rFactor is a motor racing video game that runs on PCs, it is an accurate simulation, rather than an arcade game. And it has gained a formidable reputation despite not coming from a major publisher and so not having massive marketing support.

rFactor is probably the most accurate motor racing simulator there has ever been. The attention to detail is phenomenal, hardly surprising when the developer, Image Space Incorporated (ISI), come from a background of developing simulators for commercial and military use.

Here are some features that I like:

* Distributed mainly online. Little old fashioned cardboard and plastic distribution.
* Really brilliant physics, the best of any racing game to date.
* Does not require the latest and most powerful PC. Just a 1.4 GHz processor CPU, 512 MB of RAM and 128 MB of video RAM.
* Lots of tools released by the developers to the users.
* Extremely modifiable and extend-able.
* Which in turn means that there is masses of user generated content, add ons and mods. A staggering amount.
* There is a really strong and active global community supporting the game.
* Well organised and extremely popular online play.
* Realism, realism, realism. No other racing game comes remotely as near to the real thing.

ISI have done many of the things I have written about on here before and as an online niche publisher with massive community input they are a great pointer to the future of video games.