The only normal genre-based game award here and it is as it says.
The description is a bit wrong this year, as we have another genre-based award this year. But when it comes to the GM GOTY Awards. But for the entire history of the GM GOTY Awards until now, there has been only one genre-based award.
Mostly it’s due to logistics of putting games into specific genres. As it is, the way we discuss video game genres are still flawed- we have labels like “action adventure” and “action” where almost any modern AAA game can be in because it has a combat system of sorts, while properly defined genres like fighting games and racing games have become niche.
As most (as in, two-thirds, as in two out of three of us) are intimately familiar with racing games, and the fact that racing games in general doesn’t get enough discussion in the mainstream, we come to a decision that if we have to do a genre-based award, at least it has to be one for racing games.
Past Winners: Need For Speed Unbound, Hot Wheels Unleashed, Hotshot Racing, Need For Speed Heat, Forza Horizon 4
Best Racing Game Nominees
- EA Sports WRC
- Lego 2K Drive
- Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
- The Crew: Motorfest
How The Winner Is Decided (Deliberations Summary)
First things first, 2023 doesn’t have an easy winner for Best Racing Game. And as you can see, there’s one game that obviously isn’t here (the game’s good, but we didn’t think it’s good enough to be part of the Best 30 of 2023), and one game that you would think is a mistake on there, but let us explain.
Like A Dragon Gaiden’s inclusion started as a joke, one of us suggesting if it can be placed there. But it does hold water. Pocket Circuit Racing is arguably the biggest mini-game of this package laden with mini-games, even as big as the main arena battles. While not new (there are two other games where this was a thing), Pocket Circuit Racing has tons of depth as a Motorsport Manager-esque experience. The car customisation gameplay, while seem simple, scratch that Armored Core itch of selecting different sidegrade parts which are situationally powerful.
And Like A Dragon Gaiden also includes the first home port for Daytona USA 2, renamed as Sega Racing Classic 2 due to licensing issues. That game in itself is a banger of an arcade racer that holds up today.
Lego 2K Drive made it to the finish line simply for its competence in being an open world racing game, and for delivering the now-staple Lego charm. With its brick-by-brick vehicle builder, fun arcade handling and a staggering amount of dad humour, it deserves a shout.
EA Sports WRC carries the torch of the Dirt series, now with full World Rally Championship licensing, and makes a strong start for what will be an annual release. It’s feature rich, with a whole car customisation option that goes beyond changing the cosmetic look or installing upgrades. In a way, like Like A Dragon’s Pocket Circuit Racing mini-game has, but more.
The Crew Motorfest is a vast upgrade from The Crew 2. A smaller in scale but denser in quality map helps. And so is the “icy” handling physics that feels more agreeable compared to the previous game. But it’s that it took the right lessons from arguably the leader of open world racing games, Forza Horizon. There are still traces of that The Crew lineage- you still can drive boats, planes and motorcycles – but its inventive use of Playlists to immerse players in car culture, and the chaotic multiplayer races, really solidified as one of this year’s best racing games.
It went down to the line as two clear contenders emerge out of the two: EA Sports WRC and The Crew Motorfest. It was a hard one to call as the argument from both sides went down to the wire. But there is a stronger support for one game compared to the other that deserves the chequered flag.
Best Racing Game Winner
Congratulations to The Crew: Motorfest for winning Best Racing Game! It’s the rare Ubisoft original that really delivered something fresh. It may be influenced by its peers, but has spun its own spin to the formula in a memorable, engaging way. It earns its right to drift and do celebratory donuts.
Check out the GM GOTY Awards 2023 hub for the rest of the categories and winners. The page will be updated as we announce the winners everyday until December 29