Software:MRC: Multi-Racing Championship

From HandWiki
Short description: 1997 video game
Multi Racing Championship
North American cover art
Developer(s)Genki
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
  • JP: July 18, 1997
  • NA: September 4, 1997[1]
  • EU: October 1997
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

MRC: Multi-Racing Championship[lower-alpha 1] is a racing video game developed by Genki and released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997. It was published in North America and Europe by Ocean and in Japan by Imagineer. The game is compatible with the Controller Pak and the Rumble Pak.

Gameplay

In Championship mode, the player competes against nine computer-controlled racers. Finishing first advances the game. In Time Trial mode, players try to finish a course in as short a time as possible. Ghost car is included so the player can compete against the best time recorded. Free Run mode lets the player drive freely without other opponents or time limit. The VS Race mode lets two players compete against each other. The unlockable Match Race option pits the player against a hidden computer opponent in a night-time race.[2] Weather effects like rain, fog and snow are included.[3]

MRC features ten cars, which are divided into two groups: road cars and off-road vehicles.[3] There are seven different areas for car customization: tires, brakes, suspension, steering, transmission, gear ratio, and aerodynamics. MRC includes three tracks: Sea Side, Mountain, and Downtown. The courses have multiple paths and mirror images can be unlocked.[4]

Development

The game was unveiled at the April 1997 Tokyo Game Show, where it drew large crowds despite publisher Imagineer having only a small booth.[5]

It was the first game from an Infogrames subsidiary to be released on the Nintendo 64.[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings67%[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame2/5[2]
Edge7/10[8]
EGM6.5/10, 6.5/10, 5.0/10, 6.5/10[9]
Famitsu26/40[10]
Game Informer8.25/10[11]
GameFan85%[12][lower-alpha 2]
GameSpot4.1/10[4]
Hyper74%[13]
IGN6.4/10[3]
N64 Magazine(JP) 81%[14]
(EU) 71%[15]
Next Generation4/5[16]

Multi Racing Championship held a 67% on the review aggregation website GameRankings based on 12 reviews.[7] Critics liked that players could customize their car to suit different road conditions[9][4][3][16][17] and the mixture of on-road and off-road racing,[9][16][17] but felt the small number of tracks severely hurt the game's value.[9][4][3][16][17] While most critics praised the controls,[9][3][17] GameSpot found the realistic handling forces the player to slow down too much, concluding that MRC doesn't have the illusion of speed, and making gameplay as dull.[4] Matt Casamassina of IGN described MRC as decent average racer game.[3] Edge highlighted the realistic handling of the cars, which varies depending on the road surface material. The magazine criticized the game's short length, but admitted that the two-player mode gives the game some longevity.[8]

Most critics also said the graphics overall were solid but failed to actually impress,[9][4][3][17] and found the announcer annoying.[9][4][17] GamePro argued that despite the game's flaws, it is worth checking out because it was thus far the Nintendo 64's only real alternative to the critically panned Cruis'n USA.[17][lower-alpha 3] However, GameSpot and IGN both pointed out that Top Gear Rally and San Francisco Rush would both be out soon and looked more promising than MRC.[4][3] Three of Electronic Gaming Monthly's four reviewers also felt MRC was not as good as the rest of the racing games arriving on the Nintendo 64 in late 1997, and echoed IGN's assessment of the game as distinctly average.[9] In contrast, Next Generation lauded its "wonderful graphical complexity", also praising realism and physics model and considering the game as a respectable rival to Sega racing games.[16]

Notes

  1. ↑ Also known as simply Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value).
  2. ↑ Three critics of GameFan gave the game each a score of 78, 89, and 88.
  3. ↑ GamePro gave the game 4.0/5 for graphics, 4.0/5 for fun factor, 3.0/5 for sound, and 4.5/5 for control.

References

  1. ↑ IGN staff (September 4, 1997). "MRC on Sale Now Everywhere". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/09/05/mrc-on-sale-now-everywhere. Retrieved November 30, 2020. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 McCall, Scott. "MRC: Multi-Racing Championship - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115214201/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7509&tab=review. Retrieved November 30, 2020. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Casamassina, Matt (September 11, 1997). "Multi Racing Championship". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160308013003/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/09/12/multi-racing-championship. Retrieved November 26, 2017. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 MacDonald, Ryan (October 2, 1997). "[MRC: Multi-Racing Championship Review [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000"]"]. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090719153112/http://www.gamespot.com/n64/driving/multiracingchampionship/review.html. Retrieved November 30, 2020. 
  5. ↑ "Tokyo Game Show Report from Japan". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (30): 17. June 1997. https://archive.org/stream/NextGeneration30Jun1997/Next_Generation_30_Jun_1997#page/n17. 
  6. ↑ "Infogrames | Infos Societe". http://www.infogrames.com/infogrames/FR/societe/index.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "MRC: Multi-Racing Championship for Nintendo 64". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191209014039/https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/198014-mrc-multi-racing-championship/index.html. Retrieved November 26, 2017. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Multi-Racing Championship". Edge (Future Publishing) (49): 76–77. September 1997. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 "Review Crew: Multi-Racing Champ [sic"]. Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (101): 192. December 1997. https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/7d2a7347-8628-4fc8-a98b-7634e6c59fc8. Retrieved August 25, 2025. 
  10. ↑ "マルチレーシング チャンピオンシップ [NINTENDO64"] (in Japanese). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14500&redirect=no. Retrieved November 30, 2020. 
  11. ↑ "Multi Racing Championship". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (53). September 1997. http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=n64&path=sep97&doc=mrc. Retrieved November 30, 2020. 
  12. ↑ Halverson, Dave "E. Storm"; Cockburn, Andrew "The Enquirer"; Hodgson, David "Chief Hambleton" (August 1997). "Multi Racing Championship". GameFan (Metropolis Media) 5 (8): 18. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_5_Issue_08/page/n19/mode/2up. Retrieved November 30, 2020. 
  13. ↑ Fish, Eliot (January 1998). "Multi Racing Championship". Hyper (Next Media Pty Ltd) (51): 78–79. https://archive.org/details/hyper-051/page/78/mode/2up. Retrieved December 1, 2020. 
  14. ↑ "Multi Racing Championship [Import]". N64 Magazine (Future Publishing) (5). August 1997. 
  15. ↑ Davies, Jonathan (November 1997). "Multi Racing Championship vs Top Gear Rally". N64 Magazine (Future Publishing) (8): 48–53. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 "A Race Won (MRC: Multi-Racing Championship Review)". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (33): 130. September 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_33/page/n131/mode/2up. Retrieved November 30, 2020. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 Air Hendrix (September 1997). "Nintendo 64 ProReview: Multi Racing Championship". GamePro (IDG) (108): 84. 
  • 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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