Formula Racer 2012

Formula Racer 2012 runs on the same engine as Formula Racer, but FR2012 offers a little different experience from its Formula Racer counterpart. The sequel offers a different experience in the sense of how you get through the game. Kongregate and Turbo Nuke are back at it again with this game. The biggest difference between the two titles is that this one involves three different car classes as opposed to the one formula car you use. I will be sure to fill you in on the various details to help discuss this racing game to you all.

--- Formula Racer 2012 ---

This is your first look at the sequel of Formula Racer, "Formula Racer 2012":


^ from: sticklebackgames.com (best I could find) - Formula Racer 2012 offers three classes of racing, 12 tracks, and one high-speed thrill ride.


Formula Racer 2012 is the sequel to "Formula Racer." As such, it runs on the same engine as Formula Racer. The experience here is different because you race with and against three different classes of car in this game. You can upgrade your car to any number of offered levels. Also, you can set up each car to any number of attributes. Take advantage of these things to help make yourself the most unstoppable force on the track. Unlike "Formula Racer," "Formula Racer 2012" only has certain tracks exclusive to each class. So you will be racing certain tracks using certain cars. Each race lasts two laps and features 32 cars to a track, including your car. You can pick a certain color scheme for your car unlike in Formula Racer. Also different about this game is the fact that you can choose between dry tires and wet tires. The game will specify what whether conditions will have. Picking the wrong tires doesn't necessarily mean you are going to struggle for grip and speed. It just means you'll have to work that much harder to try to win.

Here is a brief look at each of the classes, cars, and tracks.

Formula Racer 2012: Race Class 1.

The Race Class 1 car you will race with resembles the various Caterham models. Or if you know your older cars, they resemble something like the Lotus Super 7 cars (which most Caterhams are based on to begin with). Five upgrade levels are offered for this car. Here are the three races you will be involved in:

• USA - a high-speed romp in a city environment.
• Malaysia - A very quick course in a tropical jungle setting.
• Brazil - a very fast, yet technical course.

Formula Racer 2012: Race Class 2.

Once you unlock Race Class 2, you will be racing faster cars and more difficult tracks than in Race Class 1. The Race Class 2 car, unlike the Race Class 1 car, is a more proper race car. It sort of resembles a vintage F1 car from the 1980s or so. These cars are still quite powerful and fast. There are eight upgrade levels for the Race Class 2 car. You will need those upgrades taking on the more furious competition. Prepare yourself for these four races:

• Australia - here is a tricky course in a desert-like environment.
• Canada - a lot of the corners are fairly sharp here.
• China - tough corners and little straightaways make up this course.
• France - a fairly small course in a tropical urban setting.

Formula Racer 2012: Race Class 3.

This class boasts the fastest and most capable car. It also boasts the most difficult courses. Your car in Race Class 3 can be upgraded to 12 levels. It wasn't easy getting your way from the Class 1 events to this level. With that said, you know you're going to have to really show your strength if you figure into being a champion of racing by taking on these five courses:

• Great Britain - a twisty course with a handful of left-right switchbacks.
• Germany - a few difficult corners, but otherwise quite fast.
• Spain - smooth corners transition quickly to sharp corners. Be careful!
• Turkey - many sweeping corners and switchbacks make up this course, including one VERY long sweeping corner.
• India - tricky switchbacks and undulating roads will rack your brain here.


Most of the advice I've provided in "Formula Racer" also apply to "Formula Racer 2012." The only thing I recommend is that you finish every race, even if you finish dead last. The key to success in this game is in making the money. You need every bit of coin to upgrade your car and unlock tracks and cars. Don't forget also to upgrade. If your car is fully upgraded, everything relies on racing ability. I hope you have enough so you can become champion.

It is now time I offer a review on this game.

--- Formula Racer 2012: Review ---

"Formula Racer 2012" is not much different from "Formula Racer," but it is just as fun and fast-paced as the previous game. The level of challenge is just right. This game will not frustrate you or make you feel it is impossible to beat. Decent, skillful driving should yield you great results. This is another great job by the combination of Kongregate and Turbo Nuke.

Want to Play?

If you have LOADS of time to waste, here is a sample video featuring "Formula Racer 2012":


^ "Formula Racer 2012 - Flash Game"

You can play "Formula Racer 2012" right now by following this link: Formula Racer 2012 on Kongregate. For more online games from Kongregate and Turbo Nuke visit their respective websites: www.kongregate.com and www.turbonuke.com.





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Formula Racer

Formula Racer is a Flash-based racing game published by Kongregate and developed by Turbo Nuke. You will be racing with and against the most elite of race cars in high-speed formula car battle. You will never know what kind of madness awaits you once the race starts. All you know is that you're strapped into a sophisticated and fast racing car devoid of fenders, head lights, and compromises. When the lights turn green, get ready for a race sure to get your blood pumping and your heart racing as hard as the actual racing you'll be doing. This post is a review of the Flash-based racing game "Formula Racer."

--- Formula Racer ---

Here is a little picture of the game I am set to discuss:


^ from: www.youtube.com - Formula Racer is a Flash-based racing game by Kongregate and Turbo Nuke.

Formula Racer puts you in a Formula 1-style race car and compete on eight different tracks from around the world. You need to be atop your game and race with purpose if you expect to win. "Formula Racer" also features various Achievements you can complete. The game features eight race tracks spanning the globe. There are no licensed tracks, but each venue resembles a real-world track, and not all of them are actual tracks found in that nation. For example, you start in the USA, and the USA track resembles Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. Each race is two laps long and consists of 24 drivers (including yourself) to a track. Simply finishing a race will earn you sufficient money which you can use towards unlocking more tracks and upgrading your car. You can upgrade your car to enhance its performance up to 16 levels. Your boost is with you and refills over time. Press the Space key to activate your boost. It doesn't need to be at full to be used.

Here are a few things to take note of when playing "Formula Racer." Direct contact with other cars will not destroy your car, but crashing into outside barriers and other off-track objects will explode your car. Once you crash, victory is near impossible. There is an Achievement you can get for winning a race after crashing. If you crash, all of the boost you have stocked will be dumped. There is no on-screen map of your progress. The only way to know how far you've raced is when you look at the progress bar at the top of the main window. Try to place as high as possible (3rd or better) on all of the tracks so you can unlock the "Special Car." Do not expect to win right away. Even I was a bit lucky to win the first race with a bone stock car before preparing this review.

--- Formula Racer Review ---

Here is my own review of the game you've just read about.

"Formula Racer" is a fast-paced Flash-based racing game that delivers some great action. The controls for this game are fairly sharp, and the action remains intense. The AI can be a bit twitchy and acting as if they rule the road. The game runs very smoothly and remains fast-paced all the time. It is a very cool game for you racing game fans. Go play it online if you're wanting to pass the time online playing Flash games.

Want to Play?

Here is a video preview of this game:


^ "Formula Racer - Kongregate Gameplay by Magicolo46"

If you want to play "Formula Racer," follow this link: Formula Racer on Kongregate. For more online games from Kongregate and Turbo Nuke visit their respective websites: www.kongregate.com and www.turbonuke.com.





I will be reviewing more games and talking more racing games in future posts here on "John's Race Space"- even including Flash games. I want to expand upon and live up to the mantra of "anything and everything" in all that I discuss. Make sure you're Subscribed/Followed if you love my work. I hope you enjoyed your time here. Thank you for reading!

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TrackMania Series

French developer NADEO created TrackMania starting in 2004. This unique racing game series allows gamers to create their own tracks by using a comprehensive grid system. Almost any track you can dream of can be made using the game's many tools. It can also be a puzzle game... sort of. No matter what the case, there is something for almost any racing gamer- or any gamer in general can enjoy. This blog post is a general look at the TrackMania series and what has made it so successful.

About the Label: "TrackMania"

Blog posts under the "TrackMania" label relate to NADEO's successful TrackMania series. Posts relate to this series and the individual games that make up this series.

--- TrackMania Series in General ---

TrackMania games are noted for bringing a variety of racing action to gamers. This is no ordinary racing game- you can make modest racing courses, or you can jazz things up and add things like jumps, loops, turbo pads, and more. The only limit to what you can create is your imagination. Your head will spin simply thinking about how you can make that sort of course of your dreams using what is available.

For me, I liken TrackMania in track creation to a 1990 PC racing game called Stunts (also called "4D Sports Driving"). Both games feature a grid-based system for which to build tracks. Both games even feature a handful of stunt driving elements to make racing more interesting. The base games offer the most amazing racing experiences out of the box. Later titles have featured expansion packs that offer even more insane action with some new tiles and even some new game modes.

This is now a simple look at the individual elements that make up TrackMania:

Cars.

There are no licensed cars or real cars featured in any TrackMania. However, you will find a number of vehicles made by the PC modding community that can be downloaded and added to the car lineup. The cars you race are unique to each environment. So no matter what kind of vehicle you use, the handling model and performance characteristics remain constant. The handling model is purely arcade. Don't worry about precise handling or realistic physics. Cars can't be tuned. So don't worry about modifying cars to be better either. What you CAN modify, however, are the different paintschemes for your car. You can paint up your car and dress it up with decals and other things. Save your creations or even download various other creations made by the modding community. One last note- the speeds in this game are ONLY in kilometers per hour (KPH), and you can't change over to MPH.

Speaking of environments...

Locations.

Each TrackMania location features a unique environment. They are all distinctive in their own way and are different from one another. You are able to create any number of tracks utilizing each environment's unique set of tiles. The best way to enjoy racing these locations is to take advantage of each car's capabilities and tailor courses to suit each car. Created tracks can be set in one of four time settings: Morning, Day, Sunset, and Night. Pick the time of day wisely because you won't be able to change the time of day once you create such a track. You will be unable to (for example) change one existing track's setting from Day to Night.

Racing.

You are left with a number of options here. The majority of racing you will do in this game will take place mostly on open circuits. There also isn't much "racing" in this game. You are essentially doing time trials. What you are basically racing against are ghosts that have taken their tour of each track. All you are trying to accomplish is to beat the best times. There are no collision dynamics if you try to do any real racing against any of the other cars on track.

Just create a track with any number of checkpoints along with a Start/Finish line or a Start gate and a Finish gate. Some locations are more for platforming or performing stunts. Or if you want a unique challenge, try solving a puzzle by placing certain tiles to complete a course; then try to complete that race. You will win medals for clearing certain events as fast as you can. You will win all medals if you even beat the author's best time for any given course! If you manage to screw up, you have the option of respawning your car from the last checkpoint you cleared. Or if you haven't cleared a checkpoint, the race will simply restart.

Here is a look at the many options available to you. Not all TrackMania games have each of these modes:

• Race: Open - Gamers can create point-to-point tracks utilizing the game's many tiles for track creation. Make a mild course all about speed or handling, or be sure to add some jumps and stunts to make things interesting. It's your call- just make sure to set a beginning and an end to the course.

• Race: Multilap - You can make a closed circuit by setting up a Start/Finish line and making a complete loop flanked by checkpoints. Rather than individual laps counting, you have to run a consistent race all race long. Your best time will be based on the total time to complete the multi-lap race rather than trying to score the fastest lap. The quicker, the better (obviously).

• Platform - In a Platform race, your goal is to complete a series of insane stunts without having to restart. You will obviously win Gold if you manage to clear the entire event without needing to restart. Silver and bronze can still be obtained if you don't make too many mistakes. These can be very scary, yet very rewarding to accomplish.

• Stunt - With only a set amount of time, gain as many points as you can by performing various stunts. Just make sure to cross the finish line before time runs out! If you don't cross the finish line, you will gradually lose points until you eventually cross the finish line. So make those stunts and cross the line in time!

• Puzzle - It is peculiar for a racing game to have a Puzzle Mode. In Puzzle Mode, you are given an incomplete race track. Your goal is to complete the track using the given tiles available to you. Once you complete the course, you must then try and race to the finish in the quickest time possible. Don't worry if you fail to complete the course quick enough- you can always adjust everything to where you eventually can try a different strategy or complete the course faster.

• Crazy - You are racing against multiple ghost cars on one course. Try to score faster lap times than the other ghosts while not exceeding a certain time limit. Can you go faster than everybody else?

Music.

Most of the music done in this game is done by a French musician known as Doo. The music is mostly a collection of various genres, but mostly in the realm of electronic dance music, and mostly in the realm of house. And in case you didn't know- French do House music VERY well. Just ask Daft Punk. Other artists and groups have chimed in to lend their sounds, such as Jason Alner, Mike Myler, Zsolt Marx, and more.


Now that you have a general idea of what TrackMania brings, it is now time to look at some of the individual games that make up this series.

--- TrackMania Series: The Games ---

^ from: www.amazon.com - TrackMania United Forever features every car and environment among the classic environments.

I may not feature every game in the series, but I will at least cover most of the titles. Some of these games featured here MAY show up in future individual blog posts.

TrackMania (2003).

The first TrackMania featured three courses: Desert, Rally, and Snow. I have personally never played the first TrackMania. What you are going to see from me here will be very limited:

• Desert - Go for a high-speed romp through the desert. The environment features many roads as well as industrial sections. The car you use is called the American. This car boasts incredible acceleration and has fairly okay handling.

• Rally - In a distinctively European landscape, take your rally car around a bunch of gravel and dirt stages. The car you use is a rally car that resemble the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo has amazing acceleration and is very nimble. Take advantage of this car's capabilities to clear the various courses set up in this environment. You can race through forests, villages, and more.

• Snow - Take your mini pickup truck for a ride around a snowy mountain setting. The setting is somewhat inspired by some of the mountainous terrain of Nepal and has Chinese-style buildings and structures. You'll be driving on snowy roads, wooden roads, and even drive on ice. It will not be easy trying to drive these stages.

TrackMania Sunrise (2005).

TrackMania Sunrise brought about three new driving experiences and three new kinds of cars to use. The game's currency system, called Coppers, limited how much you could create for your new tracks. This system was also useful for PCs that couldn't handle the stress of very complex courses, setting a limit to how much one can input. Gamers could earn more Coppers by successfully completing various races in the game.

• Island - Almost any car fan dreams of having the open road and going full speed through it. This environment is a prime example of enjoying high-speed thrills with an amazingly fast car. This exotic sports car highly resembles the Ferrari Enzo Ferrari. It goes very fast. The Island environment features city buildings, tunnels, highways, and more. The TrackMania Sunrise eXtreme package includes things like a space station, airplane hangars, and more.

• Coast - The Coast environment features a driving setting more catered towards simulation racers. The environment itself is a rally racing environment complete with some lovely Old World buildings and some country roads. You can drive through some beautiful villages and even some weird highways. While this environment may lack any high-speed thrills, the environment more than makes up for it with a car which resembles the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The driving dynamics make for opportunities to drift the car into the corners. In addition to rally-style courses, the Coast environment also includes tiles you can use to make a proper racing circuit. So you have some options if you want to create any sort of racing course in this environment.

• Bay - This urban locale is vastly inspired by Hong Kong. Courses under this environment are romps through the city. You are given a sport-utility vehicle (SUV) to do your stunts and racing in this environment. Meet your mount for this environment- a performance SUV meant to take on this urban jungle. The TrackMania Sunrise eXtreme package features many more tiles to use, including seaport cargo boxes among other environmental touches.

I had the demo to TrackMania Sunrise before eventually buying the full game.

TrackMania Nations (2006).

As a World Championship of racing, TrackMania Nations was key in making such action possible. To my knowledge, TrackMania Nations is still the only free TrackMania game. In fact, my first TrackMania was TrackMania Nations. TrackMania Nations features only one environment and one car. You race around the Stadium environment. This environment allows you race on these futuristic roads. To be honest, this environment doesn't offer too much to be very artistic and creative with different kinds of natural terrain touches. The Stadium car is more like NADEO's answer to the former A1GP series. It is a nimble car with great top speed.

The premise of TrackMania Nations was to allow for a world of competition to compete on any number of tracks as part of the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC). The single car you use features a number of paint schemes representing a host of nations and territories. Some 70 or so countries and territories are represented. In addition, there are brief hymns of each represented nation that are played. So you can hear this more electronic dance-style hymn of the represented nations national anthems. A future package called TrackMania Nations Forever added new blocks. You could now add some more scenery and even race on dirt roads in the Stadium environment. Plus, you could race in any time of day- including Morning, Day, Sunset, and Night.

TrackMania United and TrackMania United Forever (2008).

It was in 2006 that all of the classic TrackMania venues and cars would all be part of one big package offering the most enhanced experience any TrackMania fan can enjoy. It would all be included in a package called "TrackMania United." It features all seven environments and all seven cars. The version I got was TrackMania United Forever, and it includes every single tile including the different tiles from the enhanced packages of each game.

TrackMania DS/TrackMania Turbo (2009).

Nintendo DS owners could enjoy the thrills of TrackMania on their Nintendo DS with TrackMania DS- also called "TrackMania Turbo." This version of TrackMania was the first one made by Firebrand Games, not NADEO. It only features the Rally, Desert, and Stadium environments.

TrackMania Wii: Build to Race (2011).

The Nintendo Wii got TrackMania loving as well. While it was supposed to be released much sooner than its eventual 2011 release, this TrackMania offers every classic environment, excluding Bay. The free range of motion using the Wii lends itself to a good deal of customization and control in making courses.

TrackMania 2 Series (2015-2013).

Rather than feature all past environments, TrackMania 2 solely consists of three environments with various graphic and gaming upgrades as part of the package. The first of these three titles was "TrackMania 2: Canyon." It featured the Desert environment in an enhanced form. Following Canyon was "TrackMania 2 Stadium." It offered up the Stadium environment with various tweaks for an enhanced experience. The latest of the TrackMania 2 offerings is "TrackMania 2 Valley"- an environment that offers up an Autobahn-style environment that kind of combines the Island and Rally environments into one uniquely European setting.


The TrackMania series will not disappoint you if you enjoy making your own race tracks and going out on the road in style.

--- TrackMania Series: Final Thoughts ---

You owe it to yourself to give this series a try if you own a powerful enough PC. Go out and have fun. I certainly have enjoyed making my own courses and enjoying the full experience. You really can't run out of ways to create a course or to make your own tracks.

Video.

The TrackMania series has been around for over ten years now. Here is a video honoring ten years of TrackMania as well as offering a look at some stuff you can get for TrackMania 2:


^ "TrackMania's 10th anniversary [official]"

For More Information...

For more on the TrackMania series, please visit www.trackmania.com.





Do you want to try the TrackMania series? If so, then please take a look at these items below to help you to find what you're looking for. I would recommend you just get TM United Forever. However, if you want more games in the series, I can help you here:




Remember: TrackMania Nations is a free title. To get TrackMania Nations, visit this link: trackmaniaforever.com/nations.





I think you're really going to enjoy the TrackMania series if you want to play an insane racing game series that is great fun to play. Please have yourself a great day and thank you for reading!

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"The Crew" Thoughts

A few days ago, I saw a Twitch stream for the first time ever; and it was about "The Crew" from Ubisoft. I know very little about "The Crew" apart from this being an open-world racing/driving game across various points of the United States. This is NOT a review since I've never played this game. On the other hand, I'm offering thoughts on this game in this blog post.

--- "The Crew" at a Glance ---

Here is a look at The Crew:


^ from: www.amazon.com - This is the box for the PS4 version of "The Crew."

And here is a trailer of "The Crew" for your enjoyment:


^ "The Crew - Launch Trailer"

Allow me to share a few thoughts on this game with this section.

When I first saw the Twitch stream on "The Crew," the player competed in a challenge race in the Midwest going to Chicago. The action then shifted over to a drag race in Detroit followed by a mission in St. Louis. When I looked at this game and thought about it, I normally thought "The Crew" reminds me a lot of Test Drive Unlimited with the open-world style of play, but also with a gritty Need for Speed undertone to it. Oh, and not to mention this game has MUCH better voice acting and story than the TDU games. NO Solar Crown (or some other bulls*** championship) either. The cars look great. I also like the execution of how the whole United States thing. I was only able to see the Midwest. I don't know about the other parts of the United States in this game. Since I'm from Houston, my neck of the woods would likely be in "The South" in "The Crew." I don't know all the different parts of the USA represented in "The Crew," but I do think this is a very cool game.

A big part of The Crew- from what I understand- is basically about building your own group and competing in a handful of different events. You may even call up your boys (and your girls) to complete certain tasks and races. I'll be honest- this is a game I wouldn't mind buying if I had a PlayStation 4. This seems like a very cool game to me.





If you want to get "The Crew," please take a look at this item below:


(available for: PlayStation 4, XBOX One, PC, and XBOX 360)

Remember- these were only THOUGHTS on "The Crew." Maybe if I played the full game and enough of the game to review it, I may review this game. Until then... Thank you for reading!

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Speed Up!

Speed Up! Spanish developer Gaelco created a game in 1996 called Speed Up in which you don't have to win, but you don't want to be last. That's right- this is an elimination racing game. I've known Gaelco for only one other game- their answer to the Drift Out series, "World Rally Championship." I have actually played this game before at an arcade area. If you've never heard of this game (you likely haven't heard of this game), I'm here to introduce you to Speed Up.

--- Speed Up ---

I actually remember playing Speed Up once at a flea market here in Houston long ago. This game was released in 1996 and is arcade-only. The goal of Speed Up! is to avoid placing last. Doing so requires you to move up through the pack as much as you can for as long as you can. At the end of each lap, the lowest-placed driver is eliminated from the competition. Last driver standing wins the event.

Tracks.

There are three tracks- all fictional. Here are the tracks- listed in order in difficulty:

• Barcelona Down Town (Beginner)
• Twisting Rock&Road (Advanced)
• Tex-Mex Circuit (Expert)

Cars.

An interesting aspect of Speed Up is that when you select a car, certain cars will be taken almost like in Musical Chairs fashion. So make sure you pick a car before somebody else does! There are eight cars you can choose from.

Racing.

In elimination racing competition, the lowest-placed driver is eliminated from an event or a tournament. The most important thing to do is to avoid crossing the Start/Finish line in last place. You don't need to be placed ahead of everybody else until it comes down to you and 2nd Place. You don't need to worry about posting the fastest lap times either. All you need to do is be the last driver standing once all the eliminations are complete. If you cross the finish line in last place, you lose, and the game is over.

Review?

Normally, I would provide sort of a review of a given game. But since it's been so long that I've played Speed Up that one day, I'll leave it up to you to see how the game is. Just don't expect this to have as much excitement or gusto as a SEGA racing game or something.

Video Preview.

Do you want to see what Speed Up is like? If so, this video is for you:


^ Recreativas Españolas: Speed Up! (Gaelco) )1996)


That concludes your look at this little-known racing game. Don't be a backmarker- SPEED UP!





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Carmageddon Thoughts

The Carmageddon series from Interplay is a different kind of racing game. How different? Try a racing game where running over people is just as important as trying to win the race. Yeah... brutal. It was a racing game series where you're rewarded for running over people with you points and time bonuses. The concept is "racing is boring. Racing while running over people- yeah!" I have my own thoughts to share on this series.

This game series is noted for graphic violence and blood.

NOTE: This blog post is NOT a review! Because I've never played the full version of any of the Carmageddon series, that's why this post is on THOUGHTS of this game and this series.

--- Carmageddon at a Glance ---

^ from: www.amazon.com - Carmageddon is all about racing, but it also rewards you for destroying your opposition and running over pedestrians.

Vehicular mayhem is a trademark of most hardcore-type racing games. Carmageddon took vehicular mayhem to a new level- a new level where running over people is just as imperative to mayhem than any wheel-to-wheel racing. Cars take an intense amount of damage and are quite durable.

The developer of the Carmageddon series is Stainless Games. Three versions of Carmageddon have been long available for the PC, starting with the very first game released in 1997. "Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now" was relased in 1998. The final classic Carmageddon title was called "Carmageddon: Total Destruction Racing 2000," or more commonly called "Carmageddon: TDR 2000." Recently, the Carmageddon series was reborn with a title called "Carmageddon: Reincarnation." This 2012 title funded successfully by a Kickstarter will deliver most of the same insanity that has made this series so iconic. Get a preview of this title by visiting Carmageddon's website or by viewing this video: "Carmageddon 2012 Reincarnation Confirmed" - YouTube. Besides the PC, there have also been Carmageddon versions for the Nintendo 64 (Carmageddon 64) and the Game Boy Color (Carmageddon).

Racing... or Lack Thereof.

In races, running over pedestrians adds to your score and even gives you time bonuses. When I played the demo of the very first Carmageddon, I picked up big time bonuses by running over people. Time runs out pretty fast as you're trying to clear checkpoints. So what you had to do was a combination of finding shortcuts, take out other racers, and of course- run over pedestrians. And when you run over pedestrians, they don't just magically disappear from the screen- you leave them bloodied and broken. You can run over any pedestrian trying to save their lives from getting run over. If they share the same road that you're racing on, they are fair game. Everyone from younger people to old people are featured as pedestrians. It leads to an experience that is one of the sickest in the history of racing games.


Having said these things, here are thoughts of mine on this series. And as a precaution- I apologize if I lose the respect of my audience in expressing my thoughts. They are truthful comments of mine regardless.

--- Final Thoughts on the Carmageddon Series ---

There is a reason people loved this game series- it offered something different apart from regular racing. Carmageddon could have just been some other mundane racing game offering the thrill of high speed and intense car mayhem. It would have been just another boring racing game all about racing and speed. Just adding the element of fierce racing battle and driving over pedestrians gave this game some character and some personality to separate itself from other racing games.

Having said this, however, there is a saying I follow- different doesn't always mean better. As a racing game series, the Carmageddon games are tough as they are. I actually feel sickened as a veteran of racing games playing Carmageddon. Doing no-holds-barred racing while also being rewarded for running over pedestrians just makes me feel terrible inside. Adding in the element of running over people (and rewarding it) just makes this one of the sickest and most barbaric racing game series of all time. I find no joy in playing this game just to race the way you do while also running over people. If that makes me less of a person to admit that playing a game like this, then I'm sorry. If it makes me less of a person to admit being squeamish about playing a racing game that rewards vehicular manslaughter of pedestrians, then I guess that makes me less of a person. I'm sorry that I am not the seriously casual racing fan who cares more about things BESIDES actual racing rather than proper racing. I've played violent shooting games and action games before. However with racing/driving games, the intent is on RACING. So I feel sickened having to play a racing game by running over people for bonuses and points.

I've seen rally races where fans get dangerously close to the action trying to photograph their rally racing heroes or get as close as possible to them. Some rally stages get canceled when too many fans flock to a part of the course. This is done for safety purposes. In the world of Carmageddon, you get too close to the action, you may get run over; and that driver may be rewarded for running over a poor soul who was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Imagine if you were trying to teach elements of Carmageddon to people. You would teach that it's okay to run over people in regards to drivers. You would teach to pedestrians that you should have no business being in the middle of racing action by putting yourself on track with cars at speed. Yes- Carmageddon is just a game. However, its values and its atmosphere are purely disgusting.

Let's compare Carmageddon to a different racing game series- Burnout. At least in the Burnout games, there is actual racing involved, and the vehicular mayhem doesn't involve running over people. It is different in the Burnout realm because civilian traffic in major cities is a target as opposed to pedestrians running for their lives trying to get out of the way of the crazy racers racing on the track.

Video Previews.

I try to keep my blog as world-friendly (my term of "safe for work") as possible. Videos are usually embedded. Since the Carmageddon games are intensely violent, I will only show you video LINKS to the videos. Remember that you are viewing these links at your own risk. So make sure it's okay for you to view these videos wherever you may be:

• Carmageddon Intro Movie « the introduction to the first Carmageddon
• Carmageddon 1 (1997) « gameplay sample of Carmageddon
• Carmageddon 2 Intro Movie « Carmageddon 2 intro
• Carmageddon 2 : Carpocalypse Now for PC Gameplay video « gameplay sample for "Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now"
• Carmageddon 3 TDR 2000 [GAMEPPLAY BY GSTG] « gameplay sample of Carmageddon 3


Now you know my thoughts on the Carmageddon series. Feel free to agree or disagree.





If you love the Carmageddon series, let me point you towards getting this game for your PC. I'll only focus on the PC games here.



For more information on Carmageddon, visit www.carmageddon.com. Happy shopping!





That is all. Now you know my thoughts on this franchise. Thank you for reading!

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Offroad Thunder

Not to be confused with Off Road Challenge, Off Road Thunder was a different kind of game from Midway. The premise was still on extreme off-road racing. This game just has a different focus. Get ready for metal-on-metal mayhem and three different ways to play. You also have a handful of vehicles to use in your off-road speed freaking. I'm here to talk about this racing game for your reading pleasure.

--- Offroad Thunder ---

Made by Midway in 1999, Offroad Thunder was part of the Thunder series of Midway racing games. Thrills in this game were provided through wicked nitro boosts and using your boost to overwhelm rival racers in your way. Unlike Off Road Challenge, Offroad Thunder consists of racing action on closed circuits with three-lap races. Offroad Thunder offered a few extra ways to play, which helped boost its appeal and its replay value. Also unlike Off Road Challenge, there are no actual sponsors or any licensed material as part of the game. Every vehicle is fictional, and all of the tracks are not based on or inspired by any real locales.

Vehicles.

There are no "cars" in this game. What you DO get are a handful of trucks and buggies. You can use certain codes to access certain other vehicles. The game has a handful of racing trucks, buggies, monster trucks, even some semi trucks. Be sure to look around- there's a vehicle that will tickle your fancy the most when playing Offroad Thunder.

Tracks.

All of the tracks are fictional and not based on any real-world locations or races. In addition, all courses are closed circuits. No track is any kind of point-to-point venue. Most race tracks in this game have various surfaces, and just about all of them have various shortcuts you can take. Eight tracks are available, and there is one hidden track you can choose from.

Racing.

Unlike "Off Road Challenge," tracks in Off Road Thunder are all closed circuits. Each race is a three-lap affair. Twelve vehicles (including yours) make up each field.

There are three modes of racing in Off Road Thunder.

• You can compete in a standard Rally race to the finish line.

• Your goal is to try and eliminate other drivers in Demolition Mode.

• You can also compete in Snag the Flag play. Steal the flag from others to rack up points.

Whereas you had several shots of Nitrous in Off Road Challenge, Nitrous you accumulate through this game stays with you for you to use at any time as long as you have enough boost. Blue Nitro grants you three seconds of boost, and Red Nitrous offers you six seconds of boost. You can have a maximum of 15 seconds of boost.

--- Offroad Thunder: Final Thoughts ---

Offroad Thunder is one of the ugliest and most horrid racing games I've ever played. It has horrible music and a lot of annoying stuff. If Offroad Thunder were a true sequel to Off Road Challenge, this game would severely disappoint what Off Road Challenge offered. Its saving grace is that there are many ways to play the game. I just didn't like this game when I played it. It could have been much more all around for me to really enjoy it more than a lot of other Midway titles.

Video Preview.

You can see for yourself how this game plays. Check out this video:


^ Midway Arcade Treasures 3 (Xbox): Off Road Thunder


This concludes your look at Offroad Thunder. What do you think about this game?





Offroad Thunder was never released with a home version. However, you can play "Offroad Thunder" if you have a PlayStation 2, a Gamecube, an XBOX, or a PC.




Want an Offroad Thunder arcade unit? Try your luck here: Offroad Thunder on eBay.


Happy shopping! ;)





Whether a game impresses me or disappoints me, at least I share my thoughts in my own unique way while still being even remotely professional. More to come from yours truly in future posts. Make sure you're subscribed so you can read and comment on my latest material. Thank you for reading!

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Midway Arcade Treasures 3

Midway Arcade Treasures 3 features eight racing games from Midway and/or Atari. This game for the PlayStation 2, Gamecube, and XBOX takes gamers back in time with this all racing game package. This is the game for you if you want to play multiple racing games from Midway and Atari. What you can do and play will be to your liking regardless. This blog post takes a look at Midway Arcade Treasures 3.

--- Midway Arcade Treasures 3 ---

Here is the box housing eight racing games from Midway's/Atari's past:


^ from: www.amazon.com - Eight of Midway's past racing games are available in one package with Midway Arcade Treasures 3- a racing-game exclusive version of the Midway Arcade Treasures collection.

The Midway Arcade Treasures collection features various games from Midway and Atari. MAT3 is exclusively about racing games. It features eight titles for which gamers can enjoy going fast and making sure everybody else finishes 2nd or worse. You have a chance to do that with this lineup of games.

This package features eight games for you to play and enjoy if you love racing. You can look at information about each game along with customize certain aspects of the game to your liking.

--- Midway Arcade Treasures 3: Games ---

NOTE: Individual blog posts on each game may be featured in individual blog posts here on "John's Race Space."

It is time to meet the three games that make up "Midway Arcade Treasures 3." Here is an introduction to these games:

San Francisco Rush 2049.

Take a trip into the future with San Francisco Rush 2049. Aside from the futuristic racing, you also have more control and freedom performing aerial stunts while racing. The same great low gravity action is just like you like it in past RUSH titles. This game is the source of the individual sound effects for the menus.

San Francisco RUSH: Alcatraz Edition.

This is a PlayStation 1 port of San Francisco RUSH. Engage in wild racing action on the streets of San Francisco. Enjoy the low gravity racing and all the insanity that has made this series so popular. You even get to race the "The Rock" course featuring insane loops and various high jumps. Extreme insanity guaranteed.

Hydro Thunder.

The seas aren't as friendly once you race in Hydro Thudner. This game features a variety of powerful boats and some challenging water courses. You are in for a hardcore racing experience that takes you worldwide.

Offroad Thunder.

If off road racing is your thing, try Offroad Thunder and its three modes of play. Choose from any number of trucks, buggies, and tracks to satisfy your off road racing desires.

S.T.U.N. Runner.

This 3D futuristic racing game makes you race through tunnels and highways as you blast your way through various tracks. This game can be very fast and very difficult. So be careful and try to clear each stage as best as you can.

Race Drivin'.

Perhaps one of the first simulation racing games ever made, Race Drivin' is the sequel to Hard Drivin'. You get to race three different tracks and choose between four cars.

Badlands.

After nuclear disaster decimated the world, a bunch of thrill seekers compete in racing action in Badlands. Racing action in this game is similar to "Super Sprint" and "Championship Sprint." Only that in this game, you are attacking your rivals with weapons rather than simply racing to win.

Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road, and Ivan "Ironman" Stewart Super Off-Road Track Pak.

This game has you racing around multiple off-road courses. It features the likeness of one of the greatest off-road racers of all time- Ivan "Ironman" Stewart. Obstacles include bumps, hills, water splashes, and more. Use your driving skill (and some Nitro) to help your chances of winning. Be the first to clear five laps around the course to win. Win the race to advance. Lose the race, and you'll need to insert credits to continue. Rack up money that you can use at Ironman's Speed Shop to upgrade your vehicle.

The Super Off-Road Track Pak is essentially the same game, only that there are new tracks, and you can choose between racing either a truck or a buggy. Trucks are the standard machines in this game, and buggies are more nimble but not as fast as the trucks.

I included both games in this section though they are basically the same game.


Now that you know about each of the games, how does the whole package shape up? Find out in my review in the next section!

--- Midway Arcade Treasures 3: Final Thoughts ---

This is a great package of racing games for gamers to enjoy. However, the game could have been packaged and executed much better. There are so few options for the games to play. You can't even customize the control scheme to your liking. That alone is a deal-breaker and doesn't really make the package too much fun.

I was vastly disappointed playing "Offroad Thunder" and "San Francisco RUSH: Alcatraz Edition." The S.F. RUSH game completely disappoints compared to the arcade version. "Off Road Challenge" would have been a better inclusion than "Offroad Thunder." Also, what about the Cruis'n games? I think "Midway Arcade Treasures 3" could have benefited more with better racing games from Midway and/or Atari. It would have been much better had more big-name titles been included. I would still recommend this game even with its flaws.





You want this game? You got a PlayStation 2, a Gamecube, or an XBOX? Come and get this game for your console:



I hope this blog post was enjoyable and to your liking.





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Off Road Challenge

Off Road Challenge can be thought of as an off-road version of the Cruis'n series. Most of the gameplay is like the Cruis'n games, but this game features some real sponsors (primarily Toyota). Players are invited to test their off-road racing mettle on six courses. Arcade and Nintendo 64 versions of this game are available. This blog post takes a look at this classic racing game from Midway.

--- Off Road Challenge ---

This is Off-Road Challenge:


^ from: www.amazon.com - Go for an off-road adventure in Off Road Challenge.

Off Road Challenge was created in 1997. The goal of this game is to simply finish ahead of all of your opposition. All six courses are all unique in their character and in their racing. Doing so requires you to make the most of your machine's capabilities as you drive on different surfaces as well as make plenty of jumps. Need a little boost to get by? Make sure you have some Nitrous onboard to gain that little edge you need that can help you win the race. Do whatever it takes to cross that finish line first! Think of this game as an off-road version of the Cruis'n games.

Vehicles.

There are no "cars," but you do get a handful of capable and rugged trucks and buggies to rampage across the various off-road landscapes. You can race with the Toyota Trophy Truck as raced by one of the best off-road racers of all time- Ivan "Iron Man" Stewart. You may opt to race with a quick and speedy buggy. Besides the four machines, you can access other machines offering differing levels of performance. Take top speed, power, handling, and weight into consideration as you select a machine. Pressing some of the View buttons will access some hidden machines. What you should know:

• Speed - acceleration and top speed of the vehicle.
• Power - the amount of horsepower the engine makes.
• Handling - how well the machine handles corners and terrain.
• Weight - lighter vehicles are more nimble; heavier vehicles are slower.

Pick a machine and choose a transmission type, and get ready to race!

Tracks.

Six tracks are offered to gamers. There are two tracks under each difficulty: Beginner, Medium, and Advanced. Each location is different. Here is a description of each location:

• Mojave (Beginner) - a simple course with long straights, big jumps, and easy corners.
• Baja (Beginner) - a fun coastal course with plenty of jumps
• El Paso (Intermediate) - a course with a Western ghost town and a graveyard.
• Pikes Peak (Intermediate) - this popular course utilizes dirty and snowy terrain.
• Vegas (Advanced) -
• Ol' South (Advanced) - traverse through swampy and muddy conditions in this difficult course.

Racing.

Each race consists of eight machines to a track. Scattered across the track are money boxes and powerups. Collect the boxes of money to add funds to your account. This money can be used to upgrade your machine in the Speedshop for future races. Collect Nitro to gain temporary boosts of speed. Finding an Anti-Crush Helmet in each stage allows you to take damage without suffering a wicked crash. Watch out for a variety of hazards littered on the road and as part of the environment.

Clear Checkpoints to extend the game. If you win the race, you will not have to insert credits to continue the arcade game.

Speedshop.

After completing a race, you will be able to access the Speedshop to upgrade your machine's performance. Here are the many options for you:

• Acceleration - makes your machine go faster.
• Shocks - improves handling in corners and over jumps.
• Nitros - offers temporary speed and power boosts.
• Speed - increases top speed.
• Tires - improves handling.

You'll even receive a money bonus if you choose to upgrade your vehicle after making a continue.

--- Off Road Challenge: Final Thoughts ---

While not entirely groundbreaking, Off Road Challenge is a thrilling and fun game to play with its own unique challenges. It is a good deal on the difficult side, as it is not very easy to climb up to the front of the pack. You just need to minimize mistakes and keep driving hard. It remains one of the better off-road racing titles even today.

Video Preview.

Come and get your look at "Off Road Challenge" with this video; and really, this was the best I could find to feature this game. This is the Nintendo 64 version:


^ "N64: Offroad challenge"


And there you go.





You can get "Off Road Challenge" if you have a Nintendo 64. Check it out:



If you want the arcade unit or parts for the arcade unit, try this eBay link:

Off Road Challenge (arcade) on eBay

I would appreciate it if you support my work any way you can.





Off Road Challenge. I hope you enjoy this blog post and my various others. Thank you for reading!

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San Francisco RUSH: Extreme Racing

San Francisco is beautiful. It is a lovely city with a handful of lovely locales- the Transamerica Pyramid. Coit Tower. Lombard Street. Golden Gate Bridge. The San Francisco Fine Arts Museum. And of course... the Golden Gate Bridge. As beautiful as San Francisco is, burning rubber is even more beautiful- at least according to Atari (maker) and Midway (publisher) and their 1996 game, San Francisco RUSH. This began one of the more popular racing game franchises in gaming history. This game series provides a RUSH for a number of reasons. Isn't it quite fitting this game provides a rush of adrenaline for a state and a city whose popularity blossomed because of the California Gold Rush? Regardless, you're getting a rush of a lot of things- including one very fun and very insane racing game.

This blog post is my post regarding the first title of the RUSH franchise. It includes both "San Francisco Rush" and "San Francisco Rush: Rush the Rock." Some of the material posted here was taken from the Wikipedia page on San Francisco RUSH: Extreme Racing.

About the Label: "Atari"

Racing games made by or published by Atari Games will be featured under the Atari label.

--- San Francisco RUSH: Extreme Racing ---

Get to know "San Francisco RUSH: Extreme Racing":


^ from: www.amazon.com - This is the box for the Nintendo 64 version of "San Francisco RUSH: Extreme Racing."

San Francisco RUSH challenges gamers to take on individual stages around San Francisco. The original title- "San Francisco RUSH: Extreme Racing" debuted in 1996. What made the RUSH series so famous is its stunt-style driving and its low gravity. Anyone who knows about San Francisco knows just how hilly it is. When you fly off of roads and go airborne, you'll spend a good amount of time in the air before coming down back to the road. You can roll over your car in this game as part of this game series' stunt driving style. Your car also explodes should you end up upside down or crash into something really hard. You can respawn your car at any time either after a crash or if you feel you've been away from the main course for far too long.

This game was available in arcades, for the Nintendo 64, and for the PlayStation 1. I strongly do NOT recommend the PS1 version because it is atrocious. It did nothing to completely capture the fun of the original arcade "San Francisco RUSH."

Cars.

None of the cars are licensed. However, you can surely make out which ones many of the cars resemble. You can press the view buttons to access a different array of cars. Each car is categorized by their level of difficulty to drive. This difficulty is depending upon the speed and control characteristics of each machine. The easier cars offer the best control but lack speed. Conversely, the most difficult machines offer the highest speeds with the least amount of control. The classes are as follows: Beginner, Advanced, Expert, and Extreme. You can change the color of each car to your liking from the available colors.

Tracks.

Each track showcases different parts of San Francisco. Various landmarks of San Francisco are showcased in each of the venues. Try your hand at the various courses and the unique tracks that make up San Francisco Rush. Each track has shortcuts and various other off-track areas for you to explore. In the home versions of "San Francisco RUSH," visit some of these locations to find keys to unlock more content.

Here is a preview of each of the courses:

• Track 1: Golden Gate (Beginner) - You start off going down Golden Gate Bridge into the city. The course itself is a high-speed course with simple corners.

• Track 2: Embarcadero (Advanced) - This is a course that utilizes most of northeastern San Francisco. You go through parts of downtown San Francisco and wind up on some highways. You even end up around the harborside of San Francisco and around Fisherman's Wharf.

• Track 3: Market (Extreme) - The third track is the longest and most difficult track in the game. This is a romp through downtown San Francisco and includes going through Chinatown and landmarks like Coit Tower.


These tracks are featured as part of the "San Francisco RUSH: Rush the Rock" version of the game:

• Track 4: The Rock ("RUSH the Rock" version only) The Rock (Advanced) - Alcatraz Island is yours to explore. Its challenge is extreme with its array of banked corners, loops, jumps, and more. Alcatraz is dangerous as it is- just imagine trying to survive this extreme challenge!

• Track 4: Downtown (Advanced) - You race around the Marina area of San Francisco and parts of downtown. The Transamerica Pyramid is visible as part of this course. Many jumps and tall buildings make up this course. There are also places with some epic jumps that make up this course.

• Track 5: Heights (Extreme) - This track takes on multiple routes and features many elevation changes.

• Track 6: Sunset (Extreme) - If you are not careful, you could end up hitting some of the buses driving on the roads in this venue. This track is more like about country roads than going through the heart of San Francisco.


Each track could be raced forward, forward-mirrored, reversed, or reverse-mirrored. Fog and wind are also factors in your racing. Fog can be a serious deterrent in trying to see ahead. Wind will alter your flight after jumps.

Racing.

Each race features eight cars to a track, including yours. You can ram into cars from the sides or from the back. Every track has multiple shortcuts. Take these shortcuts to get around the tracks faster. With these shortcuts, however, you need to be careful making those jumps that are littered across the track and in shortcuts. Hard contact with a wall, hard contact into another car, or having your car on its side or upside down results in your car exploding. Having your car drowned into deep water will result in your car being respawned back on the track. Press the Abort button to automatically respawn your car either heading into an impending crash or some other disaster. Clear the Checkpoint gates to get more time to complete the race. If you run out of time, your car will coast to a stop. You may get lucky and narrowly pass through a Checkpoint to have just a little extra time on the clock. Don't give up!


And that's all you need to know about playing this game.

--- San Francisco RUSH: Final Thoughts ---

"San Francisco RUSH: Extreme Racing" was the start of a franchise that was all about insane stunt racing. Going around the beautiful city of San Francisco in this style of anything-goes racing just brings nothing but fond memories to me. This game offered extreme style racing that was fun and enjoyable. I especially enjoy racing The Rock. Whoever thought using Alcatraz Island would provide such an insane race course? Of course, this game and this series exemplifies what seems to be missing in a lot of today's racing games- total creativity and lighthearted goodness. Racing game culture has changed over time, but the RUSH games (excluding the later L.A. Rush of the mid-2000s) provide nothing but sweet memories for racing gamers alike. I would recommend you play "San Francisco RUSH: Rush the Rock" if you find an arcade room that has it.

One last note... when I read Wikipedia's page on "San Francisco RUSH: Extreme Racing," there was apparently a version of the game called "San Francisco RUSH: RUSH The Rock: Wave Net," which allows for online play of the RUSH series. That was brand new to me.

Video Preview.

You read the post; now see the game. Enjoy (video is the arcade version):


^ "San Francisco Rush (Arcade) - Beginner Track"

Get your RUSH on! :)





If you have a Nintendo 64 or a PlayStation 1, you can play "San Francisco RUSH" on Amazon by using these two items. I prefer the N64 version. Your business would be appreciated if you did enjoy this blog post and want to support me here:




Want to try to score the arcade version of San Francisco RUSH or get parts for any units? Good luck to you on eBay:

• San Francisco RUSH (arcade) on eBay

Thanks to all of you for supporting my work any way you can.





What do you think about "San Francisco RUSH: Extreme Racing?" Stay subscribed and stay tuned to "John's Race Space" for more racing game chatter from yours truly. Until next time and next post... thank you for reading!

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ToCA World Touring Cars

The PlayStation 1's swan song of ToCA was done with a game called "ToCA World Touring cars." Or by its American name- "Jarrett and LaBonte Stock Car Racing." Gritty and intense racing were commonplace with this game. That gritty racing includes visual and physical damage. This was not your ordinary racing game. If anything, it was something to look forward to in the next generation of gaming consoles (at its time). This blog post is a look at ToCA World Touring Cars. Why should you care about this title? Or should you care about this game? I'll let you know in this blog post.

About the Label: "Codemasters Racing"

Racing games made by Codemasters are featured under the "Codemasters Racing" label. Even though Codemasters is known for their racing games, they've made other kinds of games. That's why I use "Codemasters Racing" for this label.

--- ToCA World Touring Cars ---

Before Codemasters set out to conquer multiple forms of racing in their ToCA Race Driver series of games, there was this game from 1999 game, perhaps the swan song for this series on the PlayStation 1. This game allows you to race in many fictional championships in races around the world. The racing teams are all fictional as well. Races take place on a variety of courses. Get ready for a worldwide thrill ride in the realm of take-no-prisoners touring car racing!

Why I HATE Using This Game's American Name.

I HATE its American name- "Jarrett and LaBonte Stock Car Racing." I'll tell you why right now. Why do I hate referring to it by "Jarrett and LaBonte Stock Car Racing?" Two reasons (one especially for this blog):

• The first reason is that I don't want people visiting this blog entry expecting to find something about the Jarretts and LaBontes in NASCAR, only to be disappointed. I always want people to visit my blog entries knowing that they want to find something about some topic and be able to have their questions answered.

• The second reason? How the hell can you draw a parallel between touring car racing and stock car racing? The "stock" cars that race in various stock car racing series aren't stock at all. "Stock" cars are purpose-built race cars that are nowhere close in performance and handling characteristics to their road-going counterparts. They are basically silhouette race cars that only resemble their road-going counterparts. Touring cars (traditional ones, anyways) are purpose-built race cars that actually resemble their road-going counterparts in almost every single aspect. So I become offended when someone draws a parallel between stock cars and touring cars because they are completely not alike.

Now on to my own overview of this game.

--- ToCA World Touring Cars at a Glance ---

Here is a general overview of ToCA World Touring Cars. I am going on the American version of this title as on the PlayStation 1.

Cars.

The list of cars include both racing cars and street cars. The many cars you choose from all come from various fictitious championships. The teams may not be real, but the cars definitely are. Various cars include the (this game is from 1999) Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Vauxhall Astra, Lincoln LS, Holden Commodore, and Ford Falcon among MANY others. There are also street cars you can race with, including everything from compacts to sports cars. You can even change the color of the street cars (and only the street cars) to whatever colors you choose. You can even put your name on the car. In the manner of FirstName LastName, It would be nice to go with F. LastName. What I put in as the name is "J. Marine." That name appears on the rear windshield of your car and maybe some other places.

If you want to earn more cars, you'll need to race in the Championship (more on that mode later). All the basic cars are available to you from the very start, but extra cars can be unlocked through the Championship mode.

Tracks.

North American, South American, European, Japanese, and Australian cars are featured in this game.
There are more than 20 tracks that comprise the list of tracks. The various tracks range from world-class permanent road courses and intense temporary courses. Race tracks consist of venues around North America, South America, European, Japan, and Australia. You can race on tracks such as Laguna Seca, Vancouver, Buenos Aires, Silverstone, Monza, Suzuka, Bathurst, and Surfers Paradise among many other venues. You'll be racing on tough road courses and street circuits.

Quick Race.

Doing a quick race allows you to quickly compete on any of the 20+ tracks in the game. Each track comes with various weather settings you can set. You can do races in the daytime, at sunset, at night, and in three or so different rain conditions.

Time Trial.

The Time Trial mode is self-explanatory. Practice any course in the game with any cars in your collection. If you post a fastest time, you get a password that you can somehow use on Codemasters' website or something.

Championship.

The Championship mode has you competing in various series around the world. There are three levels of competition- National (regional racing), International (international region racing), and World (a World Championship of racing). You start on the National Level and have to work your way up to the International and World levels. When you start out, you just pick a team you want to race for and for a championship you want to race in. Some teams require you take a test drive, where you run one lap around a course to race for that team in the championship. You will join the team if you beat that lap time. For each team that you race for, they are certain small objectives you must clear. Clearing these challenges can unlock cheat codes for the game. For example, you may have an objective to win a certain number of races in the season, finish ahead of a rival team in the points, and things like that. Completing these tasks allows you to access some cheats in the game.

The American version has you picking between Jason Jarrett and Justin LaBonte- both who probably have absolutely no TOURING CAR experience whatsoever even to this day. Doesn't matter which one you choose. Just pick one and go through the Championship with winning intent. I picked Justin LaBonte since he- like myself, is from Texas. Hey... if Californians and New Yorkers can brag, so can I about Texas and us Texans.

--- Playing the Game ---

The game features some licensed music from artists. My favorite is "No Big Thing" by Lit. The music isn't really anything special to me. The graphics and gameplay are smooth and very nice. It's not Gran Turismo fast, but it's pretty fast for what it is. You can damage your car in this game. Windshields get busted out, bumpers drag on the ground, and you can even suffer great engine damage. In fact, in the American advertisements for "Jarrett and LaBonte Stock Car Racing," a BMW actually gets beaten up to show the impact of damage in the game. You can even hear the damage your engine takes. From the inside of the car, the driver view is amazing. You can actually see your driver's hands work the steering wheel and even shift up and down. If your driver gets hit or passed, the driver actually shakes his (or her) fist at whomever made the hit or pass. Windshield wipers even work when you race. There are about seven or eight camera views you can choose between.

In the Championship races, pay attention to whether or not the race requires pit stops. This is important because you MUST make a pit stop at some point of the race. If you don't make a pit stop, you'll finish dead last. A recommendation is to pit either when badly damaged or at some point midway in the race. You may even pit on the first lap or second lap just to get it out of the way. You still need to make a pit stop in races that require a pit stop. You'll even see a notice saying "You Must Pit This Lap," or something similar.

Races usually feature as many as 12 cars to a race.

--- ToCA World Touring Car: Final Thoughts ---

ToCA World Touring Cars is an outstanding racing game. It encompasses everything Codemasters incorporates into racing games to make them every bit as intense and as brutally real as possible. You can't say enough about what the ToCA series of games provides to the racing game realm. The only deterrent to this game- it's American name. I think this was a strategy by Codemasters to sell this game in a way that only use Americans can understand. I figured that if Codemasters used Steve Soper or somebody, no one here in the States would know who the bloody hell Steve Soper is. So they use two of the biggest family names in NASCAR to market a game about touring car racing. NASCAR Hall of Famer, Ned Jarrett, even supplements his voice for commentary. I'm pretty sure Ned Jarrett probably doesn't even know about big time touring car racing even if his life depended on it (and I have great respect for Ned Jarrett).

I say if you care anything about racing games and collecting racing games, go get this game. It's a must-own and a must-play.

Video Preview.

Here is a preview of this game and the action it provides:


^ "TOCA World Touring Cars - Gameplay"


Are you ready for this challenge?






Get this game on Amazon if it interests you. It's available for the PlayStation 1 and PC:



If you have a PlayStation 3, you can surely play the PS1 version of this game on your PS3.


I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Thank you for reading!

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Cruis'n World

Cruis'n World furthered Cruis'n USA's insanity. In a tour too good for the United States, it seemed time to take on the world, according to Midway. Why not make the racing more interesting and throw in a few stunts? Cruis'n World was anything but a simple refresh of Cruis'n USA. This 1998 racing game offered a wickedly insane experience that topples even Cruis'n USA. This blog post highlights on the insanity that made up Cruis'n World.

--- Cruis'n World ---

Arcade and Nintendo 64 versions of Cruis'n World offered gamers the chance to tour the world, leaving tread marks and burnt rubber on a variety of surfaces in a variety of locations. The main goal of Cruis'n World is to race through various locations around the world. The main mode is to Cruise the World. This mode starts you off in Hawaii (or Hawai'i for any of my Hawaiian readers). You go mostly west from Hawaii to Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, and North America. You're going from Hawaii to Florida. Without spoiling much of the game, there is one last challenge after clearing the Florida stage. I'll leave that up to you!

Cars.

Cruis'n World gives you four more main cars. But of course, you could access more cars with differing performance levels. Here are some of the many machines you have access to:

• Serpent - a car that resembles the Dodge Viper RT/10.
• Kamikaze AWD - resembles Toyota Supra (MKIV model).
• ATV - a military-spec Hummer.
• Cobra - resembles a Ford Mustang Cobra.

Here are a few others:

• Banzai GTV - resembles the 1992 Mitsubishi 3000GT.
• Road King - a semi truck.
• Sardine Extreme - a three-wheel commercial truck.

There aren't too many differences among the cars, so pick one that is to your liking.

Locations.

Not only do each of the tracks offer different environments, they also offer some different character from one another. One big example is in knowing what side of the road drivers drive in certain countries. This difference alone can help your winning chances at different tracks. Each of the venues are based on various cues and impressions from various countries. All of the locations are, of course, infused with the unique character offered by the Midway team.

When Cruising the World, you begin in Hawaii. Let me give you a preview of some of the game's tracks:

• Japan - explore the beautiful Japanese countryside.
• Australia - take a wild journey through the Australian Outback.
• Germany - a high-speed romp through country roads.
• Egypt - go through the arid desert landscape and explore ancient Egyptian temples.
• New York - race through the highways of New York City.

These are among many different venues for you to check out in Cruis'n World.

In the Nintendo 64 version of "Cruis'n World," there are a number of closed circuits for you to race on. Many of these courses bear the same sort of challenge their Cruise the World variants offer.

Racing.

Racing is the same in Cruis'n World as it was in Cruis'n World. You may choose to Cruise the World, or you may choose to race any of the individual stages of the game. Access hidden tracks by pressing any number of View buttons to see the other courses. There are ten cars to a track in each race- just like in Cruis'n USA. Be on the lookout for shortcuts you can take to gain somewhat of an advantage in your racing. Clear the checkpoints to gain extra time. You should have no problem trying to clear checkpoints with a game like this, unless you spend more time crashing than racing.

You can still earn a Free Race in the arcade version of this game. In the Nintendo 64 version of Cruis'n World, you will advance to the next stage with a finish of 3rd or better. Solid performance in the N64 Championship Mode will win you new cars and upgraded versions of cars.

You can perform stunts with Cruis'n World. Double-pump the accelerator to perform a brief wheelie. You can even do some side-wheelie action. If you perform a wheelie heading towards a jump, your car will perform a backflip.

When racing on any of the tracks, the most important thing to note is what direction traffic goes. For example, drivers in the United States drive on the right side of the road while drivers in Japan drive on the left side of the road. Knowing which way traffic flows is critical so that you don't end up on the wrong side of the road trying to make passes.


These are among the finer aspects of "Cruis'n World."

--- Cruis'n World: Final Thoughts ---

Cruis'n World only enhances what Cruis'n USA brought. It takes the insanity of the first game with a more international approach. I personally find the racing to be very fun in the game. The action is just right for those wanting a casual racing experience or seasoned racing game veterans. This is just one of many racing games simply about the thrill of driving and high-speed. The shenanigans and comical material add to the classic appeal of Midway racing games. If you haven't yet experienced Cruis'n World, get to an arcade room that has this game and prepare to enjoy a most incredible experience.

Video Preview.

This video offers a preview of the insanity that awaits you in "Cruis'n World." The video features the arcade version:


^ "Cruis'n World - Arcade"

Thank you again for reading this post on "John's Race Space."





I can't offer material to the arcade version, but you're more than willing to get the Nintendo 64 version. Go get it if you have an N64:



Or if you don't have a Nintendo 64, you can get a Nintendo 64 with either of these:



I believe you can also play "Cruis'n World" by shopping at the Wii Shop for your Nintendo Wii.


Do you want to take your chances getting a Cruis'n World arcade unit or parts for a Cruis'n World arcade unit? Try this:

Cruis'n World (arcade) on eBay


Happy shopping! :) I hope you enjoyed this post.





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