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World Driver Championship

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 6 min

World Driver Championship
North American box art
Developer(s)Boss Game Studios
Publisher(s)Midway
Producer(s)Kevin Potter
Designer(s)Brian McNeely
Programmer(s)Brian Fehdrau
Rob Povey
Artist(s)Todd Keller
Martin Sawkins
Composer(s)Zack Ohren
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
  • NA: June 15, 1999[1]
  • EU: November 1999
Genre(s)Racing game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

World Driver Championship is an automobile racing video game. It was developed by Boss Game Studios and published for the Nintendo 64 by Midway Games. It is notable for having especially high quality graphics.

Gameplay

World Driver Championship is a racing game that features ten locations. Most locations feature six tracks (marked "A", "B", and "C"), three of which are in reverse (marked "R" next to "A", "B", and "C"). The exception is Black Forest, which has only four tracks, two of them being in reverse. These are the ten locations: Hawaii, United States; Les Gets, France; Las Vegas, United States; Auckland, New Zealand; Lisbon, Portugal; Rome, Italy; Sydney, Australia; Zürich, Switzerland; Kyoto, Japan ; and the Black Forest in Germany.

Development

The game was showcased at E3 1999.[2] One of the last racing simulations to be released for Nintendo 64, this graphically intensive title uses custom microcode optimization and high polygon count modelling. The development team was able to optimize the usage of the various processors within the N64 to allow a great draw distance (reducing the need for fog or pop-up), highly detailed texturing and models, Doppler effect MP3 audio, and advanced lighting and fog effects for realistic weather conditions. Increasingly prevalent toward the latter years of the N64's commercial lifetime, the game has a high resolution 640x480 mode that does not require the add-on N64 RAM Expansion Pak. Additionally, unlike many other games of its type on the platform, the game runs high resolution at a smooth pace.

The soundtrack, consisting of original rock and heavy metal tunes, was composed by musician Zack Ohren.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic75/100[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarStar[4]
Edge6/10[5]
EGM7.25/10[6]
GameSpot5.7/10[7]
IGN8.8/10[8]
N64 Magazine91%[9]
Next GenerationStarStarStarStar[10]
Nintendo Power8.7/10[11]

Although World Driver Championship received generally positive reviews from critics,[3] it suffered from intense competition at the time. While the game was an improvement in nearly every way compared to Boss's similar earlier effort, Top Gear Rally, it was up against the impressive new Gran Turismo series and other new racers. Complaints included a somewhat unconvincing driving physics model, non-licensed cars, and poor sound effects and music quality. The dislike for the physics model often stems from the beginning cars being difficult to drive and offering a "sloppy" feeling of control. Next Generation praised the graphics, gameplay, cars, and tracks, but noted that due to its driving physics model the game will be difficult to master for arcade racing fans.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "World Driver: Championship Ships [date mislabeled "April 27, 2000""] (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-driver-championship-ships/1100-2451069/. 
  2. ↑ "Midway is "Ready 2 Rumble" At E3 With Its Knock-Out Product Lineup". May 13, 1999. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130606123201/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Midway+is+%22Ready+2+Rumble%22+At+E3+With+Its+Knock-Out+Product+Lineup.-a054630960. Retrieved July 31, 2021. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "World Driver Championship". Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120717133134/https://www.metacritic.com/game/nintendo-64/world-driver-championship. Retrieved July 17, 2012. 
  4. ↑ McCall, Scott. "World Driver: Championship". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141116021653/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=17710&tab=review. Retrieved October 8, 2020. 
  5. ↑ "World Driver Championship". Edge (Future Publishing) (74): 88. August 1999. 
  6. ↑ "World Driver Championship". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (120): 127. July 1999. 
  7. ↑ Mac Donald, Ryan (April 28, 2000). "World Driver Championship Review". Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190512182423/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/world-driver-championship-review/1900-2544201/. Retrieved March 10, 2020. 
  8. ↑ Schneider, Peer (June 16, 1999). "World Driver Championship Review". Archived from the original on January 15, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150115130930/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/06/17/world-driver-championship. Retrieved January 15, 2015. 
  9. ↑ Bickham, Jes (September 1999). "World Driver Championship". N64 Magazine (Future Publishing) (32): 56–61. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Erickson, Daniel (September 1999). "World Driver Championship". Next Generation (Imagine Media) 2 (1): 85. 
  11. ↑ "World Driver: Championship". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) (122): 112. July 1999. 
  • 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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