Gearhead Garage

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gearhead Garage

Developer(s)	Mekada
Publisher(s)	Activision
Release date(s)	1999
Genre(s)	Simulation
Mode(s)
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone
Platform(s)	Windows
Media	CD-ROM

Snap-On Gearhead Garage: The Virtual Mechanic is a PC game where players repair and customize late model cars and trucks. It was created by Mekada, endorsed by Snap-on Tools, and published in 1999 by Head Games (subsequently acquired by Activision). Since there is no feature for driving the cars, this rather unique game corresponds most closely to the "simulation" genre, although it could be argued that Gearhead Garage introduced an entirely new "bolt-em up" paradigm. The appeal is reminiscent of taking things apart in real life -- players can compeletely disassemble the engine, repair the individual parts, reassemble them, and then exhibit the completed result in their 3D "car lot". The game also features a series of "jobs", wherein the player fixes vehicles cars owned by ficitional characters. This allows them to earn money to buy custom items from the catalog, auction, or junkyard.

[edit] Screenshots

The screenshots below illustrate the unique gameplay style of Gearhead Garage:

Attaching car parts to the engine	Missing parts can be purchased from the catalog	An in-game "auction" allows the player to purchase cars to fix up
The player's cars are stored in a 3D "car lot"	The spraycan tool allows the player to paint the vehicle body	Paint decals can be purchased from the catalog
Gearhead Garage allows players to e-mail photos to friends, or enter them in online contests

[edit] Popularity

Gearhead Garage sold surprisingly well given its unusual design. It received generally excellent reviews, for example an average score of 4.5 out of 5 stars at Amazon.com and 9.5 out of 10 points at ReviewCentre.com. The GearheadGarage.com web site attracted a community of enthusiastic fans who eventually reverse-engineered the game file formats and began creating entirely new vehicles using tools such as 3D Studio Max. In all, the community contributed over 30 complete car models that can be downloaded from various 3rd party web sites dedicated to the game.

Gearhead Garage's constructive, non-violent gameplay made it popular with parents and educators as well. In 2002, it received an "All Star Award" from Children's Software Review magazine in the "Logic" category.