California Speed (video game)

California Speed
Arcade flyer
Developer(s)Atari Games
Publisher(s)Atari Games (arcade)
Midway (N64)
Producer(s)Mark Stephen Pierce
Steve Ritchie
Programmer(s)Carl Ferreira
Composer(s)Kevin Quinn, Dave Zabriske, Chris Granner, John Paul, Joe Lyford, Gunnar Madsen, Rich Carle, Todd Modjesky (Arcade)
Barry Leitch, Pablo Buitrago (N64)
Platform(s)Arcade, Nintendo 64
ReleaseArcade
March 1998
Nintendo 64
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer
Arcade systemAtari/Midway Seattle

California Speed is a racing video game developed and published by Atari Games. The game was first released in arcades in 1998 and was ported to the Nintendo 64 in 1999 by Midway. The Nintendo 64 version of the game contains support for the Controller Pak and the Rumble Pak.

Gameplay

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California Speed has players race against other players and multiple computer-controlled opponents on point-to-point races set in many cities and rural areas across the state of California. Players can race with several different cars,[2] with automatic or manual transmissions. Courses include "civilian" traffic and other hazards that must be avoided, and provide opportunity to perform stunts such as flips and wheelies. The gameplay has been compared to that of the contemporaneous Cruis'n series co-produced by Nintendo and Midway's Chicago studios.

The arcade version allows up to four arcade cabinets to be linked together for four-player racing.[2]

Development

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The game was exhibited at the January 1998 Amusement Trades Exhibition International in London and the February 1998 AOU Show in Tokyo.[3]

Mojave Desert billboard

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In April 2012, a post was made to the r/creepygaming subreddit about two billboards discovered in the "Mojave Desert" level of the Nintendo 64 version of the game which bore black text on a white background displaying a strange message reading

SoMETIMES...
God TAkES MOMMIES
ANd PuPPIES AWAY...
ANd SoMETIMES...
JuST SoMETIMES...

I do

The reason for the billboard message's inclusion was not known until February 2016, when the website PopOptiq published an article in which Morgan Godat, a textural artist for the game, explained that the game had been created under a serious time crunch, and the billboard used a placeholder texture that was inadvertently left in the final version.[4]

Reception

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The Nintendo 64 version received unfavorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[5] Next Generation, however, said that the arcade version "is aimed directly at the middle of the gaming audience, and it plays that way too."[16] GamePro, in a favorable review of the Nintendo 64 version, said, "Fans of California Speed's arcade counterpart will bask in its sharp N64 port, but serious racing fans may be disappointed by the game's lack of replay depth. Consider this a rental title—lease with an option to buy."[18][b]

Notes

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  1. ^ In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the Nintendo 64 version, two critics gave it each a score of 4.5/10, and the other two gave it 4/10.
  2. ^ GamePro gave the Nintendo 64 version three 4/5 scores for graphics, control, and fun factor, and 4.5/5 for sound.

References

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  1. ^ IGN staff (March 18, 1999). "Cal Speed in Stores". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Johnny Ballgame (April 1998). "Hot at the Arcades: California Speed". GamePro. No. 115. IDG. p. 65.
  3. ^ Webb, Marcus (May 1998). "Sequel Mania at London and Tokyo Expos". Next Generation. No. 41. Imagine Media. p. 33.
  4. ^ Rigdon Jr., Randall (February 20, 2016). "Mystery of Creepy 18-Year-Old N64 'California Speed' Easter Egg Finally Revealed". PopOptiq. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "California Speed for Nintendo 64 Reviews". GameRankings. CBS Interavtive. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  6. ^ Cook, Brad. "California Speed (Arcade) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Marriott, Scott Alan. "California Speed (N64) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  8. ^ "Nintendo 64 Reviews: C". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  9. ^ Panda; Cheub (June 1999). "California Speed [US Import]". Consoles + (in French). No. 89. pp. 130–31.
  10. ^ Ricciardi, John; Hager, Dean; Boyer, Crispin; Williams, Ken "Sushi-X" (April 1999). "California Speed (N64)" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 117. Ziff Davis. p. 121. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  11. ^ McNamara, Andy; Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew (April 1999). "California Speed (N64)". Game Informer. No. 72. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on May 21, 2000. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  12. ^ Taruc, Nelson (April 21, 1999). "California Speed Review (N64)". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on December 30, 2004. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  13. ^ Norton-Smith, Hugh (June 1999). "California Speed (N64)". Hyper. No. 68. Next Media Pty Ltd. p. 81. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  14. ^ Casamassina, Matt (March 19, 1999). "California Speed (N64)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  15. ^ Weaver, Tim (May 1999). "California Speed". N64 Magazine. No. 28. Future Publishing. p. 72. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "California Speed (Arcade)". Next Generation. No. 43. Imagine Media. July 1998. p. 120. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  17. ^ "California Speed". Nintendo Power. Vol. 118. Nintendo of America. March 1999. p. 116. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  18. ^ Boba Fatt (April 1999). "California Speed (N64)" (PDF). GamePro. No. 127. IDG. p. 80. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
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