Software:Total Drivin

From HandWiki
Short description: 1997 video game
Total Drivin
PAL cover art
Developer(s)Eutechnyx
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • NA: October 6, 1997[1]
  • EU: October 15, 1997
  • JP: April 23, 1998
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Total Drivin, known as Car & Driver Presents: Grand Tour Racing '98 in North America, Gekisou!!! Grand Racing[lower-alpha 1] in Japan and as M6 Turbo Racing in France (as a tie-in to the M6 motoring show), is a 1997 racing video game developed by British company Eutechnyx exclusively for PlayStation,[2] their first release under this name having previously been named Merit Studios. The game saw highly mixed reactions from critics due to its broad stylistic approach and unusual steering controls. It was followed up by C3 Racing released in Europe in 1998 and 1999.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot

Total Drivin is a racing game that features six courses set in different locations across the world, each with different weather variations.[3] The game supports the Dual Analog Controller.[3] Multiplayer is available via both split screen and the PlayStation Link Cable.[4]

Development

Total Drivin was developed by the UK-based company Eutechnyx.[5] The developers created a zoom-capable, 360 degree camera for use as a programming tool, but later decided to leave it in so that players could look over the track landscapes while the game is paused.[4]

The game's North American publisher, Activision, acquired a Car and Driver sponsorship for the game, leading to "Car and Driver Presents" being added to the game's title in that region.[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings71%[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarHalf star[8]
Edge8/10[2]
EGM7/10[10]
Famitsu23/40[11]
Game Informer7.75/10[12]
GameFan86%[13][lower-alpha 2]
IGN6/10[14]
Next GenerationStarStarStar[15]
OPM (US)StarStarStar[5]
Playstation Plus86%[16]

The game received above-average reviews. In Japan, where the game was ported and published by Atlus under the name Gekisō!! Grand Racing: Total Drivin' (激走!! グランドレーシング Total Drivin', Gekisō!! Gurando Rēshingu Totaru Doraibin) on 23 April 1998, Famitsu gave it a score of 23 out of 40.[11]

While Edge praised the game for successfully combining the realism of a racing simulator with the style of an arcade racing game,[2] most reviews assessed that by taking on every single racing style in one game, Total Drivin failed to excel at any one style and came out highly inconsistent.[10][14][15][17] Next Generation, for example, stated that "It's a nice idea, but for the most part, it's neither well-executed nor well-integrated into gameplay, and comes across like more of a gimmick than anything else."[15] Both Next Generation and IGN remarked that most of the tracks are too easy, while the buggy tracks feature extremely difficult handling, making the challenge too uneven.[14][15]

Some critics complimented the sound effects as realistic,[5][3] while others found the engine sounds grating, likening them to motorcycles or blenders.[10][17] The graphics also met with mixed reactions, with critics noting grainy bitmaps[14][15][17] but a pleasing lack of pop-up.[3][15] A few reviewers praised how the aggressive A.I. leads other cars to cut opponents off or push them into walls when going around curves.[15][17] Kraig Kujawa of Electronic Gaming Monthly summarized that "With so much depth, GTR has something for all, despite its rough edges", and his co-reviewer Dean Hager similarly concluded, "In the end, the good elements outweigh the bad."[10]

Gary Mollohan of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine highlighted the game's selection of vehicles and large environments, noting that a single lap can take up to four minutes to complete. However, he criticized the game's questionable car physics and unconventional controls.[5] IGN likewise found that the controls make the steering oversensitive.[14] GameSpot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann felt the controls were decent, but admitted that they can take a lot of getting used to due to the game's unique steering system.[3] GamePro summed up that "You'll either love using the D-pad in conjunction with the L and R triggers, or you'll hate it."[17][lower-alpha 3]

Notes

  1. ↑ (激走!! グランドレシング)
  2. ↑ In GameFan's viewpoint of the game, one critic gave it a score of 90, and the other two gave it each a score of 84.
  3. ↑ GamePro gave the game two 4/5 scores for graphics and overall fun factor, and two 3.5/5 scores for sound and control in an early review.

References

  1. ↑ "GameSpot: Video Games News: Grand Tour Racing '98 Hits PlayStation". 2002-04-26. http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2467833,00.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Edge staff (December 1997). "Total Drivin'". Edge (Future Publishing) (52): 84. https://retrocdn.net/images/8/8b/Edge_UK_052.pdf. Retrieved 17 July 2021. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named GSpot review
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 EGM staff (July 1997). "Grand Tour Racing '98 (Preview)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (96): 111. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Mollohan, Gary (October 1997). "Grand Tour Racing 98". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 1 (1): 96. https://archive.org/details/Official_US_PlayStation_Magazine_Volume_1_Issue_1_1997-10_Ziff_Davis_US/page/n95/mode/2up. Retrieved 17 July 2021. 
  6. ↑ "Activision's Nightmare". GamePro (IDG) (108): 20. September 1997. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_108_Volume_09_Number_09_1997-09_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n21/mode/2up. Retrieved 17 July 2021. 
  7. ↑ "Car and Driver Presents: Grand Tour Racing '98 for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190501135307/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196868-car-and-driver-presents-grand-tour-racing-98/index.html. Retrieved 17 July 2021. 
  8. ↑ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Car and Driver Presents: Grand Tour Racing '98 - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115202214/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7834&tab=review. 
  9. ↑ Marrin, John (5 December 1997). "Grand Tour Racing ['98"]. CNET. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000816205008/http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Grand/. Retrieved 17 July 2021. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 EGM staff (October 1997). "Grand Tour Racing ['98]". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (99): 193. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "激走!! グランドレーシング Total Drivin' [PS"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=4902&redirect=no. Retrieved 17 July 2021. 
  12. ↑ "Grand Tour Racing ['98]". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (55): 83. November 1997. 
  13. ↑ Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Hobbs, Michael "Substance D"; Griffin, Mike "Glitch" (November 1997). "GTR [sic"]. GameFan (Metropolis Media) 5 (11): 20. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_5_Issue_11/page/n21/mode/2up. Retrieved 17 July 2021. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 IGN staff (29 September 1997). "Car and Driver Presents Grand Tour Racing 98". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181101224401/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/09/30/car-and-driver-presents-grand-tour-racing-98. Retrieved 1 November 2018. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 "Grand Tour Racing '98". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (36): 162. December 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_36/page/n163/mode/2up. Retrieved 17 July 2021. 
  16. ↑ Jon (November 1997). "Total Drivin". Playstation Plus (26): 94–95. https://archive.org/details/playstation-plus-november-1997/page/94/mode/2up?q=%22%22Bust-A-Move+3%22%22. Retrieved 21 July 2021. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Bad Hare (October 1997). "Car and Driver Presents Grand Tour Racing '98". GamePro (IDG) (109): 134. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_109_Volume_09_Number_10_1997-10_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n135/mode/2up. Retrieved 17 July 2021. 
  • 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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