BC Racers

From Sega Retro

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BCRacers Title.png

BC Racers
System(s): Sega Mega-CD, Sega 32X
Publisher:
Sega Mega-CD
Core Design/Sega (EU),
Sega 32X
Front Street Publishing
Developer:
Distributor: Time Warner Interactive (US)
Genre: Racing

















Number of players: 1-2
Official in-game languages:

Sega Mega-CD
  • English
  • Deutsch
  • Français
    • Sega 32X
  • English
    • Release Date RRP Code
    Sega Mega-CD
    US     		T-115075
    Sega Mega-CD
    EU     		T-115075-50
    Sega 32X
    US     		T-7901B

    BC Racers is a racing game developed and published by Core Design as a spin-off of the then-popular Chuck Rock series. It was originally released for the Sega Mega-CD in 1994, before subsequently seeing ports to the Sega 32X, PC and 3DO the following year. The Mega-CD version was distributed in North America by Time Warner Interactive.

    Despite its British roots, the 32X version was released exclusively in North America, where it was published by U.S. Gold's short-lived publishing label Front Street Publishing.

    During development the game was known as Chuck Racer and then Chuck Rally: Rocky Racers.

    Story

    BC Racers takes place in the Chuck Rock universe, where a millionaire playboy caveman, Millstone Rockafella, has organized a bike race. The winner will receive the Boulderdash Bike.

    Gameplay

    'BC Racers is a one or two player bike racing game, similar in nature to F-Zero and Super Mario Kart (and similar "mode 7" titles) on the Super Nintendo. Tracks are flat, with scenery and racers being represented by 2D sprites. There are four difficulty settings; easy, medium, hard, and rockhard, each with their own set of eight tracks (making for a total of thirty-two tracks in the game). Each track needing four laps to complete, and there are eight track themes including desert wastes, volcanic areas, and massive jungles.

    Each bike in BC Racers comprises of two characters, one who controls the bike, and another who rides in a side car whose purpose is to attack other players. There are no power-ups in BC Racers, however the sidecar rider can hit opponents similar to the mechanics in Road Rash. Bikes take damage, and if an opponent is forced to crash or break down, extra points are rewarded. Damage to the bike can be reversed by collecting power-ups near the starting line.

    In the Mega-CD version of the game, a two player cooperative mode is offered, where player one controls the acceleration and player two controls the sidecar, steering and turbo features. This was replaced in the 32X version by more traditional split-screen play (in which much of the scenery is removed to maintain a high frame rate).

    Controls

    Basic controls

    Down: Break
    Down-left/Down-right: Handbrake turn
     START : Pause/Zoom options

    Mega-CD version

    A: Punch left
    B: Accelerate
    C: Punch right
    Up+A: Nitro
    X: Zoom out
    Y: Nitro
    Z: Zoom in

    32X version

    A: Acceleration
    B: Punch right
    C: Nitro

    Heats

    BCRacers 32X Heat1.png Heat 1 - Rock City Race
    BCRacers 32X Heat2.png Heat 2 - Night Rally
    BCRacers 32X Heat3.png Heat 3 - Desert Drive
    BCRacers 32X Heat4.png Heat 4 - Jungle Rumble
    BCRacers 32X Heat5.png Heat 5 - Swamp Stomp
    BCRacers 32X Heat6.png Heat 6 - Blizzard Blitz
    BCRacers 32X Heat7.png Heat 7 - Cave Rave
    BCRacers 32X Heat8.png Heat 8 - Volcano Dash

    History

    Development

    In-game graphics were created by Toby Gard (who would go on to design Lara Croft in Tomb Raider). Characters were created as wireframes, all sharing the same bike sprites to ease the development process[4].

    Versions

    While the the Mega-CD and 32X versions of BC Racers are broadly the same, the 32X conversion is able to maintain a much higher frame rate, which in turn leads to a faster paced game. The Mega-CD version is able to capitalise on full motion video and higher quality audio, but is hindered by longer loading times not present in the 32X game. In addition, the 32X runs at a higher screen resolution and uses a longer draw distance, and alongside the expected increase in colour counts, leads to more detailed visuals than its Mega-CD counterpart.

    The 32X version also compares favourably to the IBM PC version (which also lacks music) and the 3DO version in terms of frame rate, however no versions are completely stable, with all four performing noticeably worse than the likes of the Super NES games Super Mario Kart and F-Zero which likely served as an inspiration for the game.

    Production credits

    Mega-CD version

    • Programmed by: Dan Scott
    • Graphic Artist: Toby Gard
    • Music and SFX: Martin Iveson
    • Game Design: Toby Gard, Dan Scott, Guy Miller
    • Intro Sequence: Billy Allison
    • Intro Support: Stuart Atkinson, Bob Churchill
    • Original Concept: Jason Gee, Jon Hilliard
    • Creative Manager: Guy Miller
    • Produced by: Jeremy Smith
    Source:
    In-game credits (hard mode)


    • Additional Design Support: Simon Phipps
    • Storyboard: Guy Miller
    • Graphics Support: Stu Atkinson
    • Product Support: Troy Horton, Jamie Morton, Darren Price, Adrian Smith, David Ward
    Source:
    US manual credits[5]

    32X version

    • Programmed by: Martin Gibbins, Gilbert The Goat, John Kirkland and Stef Walker
    • Graphics by: Toby Gard
    • Graphic Support from: Stuart Atkinson, Richard Morton and Joby Wood
    • Music and Chip SFX by: Nathan McCree
    • Sample SFX by: Martin Iveson
    • Game Design by: Toby Gard, Martin Gibbins and Dan Scott
    • Produced by: Jeremy Smith
    • Special Thanks to: SN Systems
    Source:
    In-game credits (hard mode)


    For Core Design, LTD.
    • Carving Out the Code: Sean Dunlevy
    • Thanks to: Alyson, Helen, Craig, Richard M., Del, Dan, Captain Black, Jason Goz, Chris, James, Davids' M and L, Troy, Darren, Jamie, Mark, Mac, Roberto, Jeremy, Alison, Guy, Susie, Sharon, Babs, Adrian, Gary, Simon, Mansoor, Jon H., Jason G., Paul, Heather, Andrew and Richard B.
    For U.S. Gold, Inc.
    • Special thanks to: Mike Schmitt, Brian Schorr, Mac Senour, Tom Marx, Frank Hom, Dan Wong, Caroline Trujillo, Jill De Maria, Kelly Lindlar, Frank Alizaga Jr., Alison Nichols, Lee Wilkinson, Mr. Free Time
    Source:
    US manual credits[6]

    Magazine articles

    Main article: BC Racers/Magazine articles.

    Promotional material

    BCRacers MCD FR PrintAdvert.jpg
    Mega-CD FR print advert
    BCRacers MCD FR PrintAdvert.jpg
    Logo-pdf.svg
    Mega-CD in Ultimate Future Games (UK) #3: "February 1995" (1995-01-01)
    Logo-pdf.svg

    Physical scans

    Mega-CD version

    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Score Source
    82 №39, p144[7]
    78 №158, p76-77[8]
    86 №8, p22
    68 №2/95, p54[9]
    78 №28, p48/49
    86 №1/95, p90[10]
    82 №28, p72/73[2]
    92 №51, p100/101[11]
    86 №63, p82
    80 №41, p42/43
    79 №47, p10
    72 №4/95, p91[12]
    Sega Mega-CD
    		 81
    Based on
    12 reviews
    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Version Score
    Consoles + (FR)
    82
    		[7]
    Computer & Video Games (UK) PAL
    78
    		[8]
    FLUX (US) NTSC-U
    67
    		[13]
    GameFan (US) NTSC-U
    89
    		[14]
    GamePro (US) NTSC-U
    68
    		[15]
    Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
    86
    		[16]
    Hobby Consolas (ES)
    87
    		[17]
    MAN!AC (DE) PAL
    68
    		[9]
    Mega (UK) PAL
    78
    		[18]
    Mega Force (FR) PAL
    83
    		[19]
    Mega Fun (DE) PAL
    86
    		[10]
    Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
    82
    		[2]
    Player One (FR)
    92
    		[20]
    Play Time (DE) PAL
    86
    		[21]
    Sega Magazine (UK) PAL
    80
    		[22]
    Sega Power (UK) PAL
    86
    		[23]
    Sega Pro (UK) PAL
    80
    		[24]
    Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL
    79
    		[25]
    Todo Sega (ES)
    83
    		[26]
    Video Games (DE) PAL
    72
    		[27]
    VideoGames (US)
    70
    		[28]
    Sega Mega-CD
    		 80
    Based on
    21 reviews

    BC Racers

    Mega-CD, US
    BCRacers MCD US Box Back.jpgBCRacers MCD US Box Front.jpg
    Cover
    BCRacers MCD US Disc.jpg
    Disc
    Bcracers mcd us manual.pdf
    Manual
    Mega-CD, EU
    BCRacers MCD EU Box Back.jpgBCRacers MCD EU Box Front.jpg
    Cover

    32X version

    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Score Source
    80 №44, p117
    83 №162
    70 №72, p48[3]
    83 №30, p50/51
    68 №7/95, p65[29]
    65 №6/95, p91[30]
    85 №31, p64/65[31]
    89 №54, p94/95[32]
    82 №68, p38/39
    88 №45, p82/83
    60 №5, p90/91[33]
    72 №7/95, p103[34]
    Sega 32X
    		 77
    Based on
    12 reviews
    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Version Score
    Consoles + (FR)
    80
    		[35]
    GamePro (US) NTSC-U
    70
    		[3]
    MAN!AC (DE) PAL
    68
    		[29]
    Mega (UK) PAL
    85
    		[36]
    Mega Fun (DE) PAL
    65
    		[30]
    Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
    85
    		[31]
    Player One (FR)
    89
    		[32]
    Sega Power (UK) PAL
    82
    		[37]
    Sega Pro (UK) PAL
    88
    		[38]
    Top Consoles (FR)
    60
    		[33]
    Ultimate Future Games (UK)
    69
    		[39]
    Video Games (DE) PAL
    72
    		[40]
    VideoGames (US) NTSC-U
    60
    		[41]
    Sega 32X
    		 75
    Based on
    13 reviews

    BC Racers

    32X, US
    BCRacers 32X US Box Back.jpgBCRacers 32X US Box Front.jpg
    Cover
    Bcracers 32x us cart.jpg
    Cart
    Bcracers 32x us manual.pdf
    Manual

    Technical information

    ROM dump status

    System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
    Sega Mega-CD
     ?
    CRC32
    MD5
    SHA-1
    		480,673,536 CD (EU) T-115075-50
    Sega 32X
     ?
    CRC32 936c3d27
    MD5 35a11e021ca0b7ff909e4774eb8b3236
    SHA-1 9b5fd499eaa442d48a2c97fceb1d505dc8e8ddff
    		3MB Cartridge (US)

    References

    1. ↑ File:EGM US 065.pdf, page 258
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 File:MeanMachinesSega28UK.pdf, page 72 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega28UK.pdf_p72" defined multiple times with different content
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 File:GamePro US 072.pdf, page 50 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:GamePro US 072.pdf_p50" defined multiple times with different content
    4. ↑ File:MeanMachinesSega18UK.pdf, page 22
    5. ↑ File:Bcracers mcd us manual.pdf, page 12
    6. ↑ File:Bcracers 32x us manual.pdf, page 14
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 File:ConsolesPlus FR 039.pdf, page 144 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:ConsolesPlus FR 039.pdf_p144" defined multiple times with different content
    8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 File:CVG UK 158.pdf, page 76 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:CVG UK 158.pdf_p76" defined multiple times with different content
    9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 File:MAN!AC DE 1995-02.pdf, page 54 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MAN!AC DE 1995-02.pdf_p54" defined multiple times with different content
    10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 File:MegaFun DE 1995-01.pdf, page 90 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MegaFun DE 1995-01.pdf_p90" defined multiple times with different content
    11. ↑ File:PlayerOne FR 051.pdf, page 96
    12. ↑ File:VideoGames DE 1995-04.pdf, page 87
    13. ↑ FLUX, "Issue #4" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 43
    14. ↑ GameFan, "Volume 3, Issue 3: March 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 18
    15. ↑ GamePro, "April 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 54
    16. ↑ Games World: The Magazine, "February 1995" (UK; 1994-12-xx), page 22
    17. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Marzo 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 92
    18. ↑ Mega, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-12-30), page 48
    19. ↑ Mega Force, "Janvier 1995" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 66
    20. ↑ Player One, "Mars 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 100
    21. ↑ Play Time, "2/95" (DE; 1995-01-04), page 110
    22. ↑ Sega Magazine, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-12-15), page 110
    23. ↑ Sega Power, "February 1995" (UK; 1994-12-15), page 82
    24. ↑ Sega Pro, "February 1995" (UK; 1994-12-29), page 42
    25. ↑ Sonic the Comic, "17th March 1995" (UK; 1995-03-04), page 10
    26. ↑ Todo Sega, "Marzo 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 36
    27. ↑ Video Games, "4/95" (DE; 1995-03-22), page 91
    28. ↑ VideoGames, "April 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 76
    29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 File:MAN!AC DE 1995-07.pdf, page 65 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MAN!AC DE 1995-07.pdf_p65" defined multiple times with different content
    30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 File:MegaFun DE 1995-06.pdf, page 91 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MegaFun DE 1995-06.pdf_p91" defined multiple times with different content
    31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 File:MeanMachinesSega31UK.pdf, page 64 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega31UK.pdf_p64" defined multiple times with different content
    32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 File:PlayerOne FR 054.pdf, page 92 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:PlayerOne FR 054.pdf_p92" defined multiple times with different content
    33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 File:TopConsoles FR 05.pdf, page 90 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:TopConsoles FR 05.pdf_p90" defined multiple times with different content
    34. ↑ File:VideoGames DE 1995-07.pdf, page 99
    35. ↑ Consoles +, "Juin 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 117
    36. ↑ Mega, "June 1995" (UK; 1995-05-31), page 12
    37. ↑ Sega Power, "July 1995" (UK; 1995-05-18), page 38
    38. ↑ Sega Pro, "May 1995" (UK; 1995-04-13), page 82
    39. ↑ Ultimate Future Games, "July 1995" (UK; 1995-06-01), page 75
    40. ↑ Video Games, "7/95" (DE; 1995-06-28), page 103
    41. ↑ VideoGames, "July 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 70



    Chuck Rock games for Sega systems
    Chuck Rock (1991) | Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck (1993) | BC Racers (1995)
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