So, I heard about the awful Starforce DRM LA Rush for PC has. Knowing that GOG is a place where DRM is despised, what are my options to play LA Rush? I am hoping there is a solution that allows me to play the game on Windows 10 Pro, with the latest updates.

The game you mentioned is not available on GOG.
So one thing you can do is vote on the community wishlist entry for the game (one seems to exist) :
https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/la_rush

This only lets the staff know that this amount of customers who voted for it want the game to be released for sale here, and maybe use that data when negotiating with the rights holders (just my guess). Just that and nothing more.

Maybe others can offer more helpful ideas.

deleted

How many votes are typically needed for a game to get in the running?


I know this is not on GOG, however, others on GOG know/dealt with Starforce, so it is a great place to ask about this.

As you have brought a legal copy of the game (correct?), then you can look for a nocd patch. What these do, and they are all different, is replace certain files, in most it's the exe which runs the game, removing the disc check from the exe so you can play it without the cd in the drive. It removes the starforce, or other drm. Note some drm products are far worse than others so you may not find a patch or method to remove it. Also, make sure you thoroughly virus scan any files you download as they can be bad. Also note that you should only do this if you own the game legally.

If a company put Starforce on their product then no amount of votes is likely to help. Only a bunch of assholes who care nothing about the actual gamers would do that to their product. They are basically saying that DRM is more important than the product, and if the DRM makes the game unplayable, so be it.

I have not actually. I don't want to buy a legal copy until I am certain I can properly play the game. I just wanted to see what my options were before I do something stupid. Using a NOCD crack for the game is a good option, but I'll see what others propose.

There is no typical amount. If GOG can fairly cheaply get the distribution rights to a bunch of games at once from a single publisher (even titles with very few votes), and they don't have to do too much to get a DRM-free build of the game running reliably on recent Windows systems, then even somewhat obscure games can show up here.
Conversely, even wishes with thousands of votes mean nothing if the rights owners (code/assets, IP, publishing, what-have-you) are unwilling or unable to cooperate -- either with a potential distributor (such as GOG), or with each other (in the case of fractured rights).

But anything with a vote total lower than triple digits shouldn't be expected here real soon.... ;)

I don't totally know how copyright works, however LA Rush was owned by MIDWAY, which have now been closed. I wonder how even owns the rights to the game anymore?

According to the Wikipedia article on Midway, Warner Bros. purchased most of their assets, so that's probably the best bet. However, it scarcely matters in this case, as I see that L.A. Rush apparently used licensed real-world car models; those licenses have almost certainly expired by now, and the chances are vanishingly slim that the current owner (whomever it may be) would renegotiate those licenses for a potential re-release, especially given that the game was apparently not all that well-received in the first place.

That is right, that is something I completely forgot. Those car copyrights are a pain in the ass, not to mention the Pimp my Ride copyright, and music as well.

So we are stuck with a Starforce broken game, well that really sucks.

There is apparently also a PS2 version of the game. How about running it on a PS2 emulator?

I first thought this was about the San Fransisco RUSH arcade game(s), and I was delighted to learn there was a PC version too. But apparently not, the San Fransisco RUSH games appeared only on Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast, outside of arcades.

The arcade versions have a special place in my heart because IIRC they used PC gaming technology (3Dfx Voodoo graphics?). Just because all the console owners back then kept saying PC is not suitable for games, hence arcade systems are more like console technology (like SEGA arcade games etc.).

Emulation is alright, you have to use software mode on PCSX2, so it isn't a perfect solution, but the game is playable.

Sounds like it's time to buy the game