Chocobo Racing
Chocobo Racing | |
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Single-player, multiplayer |
Chocobo Racing
Chocobo Racing received generally average reviews, with critics citing its low quality in several aspects of gameplay.[2][3] The game was later released in Japan alongside Chocobo Stallion and Dice de Chocobo as part of the Chocobo Collection. The game was re-released individually as part of the PSone Books series in December 2001. It was released in Japan as a PSOne Classic on February 10, 2009.[4]
Gameplay
In Chocobo Racing, the player controls
While racing, the player can accelerate, brake, reverse, activate Magic Stones, or use a "special ability" using the game controller's analog stick and buttons. An additional move is the skid, which is executed by simultaneously braking and accelerating into a turn; as the game's cornering technique, the skid can be used to take sharp turns quickly. If the player skids too sharply, however, a spin out will occur. Before the start of any race, the player's character can receive a speed boost by tapping the Accelerate button with precise timing during the countdown.[10]
In the world of Chocobo Racing,
Special abilities are another important aspect of Chocobo Racing. Before each race, the player is prompted to assign a special ability to the selected character. During a race, the player can only activate the chosen special ability when the meter in the upper left-hand corner of the screen is full. After using the special ability, the player must wait for the meter to recharge to use it again.[12]
Plot
Setting
Chocobo Racing borrows themes and elements from
Characters
The cast of Chocobo Racing is drawn from recurring creatures and characters from the
Story
Chapter one, titled "Gadgets a go-go", begins with the inventor Cid presenting Chocobo with a pair of "Jet-Blades" and offers Chocobo a chance to take a test-run with them on the racetrack behind his lab.[13] After the race, Mog the Moogle drops in and asks Cid about the progress of the racing machine he'd commissioned.[14] Cid promises to bring the machine by tomorrow, but later confides to Chocobo he'd forgotten it.[15] The next day, after presenting the doubtful Mog with his scooter,[16] Chocobo and Mog race. After Chocobo wins, Mog confronts Cid over his vehicle's poor performance, but Cid replies that Chocobo won because of the differences in their abilities (i.e., Chocobo's "Dash").[17] He explains that the secret of Chocobo's "Dash" ability is the Blue Crystal on his leg-ring.[18] Mog mulls over his inferior "Flap" ability and decides he wants a Blue Crystal as well, so Cid recommends that the two go on an adventure to find out the secret of the Blue Crystal.[19]
The two head out to discover the secret behind the Blue Crystal, meeting (and racing) many along the way. When they reach Mysidia, the village of mages, a
After this discovery, the companions continue to search for other racers in possession of the crystal shards. Upon defeating
Upon completion of the Story Mode, players are assigned a number of points determined by their performance, with a maximum of one hundred. Using those points, the player is given the option of creating a racer with customized color and performance. The point value is distributed among five parameters: Max Speed, Acceleration, Grip, Drift, and A.G.S., which determines how fast the racer's ability gauge charges. A maximum of twenty points can be assigned to each of the five racing parameters. Customized racers can be used in all of the game's modes except for the Story Mode, and only the main characters and Bahamut are open to customization.[6]
Development
The first demonstration of Chocobo Racing was at the Fall Tokyo Game Show '98; it was then unclear if there would be a North American release. IGN staff noted its striking similarities to Mario Kart.[26] In the release of Chocobo's Dungeon 2, a bonus CD included a video clip of the game.[27] Originally slated to be released in late September/October, the release date was moved to August 1999 because "it was done early, and is now ready to go".[28] Square worked with toy company Choro Qi to produce toy cars for the release of the game.[29]
Music
Chocobo Racing Original Soundtrack is a soundtrack album produced by
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
CNET Gamecenter | 6 of 10[33] |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 6 of 10[34] |
Famitsu | 30 of 40[35] |
Game Informer | 6.25 of 10[36] |
GameFan | (G.N.) 87%[37] 70%[38][b] |
GamePro | [39][c] |
GameRevolution | C+[40] |
GameSpot | 4.4 of 10[2] |
IGN | 5.6 of 10[3] |
Next Generation | [41] |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | [42] |
The game received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[31]
Douglass C. Perry of IGN said the game was an attempt by Square to "cash in" on the popular kart racer genre created by Nintendo's successful Mario Kart.[3] Other reviewers agreed, calling it "a tired rehash" due to its colorful but unpolished graphics, crude track designs, and poor controls.[2][40] Daniel Erickson of NextGen called it "kart-racing fare" that is standard but lacks the deathmatch-type courses that made Mario Kart popular.[41] In Japan, however, Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40.[35]
In Japan, the game sold 300,000 units.[44]
Sequels
In 2010, a new Chocobo Racing title, tentatively titled Codename: Chocobo Racing 3D, was announced for the Nintendo 3DS handheld system.[45] However, in October 2013, Takashi Tokita, director of the original Chocobo Racing, confirmed that the project had been cancelled, noting that had he been part of its development process, he "would have made sure that it came out".[46]
A new Chocobo Racing sequel, Chocobo GP, was released for the Nintendo Switch as an exclusive title[47] on March 10, 2022.[48]
Notes
- ^ Known in Japan as Chocobo Racing: Genkai e no Road (チョコボレーシング 〜幻界へのロード〜, Chokobo Rēshingu 〜Genkai e no Rōdo〜, lit. "Chocobo Racing: Road to the Spirit World").
- ^ In GameFan's viewpoint of the Japanese import, three critics gave it each a score of 78, 74, and 58.
- ^ GamePro gave the game two 3.5/5 scores for graphics and control, 4/5 for sound, and 3/5 for overall fun factor.
References
- ^ IGN staff (August 12, 1999). "And They're Off!". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e James Mielke (April 23, 1999). "Chocobo Racing Review [Import]". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on December 16, 2004. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Douglass C. Perry (August 18, 1999). "Chocobo Racing Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012.
- ^ "チョコボレーシング ~幻界へのロード~". PlayStation.com (Japan) (in Japanese). Sony Interactive Entertainment. February 9, 2009. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ^ a b Square staff (1999). Chocobo Racing instruction manual. Square Co. pp. 4–5.
- ^ a b Square staff (1999). Chocobo Racing instruction manual. Square Co. pp. 6–7.
- ^ Square staff (1999). Chocobo Racing instruction manual. Square Co. pp. 10–11.
- ^ Square staff (1999). Chocobo Racing instruction manual. Square Co. pp. 8–9.
- ^ Square staff (1999). Chocobo Racing instruction manual. Square Co. pp. 22–24.
- ^ Square staff (1999). Chocobo Racing instruction manual. Square Co. pp. 2–3.
- ^ Square staff (1999). Chocobo Racing instruction manual. Square Co. pp. 18–19.
- ^ Square staff (1999). Chocobo Racing instruction manual. Square Co. pp. 16–17.
- ^ Cid: I made a racetrack behind my lab here. (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ Mog: Heh heh heh...I heard that he was gonna make a machine for Chocobo...so I ordered one for myself too! (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ Cid: I kinda fergot about his machine. (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ Mog: Hey, Cid...you don't mean THIS thing's the world's fastest racing machine!? (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ Cid: Wh-why of course not! It's all because of the differences in your "abilities", not my machines! (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ Cid: The secret of Chocobo's "DASH" is the Blue Crystal on his leg-ring. (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ Cid: Say...why don't ya fellas go out on an adventure to find out what that secret is? (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ White Mage: There are Magicite Shards scattered all over the world. It used to be one large Magicite Crystal...But people kept fighting each other over it. So the founder of Mysidia, the great magician Ming-Wu, broke the Crystal into eight pieces. He then scattered the shards to the four winds. He did so to assure later restoration of the Magicite Crystal...when all eight pieces are brought together again. (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ White Mage: Look! Our Crystals are starting to glow! (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ Mog: What the...? My totally wicked head-bopper is glowing too! (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ Bahamut: I shall place upon you a final trial... to see how worthy you really are. (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ Bahamut: That is true. Mankind has fought over the Magicite for aeons... (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ Bahamut: Fantasia shall exist in harmony with your world from this day on. (Chocobo Racing)
- ^ IGN staff (October 15, 1998). "Chocobo Caught Speeding". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ IGN staff (December 11, 1998). "Chocobo Brings Surprise Extras". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ IGN staff (May 27, 1999). "Chocobo Racing Moves On Up". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012.
- ^ John Szczepaniak (February 2018). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers. Vol. 3. SMG Szczepaniak. p. 194.
- ^ a b c Aaron Lau (August 25, 1999). "Chocobo Racing Original Soundtrack". Soundtrack Central. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
- ^ CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon April 29, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- All Media Network. Archived from the originalon November 15, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Ricardo Torres (January 28, 2000). "Chocobo Racing". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ EGM staff (September 1999). "Chocobo Racing". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 122. Ziff Davis.
- ^ a b "プレイステーション - チョコボレーシング ~幻界へのロード~". Famitsu (in Japanese). Vol. 915. Enterbrain. June 30, 2006. p. 19. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Andy McNamara; Paul Anderson; Andrew Reiner (August 1999). "Chocobo Racing". Game Informer. No. 76. FuncoLand. p. 42. Archived from the original on January 23, 2000. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ George "Eggo" Ngo (June 1999). "Chocobo Racing (Import)". GameFan. Vol. 7, no. 6. Shinno Media. p. 83. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Jason "Fury" Weitzner; Anthony "Dangohead" Chau; Eric "ECM" Mylonas (June 1999). "Chocobo Racing (Import)". GameFan. Vol. 7, no. 6. Shinno Media. p. 13. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Boba Fatt (September 1999). "Chocobo Racing". GamePro. No. 132. IDG Entertainment. p. 136. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ CraveOnline. Archivedfrom the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Daniel Erickson (October 1999). "Chocobo Racing". NextGen. No. 58. Imagine Media. p. 114. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Mark MacDonald (August 1999). "Chocobo Racing". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 2, no. 11. Ziff Davis. p. 88. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- 1Up.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the originalon September 25, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ "Square Game List". Creative Uncut. 2002. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2006.
- ^ Nintendo E3 Network | Nintendo 3DS
- ^ Spencer (October 10, 2013). "Chocobo Racing 3D, One Of Square Enix's First 3DS Games, Will Never Leave The Coop". Siliconera. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Ana Diaz (September 23, 2021). "Chocobo GP puts a Final Fantasy spin on a kart racer". Polygon. Vox Media.
- ^ "Uh-Oh, Chocobo GP's Season Pass Is Ruffling A Few Feathers With Fans". Nintendo Life. March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
External links