Software:Speed Freaks

From HandWiki
Short description: 1999 video game
Speed Freaks
PAL version cover art
Developer(s)Funcom
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Speed Freaks (released as Speed Punks in North America) is a racing video game developed by Funcom and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It supports up to two players (four with a multitap for PlayStation).

The game involves racing around a variety of tracks while using several weapons, including items that make the racer's speed increase, missiles, and slime.

Gameplay

Single player Tournament mode. The green cubes are the pick-up icons and the purple hexagons are speed boost tokens.

Speed Freaks is a kart racing game featuring several single and multiplayer modes. During the game, players take control of one of nine characters and drive karts around tracks with various themes. Races are played in third-person perspective, with the point of view behind the chosen character's cart. The goal of the game is to either finish a race ahead of other racers, who are controlled by the computer and other players, or complete a circuit in the fastest time.

Icons marked with question marks are arrayed on the race tracks; they give weapons (pick-ups) to a player's kart if the vehicle passes over them. Pick-ups, such as missiles and slime, allow racers to hit others with the objects, causing them to spin and lose control. A kart that obtains the stealth mode pick-up is temporarily invulnerable to attack. Lines of speed boost tokens are found on the tracks. By running through these tokens, a kart collects them and fills cells on its speed boost bar. The player can use accumulated speed boost to increase speed at a faster rate than under normal acceleration.

Modes

Speed Freaks has three single player modes, Tournament, Single Race and Time attack. In Tournament one player races against five computer-controlled characters in a series of four races called leagues. There are three leagues available, titled Easy, Medium and Hard. Initially only the Easy league is available, by finishing this league, the Medium league is unlocked, which in turn unlocks the Hard league when finished. In order to continue through, a league a position of third or higher must be achieved in each race. If a player finishes in fourth to sixth position, the race must be retry – at the cost of one of a limited number of retries – until a placing of third or above is achieved. Points are accrued by finishing in the top three positions in a race; first to third place receive ten, seven and five points. Computer controlled characters are also awarded three points for fourth place and one point for fifth place. The racer with the highest number of points after all four races have been completed wins the league. winning all of the races in a league unlocks one of Three Challenges. In each challenge a player races against one computer-controlled character in a single race, where if the player wins the race, their opponent becomes a playable character. In single race mode, players compete against five computer-controlled characters at a track of the players' choosing from those that are present in Tournament mode. In time attack mode, players race against the clock through the same tracks that are present in Tournament mode, attempting to set the fastest time possible.

Speed Freaks also has two multiplayer modes: Vs. and Multiplayer. In Vs. mode two players race against each other either in a single race or through a league, on the same tracks as are present in the Tournament mode, with the screen split in half. In Multiplayer mode three or four players race against each other, on one of 12 additional tracks. The tracks featured in this mode have lower detail than those in single player and Vs. mode.[3] This game mode requires the Multitap peripheral in order for four controllers to be connected to the PlayStation.

Characters

Speed Freaks features nine original characters from which the player can choose to compete as or against. Six characters are available immediately at the start of the game and three further characters can be unlocked by beating them in a challenge. Each character's kart has different capabilities with differing levels of top speed, acceleration, handling and collision recovery.

Development

Speed Freaks was produced by Padraig Crowley and designed and developed by the SD Team at Funcom Dublin in Ireland.[4] The game took three years to develop.[5] Working titles used included "Project SDR" and "Wheelnuts".[3]

When designing the physics model, the developers opted for a balance between realism and fun by developing a realistic physics model as a base and then modifying it to make it more enjoyable to play. As an example, the developers cited that bumping into a wall in the game results in far less of an impact than doing the same in real life.[6]

The developers used hand-optimised assembly code for the graphics engine in order to make it fit into the small instruction cache of the PlayStation hardware. The graphics engine used both Gouraud shading and textures on polygons, and the makers believe it is only the second racing game on the PlayStation to use Gouraud shading.[6]

The game was released in North America under the title Speed Punks. Sony acquired the rights to publish the game in the region as early as the summer of 1999, but held back as to avoid competing with Crash Team Racing.[7]

"Travelling Without Moving" by Jamiroquai is used in the introduction video of this videogame. Other music within the game is by Martin Schioler.[4]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings79%[8]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarStar[9]
EGM6.875/10[11][lower-alpha 1]
Game Informer7/10[12]
GameFan89%[13]
GameRevolutionB[14]
GameSpot8.4/10[15]
IGN9/10[16]
Jeuxvideo.com15/20[17]
Next GenerationStarStar[18]
OPM (US)StarStarStarStarHalf star[19]
The Sydney Morning HeraldStarStarStarStarHalf star[20]

The game received favorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings,[8] but Adam Pavlacka of NextGen gave a negative review to the game.[18] GamePro said that Speed Punks offers an enjoyable arcade racing experience despite its shortcomings.[21][lower-alpha 2]

Notes

  1. ↑ In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the game, one critic gave it 8/10, two gave it each a score of 7/10, and the other gave it 5.5/10.
  2. ↑ GamePro gave the game two 4/5 scores for graphics and fun factor, and two 3.5/5 scores for sound and control.

References

  1. ↑ "Sony Goes Punk". April 18, 2000. http://www.psxnation.com/news/041800d.shtml. 
  2. ↑ "Speed Freaks". http://chipsworld.co.uk/detProd.asp?ProductCode=1197. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Speed Freaks (Preview)". PlayStation Power (Future Publishing) (40): 32–35. June 1999. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Speed Freaks Manual. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. p. 28. 
  5. ↑ "The Player". The Irish Times (Irish Times Trust). September 7, 1999. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/the-player-1.224676. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Goldsmith, Mike (April 1999). "First Look: Speed Freaks". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Future Publishing) (44): 38–40. https://archive.org/details/opm044/page/n37/mode/2up. Retrieved January 17, 2021. 
  7. ↑ IGN staff (April 13, 2000). "Speed Punks (Preview)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/04/14/speed-punks-2. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Speed Punks for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198739-speed-punks/index.html. 
  9. ↑ Huey, Christian. "Speed Punks - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=23198&tab=review. 
  10. ↑ Gaudiosi, Peyton (April 21, 2000). "Speed Punks [Incomplete"]. CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Speedpunks/. 
  11. ↑ Smith, Shawn; Johnston, Chris; Hager, Dean; Hsu, Dan "Shoe" (May 2000). "Speed Punks". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (130): 151. https://retrocdn.net/images/9/91/EGM_US_130.pdf. Retrieved May 17, 2022. 
  12. ↑ "Speed Punks". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (85). May 2000. 
  13. ↑ Boor, Jay (April 25, 2000). "REVIEW for Speed Punks". Shinno Media. http://www.gamefan.com/repre.asp?g=1678&t=r. 
  14. ↑ Archer, Eric (July 2000). "Speed Punks Review". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/39384-speed-punks-review. 
  15. ↑ MacDonald, Ryan (April 26, 2000). "Speed Punks Review". Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/speed-punks-review/1900-2558159/. 
  16. ↑ Bishop, Sam (April 19, 2000). "Speed Punks". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/04/20/speed-punks. 
  17. ↑ la redaction (October 11, 1999). "Test: Speed Freaks" (in fr). Webedia. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00000119_test.htm. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Pavlacka, Adam (June 2000). "Speed Punks". NextGen (Imagine Media) (66): 100. https://archive.org/details/NextGen66Jun2000/page/n101/mode/2up. Retrieved January 17, 2021. 
  19. ↑ Baker, Chris (May 2000). "Speed Punks". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 3 (8): 92. https://archive.org/details/Official_U.S._Playstation_Magazine_Issue_32_May_2000/page/n91/mode/2up. Retrieved January 17, 2021. 
  20. ↑ Clarke, Stuart; Tong, Janice (September 18, 1999). "Speed Freaks". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). http://www.smh.com.au/icon/9909/18/games2.html. 
  21. ↑ Vicious Sid (June 2000). "Speed Punks". GamePro (IDG) (141): 123. https://retrocdn.net/images/a/a5/GamePro_US_141.pdf. Retrieved May 17, 2022. 
  • 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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