Viper Racing

Viper Racing
Developer(s) Monster Games
Publisher(s) Sierra Entertainment
Platform(s) Windows PC
Release 1998
Genre(s) Semi-Simulation Racing
Mode(s) single player, up to 8 players in multi-player

Viper Racing is a Dodge-licensed 3D car racing game, released in 1998 on the Windows PC platform. It was the first commercially released game developed by Monster Games.

Upon release, Viper Racing received the Editor's Choice award from PC Gamer magazine.

In Viper Racing, the player could take control of a Dodge Viper, or of one of the few bonus vehicles, including a super car and a small airplane. The game featured several tracks, several pre-generated color/striping layouts, and a carpainter. This carpainter generated a template of the entire car, which could then be painted and decorated with decals and race numbers.

Another feature was the hornball, which was enabled via the options menu. If the player enabled it, and would press the horn while racing, a black/grey ball would be launched from the front of the car. The in-game physics engine simulated this ball as very heavy and made of a strong material. Cars could suffer severe damage if the ball crashed into them. A prior-launched ball would disappear though if the player launched another.

Next to the unusual hornball, the game featured a flip option for the car. Flipping the car depended on how long and how fast the button was pressed. If done properly, the player could make the car crawl through the water and get back on land, or could make the car flip around and land on its wheels. However, when on land, flipping caused damage, also if the car would land on its wheels.

While racing, the player could choose between around 7 or 8 cameras, including several chase and top-down views, a bumper camera, and a camera similar to the bumper camera, but with the front wheels and suspension visible. There was also an interior camera, but from the outside, players could not look inside the car.

The game featured a deformation-only damage model. Minor paint scratches could appear on the body, but eventually the damage model could make cars unrecognizable and undrivable. No parts would fall off however. Cars could even suffer severe damage by hitting signs, but driving into the water would have no consequences to the driving behaviour of the car.

Reception

Viper Racing was a finalist for Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1998 "Racing Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Motocross Madness. The editors called Viper Racing "a fabulously rich game experience, with an excellent career mode and more customization options than you could find at a real Dodge dealer."[1]

References

  1. ↑ Staff (February 11, 1999). "The Best of 1998". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 3, 2005.
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