Jalopy gameplay.

Have you ever wanted to know what it would have been like to drive a beat out Trabant through the former eastern bloc? Well then, this is the game for you. In Jalopy you are faced with the challenge of driving your fictional ‘Laika 601 Deluxe’ from east Germany to Turkey.

On the face of it, this doesn’t seem like the most thrilling of proposals, but, like in the case of 2013’s Papers, Please, the bureaucratic minutia of the former USSR make for some surprisingly addictive gameplay loops.

In Jalopy, the borders will be working against you however, as you attempt to smuggle, intentionally or otherwise, potentially lucrative car parts across several different borders. If against all odds you do manage to get your car all the way there, you will become genuinely attached to the thing. The way the game manages to turn the car itself into a character through its gameplay loops is a testament to its fantastic dynamic storytelling.

9 Race Driver: GRID

Race Driver: GRID gameplay.

2008’s Race Driver GRID is perhaps best known for its magnificent sense of speed and its detailed damage model which, at the time, was unrivalled. It also struck a fantastic balance between arcade and sim racing which made it accessible to newbies to the genre, while managing to appease sim purists.

One big strength of GRID which is often overlooked however, is its career mode. To begin with there is a great sense of progression. This is due to the game’s huge variety in cars and event types. You will start street racing beat up muscle cars before eventually progressing all the way to 24 hours at Le Mans where you will be presented with state of the art LMP1s.

The sense of attachment to your team is helped a huge amount by the ability to customise your own liveries. The detailed editor means you can choose everything from the size and position of your racing stripes, to the types of sponsors you want represented on your cars. The quality of sponsors on your car is also reflected in your earnings after each race, adding again to your sense of progression.

8 Need for Speed Most Wanted (2005)

Need for Speed Most Wanted (2005) gameplay.

Often considered to be the peak of the Need For Speed franchise, 2005’s Need For Speed Most Wanted makes a decent attempt at replicating the early 2000’s street racing aesthetic through its story. While not quite up to the standards of The Fast and the Furious, the cutscenes do a good job of keeping you engaged by merging live action footage, and the 3d world you are racing through.

The campaign keeps you motivated through its genuinely dislikeable antagonist who, in true early 2000s style, threatens to steal your ride and your girl. As good a motivation as any I’ve heard not to lose a pink slips race.

If you miss the era of tank tops, beanie hats, and chrome plated spinning rims as much as I do, this might be the game for you.

7 My Summer Car

My Summer Car gameplay.

Let’s face it, we’ve all dreamt about what it would be like to be a car mechanic in rural Finland. With My Summer Car, we finally have the chance to live out thatdream.

This hyper detailed car mechanic simulator will have you scratching your head as you attempt to build an engine from scratch. If you can get to grips with its complex mechanics however, the game is extremely rewarding. Much like Jalopy, the effort will be worth it as you will become genuinely attached to your labour of love.

Just don’t forget to drink plenty of virtual beer, go to virtual concerts, and empty your virtual bladder along the way.

6 GTA V

GTA V gameplay.

While perhaps not quite up to the standards set by its precursor, GTA V’s use of multiple protagonists is at times pretty engaging. Trevor has emerged as a fan favourite. His unpredictable behaviour along with his iconic, unkempt dress sense make him one of the most enduring characters of the series.

The fact that there are multiple protagonists unfortunately tends to dilute the overall character development however, with no one character standing out. The special abilities of each character do work from a gameplay perspective though. It also works during missions, where the ability to jump from one member of the team to another gives you the feeling of jumping between multiple scenes in a movie.

There hasalso been tonnes of new story content released  since launch. There are now hundreds of hours worth of story driven online heists. If you can find a team who don’t mind sitting through the cutscenes, the storytelling is actually pretty decent here.

5 Mad Max

Mad Max gameplay.

Having received input in pre-production from George Miller himself, the story of 2015’s Mad Max couldn’t go too far wrong. Despite being released in the same year as Miller’s stellar Max Max Fury Road, it isn’t technically a tie in game. Warner brothers, conscious of the success of its Batman: Arkham series, decided to go the same route with Mad Max.

The resulting product manages to capture the brutal, unforgiving universe of the series in its own unique way. The story itself is surprisingly well realised, although it does lack development until the latter third of the game.

This is another game where there is a wealth of customisation options for your vehicle. Again, this really adds to the game’s feel of progression as an RPG. After losing your car at the start of the game, you are forced to forge a path through the inhospitable wastes in search of parts to build a new one from scratch. 

4 L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire gameplay.

LA Noire’s story has to rank amongst the best of any driving game. In the game you take up the role of Cole Phelps, a decorated former US marine who has just returned from WWII. Cole joins the Los Angeles Police Department where you begin to follow his story as he quickly rises through the ranks.

L.A. Noire was remarkable in its day for its use of facial motion capture. This was revolutionary in 2011 and it still holds up today. Phelps himself is played by Aaron Staton, perhaps most well known for his role in Mad Men, and performances like his are captured in such precise detail that the game often feels like a piece of cinema.

This technology falls a bit flat at times during gameplay. The parts where you have to draw on ‘subtle facial cues’ to decide if someone is lying or not border on the absurd when you are forced to watch the same 5 second gurning facial animation loop on repeat. However, for the most part it is impeccable and helps to tell a story which is full of the types of twists and turns you’d expect from Noire classics like The Maltese Falcon, Chinatown, or L.A. Confidential.

3 Mafia: Definitive Edition

Mafia: Definitive Edition gameplay.

Having started all the way back in 2002, the Mafia series is still going strong. The latest entry to the series is a complete remake of the original from 2002. The remake features impressive state of the art tech like software-based ray tracing which still runs on last gen consoles.

This is the best representation of interwar America in any video game, at times approaching photorealism. The graphical fidelity does go a long way toward making you feel totally immersed in the world. Ultimately this helps you immerse yourself fully with the story, which was great in 2002 and is still great today.

You take up the role of Tommy Angelo, a cabdriver who is unwittingly thrust into the world of organised crime. As you follow his journey, you will be faced with all the twists and turns you would expect from a blockbuster about the mob. Double crossings, ambushes, questionable morals, it's all here, truly an offer you can’t refuse.

2 Driver San Francisco

Driver San Francisco gameplay.

Up there with the best when it comes to driving games with a story, Driver San Francisco takes an unconventional approach to the genre. The game’s ‘shift’ mechanic is pretty unique as far as driving games go; letting you jump from one car to another by possessing other drivers on the road.

This weirdly contrived gameplay mechanic works better than you might think, and it leads to many interesting story moments. The game has around 150 characters who each have their own unique lines of dialogue for when you jump into their car. This often leads to some great moments of dialogue. For example, The protagonist, Tanner often jumps into other drivers' consciousness mid conversation and has to continue on as if nothing has happened. It’s almost like a high octane version of Quantum Leap.

The game’s overarching story also plays with this mechanic. Without wanting to give away any spoilers, this is probably the only driving game to engage with metaphysical themes.