Beetle Adventure Racing
| Beetle Adventure Racing | |
|---|---|
|
North American Nintendo 64 cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Paradigm Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Arcade style racing |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
Beetle Adventure Racing! is a racing game released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999. It was developed by Paradigm Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. Each vehicle in the game is a Volkswagen New Beetle, which was released the previous year.
In addition to its original release, the game was released in Australia as HSV Adventure Racing. This version replaced the Beetles with HSV Commodores.[1]
Gameplay
Gameplay is similar to Electronic Arts's own Need For Speed series.
Beetle Adventure Racing supports up to four players. Two player races can be held in any of the tracks, provided they have been unlocked in the single player championship. Two to four players can also take part in the "Beetle Battle" mode, in which players compete to collect six differently colored ladybugs (HSV pendants in HSV Adventure Racing), attempt to destroy the other competitors, and race for the exit once all the ladybugs are collected.
Single player has two modes, Single Race and Championship. Single Race is single player racing against computer-controlled vehicles on any stage that has been unlocked in the Championship mode. Championship is considered the main game, where players are given three circuits starting with Novice, Advanced, and Professional, with a fourth secret circuit, the Bonus Circuit, which is unlocked after completing all previous circuits.
Upon completing each circuit, new vehicles and tracks will be unlocked. Two special vehicles are unlocked by completing both Professional and Bonus circuits, the Alien Beetle and the Police Beetle respectively. The Alien Beetle's horn consists of the words, "We come in peace," spoken in an alien voice. The Police Beetle uses a siren, in which all other computer racers stop and pull over upon hearing it.
Four different types of crates are scattered along each track in Championship mode. Three of them are Point Crates, which are mostly found off track in shortcuts. The points are used to earn Continues during each race, with between 50 and 70 required to get the Continue (dependent on difficulty). Finding all point crates, which add up to 100 in total, gives players a new Arena In Beetle Battle Mode.
Upon smashing through Nitro crates, the player is given a temporary boost of speed. These crates are usually found on hidden paths and beside the main roads.
The fourth crate is a Cheat Crate, hidden on each stage. Smashing one, the player would hear, "Groovy!". Smashing a Cheat crate the first time unlocks the Cheat Menu, which offers cheat codes in both Two-Player Racing and Beetle Battle. The Cheat menu has an Easter egg in which all the developers of the game have their faces scattered on the background of the menu.
Music
The soundtrack is groovy breakbeat, with loud drums, organs, and guitars. The music was composed by Phil Western, Scott Blackwood, and Brenden Tennant.
Reception
GameSpot rated the game 8.5, claiming it is a "great deal of fun".[2]
Proposed sequel
A Beetle Adventure Racing II was in development, but has never been released.[3]
References
- ↑ IGN staff (November 17, 1999). "There are No Beetles in Australia". IGN. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ↑ Fielder, Joe (March 23, 1999). "Beetle Adventure Racing Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
- ↑ Casady, Raymond. "Beetle Adventure Racing II". Game Designer. Retrieved 4 June 2013.