mmmmmmmmmm

That last point of reference, I am not sure what you call an arcade racer, in my mind this means either something like Daytona USA, Virtua Racing, Sega Rally, etc. (the driving in them is pretty deep and technical) or the more out there versions Crazy Taxy (yay open world!), Outrun series, Ridge Racer... there are also the Sci-Fi ones Wipeout & F-Zero...

More "arcade" like is really meaning less because there is so much variety in that category.

Driveclub is in many ways the best game in its category, the tracks are amazingly well designed, the feeling of speed is un-equalled and the driving model that some apparently do not like is just excellent, it let you feel each car's specific weight and handling characteristics very differently... even in cars that are in the same category or have similar on paper characteristics!

So in therms of it being more or less arcady, Driveclub reminds me a lot of Daytona USA or Sega Rally in therms of handling and track design, which is the most arcade like that you can get (I don't think I am mistaken by saying Daytona USA is basically IT when it domes to arcade racers).

Oh, you hearless bastard.

I'd disagree with Daytona, but definitely very much like Sega Rally! :D

Drive Club is more of a "Simcade" game which strives to find more of the middle ground like the Codemasters titles, Project Gotham Racing etc did previously.

Personally I find Simcade the most satisfying overall racing experience. I just love that it's clearly over the top (a lot of the stuff if you were doing it in real life, you'd already have spun out or whatever) but there is still a danger/risk to your manoeuvres.

Haha, I thought the ;) would be clear enough. The AI clearly avoids and steers around whoever is driving in that video. He cuts corners without penalties and the handling looks great. I spend almost an hour last night working towards a win on the first Norway track at pro AI difficulty in a super series car. That track is so fast it feels like wipeout, and similarly one touch to the wall pretty much guarantees a loss. It's one of the most difficult tracks to win on, love it.

the biggest turnoff im afraid is lack of content/progression

While DC does invoke that feeling of driving on the Nordschleife, it's much closer to NFS Shift and PGR than GT. The difference is the speed. A sim racer keeps it realistic, while an arcade racer exeggerates grip and acceleration for a more immediate experience.

It's not a mediocre sim racer since it's not trying to be a sim racer. Unless you also think the original NFS is a mediocre sim racer? Anyway the true definition of arcade is the one more go principle and setting high scores. DC excels in that.

There are a lot of different arcade racers. What makes a fun arcade experience might not be fun for others, doesn't mean it's not a great arcade experience. I enjoy Wipeout best without the weapons, pure racing. For the same reason MK8 just doesn't do it for me, yet I still see the quality in the game. In NFS I don't like being the cops, I enjoy racing and evading. Turbo boost and radar jammer over offensive gimmicks.
After arcade racers resorting to stories (The run), annoying gimmicks (Split/Second), combat (Blur), or openworld to make things more 'interesting', DriveClub is a great return to what arcade racing is all about for me. Better than PGR, I played them all but never felt going beyond completing all the races.

(btw GT6 had as much new content as Forza 5, plus most of the existing content, a lot more than Forza 4 vs Forza 3, yet gets slated of being a rehash. Seems reviewers are just tired of track racing)

Again, Driveclub didn't quite find a balance that makes its a truly notable racer. If people are still having fun with it, great. I've had plenty of fun with games that only scored in the 60s or 70s on metacritic. I'm not sure why people are so bothered by it getting average scores. That atleast gives the impression critics enjoyed it at some level.

Driveclub is definitely a throwback but not necessarily one people want. I think its selling well because PS4 owners are thristy for a racing experience that isn't over the top like NFS and The Crew. The first party push doesn't hurt either.

Its possible track racers are scoring lower because critics are getting tired of them. The bar hasn't been raised much since Forza 3 and GT5 other than visuals. The Forza Horizon series has actually been refreshing change of pace. That's a mix of track racing and open world gameplay done incredibly well.

The beauty of taste and opinion. If I want a racing game I prefer a game like DC. Otherwise I go having fun with GTA, where you have plenty of open world driving. I agree with you about Media expecting now 'open world' and innovation everywhere, and lowering the score if this does not happen. But I have a different opinion about racing games, and for me it's more important a realistic handlng/physics engine and pure driving to the limit rather than having fun with a more arcady open world Forza Horizon. It's just a matter of taste. For me DC >>>> Forza Horizon.

What balance though? Anyway I'm not bothered about the score, just like talking about Driveclub. It's definitely the throwback I was looking for.

Forza Horizon is not that refreshing, there were plenty open world racers before it with more activities, longer races (TDU series, Burnout paradise), better races keeping you working for it instead of checking of race after race (Midnight club LA), and cop chases and better sense of speed (NFS Hot pursuit, Most wanted, Rivals) What Forza Horizon brought is apparently what you hold against DC, a more sim like handling model.

I enjoyed Forza Horizon but the track racing was average. The final race I didn't even have competition, the AI screwed up in the beginning and I never saw them again during the race. Plus all the slight varieties in tracks quickly became repetitive, same with the world that didn't offer anything new after the first 2 hours. It was fun going for speed records yet after completing all the rasces in 13 hours I was kinda over the game. I'm still looking forward to playing FH2, just not for any skill based racing. Same with the crew. Not for racing, for cruising coast to coast. I spend over 100 hours on ETS2 just for that too. Aberdeen to Verona through the channel tunnel without a speed limiter, reaching 160kph in a fully upgraded Scania :) (That has an addictive build your truck emporium game though, dunno how long the crew will entertain me)

The bar in arcade racers has been raised beyond visuals. Challenge mode is a game changer, especially for people like me that don't really care about online racing. Racing other people asynchronously is much more enjoyable to me, no wait times involved or idiots crashing into you.