Many gamers wax nostalgic when the topic of classics is brought up, like Donkey Kong, Golden Axe, and Galaga. But mention Need for Speed, Test Drive, or Pole Position, and while most will say they were quaint games, they won't necessarily have that fond, almost star-struck expression on their faces. Bring up Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, and discussions of realistic physics, racing mechanics, and photorealism come to life. Yet, there's still plenty that even the latest racing sims lack.

From rendering the cars and scenery to more in-depth customizations and deeper damage modeling, the current state of racing sims needs to advance if it's going to hold gamers' interests. While each game has its own strengths, each lacks what all the others have. For example, one game may have the most photorealistic environments and cars, while lacking a full-blown damage model. Another might feature component wear and damage modeling, but not have the depth and field of cars that other games possess.

In order to create the perfect racing sim, a developer must consider and incorporate the following: a large selection of cars from past, present, and future; a detailed customization model that affects all areas of performance and appearance; scalable difficulty and detail settings; a breadth and multitude of styles, series, and tracks; and realistic enough physics and damage modeling to make the game believable.

Anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past eight years knows Gran Turismo is the ultimate console racing simulation. Before it, there were few games that even scratched the surface of the depth and breadth that motor sports had to offer. Pole Position gave us an arbitrary sense of speed, whereas Need for Speed captured some of the essence of high-priced, high-power exotics and made them accessible to the everyday gamer. Since these dark times, gamers everywhere have been delighted with games like Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport, a host of FIA F1 and World Rally Championship (WRC) games, and so on.