Today is April Fools’ Day – a peculiar holiday of sorts where professional publications are permitted by tradition to run silly, stupid and scarcely believable stories for their own entertainment.
There will be no such foolery on RaceFans this April Fools’ Day. However, it did get us thinking about what our favourite fake and fictional drivers from the world of gaming were – especially as there are so many choices out there.
Naturally, filtering them down into a top ten means there will be many, many favourites who will miss out. So if you’re a big fan of Captain Falcon, a dedicated follower of Devon Butler or cheered on Klonoa during the fluffy Namco mascot’s battle for the 1999 Moto GP championship against Mick Doohan, prepare to be disappointed.
10. Valentin Manzi – Grid Legends – 2022
There are so many memorable characters from the history of the Grid series spanning two decades. From Ryan McKane and James Randall in the original Race Driver: Grid to Cesar Maques in the sequel, Codemasters’ series is perhaps the first that comes to mind when thinking of story modes in racing games.
Grid Legends brought back the narrative element to the series in a major way, with live action actors bringing a cast of new characters to life. From Yume Tanaka and Lara Carvalho to Nathan McKane, the nephew of Ryan and main player rival character. But it’s the charismatic Valentin Manzi – played by Doctor Who’s Ncuti Gatwa – who’s the most memorable.
Like a cross between Daniel Ricciardo and Michael McIntyre, Manzi might not be everyone’s cup of tea – but at least he’s memorable.
9. Shinji Yazaki – Ridge Racer Type 4 – 1999
Explaining why Ridge Racer Type 4 is one of the best racing games on the original PlayStation and perhaps one of the greatest arcade racers ever made would be an article in itself. Oozing with style, fun, incredibly replayable gameplay and an all-time great soundtrack – just ask rapper JPEGMAFIA – the game has a tactile ‘flavour’ to it no other game has had before or since.
But like Grid Legends, the fourth Ridge Racer title put a cast of colour characters and a story at the very heart of the game.The Japanese team Pac Racing Club were one of four teams the player could choose to compete in the fictional Real Racing Roots ’99 championship with. As team principal, Yazaki would drive the story onwards through face-to-face conversations with the player after every race.
Grumpy, cynical and just plain rude at times,…
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