World Driver Championship is an automobile racing video game. It was developed by Boss Game Studios and published for the Nintendo 64 by Midway Games. It is notable for having especially high quality graphics.

World Driver Championship
North American box art
Developer(s)	Boss Game Studios
Publisher(s)	Midway
Producer(s)	Kevin Potter
Designer(s)	Brian McNeely
Programmer(s)	Brian Fehdrau Rob Povey
Artist(s)	Todd Keller Martin Sawkins
Composer(s)	Zack Ohren
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64
Release	NA: May 31, 1999[1] EU: November 1999
Genre(s)	Racing game
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer

Gameplay

World Driver Championship is a racing game that features ten locations. Most locations feature six tracks (marked "A", "B", and "C"), three of which are in reverse (marked "R" next to "A", "B", and "C"). The exception is Black Forest, which has only four tracks, two of them being in reverse. These are the ten locations: Hawaii; Les Gets, France; Las Vegas, USA; Auckland, New Zealand; Lisbon, Portugal; Rome, Italy; Sydney, Australia; Zurich, Switzerland; Kyoto, Japan; and the Black Forest in Germany.

Development

The game was showcased at E3 1999.[1] One of the last racing simulations to be released for Nintendo 64, this graphically intensive title uses custom microcode optimization and high polygon count modelling. The development team was able to optimize the usage of the various processors within the N64 to allow a great draw distance (reducing the need for fog or pop-up), highly detailed texturing and models, Doppler effect MP3 audio, and advanced lighting and fog effects for realistic weather conditions. Increasingly prevalent toward the latter years of the N64's commercial lifetime, the game has a high resolution 640x480 mode that does not require the add-on N64 RAM Expansion Pak. Additionally, unlike many other games of its type on the platform, the game runs high resolution at a smooth pace.

The soundtrack, consisting of original rock and heavy metal tunes, was composed by musician Zack Ohren.

Reception

Although World Driver Championship received generally positive reviews from critics,[2] it suffered from intense competition at the time. While the game was an improvement in nearly every way compared to Boss's similar earlier effort, Top Gear Rally, it was up against the impressive new Gran Turismo series and other new racers. Complaints included a somewhat unconvincing driving physics model, non-licensed cars, and poor sound effects and music quality.^{[citation needed]} The dislike for the physics model often stems from the beginning cars being difficult to drive and offering a "sloppy" feeling of control.^{[citation needed]} Next Generation praised the game; although the magazine considered the title as tough for play, they recommended to anyone who want a realistic GT racing game.[9]

References

External links

• World Driver Championship at MobyGames