Want to give this a go finally. Ridge Racer just disappoints me after all the hype so I wanna try this

I read 4 is the best but how good is it really compared to 5, 6 and 7 I assume /vr/ is a bit biased towards the older games which is why I tried /v/ before but no one ever answers there before thread dies

The only thing that always prevented me from giving this series a shot is that it looks very quantity > quality and like it doesn't have a lot of personality and tries too hard to be realistic and wannabe mature, maybe factor this into your recommendation

>>11848518 (OP)
4 is the best as a racing/driving sandbox. 3 is the best if you want a challenging career with proper progression.

>it doesn't have a lot of personality
I'd argue quite the opposite, the games have a ton of personality through their menu design, original tracks, sound design, music, quirky cars, etc. It will always be restricted in that department as it is a realistic racing game but it's about as much personality as you can have in such a genre.

>>11848539
What's special about the menu design? Seems similar to other racing games to me, wannabe mature and deliberately overcomplicated

>>11848541
>Seems similar to other racing games to me
Yeah, because they started copying GT.

>wannabe mature

So can anyone explain how 4 is better than 7? Every site that ranks it first just glazes it without saying what it does better

>>11848518 (OP)
4 is the most immersive carrer racing game
The menus, ost, music, car variety... just perfect.

I only play the motorcycle game, Tourist Trophy

>1
Most nostalgic, concise, no bloat, great music, very arcadey by today's standards, but I love it
>2
More of a simulator than 1, bloat era begins, you're not forced to pick different car types to complete cups as long as you remain under the allowed HP limit, rally races (shit), but overall a nice game. AWFUL music in both western versions, specially US. If you're gonna emulate, be sure to overclock (or use the 60fps cheat) because the framerate tanks a lot in races.
>3
Clearly rushed to have a behemoth in early PS2 days, but the actual career mode suffered from that. Poor car selection, removal of race trims upgrades, the cups and career mode are GRINDY as fuck. Good graphics, decent music (US > EU), somewhat arcadey physics, I don't like this game's physics at all.
>4
Best and most complete retro GT, but you need to disable the driving aids in every car as they cause understeer. Career mode will last forever but it's still not as grindy as 3. Incredible selection of cars still unmatched by modern GTs. Meh music but some good tracks in there. Tons of circuits. Improved rally physics at the cost of infuriating penalty system in rally events.
>>11848862
7 is a MTX fest and if you don't want to pay, you'll have to grind events like a madman.

>>11848518 (OP)
I've never played any after the /vr/ ones
3/4 look good enough for my brain to fill in the rest, PSX vertex jitter and wiggling textures doesn't work for a sim.

It's possible the PS3 and beyond games have a more satisfying physics model and ground interaction (I know in GT4 some of the stuff like the nurburgring that is modelling a really irregular road surface feels like I am not really given the proper tools to handle it) and weather stuff too, but I never really cared enough to try it or the other competitors when I only get a racing itch once every 10 years anyway.

>>11848518 (OP)
4 is a nerd's sandbox which is exactly why you shouldn't listen to their opinion
Play 1, or 3 if the former is "too old" for you

For me it's 1 & 2 for different reasons.
1 has better physics than 2 and is an enjoyable playthrough from start to finish.
2 has the content, but is a bit of a slog. A-Spec mod makes a nice alternate run too.

3 has better physics than 4, but the career is fucky.. grindy and extra aggressive ai iirc.
4 is a nice package, but the physics are trash (assists off) and the campaign is also a slog. However the Spec 2 mod isn't too shabby. A lot of ppl like it for its fixes and QoL improvements, extra content aside.

>>11848518 (OP)
i just started playing 4 last week after reading its the best also its been really fun so far

>>11848893
>but you need to disable the driving aids in every car as they cause understeer.
how you do that?

>>11849196
car setup options > driving aids

you can access setup options by pressing start in your garage (for your active car) or in the pre-race menu