In their endless pursuit to perfectly recreate their source material, sports games are limited in terms of what they're allowed to do. The same is true for the often monochromatic locales of racing games which are derived from the big-name competitive circuits, if not copied verbatim. There's an almost escapist satisfaction to tearing through Laguna Seca or Silverstone that's very much in line with the general appeal of racing games - again, going fast is cool, and it's that much cooler when done on an authentic course. However, recent games have demonstrated the other side of this blade. Courses tend to run together, lacking personality because the makers literally couldn't deviate from a set design. If you want Silverstone in your game, you can't add in tunnels, hills and drift-bait, after all. The balance between realism and fun is exemplified by the gap between arcade and simulation racers, but more colorful tracks are something both sides stand to gain from. Even if it comes down to a cut-and-dry separation of the two - new tracks go here, recreated tracks go there - adding original circuits to a game would do wonders for its personality.
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
