Car customization in racing games... Where has it gone to and why is it slipping?

[Empathy KING]

For every new racing game that trys to break the norm I always base my opinion on car customization. Why? Because car customaization is what makes your car stand out from the rest. With the exception of Forza titles, most newer racing games are extremely lacking in the customization department. I do not want $hitty preset decal patterns. I want total freedom to make my car look and perform exatly how I want it to. If I want to paint a turd on my car ( which i would never do) I should be able to do so. I am seriously thinking abou buying The Crew, or I was until I saw that the customization of cars on the game totally bites a$$. Why have a basicly MMO type racing game where you can't make your car stand out. I would hate to pull up to a car that is a mirror image of my own. After I realized that The Crew was lackluster in customization I put a halt on me buying the game. I do not understand why racing games are getting the squeeze on car customization. I know a lot of people that love to deck out there ride. I also know several people that will spend hours in the decal department on Forza and Midnight Club! I want more customizaton in my racing games. With the new and improved technology in these "next gen" systems it shouldnt be a problem to do this. I used to be a racing game finatic, but these new games recently have been just horrible. Hopefully a new game will arise that will completely juumpstart the racing genre and bring it back to life!

[chris.kuk]

I think that car customization in games is on the decline because car customization in real life is on the decline. If you look at the aftermarket sales figures they have been dropping like crazy. Not as many people care about it anymore so why would game designers spend the money to make it happen. I'm not saying I don't care for customization, I just think that's what's happening. I too hope for some better racing games in the future.