherwise it would rate higher).

7. Offroad Thunder — As you can probably already tell, I love the Thunder series. This was probably the wackiest game of the Hydro Thunder series.

6. Hydro Thunder — Are you getting tired of Hydro Thunder mentions yet? Something about this game just never fails to give me thrills. The deep bass sounds in your rear and the insane speed generated by the boosts. Just awesome even all these years after it was released!

5. OutRun Deluxe — OutRun is the oldest game on the list. This one gets bonus points for being ahead of its time. The deluxe version featured hydraulics that actually shifted your entire body back and forth in concert with the movements of your car in the game. Nothing is quite like it.

4. Crazy Taxi — Look out! Yet another Sega game. All of the other games in the list are racing games. Crazy Taxi had you trying to find your way around the streets of San Francisco to drop off and pick up your taxi customers. Such a unique spin on the arcade racing formula and years later still nothing is much like it.

3. Rush 2049 Special Edition — The Rush games introduced hidden tracks and short cuts. This added a great deal of depth to games that were famous for not having much depth at all. The 2049 Special Edition is the best of all of the Rush games, but they were all good.

2. Daytona USA — So simple to learn, but hard to master. The physics and feeling of Daytona were so great, that they still hold up today. A row of two or more Daytona’s still exists in many arcades today — nearly twenty years after they were made! Just amazing.

Now see if you can track down six of these bad boys and link them up. That will impress your friends for sure.

1. (Three Display) Ferrari F355 Challenge — Well I guess it was a given that the top spot would go to another Sega game. Ferrari Challenge possibly had the most sophisticated physics of any game in this list. Add the extra realism of the side monitors — and this is the most awesome dose of racing rush for your game room.

With the H-shaped gear stick, 3-foot pedals, and accurate Ferrari physics — you will not be mastering this game any time soon.

Note though that these still will not come cheaply. But when you keep in mind that originally they sold for well over $10,000 — maybe you will understand why this is not a game you can by for $500 like many on this list.

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