Software:TOCA Race Driver

From HandWiki
Short description: 2002 video game
TOCA Race Driver
Developer(s)Codemasters
Publisher(s)Codemasters
SeriesTOCA
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox
Release
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

TOCA Race Driver (DTM Race Driver in Germany, Pro Race Driver in North America and V8 Supercars: Race Driver in Australia) is a 2002 racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for PlayStation 2, Windows and Xbox. It is the fourth game in the TOCA series. The racing elements of the game continued to receive positive reviews and the game went straight to number one in the UK game charts. Xbox and PC conversions followed in March 2003, with a further Xbox version released several months later at budget price adding Xbox Live support.

While Xbox Live support for all original Xbox Live games was terminated in 2010, TOCA Race Driver is playable online on the revival online servers called Insignia.[8]

Gameplay and plot

TOCA Race Driver features various racing disciplines and weather changes.

Race Driver took the game in a new direction, since the main game mode featured a plot (leading to the game being labelled as a "Car-PG") where the player would take on the role of a fictional race driver called Ryan McKane, trying to make a name for himself in a multitude of car championships, all the while under the shadow of his more successful older brother and haunted by the death of his father on the racetrack (as witnessed by Ryan as a child).

The British Touring Car Championship (TOCA) which gives the game series its name, returned for this game. The real-life championship had undergone a transformation after most of the manufacturers had pulled out, and crowd numbers dropped, so TOCA asked Codemasters to include the series to boost the audience interest. However, the return was short-lived. Many tracks were added, and some of the "World" tracks were not continued from TOCA 3, despite their popularity, such as Watkins Glen and Surfers Paradise. The game continued with random grid positions and no penalties for bad driving.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCPS2Xbox
EdgeN/A7/10[9]N/A
EGMN/A7.5/10[10]N/A
Eurogamer8/10[11]7/10[12]N/A
Game InformerN/A9.25/10[13]9/10[14]
GameProN/AStarStarStar[15]StarStarStar[16]
GameRevolutionN/AN/AB[17]
GameSpot7.1/10[18]7.6/10[19]7.7/10[20]
GameSpyStarStar[21]StarStarStarStarHalf star[22]StarStarStarStar[23]
GameZone8/10[24]9.5/10[25]8.1/10[26]
IGN7.5/10[27]9.3/10[28]8.9/10[29]
OPM (US)N/AStarStarStarStarHalf star[30]N/A
OXM (US)N/AN/A8/10[31]
PC Gamer (US)51%[32]N/AN/A
Entertainment WeeklyN/AB[33]N/A
Aggregate score
Metacritic74/100[34]81/100[35]80/100[36]

The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions received "favourable" reviews, while the PC version received "average" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[35][36][34]

In the UK, Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine gave the PS2 version a score of eight out of ten and said that it was an "ultra-realistic racer with top visuals";[37] they also listed it in their top 100 games and awarded it a Bronze Medal.

Sequel

Main article: Software:TOCA Race Driver 2

A sequel, TOCA Race Driver 2 was released in April 2004 for Windows and Xbox and later for PlayStation 2 in October 2004. Two more platforms were also released: a mobile version was released only in North America in February 2005 and the PlayStation Portable version was released only in Europe in September 2005. The North American version also uses the redesigned Race Driver name.

Another Race Driver sequel was released in February 2006.

See also

  • V8 Supercars in video games

References

  1. ↑ "V8 Supercars Race Driver". http://gamenation.com.au/product/?action=view&id=833. 
  2. ↑ Bye, John (13 August 2002). "TOCA sounds off". https://www.eurogamer.net/article-46482. 
  3. ↑ "Pro Race Driver Ship Date" (in en). November 27, 2002. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/27/pro-race-driver-ship-date. 
  4. ↑ "V8 Supercars". http://www.gpstore.com.au/product.x?1457412. 
  5. ↑ "TOCA Race Driver". https://www.eurogamer.net/games/toca-race-driver. 
  6. ↑ "V8 Supercars Race Driver". http://gpstore.com.au/product.x?1456547. 
  7. ↑ Sulic, Ivan (2003-04-15). "Pro Race Starting" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/04/15/pro-race-starting. 
  8. ↑ Xbox, Pure (2023-11-16). "Xbox Live 1.0 Replacement 'Insignia' Now Supports 150 Games" (in en-US). https://www.purexbox.com/news/2023/11/xbox-live-1-0-replacement-insignia-now-supports-150-games. 
  9. ↑ Edge staff (October 2002). "TOCA Race Driver (PS2)". Edge (115). 
  10. ↑ "Pro Race Driver (PS2)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (163): 135. February 2003. Archived from the original on 1 April 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040401011103/http://www.egmmag.com/article2/0,2053,1492096,00.asp. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  11. ↑ Taylor, Martin (10 April 2003). "TOCA Race Driver (PC)". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_tocaracedriver_pc. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  12. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (7 September 2002). "TOCA Race Driver (PS2)". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_tocaracedriver_ps2. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  13. ↑ Leeper, Justin (November 2002). "Pro Race Driver (PS2)". Game Informer (115): 112. http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200211/R03.0731.1147.36156.htm. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  14. ↑ Kato, Matthew (April 2003). "Pro Race Driver (Xbox)". Game Informer (120): 91. http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200304/R03.0806.1207.17705.htm. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  15. ↑ Air Hendrix (9 January 2003). "Pro Race Driver Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on 12 February 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050212141506/http://gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/27683.shtml. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  16. ↑ Dan Elektro (14 April 2003). "Pro Race Driver Review for Xbox on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050204180730/http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox/games/reviews/28952.shtml. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  17. ↑ G-Wok (May 2003). "Pro Race Driver Review (Xbox)". Game Revolution. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/pro-race-driver. Retrieved 24 August 2015. 
  18. ↑ Osborne, Scott (7 April 2003). "Pro Race Driver Review (PC)". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/pro-race-driver-review/1900-6024676/. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  19. ↑ Osborne, Scott (13 January 2003). "Pro Race Driver Review (PS2)". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/pro-race-driver-review/1900-2908650/. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  20. ↑ Osborne, Scott (18 April 2003). "Pro Race Driver Review (Xbox)". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/pro-race-driver-review/1900-6025338/. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  21. ↑ Smolka, Rob (14 April 2003). "GameSpy: Pro Race Driver (PC)". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/pro-race-driver/5769p1.html. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  22. ↑ Steinberg, Steve (31 December 2002). "GameSpy: Pro Race Driver (PS2)". GameSpy. http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/pro-race-driver-/558860p1.html. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  23. ↑ Meston, Zach (14 April 2003). "GameSpy: Pro Race Driver (Xbox)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 26 December 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20051226031236/http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/pro-race-driver/5743p1.html. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  24. ↑ Ovaldog (13 May 2003). "Pro Race Driver - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 8 November 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081108033500/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19063.htm. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  25. ↑ Tha Wiz (25 December 2002). "Pro Race Driver - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 25 December 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081225041741/http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19063.htm. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  26. ↑ Raymond, Justin (8 May 2003). "Pro Race Driver - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081004140126/http://xbox.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19063.htm. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  27. ↑ MacGruder, Randy (21 April 2003). "Pro Race Driver Review (PC)". http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/04/21/pro-race-driver-review. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  28. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (10 December 2002). "Pro Race Driver (PS2)". http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/12/10/pro-race-driver. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  29. ↑ Boulding, Aaron (24 March 2003). "Pro Race Driver Review (Xbox)". http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/03/24/pro-race-driver-review-2. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  30. ↑ Davison, John (February 2003). "Pro Race Driver". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 109. Archived from the original on 29 March 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040329071357/http://www.playstationmagazine.com/article2/0,2053,1494629,00.asp. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  31. ↑ "Pro Race Driver". Official Xbox Magazine: 85. June 2003. 
  32. ↑ Mahood, Andy (May 2003). "Pro Race Driver". PC Gamer: 62. Archived from the original on 15 March 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060315140255/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/pro_race_driver.html. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  33. ↑ Brooks, Mark (24–31 January 2003). "Pro Race Driver (PS2)". Entertainment Weekly (692–693): 106. http://www.ew.com/article/2003/01/24/pro-race-driver. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Pro Race Driver for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/pro-race-driver/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Pro Race Driver for PlayStation 2 Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/pro-race-driver/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Pro Race Driver for Xbox Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/pro-race-driver/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox. Retrieved 23 August 2015. 
  37. ↑ "TOCA Race Driver". Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine (Future Publishing) (24). September 2002. 
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari



Template:TOCA series



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:TOCA_Race_Driver&oldid=3949973"