Roadsters

by Titus

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000206HE
• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: April 20, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 1.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,732 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Product Description

Nothing compares to enjoying the open road in a luxury convertible. Crisp mountain air streaming through one's hair, window-free views of gorgeous natural vistas zipping by, fellow roadsters just inches away from your slick paint job as the metallic mass negotiates a hairpin curve at breakneck speeds. Yep, nothing like it at all.

Far from the traditional racing game, Roadsters combines fast racing action with the ability to bet on races and trade cars. Wrangling cash out of fellow racers allows one to upgrade to progressively beefier vehicles and enter more demanding competitions.

The game features four modes of play: trophy, multiplayer (up to four players), quick race, and time trial. Roadsters introduces 10 unique tracks, ranging from oceanside highways to mountain passes, each with unpredictable local weather conditions. With more than 30 convertibles to choose from and a variety of engine configurations and modifiable parts, Roadsters is the ultimate way to drive topless. --Eric Twelker

GameSpot Preview

It wasn't long after the introduction of the first automobile, relatively speaking, that the roadster or the hot rod made its appearance. The 1932 Ford Deuce, is considered one of the definitive hot rods, (with Ford's first production V-8 engine), and no matter how old you are, you probably remember the Beach Boys crooning about the Little Deuce Coupe. Titus announced Roadsters 99 for the N64 last year, and now LA-based developer Player 1 is working on Titus' Roadsters for the Dreamcast.

We haven't exactly seen any Deuces in the screenshots, but what we have seen looks pretty good, even at this early stage. First of all, the N64 and Dreamcast games will be quite different from each other. The Dreamcast title, according to Player 1, will offer more arcade-style play over Roadsters 99. Essentially, the surface differences are: the N64 version will have pit stops, the Dreamcast game won't; the N64 game will have gambling as a gameplay function, and the Dreamcast version won't; and there will be fewer cars in the Dreamcast game - a total of 12 - with some hidden, while the N64 version will have 15 but will count various paint jobs as different "cars" entirely.

Roadsters for the DC will have about eight tracks with four different themes. These themes will be based in different terrestrial environments, such as "desert." Within each theme, there will be tracks you must beat to get to the next one. For example, if the desert theme has Desert A, Desert B, Desert C, and so on, you must beat Desert A to go through a barrier or access a shortcut you might find in Desert B. This is not to say each track within a theme is the same as the track before it; this is just to say that the tracks extend into one another and that your skill level on the various tracks affects your freedom and accessibility in the next one.

In gameplay, Roadsters for the Dreamcast sounds as though it will also be more complicated than the N64 version. The courses will include lots of crazy jumps and turns. The developers have turned a keen eye toward more aggressive and unpredictable track design. Hidden tracks? Perhaps. It's too early for Player 1 to say, but it is possible.

There will be three basic modes of play: arcade, trophy, and multiplayer. While we've pretty much explained the arcade mode, the trophy mode will consist of selecting a car and driver to begin your game. Your choice of driver is limited to one of four male or female characters none of whom will apparently have any impact on how you drive, so their purpose is aesthetic only. As you race (up to seven others, minimum, and still to be determined), you'll earn money to upgrade your vehicles. The type of car upgrades will be Street, Sports, and Formula. There will be noticeable car handling upgrades on each, yet visually, you'll only notice the upgrade on the Formula version. And you won't be able to upgrade piecemeal. You'll have to buy and sell entire vehicles (you'll have a garage in which to store your cars), not kits. Another note is that you'll have to unlock the courses in trophy mode before you can play them in arcade mode. There's incentive.

In multiplayer mode, you'll be able to play against three others; however, you won't be able to play combinations of human/CPU at this point. Player 1 says the AI will be wise enough to knock you off the road and block your pass through.

Graphically, the game will use a replay-style camera or trick camera, with a couple different views: in cab and behind the car, between which you can switch back and forth during play. But perhaps the most interesting graphical element is one that actually affects gameplay. Each track will have environmental or natural elements that will attempt to throw you off course. For example, on the Area 51 track, a large tornado will appear onscreen and not only create a visual stir, but will mess up your driving by putting debris on the track or sending you off course. Player 1 is still working on incorporating this into the gameplay but is optimistic that we'll see this treatment in the final product. Other effects include rain, a volcano, and an earthquake that will also make structures and objects block your path and force you to continue racing while avoiding these obstacles.

Player 1 and Titus haven't announced any official licenses yet, but that is a possibility. As far as the VMU (VMS in Japan) is concerned, there won't be any minigames available, but you will be able to store basic car info and stats.

Roadsters for the Dreamcast has not been given a firm release date, but keep watching this space for details as they emerge. --Lauren Fielder
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I hate this game!, June 13, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Roadsters (Video Game)

This is the worst racing game I have ever played!

Here's why: 1. awful graphcs(the game looks like a sega saturn racing game!) 2. a lot of pop up( things just seem to pop up in front of you, and it is distracting! 3. the load times are so long that I started to get very upset. 4. you barely have any control over your car!

There are a lot more reasons why this game is bad, but I returned it on the second day, so I didn't see anymore. the people who made this game obviously have no idea what they're doing, and probably don't know that DREAMCAST IS A 128 BIT SYSTEM, IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE VERY LITTLE LOAD TIME, AND NO POP UP! Don't buy it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This game is bad, August 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Roadsters (Video Game)

I bought it thinking it would be a great game, not knowing Titus' lousy reputation. When i got it home and started playing it i was supprised at how bad it was. How bad? Only some of the cars are licensed, and all the other ones are real cars but the physics are way off. No damage, and when you ram into another car, that car doesn't slow down' you just bounce of. When you hit a tree, the tree bounces of the ground and disapears. What really stumped me was how on the back of the game CD, there is a picture of a Porsche Boxter and a Shelby Cobra racing. Well guess what! Niether one of those cars are available in the game! The worst part is the graphics. You'd be better off with Mario Cart for Super NES for good graphics! Do not buy this game! I bought it, and i traded it in for Test Drive 6. If you already bought it, I suggest you do the same thing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Could Be Better, December 26, 2001

By 

Matt Laform (Merrick, New York !USA!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roadsters (Video Game)

The game was almost unfinished, like they had to get it out by a certain deadline. For instance the two cars on the back of the cd case aren't in the game. The steering is practically impossible without the steering wheel thing that comes seperately for like ... I suggest you don't waste your time and money on this game.