7 Retro Racing Games You Need In Your Life

It's said that as soon as man invented the motor car, he wanted to race it against that of his neighbour - and similar can be said of racing video games.

These days we have incredible graphics, great realism, thousands of cars and the ability to race against anyone in the world. Which frankly, is an enormous pain in the arse sometimes.

That's where retro games come in. They may lack fancy-ass graphics or realism, but you can sling in a cartridge or boot up a disk in no time and be racing like a demon. You can even invite actual, real-life, flesh and blood friends around to thrash them in the same room. Remember when we used to do that?

If you do, then these ten retro racers are just what you need back in your life.

1. Super Mario Kart (SNES, Virtual Console)

We couldn't start with anything else. Modern Mario Kart games are still the definitive 'get a load of mates around and kick their ass with a blue shell' experience, and the original is still amazingly playable. Has there ever been a better home gaming experience than four-player split-screen Mario Kart?

2. OutRun (Master System, Megadrive, PC)

The aim of this late-80s gem is simple - race your Ferrari Testarossa roadster and noisy girlfriend between traffic, and along different routes to reach the end. Sounds boring - definitely isn't. This is one speedy mo-fo. And it's another game where the sequels are great fun, too. Take your pick.

3. Formula One 97 (Playstation, PC)

There are a hell of a lot of F1 games out there, but we've picked F1 97 for a few reasons. One, it felt incredibly realistic at the time, and uniquely difficult. Two, it's easy to find on eBay for a couple of quid. Three, as a Playstation game it'll work on your PS2 or PS3. And four, because we always loved Murray Walker exclaiming "WILLIAMS NUMBER ONE!" since the developers couldn't get the license to say "Jacques Villeneuve".

4. Micro Machines (NES, GameBoy)

A top-down game would already have looked a little old-hat in the early 90s, but for the fact the subject matter was brilliantly original. All kids loved actual Micro Machine toys in the 90s, and this game laid out the sort of courses you always wish you could have made - in the bath, at school, everywhere. Great learning curve too.

5. Road Rash (Frickin' everything)

Is it really a racing game, or just a chance to hit other motorcyclists with chains? Bit of both. Gets pretty difficult, but there's immense satisfaction to batting someone else off their bike. Try this at home by all means, just not out on the road...

6. SEGA Rally Championship (SEGA Saturn, PC, GameBoy Advance, PS2)

Let's get one thing clear: The original Colin McRae Rally made SEGA Rally look lousy. But the nostalgia of SEGA Rally is immense. Whether you played it on a console or managed to play it in a full arcade cabinet, it was fantastic. But particularly in the arcade. It's just not quite the same without bleeping from a hundred other games in the background.

7. Indianapolis 500 (PC, Amiga)

As one of the older games here the graphics aren't looking so hot these days, but it was one of the first proper sims - you could set up your car, properly qualify for the race rather than starting from the back every time (if you were crap, you'd start from the back anyway...). And like any proper sim, it was tough.