Drifting is a big part of driving games these days, whether it's slide sessions in Forza, Gran Turismo, Need for Speed or any other racing title. What there hasn't been lately though, is a full-featured sim game dedicated entirely to drifting. Later this year, the release of "Drift 19" will change that.
Known for "Car Mechanic Simulator," its unique wrenching/driving series, ECC is taking what it has learned with those efforts and applying it to game based on the fun of drifting.
It's not just the driving part of the game that makes "Drift 19" sound like a promising new experience; it's the effort behind choosing your car and building it up. The game promises to the ability to buy old, beat down machines and transform them into drift cars with a level of mechanical building and detail not usually seen in casual games. Maybe it will be like a modern version of "Street Rod?"
While little info has been released about the game's car roster, it promises a lot of classic cars inspired by the history of the drifting movement, and the screenshots show both a Toyota AE86 and a BMW E30.
As far as tracks go, the game will include Japan's legendary Ebisu Circuit, which is considered a holy ground for drifting. Here's hoping that other real-life but lesser known drift circuits will also be available to drive on.
While there is no official release date for the game yet, its Steam page is up, and the name points to a release on PC some time this year, with console versions coming at some point as well. We'll certainly be excited to check it out, and in the meantime we might have to go back and check out "Car Mechanic Simulator" so we can get an idea of what "Drift 19" might be like.