Difference between revisions of "ESPN Speedworld"

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{{stub}}'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is third-person stock car racing game released for the [[Sega Mega Drive]]. It was exclusive to North America.
+
'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is third-person stock car racing game released for the [[Sega Mega Drive]]. It was exclusive to North America. It is named after the ''[[wikipedia:ESPN SpeedWorld|ESPN SpeedWorld]]'' program that aired on the American television channel [[ESPN]] and features sideline reporter [[wikipedia:Jerry Punch|Jerry Punch]].
  
 
==Gameplay==
 
==Gameplay==
''ESPN Speedworld'' is a 16-bit rendition of [[wikipedia:NASCAR|NASCAR]], only without the NASCAR license. The objective is to race around a series of banked oval tracks and finish first.
+
{{ScreenThumb|ESPN Speedworld MD, Flying Start.png|width=200|Flying start}}
 +
''ESPN Speedworld'' is a 16-bit rendition of [[wikipedia:NASCAR|NASCAR]], only without the NASCAR license. The objective is to race around a series of banked oval tracks and finish first. Races have 12 total competitors and begin with an automated flying start where every car does a pace lap. Races have no in-game music.
  
There is no in-game music.
+
There are four control schemes. In every scheme, the car steers with {{left}} and {{right}}. Configuration #1 accelerates the vehicle with {{A}}, brakes with {{B}}, upshifts with {{up}}, and downshifts with {{down}}. Configuration #2 accelerates the vehicle with {{B}}, brakes with {{A}}, upshifts with {{down}}, and downshifts with {{up}}. Configuration #3 accelerates the vehicle with {{down}}, brakes with {{up}}, upshifts with {{A}}, and downshifts with {{B}}. Configuration #4 accelerates the vehicle with {{up}}, brakes with {{down}}, upshifts with {{B}}, and downshifts with {{A}}.
 +
 
 +
Races are long (a minimum of 10 laps each), and the player must make pit stops every so often to repair tire wear and refuel the car. Tire wear and fuel remaining are both indicated by gauges in the top-right of the screen. The player can make a pit stop at any point by pulling over to the left side of the road and coming to a stop. While on a pit stop, the player can change the tires with {{A}} or refuel the car with {{B}}. Pressing the buttons rapidly completes the pit stop faster.
 +
 
 +
If the player fails to replace worn-out tires, they may blow-out, retiring the player from the race. The player can also be retired from the race from being involved in a bad wreck.
 +
 
 +
===Modes===
 +
{{ScreenThumb|ESPN Speedworld MD, Split Screen.png|width=200|Two-player split screen}}
 +
The game has multiple modes, which are chosen from the options menu:
 +
 
 +
*'''Single Race:''' A single-player mode where the player plays a single race on any track with computer-controlled competitors. The player can race a qualifying lap to determine the starting position or skip straight to the race (but starting in the last position).
 +
*'''Head to Head:''' A two-player mode where the players play a single race on any track with computer-controlled competitors. Player can race a qualifying lap to determine the starting positions or skip straight to the race (with player one starting in 11th place and player two starting in 12th place).
 +
*'''Practice:''' A single-player mode where the player plays a single race on any track with no competitors.
 +
*'''Season:''' A single-player mode where the player plays a full season of races on every track with computer-controlled competitors. The player is awarded 100 points for a 1st place finish, 50 for 2nd, 40 for 3rd, 25 for 4th, 20 for 5th, then 19 for 6th and one point fewer for every successive place. An additional point is awarded for every lap led. The top six positions are awarded money, which can be used to upgrade the player's car and pit crew. The amount of money awarded varies depending on the race. There is a [[battery backup]] that stores the player's season progress.
 +
 
 +
There are three difficulty levels (Rookie, Pro, and Veteran). After choosing a track, there are options to toggle pit stops (which affects whether the car's tires wear out and fuel runs out), toggle damage (which affects if the car can be damaged from collisions), and choose the number of laps in each race (10, 20, 30, 40, or 50).
 +
 
 +
===Car setup===
 +
{{ScreenThumb|ESPN Speedworld MD, Car Setup.png|width=200|Car setup}}
 +
Before each race, the player can set up the parts in the car. These choices have different trade-offs depending on how the player wants to race.
 +
 
 +
*'''Tires:''' Choose between soft, medium, or hard tires. Softer tires offer better handling but wear out faster.
 +
*'''Shift Type:''' Choose between an automatic or a manual transmission. The manual transmission has four gears, with the lowest having the fastest acceleration but the highest having the highest top speed.
 +
*'''Gear Ratio:''' Choose between low, medium, or high gearing. Lower gearing has the best acceleration but the lowest top speed.
 +
*'''Suspension:''' Choose between normal, tight, or loose suspension tuning. Tighter suspension makes steering more sensitive.
 +
*'''Paint:''' Choose between six different colors for the car.
 +
*'''Spoiler:''' Choose between a 30-, 45-, or 60-degree angle for the spoiler. Higher spoiler angles increase the traction on the driven wheels but also impairs the car's top speed and fuel efficiency.
 +
 
 +
These additional choices are available in the Season mode. Each one can be upgraded up to six times; each upgrade costs money, which is won by winning races.
 +
 
 +
*'''Engine:''' Upgrading the engine improves the car's top speed and fuel efficiency.
 +
*'''Pit Crew:''' Upgrading the pit crew increases their speed.
 +
*'''Body:''' Upgrading the body improves the car's handling and fuel efficiency.
 +
 
 +
===Tracks===
 +
There are 15 total tracks, some of which are based on NASCAR speedways.
 +
{{InfoTable|imagewidths=320|
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Arizona
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Arizona.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Arizona.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Virginia
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Virginia.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Virginia.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=North Carolina
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, North Carolina.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, North Carolina.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Maryland
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Maryland.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Maryland.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=South Carolina
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, South Carolina.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, South Carolina.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Alabama
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Alabama.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Alabama.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Minnesota
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Minnesota.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Minnesota.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Florida
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Florida.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Florida.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Pennsylvania
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Pennsylvania.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Pennsylvania.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Indiana
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Indiana.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Indiana.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Washington
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Washington.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Washington.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Oregon
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Oregon.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Oregon.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=New York
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, New York.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, New York.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=New Jersey
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, New Jersey.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, New Jersey.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=California
 +
| screenshot=ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, California.png
 +
| screenshot2=ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, California.png
 +
| tabs=yes
 +
| selected=2
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
}}
  
 
==Versions==
 
==Versions==
''ESPN Speedworld'' was released for the Mega Drive and Super NES at around the same time, and the two versions are very similar. The primary difference is that the SNES version has more on-screen colours and more interesting screen transitions (as opposed to the Mega Drive's fade to black). The technology used for drawing the tracks is identical (that is to say, "mode 7" is not utilised on the SNES similar to ''Mario Kart'' or ''F-Zero'').
+
''ESPN Speedworld'' was released for the [[Mega Drive]] and [[Super NES]] at around the same time, and the two versions are very similar. The primary difference is that the SNES version has more on-screen colours and more interesting screen transitions (as opposed to the Mega Drive's fade to black). The technology used for drawing the tracks is identical (that is to say, "Mode 7" is not utilised on the SNES, as it is in ''Mario Kart'' and ''F-Zero'').
  
The Mega Drive version's vehicles advertise Sega, ESPN and Sony (Imagesoft), while all advertising was removed from the SNES version (which includes billboards at the side of the road).
+
The Mega Drive version's vehicles advertise Sega, ESPN, and Sony (Imagesoft), while all advertising was removed from the SNES version (which includes billboards at the side of the road).
  
 
==Production credits==
 
==Production credits==

Revision as of 07:33, 7 July 2024

n/a

ESPNSpeedworld title.png

ESPN Speedworld
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sony Imagesoft
Developer:
Licensor: ESPN
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Racing

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
US
T-93166
Videogame Rating Council: GA
Non-Sega versions

ESPN Speedworld is third-person stock car racing game released for the Sega Mega Drive. It was exclusive to North America. It is named after the ESPN SpeedWorld program that aired on the American television channel ESPN and features sideline reporter Jerry Punch.

Gameplay

ESPN Speedworld MD, Flying Start.png

Flying start

ESPN Speedworld is a 16-bit rendition of NASCAR, only without the NASCAR license. The objective is to race around a series of banked oval tracks and finish first. Races have 12 total competitors and begin with an automated flying start where every car does a pace lap. Races have no in-game music.

There are four control schemes. In every scheme, the car steers with Left and Right. Configuration #1 accelerates the vehicle with A, brakes with B, upshifts with Up, and downshifts with Down. Configuration #2 accelerates the vehicle with B, brakes with A, upshifts with Down, and downshifts with Up. Configuration #3 accelerates the vehicle with Down, brakes with Up, upshifts with A, and downshifts with B. Configuration #4 accelerates the vehicle with Up, brakes with Down, upshifts with B, and downshifts with A.

Races are long (a minimum of 10 laps each), and the player must make pit stops every so often to repair tire wear and refuel the car. Tire wear and fuel remaining are both indicated by gauges in the top-right of the screen. The player can make a pit stop at any point by pulling over to the left side of the road and coming to a stop. While on a pit stop, the player can change the tires with A or refuel the car with B. Pressing the buttons rapidly completes the pit stop faster.

If the player fails to replace worn-out tires, they may blow-out, retiring the player from the race. The player can also be retired from the race from being involved in a bad wreck.

Modes

ESPN Speedworld MD, Split Screen.png

Two-player split screen

The game has multiple modes, which are chosen from the options menu:

  • Single Race: A single-player mode where the player plays a single race on any track with computer-controlled competitors. The player can race a qualifying lap to determine the starting position or skip straight to the race (but starting in the last position).
  • Head to Head: A two-player mode where the players play a single race on any track with computer-controlled competitors. Player can race a qualifying lap to determine the starting positions or skip straight to the race (with player one starting in 11th place and player two starting in 12th place).
  • Practice: A single-player mode where the player plays a single race on any track with no competitors.
  • Season: A single-player mode where the player plays a full season of races on every track with computer-controlled competitors. The player is awarded 100 points for a 1st place finish, 50 for 2nd, 40 for 3rd, 25 for 4th, 20 for 5th, then 19 for 6th and one point fewer for every successive place. An additional point is awarded for every lap led. The top six positions are awarded money, which can be used to upgrade the player's car and pit crew. The amount of money awarded varies depending on the race. There is a battery backup that stores the player's season progress.

There are three difficulty levels (Rookie, Pro, and Veteran). After choosing a track, there are options to toggle pit stops (which affects whether the car's tires wear out and fuel runs out), toggle damage (which affects if the car can be damaged from collisions), and choose the number of laps in each race (10, 20, 30, 40, or 50).

Car setup

ESPN Speedworld MD, Car Setup.png

Car setup

Before each race, the player can set up the parts in the car. These choices have different trade-offs depending on how the player wants to race.

  • Tires: Choose between soft, medium, or hard tires. Softer tires offer better handling but wear out faster.
  • Shift Type: Choose between an automatic or a manual transmission. The manual transmission has four gears, with the lowest having the fastest acceleration but the highest having the highest top speed.
  • Gear Ratio: Choose between low, medium, or high gearing. Lower gearing has the best acceleration but the lowest top speed.
  • Suspension: Choose between normal, tight, or loose suspension tuning. Tighter suspension makes steering more sensitive.
  • Paint: Choose between six different colors for the car.
  • Spoiler: Choose between a 30-, 45-, or 60-degree angle for the spoiler. Higher spoiler angles increase the traction on the driven wheels but also impairs the car's top speed and fuel efficiency.

These additional choices are available in the Season mode. Each one can be upgraded up to six times; each upgrade costs money, which is won by winning races.

  • Engine: Upgrading the engine improves the car's top speed and fuel efficiency.
  • Pit Crew: Upgrading the pit crew increases their speed.
  • Body: Upgrading the body improves the car's handling and fuel efficiency.

Tracks

There are 15 total tracks, some of which are based on NASCAR speedways.

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Arizona.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Arizona.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Arizona.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Arizona.png

Arizona

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Virginia.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Virginia.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Virginia.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Virginia.png

Virginia

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, North Carolina.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, North Carolina.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, North Carolina.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, North Carolina.png

North Carolina

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Maryland.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Maryland.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Maryland.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Maryland.png

Maryland

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, South Carolina.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, South Carolina.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, South Carolina.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, South Carolina.png

South Carolina

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Alabama.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Alabama.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Alabama.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Alabama.png

Alabama

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Minnesota.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Minnesota.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Minnesota.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Minnesota.png

Minnesota

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Florida.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Florida.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Florida.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Florida.png

Florida

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Pennsylvania.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Pennsylvania.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Pennsylvania.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Pennsylvania.png

Pennsylvania

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Indiana.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Indiana.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Indiana.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Indiana.png

Indiana

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Washington.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Washington.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Washington.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Washington.png

Washington

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Oregon.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Oregon.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, Oregon.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, Oregon.png

Oregon

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, New York.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, New York.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, New York.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, New York.png

New York

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, New Jersey.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, New Jersey.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, New Jersey.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, New Jersey.png

New Jersey

ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, California.png

ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, California.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Tracks, California.png

  • ESPN Speedworld MD, Races, California.png

California

Versions

ESPN Speedworld was released for the Mega Drive and Super NES at around the same time, and the two versions are very similar. The primary difference is that the SNES version has more on-screen colours and more interesting screen transitions (as opposed to the Mega Drive's fade to black). The technology used for drawing the tracks is identical (that is to say, "Mode 7" is not utilised on the SNES, as it is in Mario Kart and F-Zero).

The Mega Drive version's vehicles advertise Sega, ESPN, and Sony (Imagesoft), while all advertising was removed from the SNES version (which includes billboards at the side of the road).

Production credits

  • Programming: Phillip L. Weeks, J. Vincent Weeks
  • Design Team: Vincent Weeks, Phil Weeks, Bob Gordon, Mark Lyons, Christopher Whaley
  • Background Art: Alesia Howard, Milo Cooper
  • Animations: Joe Brisbois, Emmanuel Valdez, Ted Robertson, Dave Fenderson
  • Additional Animations: Bert Huntsinger, John Scharman, Andy Jarros, Leonard McVicker, Alesia Howard
  • Sound and Music: Rex Baca, Joe Hight
  • Producers: Christopher Whaley, Daniel Meade
  • Executive Producer: Rich Robinson
  • Assistant Producer: Dennis Quinn
  • Testers: Fred Wigand, Greg Kaine, Justin Busch, Martha Williams, Jody Kelsey, Andre Leighton
  • Additional Testers: Bruce Cochrane, Seth Luisi, Jose Cruz, Tobin Russell
  • Special Thanks to: Liz Weeks, John W. Weeks, Galles Racing, High Tech Only
  • Executive Producers: Steve Bornstein, Ed Durso, Dick Glover, Tom Hagopian, Jim Noel, John Wildhack
  • Special Thanks to: Jerry Punch
Source:
In-game credits
ESPN Speedworld MD credits.pdf
[1]

Magazine articles

Main article: ESPN Speedworld/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in GamePro (US) #64: "November 1994" (1994-xx-xx)
also published in:
  • EGM² (US) #5: "November 1994" (1994-1x-xx)[2]
Logo-pdf.svg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
40
[3]
Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U
0
[4]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
75
[5]
Mega Fun (DE) NTSC-U
21
[6]
Play Time (DE)
20
[7]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
47
[8]
VideoGames (US) NTSC-U
40
[9]
Sega Mega Drive
35
Based on
7 reviews

ESPN Speedworld

Mega Drive, US
ESPNSpeedworld MD US Box.jpg
Cover
ESPNSpeedWorld MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
ESPN Speedworld MD US Manual.pdf
Manual

Technical information

Main article: ESPN Speedworld/Technical information.

References


ESPN Speedworld

ESPNSpeedworld title.png

Main page | Magazine articles | Reception | Region coding | Technical information


Sega Mega Drive
Prototypes: 1994-07



ESPN-branded games for Sega systems or published by Sega
Sega Mega Drive
ESPN Baseball Tonight (1994) | ESPN National Hockey Night (1994) ESPN Sunday Night NFL (1994) | ESPN Speedworld (1994)
Sega Mega-CD
ESPN Baseball Tonight (1994) | ESPN National Hockey Night (1994) ESPN Sunday Night NFL (1994) | ESPN NBA Hangtime '95 (1994)
Sega Dreamcast
ESPN International Track & Field (2000) | ESPN NBA 2Night (2000) | ESPN Baseball Tonight (unreleased) | ESPN Links Golf (unreleased)
Sony PlayStation 2
ESPN College Hoops (2003) | ESPN NBA Basketball (2003) | ESPN NFL Football (2003) | ESPN NHL Hockey (2003) | ESPN College Hoops 2K5 (2004) | ESPN Major League Baseball (2004) | ESPN NBA 2K5 (2004) | ESPN NFL 2K5 (2004) | ESPN NHL 2K5 (2004)
Xbox
ESPN College Hoops (2003) | ESPN NBA Basketball (2003) | ESPN NFL Football (2003) | ESPN NHL Hockey (2003) | ESPN College Hoops 2K5 (2004) | ESPN Major League Baseball (2004) | ESPN NBA 2K5 (2004) | ESPN NFL 2K5 (2004) | ESPN NHL 2K5 (2004)
Book
Prima's Official Strategy Guide: ESPN NFL Football (2003) | Prima's Official Strategy Guide: ESPN NBA Basketball (2003) | ESPN NFL 2K5 Official Strategy Guide (2004) | ESPN NBA 2K5 Official Strategy Guide (2004)