Real Vroom Vroom Hours in This Week’s Good-Ass Games at Good-Ass Prices

Happy Friday folks! If there’s one thing I love, it’s cars going stupid fast in an effort to be the very best that no one ever was. Today’s list is all about games that encourage you to go as fast as possible—and maybe solve some crimes in the process.

So without further ado, let’s talk about some video games!

F1 2020, $17.99 (PlayStation)

You know how I know this pandemic changed me? I am legitimately into Formula One now. A large chunk of that comes from the Netflix docuseries Formula One: Drive to Survive, but F1 2020 has also been instrumental in turning me into the kind of person who wakes up early on a Saturday just to watch some qualifying laps. Even if you’re not into the sport, F1 2020 is simply a damn good racing game.

If you’re a fan of the Madden’s franchise mode, then F1 2020’s My Team mode should be up your alley. The game allows you to take the role of a racer/owner of a team, which means you’re in charge of developing your car, striking sponsorships, managing cash flow, in addition to killing it on the race track.

The driving feels so, so good in this game. I feel like a lot of simulation racing games mute the sense of speed in favor of realism. F1 2020 is the opposite, as it demands you learn how to effectively redline your car and carry that momentum through those crazy sharp turns. If you have a need for speed, F1 2020 should prove a satisfying time.

Lego City Undercover, $5.99 (Nintendo Switch)

By virtue of being a Wii U exclusive when it first dropped, Lego City Undercover fell under everybody’s radar—except for me, The Root’s resident Wii U apologist. (It gave us Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and Bayonetta 2, dammit).

Lego City Undercover is an open-world game that’s essentially an inversion on Grand Theft Auto, where you play as a detective instead of a criminal. The story plays like a parody of cop shows and is good for a few chuckles here and there. If you grew up playing Lego Island on a Windows 95, then Lego City Undercover’s open world and general vibe may result in some low-level nostalgia. Personally, I hope we eventually get more Lego titles like this as opposed to the movie tie-ins that have come to define Lego games over the last two decades.

Burnout Paradise Remastered, Free on Xbox Game Pass

Growing up, the Burnout games were mainstays in my PS2. The final entry in the series, Burnout Paradise, is a fun, open world racing game. I played this game so much that when I booted up the remaster, I both was and wasn’t surprised that I still knew where all my favorite races were. This is arcade racing at its finest, with races built around going as fast as possible and wrecking as many of your opponents as possible to make sure you get first place. Paradise City is just fun to drive around in, even when you aren’t doing races, sprinting laps, or eliminators.

If you’re in the mood to go fast and fuck shit up, then this is definitely one worth checking out.

That’ll do it for this week’s sales. PlayStation has a spring sale going on, and the Switch has a few publisher sales happening at the moment, so there’s plenty of cheap heat out there if you’re in the mood for something new this weekend.

As always stay safe, wash your hands, wear a mask, get vaccinated, and play more video games.