Line #28 GameBreaker/Racing


1	{{Game Breaker}}s in racing games.
2
3	Games with their own pages:
4	[[index]]
5	* ''GameBreaker/{{Forza}}''
6	[[/index]]
7	----
8	!! Other games
9	%% (ZCE) * In ''VideoGame/ExciteBots'', the Bat, which is both very maneuverable and very fast. The Spider as well.
10	%% (ZCE) ** There's also the Hummingbird which is pretty similar to the Bat.
11	* In the ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'' SNES game, Vinnie has so many ways to get speed boosts that no one has the slightest chance to catch up with him in 2 Players. First, his special turn allows him to do 90º turns instantly and gives him a boost when getting out of the turn. Second, his weapon is almost useless when actually attacking, but by pressing Y twice quickly, instead of jumping he gets a long boost. Then, all the characters get boosts by mashing the accel button at certain intervals, but Vinnie's come out faster. He can run the whole race under the effect of speed boosts; no one, NO ONE can catch up with him. Ironically, the character select screen lists him with awesome acceleration and handling but the worst max speed out of all characters.
12	* Some areas in ''VideoGame/BurnoutParadise'' put a Stunt Runs challenge right next to some high cliff, allow you to rack up a ridiculous amount of score. When you are done with it, you can take out another car and spam the challenge ''again''.
13	** In terms of vehicles, the Carson GT Nighthawk is basically the closest thing the game has to a MasterOfAll: not only it is as fast as the Krieger Racing WTR[[note]]Which, to make things clear, is an {{Expy}} of a UsefulNotes/FormulaOne car and is the final car unlocked in the vanilla game[[/note]], it has a maxed out Strength rating, meaning it hits as hard as if not ''harder'' than resident {{Mighty Glacier}}s like the Carson Inferno Van and Hunter Takedown [=4x4=]; it is so powerful any and all head-on collisions online involving this car count as a Takedown for the Nighthawk driver. This is further compounded by the fact it has the fastest acceleration and most balanced handling out of any car in the game, making it a menace even in tighter tracks. Then again, what did you expect from a car that is basically a homage to [[Series/KnightRider KITT]]?
14	* In the ''VideoGame/ChoroQ'' series, there are parts labeled as angel or devil parts. In HG2, the parts were clearly added as an afterthought given how fast they allow your car to go. The engine is the fastest in the game (5 times more power than the second most powerful engine), but it doesn't use ANY fuel. Even if you use your jets and run out of fuel, it will still go at top speed (normally, your top speed gets largely decreased until you get more fuel by going into any building). The devil tires will flat out say that their stats are "unimaginable" when viewing them, whereas other tires tell you their stats. These clearly did not see much testing from the developers as if given to your teammates, they likely will have a hard time using them. If one tries using them in minigames, it's very easy to fly out of bounds.
15	* ''VideoGame/DiddyKongRacing'' has the hidden character and time trial referee, T.T. who has the highest acceleration and top speed along with decent handling, who made winning most races a breeze. The tradeoff is that this character is incredibly hard to unlock, but once you do, it's pretty much game over for the competition.
16	* ''VideoGame/{{Driveclub}}'' has the Koenigsegg [=One:1=], a car that not only has amazing acceleration and the best top speed in the game (none of the tracks in the game have straightways long enough to let it reach its top speed!), it even handles well thanks to its active aero technology. No wonder it sits on top of most of the leaderboards in the game. Only the ''[=McLaren=] P1 GTR'', the ''Pagani Zonda R'' and the ''Ferrari FXX K'' can compete against the [=One:1=], as long as there are no straight lines ahead. Other excellent cars are the Renault R.S. 01 on Super class, the Nissan [=MY15=] GT-R on Performance class, the Renault Mégane RS 275 Trophy on Hot Hatch class, and the Kawasaki Ninja H2 on Superbikes class.
17	* The [[{{Pun}} Fl]][[Franchise/{{Batman}} at]][[ShoutOut mobile]] of ''[[VideoGame/FlatOut FlatOut 2]]''. The fastest (beating even the rocket car, especially in acceleration), the strongest (can t-bone a school bus without taking much damage), with ridiculously grippy handling (why drift when your car can literally make that turn normally at the same speed?) and a brake that would throw the driver through the window instantly if the physics engine didn't require an actual collision to trigger the launch. And you don't have to unlock it to use it in multiplayer! Of course, since it's so fast, [[LethalJokeCharacter it takes substantial skill to drive]], and as many newbies prove, its greatest nemesis is its own speed, smashing it against barriers at far faster than the damage system is designed for.
18	** And now for a car that isn't very popular (half of players don't even bother driving it before meeting online) - Insetta (don't confuse with Insetta GT). FWD (cue ridiculous dodging), offroad (excellent grip on any surface), good speed and acceleration... and being almost THE toughest non-bonus car in the game, topped only by extra 0.3 armor of the Derby class' SUV. ''Good even at killing Flatmobiles!'' And while Flat is extra content, Insetta is a legal Race class vehicle.
19	* ''VideoGame/FZero'' has a few. X gave off quick speed boosts for grinding on the walls and GX had snaking (just like in Mario Kart DS) and spaceflying (which can shave off ''minutes'' of your time).
20	* ''VideoGame/GranTurismo 4'' features unlockable cars as rewards for certain races, including Formula One cars (the number depending on what version you're playing). They're supposed to be there as BraggingRightsReward, but one in particular can be attained without any effort whatsoever using a fully-upgraded Pikes Peak Escudo. Thanks to an upgraded HP equal to that of most motor torpedo boats, this can complete the course in question (a tedious 100-lap endurance race of a circular Indycar track) without ever changing tyres and while constantly scraping along a wall for the entire time. Proper application of sticky tape to a controller thus allows you to quickly 'earn' a car that easily wins every race in the game it's allowed to enter.
21	** Any car in Gran Turismo 1 that can receive a stage 4 turbo is overpowering because you can easily reach over 700 horsepower without losing anything near the cost of an actual racecar. The Nissan Skyline GT-R variations and Mitsubishi GTO (known as [=3000GT=] outside Japan) variations are the worst offenders, you can easily tune them to be just under 1000 horsepower and outmatch anything the game throws at you on the right tracks (A soft suspension, a track with roundish walls, and good tires are needed because running off of the track is quite easy when you have this much power; luckily you do not need to worry about vehicle damage).
22	*** The Pikes' Peak Escudo in ''VideoGame/GranTurismo 2'' is extremely overpowering despite being one of the few cars costing 2,000,000Cr. It has excellent grip and the most horse power of any car in the game. You could also argue that its little brother, The Pikes' Peak Cultus, and the Espace F1 are also extremely effective because of their high power levels, however it is still easy to one up them with about 400,000 credits invested into a Skyline GT-R with a stage 4 turbo, racing slicks, full custom transmission, and whatever else you can fit.
23	*** Ditto in [=GT3=]. Despite being somewhat nerfed in its handing capabilities the aforementioned car already starts with a monster 980 horsepower and when it's upgraded with a stage 4 turbo it caps out at a earth cracking, ball busting, heart stopping 1884 horses. Rally races are especially easy, as spinning out does nothing when you can catch up in five seconds.
24	*** Every Formula One car in this game and the Formula Gran Turismo in ''4'' can also be this with its immense grip and acceleration making it useful to beat LMP cars with ease. The minor disadvantage is [[AwesomeButImpractical that in both of those games, the F1 cars are locked to Racing Medium tires which they worm out easily]]
25	*** [=GT5=] has the Red Bull [=X2010=] designed to break everything, so dominant that the usage is completely looked down online.
26	*** [=GT6=] meanwhile introduces the Gordon Murray-designed Light Car Company Rocket, an Caterham-class lightweight track car with appearance of a 50s UsefulNotes/FormulaOne race car. True to the car's name, it is a game breaker considering it a weapon from 550 PP class (which the car isn't actually eligible for, as the car is rated 556 PP, but even with maximum ballast, remains featherlight at 590 kg - the factory weight is 390 kg) to [[MarathonLevel 24 Minutes of Nürburgring and Le Mans]].
27	*** Also, the Tomahawk S Vision Gran Turismo also qualifies this. A 1000 hp car with incredible grip, top speed, acceleration and 747 PP puts LMP cars into a shame. You can even detune the car to make it enterable in 650 PP restricted races and it becomes a breeze.
28	* In ''VideoGame/{{GRID}} 2'' there are one or two cars that are far better than the other in each tier:
29	** Tier 1: The Alfa Romeo 4C can take corners flat out that others have to brake for and is no slouch on the straights, especially with upgrades. Other two grossly overpowered cars in this class are the Chevrolet Camaro SS and the Volkswagen Golf R.
30	** Tier 2: The C63 AMG has all the speed yet doesn't try to kill you in the corners. The Volkswagen Golf R (Performance) and the BMW 320 Touring Car also count.
31	** Tier 3: The Alfa Romeo 8C has all that you need: speed, acceleration and handling. The three track day cars (Ariel Atom 3, BAC Mono, Caterham SP/300.R) are just as useful.
32	** Tier 4: The Koenigsegg Agera R and the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport utterly dominate this class. The Agera reigns over the more open-ended tracks (such as Indianapolis and Red Bull Ring), while the Veyron is easily the best car to use in the city circuits. Just remember that while the Veyron is extremely forgiving, the Agera R is the very epitome of DifficultButAwesome with its very unstable handling.
33	* ''VideoGame/InitialDArcadeStage Ver. 2'' had the Honda Integra Type R ([=DC2=]), which, despite being a front-wheel drive car, wouldn't slow down nearly as much as other cars from hitting walls and guardrails. As a result, [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome everybody and their brother used the [=DC2=] and selected Irohazaka for every single multiplayer match]], because Irohazaka was a zig-zagging series of hairpins, which gave a huge advantage to the [=DC2=].
34	* Who could forget about ''VideoGame/KirbyAirRide'' and its resident game-destroyer, the Dragoon? Only available in the City Trial mode from acquiring its three pieces, this Air Ride Machine boasts some outright incredible stats. On the ground, it's not much slower than the Formula Star, and its offense and defense, while not Hydra-tier godly still outclass most other Air Ride machines (Also, unlike the Hydra, it doesn't need to be fully charged to get going). However, where the Dragoon truly shines is in the air, where it has absolutely unparalleled gliding ability, allowing complete dominance in the air, and, barring a GoodBadBug from the Bulk Star, is basically an Automatic win in the Long Jump and High Jump events.
35	* ''VideoGame/LEGORacers'' has a system where there's 4 different types of power-ups, and you can use up to three white bricks to build on to that power. If you max out a boost, you warp very, very, ''very'' far ahead of the course. If you keep repeating this, there is no way you can lose.
36	** Except against Rocket Racer, who knows to do this himself.
37	* ''VideoGame/MarioKart'':
38	** In ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'', there are several design exploits, some involving the way Lakitu respawns you and others involving jumping over walls, that allow you to skip half or even the entirety of the course. In the North American release, they're {{Ascended Glitch}}es, as the Player's Guide illustrates how to do these game-breaking shortcuts.
39	** ''VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash'' tried to mix things up by giving characters unique Special items. This unfortunately caused most races to come down to "whoever picks Koopa and Paratroopa wins" since the triple shell items -- which normally are available to everyone -- were given to them exclusively. Despite the great power of the other Special items, none of them could really compete against something so BoringButPractical.
40	** Snaking in ''VideoGame/MarioKart DS'' is probably one of the largest examples of the "grain of salt" controversy mentioned in the opener.
41	*** There was also another variation to snaking, called the prolonged rocket boost glitch. If the player does a rocket boost from the start and then start snaking while the rocket boost is in effect, the player can effectively drive off road without slowing down as long as they keep using mini turbos without missing a beat.
42	** ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii'' has one thing that is pretty game breaking; Shy Guy Beach and high-rated off-road bikes. Any bike that has an insane off-road stat will have a huge advantage on this course since the course is mostly made up of water and no one will be able to keep up unless they use the same bikes or get lucky with items. While the course nor the bikes themselves are a game breaker, the combo of both are. People who spam Shy Guy Beach online usually are using bikes with high off road.
43	*** And N64 Sherbet Land, since the whole course except for the cave counts as off road. So any bike with a high off road stat gets pretty much a huge advantage across the entire track due to being nearly immune to the slowdown effects of the icy surface. The offroad surface also makes the already ridiculous golden mushroom that much more valuable.
44	*** Grumble Volcano became infamous due to an exploit that allowed people to literally win in seconds because a certain spot on the track allows players to finish laps MUCH faster than they are supposed to. If someone keeps voting for this track online, there's a good chance they are picking it just to exploit the glitch. Less infamous, but still game-breaking glitches can be found in Mushroom Gorge and Wario's Gold Mine. Nintendo has tried rectifying this issue by auto-disconnecting those who try this.
45	*** Using certain bikes such as the Dolphin Dasher which has all around great stats and is compatible with practically every driver, or the Flame Wheel which has one of the best top speeds in the game in exchange for low but manageable handling made most races against the computers or other players a breeze.
46	** ''VideoGame/MarioKart7'' had one discovered on the Maka Wuhu track days after the game was released. Similar to the Grumble Volcano exploit, this glitch, if done right, lets the player skip more than half the track. Anyone who didn't abuse the same exploit online physically had zero chance of catching up to the people that used this trick. What makes this worse is that [[WordOfGod Nintendo stated]] that they have no plans of fixing the problem, because they feel doing so may give some people an "unfair advantage".
47	*** In a case of FlipFlopOfGod being a positive thing, Nintendo patched the exploits so now they no longer work and the patch is required to play online. Maka Wuhu, Wuhu Loop, and GBA Bowser Castle 1 have been fixed. The exploit fixes only apply to online races, so it is still possible to cheat in single player mode and local multiplayer.
48	*** High off-road stat karts and Neo Bowser City, since the wet surface/rain counts as off-road. Using the Monster or Red Monster tires will drop your time trial records by about 4 seconds.
49	* ''VideoGame/MotorStorm'' has, in theory, the same stats for each vehicle (that is, they will have the same "engine", "tires" and "weight") in a class except for some little variations on the car's size, so you could choose your favourite design or the one who could go under that bridge. However, the Molotov Drago is considered one of the best, if not ''the'' best vehicle in the first two games, just because of its surprisingly good handling and good proportions. Also, it looks badass.
50	* ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'':
51	** The [=McLaren=] F1's first appearance in ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedII'' was a huge game breaker; in addition to being the fastest production car at the time, it also had the highest stats in all other attributes. And it was available from the beginning.
52	** ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted (2005)'' had the Lamborghini Gallardo. When fully upgraded, it pretty much wrecks the competition with excellent handling, acceleration and top speed, making it useful for both street races (especially Speedtrap races) ''and'' pursuits. Ming, #6 on the Blacklist, has a Gallardo with nearly maxed out performance, so obtaining it via pinkslip gives the player an advantage over the other racers without having to shell out a fortune to buy a Gallardo at a car shop and modifying it.
53	** ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedCarbon'' also had the Nissan 240SX (but only in the Collector's Edition). Although an extremely difficult Challenge Series mission is required to unlock the car, it is worth the effort. It is a Tier 1 Tuner with the highest stats of any Tier 1 vehicle. It is also the cheapest car in the game at a price of $20,000 (the Mazda RX-8 that is given as one of the options for a starter car was at a price of $25,000). When fully upgraded, it can keep up with many Tier 3 vehicles, including Lamborghinis, Corvettes, and GT-Rs. The 240SX was, however, nerfed in later games.
54	** ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedProStreet'' is a game featuring mostly regular tuners and hobby race cars, like the Escort Cosworth and Dodge Charger. Then the ''[=McLaren=] F1'' came back as a [=DLC=] for the first time since ''II'' (not counting ''Hot Pursuit 2'' and the GTR version appearing in ''High Stakes'').
55	** In ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted2012'', the Everyday car class contains the Audi A1 Clubsport quattro, a pocket rocket with 496bhp and a 0-100km/h time of 3.7s.
56	** The [[Creator/EAGothenburg Ghost Games]] ''NFS'' trilogy of games (''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeed2015 2015]]'', ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedPayback Payback]]'', ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedHeat Heat]]'') has one thing in common between all of them: the most dominant car being the 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.8. Due to having the lightest chassis in the game, it had basically peerless handling and could handily beat every other car in the game in almost any track; its dominance was briefly contested in ''Payback'' with the arrival of the Koenigsegg Regera (which was the best car in the game for speed-centric tracks) and the Volkswagen Beetle (which could give the RSR a hard time on any track but was offset by its high skill gate), but ''Heat'' nerfed both of those competitors while ''buffing'' the RSR even more, to the point multiplayer was utterly ''infested'' with them until the arrival of the [=McLaren=] F1 - which became its closest competitor. Its dominance finally appears to have come to an end in ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedUnbound'', where the handling changes made mid and rear-engine cars like the RSR more difficult to drive.
57	* ''VideoGame/ProjectGothamRacing 3''. Say hello to the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lHiGPRciOY Ferrari F50 GT!]]
58	* Speaking of Sonic, ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed]]'' has console mods, specifically ones like [[HighTierScrappy Shadow]]'s. These racers end up having their speed and boosts ramped up to ridiculous levels, and on somewhat straight tracks, their horrible handling is trivialized. However, [[TheHero Sonic]]'s Acceleration mod is just ridiculous. The acceleration isn't as high as other racers' mods, but it is enough to put him miles ahead of the competition in mere seconds thanks to his car's speed being higher than 3/4 of the roster. But the true Game Breaking side is the fact that his handling is ridiculously high and thus allows him to speed around the 90-degree turns of [[ThatOneLevel Burning Depths]] or [[SlippySlideyIceWorld Chilly Castle]] with no difficulty. [[SerialEscalation BUT, it doesn't end there.]] Thanks to what could be a {{Good Bad Bug\|s}}, '''HIS BOOST STAT IS A LIE. MEANING HE CAN DRIFT OUT OF TURNS PERFECTLY.''' While it still is below average, thanks to the bug, he can accelerate and boost quick enough to trivialize it. There is a reason why many players online RageQuit after racing Sonic, as his mods provide him the best coverage in the game.
59	** And then there's [[SuperMode Console Mod]] Tails, who boasts the same bug as Sonic, only applied to handling. Instead of being level 3 in terms of drift, he is actually around level 4 and a half, placing him on the level of [[VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia Vyse]], Shadow, and even [[OriginalGeneration AGES]] in terms of tiers thanks to his surprising speed, great boost, and decent acceleration. With this bug, a player on the [=PlayStation=] Vita release got a TOP TEN SCORE in Time Attack at Seasonal Shrines thanks to Tails', a normally [[LowTierLetdown low tier]] character, bug.
60	* Super Sonic in ''VideoGame/SonicR'' is the fastest character by a wide margin, and all his other attributes are similarly amazing. No other character in the game stands any meaningful chance, barring ''maybe'' Metal Knuckles, who can skip portions of track.
61	* ''VideoGame/TestDrive: Unlimited'' has (at least) two cars which are ...badly placed in its [[CharacterTiers ranking system]]:
62	** The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe is classified as a "G" (the catchall for slow old sports cars) ... despite being perfectly competitive in races against ''B''-class supercars.
63	** The TVR [=T440R=] is logged in C, but can clean the floor with many A-class cars.
64	** Similarly, the classic B-Ranked Jaguar [=XJ220=]. It costs merely a hundred-and-sixty grand, which is nothing if you look at the price money of later-game-races, yet runs 341 km/h and accelerates from naught to sixty in 4.0 seconds... If you drive it without tuning. With stage three tuning (which costs as much as the car), you have yourself an A-Class killer with 375 km/h top speed, naught to sixty in 3.6 seconds and fairly good handling and brakes (on the paper).
65	** Also, if you own the carpack, the RUF [=RT12=]. It's a class B car, but, if you tune it to the max, reaches over 360 km/h top sped - again on the paper. If you red-line this car on a straight you reach over 380 km/h. Heck, you don't even need to max tune it, it's basic version is more than capable of competing with the likes of Murcielago and Zonda.
66	* From ''VideoGame/WanganMidnightMaximumTune 4'' and its successors: The Mazda RX-7 Type-R, also known by its chassis code [=FD3S=] or simply the FD. Best base grip of all cars allowing it to take corners like a champ, and solid speed and acceleration as well, making it the MasterOfAll and the dominant car of time attack boards on nearly all courses. [[BrokenBase Disputes]] regularly arise over whether it's fair to use one or not, leading to "[[MemeticMutation the FD is OP]] and [[{{Scrub}} I hate everyone who uses it]]" and "it's used by time attackers everywhere ''for a reason''" camps.
67	* The Piranha craft in ''VideoGame/{{Wipeout}} 2097'' sounds like this on paper. It's a secret unlockable craft with all of its stats maxed out (Speed, Acceleration, Handling and Shields), and "balanced" by its lack of weapons. Of course, when you get from 15th place to 1st in the first 10 seconds, who needs weapons? In practice, its maxed-out handling means the Piranha craft is also incredibly twitchy and difficult to control as a result. This means you'll probably find yourself pinballing through the course a lot. It'd be even worse if [[MadeOfIron the shields]] weren't maxed out, too. Not to mention, to unlock the craft in the first place, you need to beat the [[BonusLevelOfHell Piranha Challenge]], so if anything it's more of a DifficultButAwesome [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One Craft]]. But hey, at that point of the game you surely are skilled enough to drive it without a problem.
68	** In terms of weapons, the Quake. The only way to block it is to throw up a shield, and like other weapons, it screws up controls for a few seconds. Very helpful if you're in (or close to) last place and struggling to get a leg up on the competition. Only if it's the first or second lap, though, [[RubberBandAI otherwise you're probably screwed anyway.]]
69	*** In ''Wipeout Pure'', it's possible to turn around and fire it backwards at incoming traffic. If the last place racer is also firing one at the same time, getting caught in the middle hurts as much as you would think.
70	** Triakis in ''Wipeout Pure'', a craft which (possibly thanks to a bug) had disproportionately good handling for a high-speed heavyweight, making it a MasterOfAll. The inevitable nerf/fix was addressed in the fluff for ''Pulse'', which stated Triakis' experimental Reverse Inertial Dampening system had been banned and their trophy stripped between seasons.

Context GameBreaker / Racing