I've enjoyed arcade racers like Cruisin' USA, but I only ever play them in the arcade, preferably in sit-down cabinets. Put me in front of a console racer and it's generally not long before I start into a "what's the point" existential tailspin. And the more "realistic" the racer, the faster I start considering the benefits of suicide.
Thus Gran Turismo represented a low point for me.
(While on the other end of things, I did enjoy Extreme GIII until it was "permanently borrowed" by a friend, who has since moved to Russia. Maybe it was the pretty lights? I'll have to try that FZeroX thingie when I get an N4...)
But then I stumbled across "Driver", and it was like a heavenly light! At the end of the tunnel, even! Yeah, you're driving around. But no, you're not doing laps on a track. And the AI isn't even cheating as much as it usually does!
So this has got me thinking. I like driving around, but I'm not much for racing. Perhaps "mission based" driving would be one way to put it. Is this a modern innovation? There's Driver, Driver 2, Stuntman, Chase: Hollywood Driver. I hear that there's a fair amount of it in GTA3 and 4. And maybe Halo counts, too. What other games, ancient or modern, prominently feature driving but not "racing"?