I guess I only want to play old school racing games now
Super Woden GP 2 confirms it
It's the Steam Deck's fault. I picked up Valve's handheld with the aim of using it to play anything and everything, but instead I've used it almost exclusively to play topdown racer Circuit Superstars and Amiga-era throwback racer Horizon Chase Turbo.
Enter Super Woden GP 2, which just released yesterday. It's a blend of Circuit Superstars with the simple car tweaking and progression of early Gran Turismo and it's already heating up my Deck.
There's a sweet spot I'm looking for from these games, which is basically: a simple handling model which isn't too challenging, but plenty of depth in terms of tracks, cars, race types, and so on. Super Woden GP 2 seems to fit the bill, because I've played a handful of races so far and won them all, and because it's got rallies, 24hr races, championship tournaments, weekenders, time trials, a separate arcade rally mode, and 180 hours to gradually unlock.
I haven't explored it yet, but if you do want to give your vehicle a tuneup you can stick your fingers in the engine, gearbox, chassis, brakes, suspension and tyes, too. It was wonderfully satisfying in the original Gran Turismo (or F1 Pole Position on the SNES) to level up an old banger into a speed racer, and then later games in the series became far too realistic for my tastes. I am not, ultimately, a gearhead. I can't even drive in real life.
Super Woden GP 2 is mostly the work of a solo developer and it ordinarily costs £11/$15. With a launch discount of 35%, it's currently just £7.14. I haven't played it nearly enough yet to give it a robust recommendation, but it's not going to break the bank.