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Vehicular combat games (also known as just vehicular combat or car combat) are a sub-genre of vehicle simulation video games where the primary objectives of gameplay include vehicles armed with weapons attempting to destroy vehicles controlled by the CPU or by opposing players. The genre normally features a variety of different vehicles available for play, each with its own strengths, weaknesses, and special attack abilities. Players may also unlock hidden vehicles by completing certain in-game tasks. Traditionally, vehicular combat games focus on fast-paced action inside the vehicle, rarely, if ever, concerning themselves with role-playing or other elements, Metal Max series being an exception. Games may include racing themes, but they are generally secondary to the action.[1]
Vehicular combat games normally follow a simple play pattern; the player must defeat increasing numbers of not very skilled enemies, often in increasingly micro-trans action, before facing off against a final, super-powerful, boss character. Vehicular combat games differ from traditional racing games both in the combat aspect and in the general lack of any set path for players to follow, instead allowing them to explore each level at their leisure. The complexity and strategy required to complete games vary, from the careful resource maintenance and intense story-driven plotlines of the Interstate '76 series to straightforward smashups like WWE Crush Hour. Often the primary plot will involve a contest or competition of some sort, encouraging the various characters to fight and destroy one another to obtain a reward. The Twisted Metal has been attributed as the first "true" vehicular combat game, without cartoony graphics as seen in kart racing games.[2]
Year | Name | Platforms | Style |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | 187 Ride or Die | PS2, Xbox | |
2006 | Auto Assault | Windows | 3rd person view, MMO |
2011 | Armageddon Riders | Windows, PS3 | |
2018 | Asphalt 9: Legends | iOS, Android | Action Car Game |
1985 | Autoduel | ||
2016 | Auto Warriors[3] | iOS | Turn-based |
2002 | Bandits: Phoenix Rising | Post-apocalyptic | |
2015 | Batman Arkham Knight | Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 | Action-Adventure |
2017 | Battle Riders | Windows, iOS | |
2010 | Blood Drive | PS3, XB360 | |
1999 | Beetle Adventure Racing | N64 | |
2010 | Blur[4] | Windows, PS3, XB360 | |
2001 | Burnout (series)[4][5] | Arcade Racing | |
1997–2016 | Carmageddon series[6] | DOS, Windows, Mac, PS1, N64, GBA, iOS, Android | Open world, graphic violence |
1988 | Chase H.Q.[4] | Arcade | |
2005 | Crash Tag Team Racing[5] | ||
2001, 2002 | Cel Damage[7] | GameCube, Xbox, PS2 | cartoon |
2014–2019 | Cel Damage HD | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | cartoon |
2002 | Command & Conquer: Renegade | ||
1993 | Crash 'n Burn | 3DO | |
2006/2017 | Crashday | ||
2016 | Crossout | Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 | |
2007 | Darkwind: War on Wheels | ||
1976, 1990 | Death Race | Arcade | |
1996–2012 | Death Rally | DOS, iOS, Android | Top-down view, arcade |
1989 | Deathtrack | ||
2008 | Death Track: Resurrection | Windows, PlayStation 3 | |
2021 | Destruction AllStars | Playstation 5 | |
1995, 1996 | Destruction Derby series | DOS, PS1, Sega Saturn, N64 | |
1998 | DethKarz | Windows | |
2012 | DiRT: Showdown | Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
2006 | Earache: Extreme Metal Racing | PlayStation 2, Wii, PC | |
2012 | Final Run | iOS | |
2005 | Fired Up | ||
2004–2017 | FlatOut series | Windows, Xbox, XB360, PS2, PSP, Wii | |
2006 | Full Auto[7] | XB360 | |
2006, 2007 | Full Auto 2: Battlelines[7] | PS3, PSP | |
2012 | Gas Guzzlers Extreme | Windows | |
2015 | Grip: Combat Racing | Windows | Inspired by Rollcage series |
2006 | Hard Truck: Apocalypse | post-apocalyptic | |
2016 | Hardware: Rivals | PS4 | |
1997 | Have a N.I.C.E. Day! | Windows | |
2009 | Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 | Wii, NDS | |
2002 | Hot Wheels Velocity X | GameCube, PlayStation 2, PC, Game Boy Advance | |
1997 | Interstate '76[2] | ||
1999 | Interstate '82 | ||
2005 | Jak X: Combat Racing[8] | PS2,PS4 | |
1989, 1990 | Knight Rider | NES | |
1999 | Lego Racers | ||
2001, 2002 | Lego Racers 2 | ||
2012 | LittleBigPlanet Karting | PS3 | |
1992 | Lucky & Wild | ||
2015 | Mad Max | Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 | post-apocalyptic |
1999 | Mad Trax | Microsoft Windows | |
1992–2020 | Mario Kart[5] | SNES, N64, GBA, NGC, DS, Wii, 3DS, Wii U, Arcade,[8] Switch, iOS/Android | Go-kart, 3rd person view (All games), 1st person view (Mario Kart 7) |
2004 | Mashed series | ||
1994 | MegaRace | ||
1996 | MegaRace 2 | ||
2002 | MegaRace 3 | ||
2010 | ModNation Racers | PS3, PSP | cartoon |
2001 | Motor Mayhem | ||
2011 | MotorStorm: Apocalypse | PS3 | Apocalyptic racing |
2000 | NASCAR Heat[4] | PS | |
1996 | Necrodome | ||
2010 | Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit | Windows, PS3, Wii, XB360, iOS, Android, webOS, Windows Phone, Java ME | |
2013 | Need for Speed: Rivals | Windows, PS3, XB360, Xbox One, PS4 | |
2019 | Nightwolf: Survive the Megadome | Windows | Synth-themed, cyber-powered vehicles |
2006 | Novadrome | ||
1992, 1993 | Outlander | Sega Genesis, SNES | |
2017 | PAKO 2 | Windows, MacOS | overhead view, arcade |
2011 | Post Apocalyptic Mayhem | Windows | |
2005, 2006 | Pursuit Force | PSP | |
2007, 2008 | Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice | PSP | |
1994 | Quarantine | 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, MS-DOS, DOS, IBM PC compatible | dystopian armed cab-driving |
2011 | Rage | Windows, PS3, XB360, MacOS | FPS game |
1999, 2000 | Red Dog | Dreamcast | |
1999 | Redline | ||
2011 | Renegade Ops | PC,PS3, XB360 | |
1999 | Re-Volt | RC cars | |
2012 | Ridge Racer Unbounded | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC | |
1998 | Red Asphalt | ||
1999 | Rollcage | Windows, PlayStation | |
2000 | Rollcage Stage II | Windows, PlayStation | |
1987 | RoadBlasters[4] | Arcade | |
2003 | RoadKill | PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube | |
1986 | Roadwar 2000 | Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS | Roguelike, Strategy video game |
1987 | Roadwar Europa | Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS | Roguelike, Strategy video game |
1993 | Rock n' Roll Racing[4] | Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, Mega Drive, Game Boy Advance, Windows | |
1998 | Rogue Trip: Vacation 2012 | ||
1998 | S.C.A.R.S | ||
2015 | Scraps: Modular Vehicle Combat[9] | Windows, MacOS, Linux | Buildable vehicles |
1999, 2000 | San Francisco Rush 2049 | Arcade, N64, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast | |
2008 | Speed Racer: The Videogame | PS2, Wii | |
2010 | Split Second: Velocity | Windows, PS3, XB360, iOS, Java ME, PSP | |
1983 | Spy Hunter series[2][4] | Arcade | |
2003 | Starsky & Hutch | ||
2016 | Switchcars | ||
2007 | Swypeout | ||
1997 | Streets of SimCity | ||
1986 | Turbo Esprit | ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 | |
1999 | Toy Commander | ||
1995–2012 | Twisted Metal[2][5] | PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable | |
1999 | Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense | PlayStation, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 | |
1998 | Vigilante 8 | PlayStation, Nintendo 64 | |
2007 | Vigilante 8 Arcade | ||
1985 | Violent Run (Gekisou)[10] | Arcade | |
2000 | Grudge Warriors | PS1 | |
2003 | WWE Crush Hour | ||
2009 | Wheelman | Windows, PS3, XB360 | |
2004 | Test Drive: Eve of Destruction | Xbox, PS2 | |
2018 | Wreckfest | PC | |
2009 | Zombie Driver | Windows, PS3, XB360, Android |
(List of games in which players use more than one vehicle type during gameplay)
This subgenre of vehicular combat involves mech robots, or mecha, as the vehicle for combat.[citation needed] For most mech games, they are played in either first-person or third-person view style. Other games are based on popular Anime television shows such as the various Gundam series, Robotech, and Evangelion. Also, games with a mech theme are featured in RPG games such as Xenosaga and the Front Mission series.
Battle modes for kart racing games are deathmatch battles influenced by the characters, go-karts and weapons used in the mode. The Mario Kart series demonstrates this kind of mode in its previous installments.[8]