BC Racers

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Short description: 1994 video game
BC Racers
North American Sega CD box art
Developer(s)Core Design
Publisher(s)Sega CD
Core Design
32X, MS-DOS
Front Street Publishing
3DO
GoldStar
LG Electronics
Designer(s)Martin Gibbons
SeriesChuck Rock
Platform(s)Sega CD, 32X, MS-DOS, 3DO
ReleaseSega CD
32X
3DO, MS-DOS
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

BC Racers is a 1994 racing video game released by Core Design for the Sega CD, 32X, 3DO and MS-DOS. The game was co-designed by Toby Gard, who later co-created Lara Croft. BC Racers mixes a racing simulation with a "prehistoric" theme. It is the third game in the Chuck Rock series, despite the Chuck Rock connection not being prominent.

Plot

The millionaire playboy caveman Millstone Rockafella has organized a BC bike race, the winner of which will receive the Ultimate Boulderdash Bike. Six groups of riders - one driving, one deploying weapons from the sidecar - from all around the prehistoric world will use their rock-powered sidecars to compete for this prize.

Gameplay

BC Racers has four difficulty settings: Easy, Medium, Hard and Rockhard. Each of the settings has eight different circuits, making a total of 32 circuits in the game. There are also eight themes, from desert wastes to active volcanoes and massive jungles. The tracks need four laps to complete, and feature many special elements specific to the circuit's setting. Unusually for a game of this type, there are no power-ups, except for a "turbo" that the bikes can trigger every few seconds.

Both of the bikes' riders can use physical attacks to injure other drivers. If the bike gets beaten enough, it crashes out, giving the player extra points. The same thing can happen to the player's bike.

Some ports of the game include a split-screen two player mode. The Sega CD version instead has a two-player cooperative mode (one of the players controls the driver, while the other controls the fighting, steering and turbo).

Some of the riders in BC Racers come from other famous Core Design games, such as Chuck Rock and Chuck Rock Junior. Others are obvious references to several real-world characters, such as Brick Jagger, Sid Viscous and Jimi Handtrix (referencing Mick Jagger, Sid Vicious and Jimi Hendrix).

Development

Jeremy Smith of Core Design said the original Sega CD version took "eight or nine months" to develop.[4] Its working title was "Chuck Rally".[5]

Reception

Reviewing the Sega CD version, GamePro criticized the pixelated landscapes, minimal sound effects, and difficult controls when using a three-button controller, but praised the comical graphics and "lightweight" tone, and recommended it as a decent title for younger gamers.[6] Digital Press gave the Sega CD version 7 out of 10, praising the controls and music, but they criticized the graphics.[7]

In their review of the 32X version, GamePro commented that the graphics are sharper than in the Sega CD version, but look much worse during actual gameplay due to the choppy frame rate and prominent slowdown, especially during two-player mode. They nonetheless concluded that BC Racers will appeal to the gamers due to its numerous tracks, humorous attacks, and simultaneous two-player action.[8]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game and gave it two out of five stars, deeming it inferior to another kart title Super Karts.[9]

Reviewing the 3DO version, a Next Generation critic rated it as the worst racing game on the 3DO to date, citing the lack of depth to the car handling, the ugly-looking courses, and overall outdated feel of the game. He gave it one out of five stars.[10]

References

  1. "Previews". VideoGames (LFP, Inc.) (73): 54. February 1995. https://retrocdn.net/images/b/bc/VideoGames_US_73.pdf. 
  2. "Mega-CD Review: BC Racers". Mean Machines (EMAP) (28): 72, 73. February 1995. https://archive.org/details/mean-machines-sega-magazine-28/page/n71/mode/2up. 
  3. "ProReview: 32X". Game Pro (International Data Group) (72): 48. July 1995. https://archive.org/details/game-pro-issue-72-july-1995_202408/page/3/mode/2up. 
  4. "The Most Popular Woman in the World!". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (36): 9. December 1997. 
  5. "Mean Machines 18 - Work in Progress". Mean Machines (EMAP) (18): 20. April 1994. https://retrocdn.net/images/9/96/MeanMachinesSega18UK.pdf. 
  6. "ProReview: BC Racers". GamePro (IDG) (79): 52. April 1995. 
  7. Santulli, Joe (September 1995). "Random Reviews". Digital Press: 14. https://archive.org/stream/Digital_Press_Issue_27_1995-09_Santulli_Joe_US#page/n13/mode/2up. 
  8. "ProReview: BC Racers". GamePro (IDG) (82): 48. July 1995. 
  9. "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (9): 94. September 1995. 
  10. "BC Racers". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (16): 88. April 1996. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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