A short video showing the 'split match play' feature in multiplayer mode. I firstly drove the whole race in the Clio and once I passed the finish line, the CPU took over the running of that car. I then drove the RV8 while the CPU was driving the Clio around the course.
Following on from my 2015 post about MSR fan sites, here are two that were never completed.
I enjoy reading critical reviews for MSR as some of them raise valid points. The game had a lot of hype in the UK Dreamcast press and some people were disappointed when it was eventually released. Sadly these reviews are no longer online, however they have been preserved at Archive.org.
"While MSR is a welcome change in the identikit-driving genre, the game has some series flaws with its basic design, which unwind the whole experience. By relying so heavily on the original 'Kudos' scoring system, the simple problems are highlighted throughout the lengthy single player campaign and unfortunately the experience is ruined as a result."
NSTC-UK Rating: 6/10
Link to full review: NTSC-UK MSR Review
But not that everyone thinks I don't like MSR. MSR is a good racing game, but nothing more. In my opinion, it just didn't turn out to be the high-flyer I was hoping for. However, I recommend the game to every racing fan. Everyone else should borrow the game first and test it enough."
Planet-Sega.de Rating: 86%
Link to full review: Planet-Sega.de MSR Review (translated from German)
"When MSR is good, it’s very good, and its innovations deserve a lot of credit for making the game so engaging, once you get over the initial hump. Sadly, there are too many little aggravations, too many flawed design decisions and too many visual annoyances disrupting the experience to keep it from being the perfect Dreamcast racing game that some players might have been expecting. To say nothing of MC H*m* and company. Wey hey!"
Link to full review: Electric Playground Review
"MSR" is a universe of drifting and cornering, accelerating and power-steering, peppy music and decent graphics that, while worth a visit from time to time via a rental ticket price, it's too unrewarding and punishing a formula for the hardest of the hardcore to plow the cash for. Test-drive before you buy... another Infogrames driving game that is (he, he, he)!
DC-Swirl Review: 3.5 / 5
Link to full review: DC Swirl Review
When I first began researching MSR in-depth back in 2010-2012, I came across this German fan page.
This ranking was initially set up back in 2006. Unfortunately by the time I found it, the facility had more or less been abandoned; the upload/login feature was broken as membership was closed, and you could only download existing ghosts. I made a video 13 years ago showing some of MSR's Dreamarena homepages on my Dreamcast (via the Wayback Machine) and I included this ranking within it to demonstrate downloads.
Just over a decade ago, I found a player who kept a record of his internet rankings for the Speed Challenge. No footage of Dreamarena and times aren't spectacular, but nice to have come across an MSR player from the 2000-2001 time period. This particular webpage is no longer online but has been archived (link below).
"Now for my MSR Netrankings:
| Metropolis Street Racer World Speed Challenge: London | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Ranking | Time |
| 08/04/2001 | 227 | 1:17"170 |
| 30/05/2001 | 231 | As Above |
| 25/09/2001 | 239 | As Above |
| 23/02/2002 | 245 | As Above |
| Date | Ranking | Time |
| Metropolis Street Racer World Speed Challenge: San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Ranking | Time |
| 08/04/2001 | 141 | 1:08"060 |
| 30/05/2001 | 146 | As Above |
| 25/09/2001 | 156 | As Above |
| 23/02/2002 | 160 | As Above |
| Date | Ranking | Time |
| Metropolis Street Racer World Speed Challenge: Tokyo | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Ranking | Time |
| 08/04/2001 | 198 | 1:04"603 |
| 30/05/2001 | 137!? | As Above |
| 25/09/2001 | 222 | As Above |
| 23/02/2002 | 615!! | As Above |
| Date | Ranking | Time |
| Metropolis Street Racer World Speed Challenge: Total Of All 3 Circuits | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Ranking | Time |
| 08/04/2001 | 96!! | 3:29"833 |
| 30/05/2001 | 100 | As Above |
| 25/09/2001 | 109 | As Above |
| 23/02/2002 | 117 | As Above |
| Date | Ranking | Time |
Not bad eh? 96th on the time of all 3 circuits combined!! Now down to 117th, which ain't bad considering I haven't played MSR in months."
It's definitely not a 'choose-your-car, chose your-circuit' racer, completing track after track in a repetitive championship. Metropolis Street Racer is the ultimate test of skill, style and precision, with an ever-expanding series of exciting driving challenges - it's all about Kudos.
Kudos is earned from winning, being an impressive driver to watch and the personal kudos of knowing you're the fastest, most stylish and exciting racer. Kudos is the ultimate style and dexterity and success rating in MSR, it's how you progress through the game. Your kudos rating is used to earn the chance to challenge for new cars and to unlock the later stages of the game and is achieved through: -
London, Tokyo and San Francisco are the city backdrops. Modelled down to accurate and intricate detail everything is there, major landmarks to the bushes in people's gardens. The Dreamcast's built in clock is used to provide Real Time so as you race you visually notice the change between dawn and dusk. As you begin only 3 simple routes will be open, one in each city but as the game progresses, you will unlock routes which increase in length, complexity and pace.
MSR is divided into a number of chapters, with the ultimate goal of each chapter being to win the car on offer. Each Chapter contains a range of different driving and racing Stages. You can repeat a stage at anytime and with any car you own to try to beat your kudos. But the kudos recorded is that of the last race, so it's for the drivers who can take risks and gamble. Each chapter offers special races, events and challenges. These are only available at certain times (e.g. night races) or for those with particular cars.
Each of the game's 25 Chapters comprises ten stages of various types and offers you the potential to unlock a new car as a goal for completion. Unlocking the car makes it available for you in the games Car Showroom - available for a 'no obligation' test drive. If you like it you can them challenge to own it, customise it and add it to your personal garage. Each stage is designed to test every area of the driver's ability - from racing skills through to manoeuvring competence.
From a choice of over 40 cars from some of the world's leading car manufacturers. Cars have been accurately modelled both visually, dynamically and sounds specifically recorded to give you a true driving experience. You can be one of the first to drive a virtual VX220, Vauxhall's exciting new sports car or in conjunction with Dreamarena, Sega's internet portal who have teamed up with Vauxhall, win a VX220 through an exclusive online MSR competition.
The essential car stereo blasts out a range of tunes, from dance to jazz to J-pop offering a choice of radio stations or virtual CDs. Each city has three radio stations tuned in; London listeners have a choice of Capital Jazz, Underground (dance) and West Central One (general pop). Each station has jingles, adverts and DJ's - in Japanese for Tokyo!
Multiplayer battles allow up to eight players to compete for kudos. Players can either bring along their own personal garage on VM, or can 'borrow' cars from other players' garages.
League tables will be collated on Dreamarena from scores uploaded from around the world. The Opel / Vauxhall Internet Challenge, the ultimate test of skill is recorded via the VM and Internet. This challenge takes you to three of the most difficult circuits - one in each city - to race in the prestigious VX220. Racing tips can be picked up by using the VM to download the actual lap, learn how they do it and better their performance.
"The realism that MSR achieves is a combination of intricate detail, sound and realtime. The experience is a break through for racing games; the focus is not just on speed but style. MSR gives endless replay value and rewards the player constantly." - Alison Turner Director of UK Marketing
Metropolis Street racer will be in stores November 2000.
