Whether it’s the gorgeous automobiles that you can vicariously drive through those floating hands on the steering wheel or the amazing tracks (I’m talking specifically about the Forza Motorsport series here. Forza Horizon 3 series recreates some of the most beautiful landscapes, in my opinion.).
I enjoy following the unwritten rules of racing games as much as the next automaton, but sometimes I get bored of [badly] drifting around corners or passing the finish line [last].
What I never tire (pun intended) of while playing racing games is driving as terribly as I possibly can.
And, by following my absolutely unnecessary steps, you too can always enjoy any racing game. For the sake of consistency, I’m going to use Forza Motorsport in all my examples, but these tips work for any racing game.
Tip 1: Never drive in the right direction.
I know that driving in the wrong direction may seem like something you would never want to do, but trust me. Ignore the blinking warning on the screen saying you’re going the wrong way. It doesn’t know what you’re about.
Driving the wrong way on the track can be fun with open-world gameplay (if your game offers that), or while facing off against your friends. Of course this little maneuver is most fun while racing against real people.
Try it for yourself. Next time you’re casually racing a friend, take an unexpected U-turn on the track. Your friend might sweetly let you know that you’re headed the wrong way, but you won’t listen. You’ll just pretend that everyone else is going the wrong way. Once you’ve sufficiently confused anyone you’re playing with, move on to the next tip.
Tip 2: Virtual head-on collisions are satisfying.
You read that correctly. While real-life head-on collisions are nasty and unfortunate, virtual ones are quite addicting. If you’ve already taken Tip One into consideration, then you’re heading in the opposite direction of your friends on the track. Good for you. This is when you implement Tip Two.
With most racing games, as is the case with Forza 6, there’s a mini-map on the bottom left of the screen showing you the layout of the track, as well as the position of your various opponents. Use this to your advantage.
While traveling the opposite direction that you are “supposed” to go, treat your friend to a magnificent and unexpected head-on collision. Don’t forecast your little plan; allow them to be pleasantly surprised when you careen at them going top speed in your Bugatti Chiron.
As sometimes is the case when playing with real people, they tend to anticipate the sadistic move you might be trying to play. To avoid your two-ton projectile missile, they will swerve out of the way. Anticipate this move, and you will never miss a chance to pummel your opponent’s car.
Tip 3: Sometimes choosing to lose is as good as winning.
Hear me out on this one. You’re in first place, your split time is basically a whole lap, and you’re booking it to the finish line. You can see on the mini-map that you’re coming up to the finish line, but before you flash across that checkered line, you hit the brakes hard enough to place you just shy of the finish line.
It’s a lot of waiting – as I mentioned before about your considerable lead – but your opponents finally make it to you, and they blow by you like they don’t even care. They don’t; they’re all robots, I guess.
Anyway, the point is you decided to lose. They wanted you to want to win, but they never expected that you wanted to lose. Trust me; it hurts them more than it hurts you. Unless you want a perfect record or something.
As you can imagine, these tips are pretty bogus. However, one of the great things about gaming is that the possibilities are endless when it comes to how to have a good time. For some people, playing games how they were “meant” to be played with zero deviation is fun, and some people just like to goof off whenever possible.
All Forza gifs courtesy of Giphy. Header video from YouTuber Holdaro.
