Developer: Genki Publisher: Ocean Release: 07/18/97 Genre: Racing
Those of us who lived through the Nintendo 64’s first year came to know its release schedule intimately. For most of that initial year only one or two games were released every month. If you were determined to get the most out of your new system with pickings so slim you tried everything. Of course that meant suffering through War Gods too but I digress. While PlayStation and Saturn owners were enjoying realistic racing games like Sega Rally and Ridge Racer N64 owners only had Cruis’n USA. MRC: Multi Racing Championship was the first “real” racer on the system. While it nails the basics that is about all it does. This is a thoroughly unremarkable title in every way.
When I call Multi Racing Championship a realistic racing game I do not mean a simulation. MRC is an arcade experience through and through. Like Daytona the game’s three tracks (Seaside, Mountain, Downtown) correspond to easy, medium, and hard difficulty. The Championship mode is a contest against both the clock and ten competitors to reach first place. Time Trial and Vs. add a little spice if you don’t feel like dealing with the game’s AI. Free Run allows you to practice each track as long as you like with no rivals. This is a good option as you will need to learn the ins and outs of each course if you hope to access all of MRC’s content.
There are a large number of vehicles to choose from, both to start and to unlock. They are separated in two categories: roadsters and off-road. Both categories favor certain road conditions but overall the control is pretty tight. You can further tweak the game’s handling in seven areas and these need to be considered as each track spans multiple environments. While it is optional it is almost mandatory as the default for each car is not ideal. The game’s Free Run mode will allow you to practice with your modifications as well as learn the ins and outs of each track. It may sound complicated but in practice it is not. Those that want to powerslide around turns can do so with some practice.
The multi racing in the title refers to the game’s courses. Despite the names each track spans a variety of terrain, from rough gravelly road to snow and smooth city streets. How you tweak each car’s individual components will affect your approach to each course. If you prefer a focus on speed and powersliding you might want to avoid using a four wheel drive truck and stick to paved roads. But if you like more grip on your tires and to fight the track the sturdier vehicles are more your speed. The courses have many paths that wildly differ as well as a number of shortcuts. The freedom to plot your course according to your tastes makes MRC a bit unique.
I mentioned fighting the track earlier for a reason. The computer AI is a bit dumb and does not pose much of a challenge. Instead your time with the game is spent battling the numerous sharp turns in order to reach the next checkpoint. If you do not prepare in advance MRC can be near impossible to come in a respectable place let alone unlock any of its content. There is nothing wrong with that of course but I would have liked the computer to be an active participant rather than an occasional nuisance.
Like most early racing games that generation Multi Racing Championship is light on content. This is an arcade style title and it shows. There are only three tracks and about ten cars. In about an hour or so you will have seen almost all it has to offer. There are a few unlockables that you will have to work to attain such as new vehicles, a match mode, and mirrored tracks. But those are little substitute for more track. What is here is decent but simply not enough to hold your attention for long.
The anticipation for MRC was also a desire to see how it would compare to its 32-bit counterparts. For the most part, it stacks up pretty well. The tracks are long and full of variety as they shift through different environments. The textures are slightly blurry but otherwise sharper than many of the system’s earlier titles. The infamous N64 fog by and large is not here. Instead distant background elements are slightly hazy, as though there is a barbecue constantly blowing smoke along the track. It’s a bit odd but helps with image clarity and most importantly the framerate. To be honest it really only loses out in terms of art direction and music where the generic techno tunes are instantly forgettable.
In Closing
Multi Racing Championship is a decent game for what it is. But considering the glut of racing games on the N64 even at the time of its release it is still only slightly above average. This one does not have enough content or unique features to warrant a purchase.
