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Game Information

Release Date: October 30, 1999
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft
Platform: Dreamcast, Windows, Mobile Phone
Genre: Racing
Players: 1-2

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Synopsis

In SPEED DEVILS, players will take their hunk of junk out on the road, where 17 cutthroat drivers are waiting to take your money unless you take theirs first! Bet on your driving ability and earn enough cash to upgrade your car, working your way up through the ranks from Class D, where the competition is tough but not impossible, to Class A, where only the best machines and most skilled drivers need apply. Racing on fantasy tracks littered around the country where the weather and seasonal conditions will change as you compete your journey to the top of the ranks may bring you face to face with the legendary Racer X, who is rumored never to have lost a race! When your skills are honed to a razor's edge, you can invite a friend to compete against you head-to-head in the game's Split-Screen mode.

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Gameplay

Since there is no story or campaign in this game, you are thrown into a race on a track in Mexico. You start off with a beat up Chevrolet-knockoff and have to basically win the race to earn enough money to fix it. With the money you earn you can upgrade your current vehicle or check out the dealership, though they are all quite expensive and will take a few races to buy a new one.

Throughout the entirety of the game, you face numerous opponents that challenge you to race, either betting money or your car if you wanted to. There are about fifteen race tracks starting off in Mexico and moving your way through the states until you hit northern Canada. Every map has it's own obstacles such as buildings falling, King Kong swinging his fist in Hollywood, tornadoes sweeping through the streets, or a UFO randomly crash landing in Nevada. As your typical racing game, each track also has numerous shortcuts and secret ways that will drastically help you. Surprisingly, for a game this old, weather also has a pretty big effect on your vehicle. For example, on the Canada track it is snowing and you will slide all over the place if you don't know how to control it or, if you don't have the right tires on.

Two-player mode allows you to race against each other in split screen on any track with any weather setting you want. Not every vehicle is available though and no AIs to compete against, which makes it kind of dull. Especially if one of you just knows the tracks or is generally better at racing games.

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Graphics

The graphics aren't the worst here, but they aren't the best. But I don't think they were trying to get them to be as good as possible because it is a very retro looking game with bright colors a very quirky look. Every track is always fully loaded so you don't have blank spots that you have to approach to see. The vehicles have some pretty good detail and they will be damaged if you collide into other cars or walls. All the obstacles and random things that happen during the early tracks do make the game lag a bit, but no major frame drops. That does happen in the later tracks when they become much more apparent and extreme. Not the game if you're looking for the most realistic settings, but definitely one if you love the retro scene.

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Controls

Controls are pretty straight forward considering it is a racing game. Nothing that will make it complicated or hidden tricks that will give you an advantage. Very simple controls and not over-sensitive, unlike other racing games.

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Ratings

Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 8/10
Controls: 10/10
Overall: 9/10