Evolution Studio's swan song.
It had a rocky launch but the devs continued to support the game through updates for two years until the studio's closure. Those updates were some of the best post-release content I have seen that rivals No Mans Sky such as an amazing weather system, different physics, rich set of events, vehicles and tracks.
It has a good blend of arcade and simulation racing that it becomes incredibly fun and thrilling with its great sense of speed and lovely car selection.
The whole game is so beautiful that only Gran Turismo can rival its looks. The sound design is also near realistic and the soundtrack is amazing. But despite all these, there lingers some of its flaws from the original release, inconsistent difficulty and ruthless AI that don't care about your presence.

On release, Driveclub is nothing special. Driveclub at its final update to its death is the "Snyder cut" that makes it one of the most underrated racing games. A type of racing game that probably won't be replicated again. (Project Cars 3 tried but couldn't. It even had devs from this game.) Gran Turismo 7 and Forza 8 are coming out but what also we need is another Driveclub like game.

I played the western version back when it came out and it was okay.. or so I thought when I found out that there was an uncut version only available in Japan that had a properly told story that had branching paths and anime FMV cutscenes courtesy of Production IG. God bless Project Nemo for giving us the fan patch in 2019.

The Japanese version is incredibly ambitious and kino with themes similar to Ghost in the Shell. I guess it was way ahead its time back then thus not selling well which also butchered the western release. Game has aged but it's still definitely worth checking out.

Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (alongside Dynasty Warriors 2) walked so Drakengard could run.

If there's a list of best PSP games, this game should be in it. While not made by Project Aces, (Access Games made this one. The same devs who did Drakengard 3) the quality comes exceptionally close to the PS2 titles despite being a handheld title. I guess it being a PSP is its biggest fault. The story is fine with accompanying artwork albeit less noteworthy, gameplay is the same as 5 which is great although they also reintroduced branching missions, added more fictional aircraft (some from previous games) and introduced aircraft customization and that gives it tons of replayability. It gives a good challenge and a satisfying payoff with its mission variety (though some levels might be BS too especially the gas mission). The soundtrack is a banger as always even though the sound team is entirely different from the previous games (one of the people from the sound team is the composer of the Index anime series). It's also probably best experienced on emulator as there are enhancements and finding a legitimate copy is going to be tough as you can only get this on UMD and this got removed digitally years ago. If you own a modded PSP though, that will also do. The controls on the smaller analog is still pretty good and playing it on the go is still worth it.

I highly recommend this game. Whether you are a fan of the series or a newcomer, don't skip it. It is a gem that I hope more people discover.

It's Ridge Racer but trying to copy Gran Turismo and it surprisingly also got the Ace Combat 4 type of <dialogue>. Honestly it's an alright game. The driving is a bit iffy and nowhere near as good as Gran Turismo but it at least has it's own charm and a nice cheesy story mode. Lots of cars and track variety too including drag and rally racing. The music is pretty good too as expected in a Namco title. All in all, it's interesting seeing Ridge Racer try a less arcadey approach but Gran Turismo 3 which came 2 years ago just set the bar way too high for sim arcade racing games.

This is a masterpiece. The last of the golden era of Ace Combat. It has aged really well and my love for this game hasn't changed throughout the years after numerous replays.

It has peak PS2 era graphics that will look good years from now. It has top notch flight shooter gameplay with lots of variety and replayability in the missions and aircraft with incredible moments to moments that always give me chills.

It's story is well written which tells a great anti war message without being preachy or taking out the fun. It is presented really well with documentary style FMVs.

It also has solid voice acting and some of the best music in gaming.

All of these then come really well together once you encounter one of the best final bosses.

Seriously, do yourself a favor and play this game (as well as 4 and 5) if you haven't already.

I think this is Ubisoft's best game which is more than a surprise.
It is one of the most unique games I've ever played.
An action driving game that makes do stuff aside from racing and also makes you feel like Steve McQueen. It has a very compelling story as you play as the cop Tanner trying to take down Jericho who always seems to be a step ahead. There is an interesting feature in 'Shifting' which allows you to hijack into another car by 'physically taking over the bodies of any driver' kind of like Super Mario Odyssey. It works seemlessly and well to the plot as most of the game is spent in coma. Because of this, some wild stuff goes down as you further progress the game with missions having you do things you won't see from other racing or driving games and it complements the story.
The arcade driving physics is great and every car feels distinct and fun to drive. The nice depiction of San Fran makes the drive much better and also the great music selection and soundtrack. This game still looks good too.

Incredibly underrated and deserves more recognition. This is a driving game that everyone who isn't into driving games will enjoy. The car hopping mechanic keeps the game's flow silky smooth and the great writing just wraps the whole thing together nicely.
We will also probably never see this kind of game ever again. I wish I could experience it for the first time again.