My shortlist is probably WipEout Pulse (I love how that entire series feels like a game made out of electronic music, the same way Doom is made out of metal), WipEout 2048 (for the same reason, but I played it even more), Forza Motorsport 2 (cuz it had a huge influence on my taste at a very young age), and then maybe Gran Turismo 5?
My shortlist is probably WipEout Pulse (I love how that entire series feels like a game made out of electronic music, the same way Doom is made out of metal), WipEout 2048 (for the same reason, but I played it even more), Forza Motorsport 2 (cuz it had a huge influence on my taste at a very young age), and then maybe Gran Turismo 5?