Europe Racer
Encyclopedia
Europe Racer is a racing video game developed by Dutch company Davilex
. It was first published by Infogrames
in the UK
on September 14, 2001, later re-published as a budget title by Xplosiv on April 2, 2004.
It is part of the Davilex Racer series, the sequel to London Racer (1999) and the France-only release Paris-Marseille Racing (2000).
. Not only he has to win the championship, but must also evade the police who try to stop racers by blocking them or setting up roadblocks.
The event is organized by Caesar, a now retired racer. The law enforcement teams are led by police chief J. B. Black, driving a black Hummer
.
The player can choose from eight teams to compete for, representing eight nations:
The player can collect money, nitro and 'repairs' from the track during the races. The money can be used in the latter two racing modes to tune
the car.
The game does not use licensed names of cars (because of the presence of car damage and police chase), but the makes and models are easily identifiable.
Each team (nation) has their set of three unique vehicles: sportscar, sedan and SUV. This does not always mean that the nation in question had manufactured the respective car, for example the Dutch team uses British and Swedish cars. In addition, the player can unlock a bonus car, so the number of drivable vehicles totals to 25.
There is an array of traffic and police cars on every track as well, models varying from country to country.
The civilian vehicles were also based on real models but they weren't as detailed as the drivable cars. These cars were easy to smash out of the way, meaning players wouldn't have to worry about their obstruction as much as if they were heavily weighted. One part of the Marseilles map made players drive through a car park, this wouldn't be possible if the cars were heavier.
There are 15 circuits modeled after major European cities showcasing various real-world landmarks, and 2 circuits presenting country landscapes. All of these are populated by traffic and pedestrians. There is no option to set time of day or weather, and there are no multiple roads.
A 16th city, Prague
, was only half completed by the release of the game and it does not appear in the game menu. It can be driven on only after manually editing a configuration file.
Other tracks:
All of the tracks had items on the side of the road that could be smashed through, such as signs and bus shelters and market stalls. Some of the designs of these items varied per map and some items only appeared once (such as the large yellow pipe organ next to the canal on the Amsterdam
map.) All of the maps included jumps. Usually, at the end of the jump there would be a repair or nitro collectable as a reward.
The English tracks were taken straight from Davilex's previous release London Racer. These tracks had some small edits, such as jumps and shortcuts. One part of the English Countryside map was changed from concrete to dirt for a more varied race.
Davilex Games
Davilex Games was a video game developer and video game publisher, located in Veenendaal, the Netherlands. It was founded in 1997 as part of , and is most well known for its Racer franchise, the games London Racer and London Racer II selling over 600.000 copies in the UK alone...
. It was first published by Infogrames
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on September 14, 2001, later re-published as a budget title by Xplosiv on April 2, 2004.
It is part of the Davilex Racer series, the sequel to London Racer (1999) and the France-only release Paris-Marseille Racing (2000).
Background
The player takes the role of a race driver participating in a championship of cannonball-run style illegal street racing through various cities of EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Not only he has to win the championship, but must also evade the police who try to stop racers by blocking them or setting up roadblocks.
The event is organized by Caesar, a now retired racer. The law enforcement teams are led by police chief J. B. Black, driving a black Hummer
Hummer
Hummer was a brand of trucks and SUVs, first marketed in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. In 1998, General Motors purchased the brand name and marketed three vehicles: the original Hummer H1, based on the Humvee; and the H2 and H3 models that were...
.
The player can choose from eight teams to compete for, representing eight nations:
- Club USA
- Riders of the Rising Sun
- Club Moskov Masjina
- Autobahn Raser Club
- London Racer Club
- Le bolide Club de France
- Motori d'Italia
- A2 Racer Club
Gameplay
There are three different racing modes:- Quick race - driving on a single track, with or without opponents
- Championship - a series of five races in a certain category (sportscar, sedan or SUV), with five racers (including the player) competing against each other
- Adventure - a series of twenty races, with five racers (including the player) competing against each other. This is essentially the main story of the game
The player can collect money, nitro and 'repairs' from the track during the races. The money can be used in the latter two racing modes to tune
Car tuning
Car tuning is both an industry and a hobby, in which an automobile is modified in order to improve its performance, handling and appearance. As most vehicles leave the factory set up for average driver expectations and average conditions, tuning has become a way to personalize the characteristics...
the car.
Cars
Each team (nation) has their set of three unique vehicles: sportscar, sedan and SUV. This does not always mean that the nation in question had manufactured the respective car, for example the Dutch team uses British and Swedish cars. In addition, the player can unlock a bonus car, so the number of drivable vehicles totals to 25.
There is an array of traffic and police cars on every track as well, models varying from country to country.
The civilian vehicles were also based on real models but they weren't as detailed as the drivable cars. These cars were easy to smash out of the way, meaning players wouldn't have to worry about their obstruction as much as if they were heavily weighted. One part of the Marseilles map made players drive through a car park, this wouldn't be possible if the cars were heavier.
Car listing
| Team | Sportscar | Sedan | SUV |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dodge Viper Dodge Viper The first prototype was tested in January 1989. It debuted in 1991 with two pre-production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Japanese-built Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January... |
Lincoln Town Car Lincoln Town Car The Lincoln Town Car is a full-size luxury sedan that was sold by the upscale Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company; it was produced from 1981 to the 2011 model years... |
Jeep Wrangler Jeep Wrangler The Jeep Wrangler is a subcompact four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle and an off-road vehicle manufactured by American automaker Chrysler, under its Jeep marque – and now in its fourth generation. It is a successor to the famous World War II 'Jeep' vehicle by way of the Willys civilian... |
|
Honda S2000 Honda S2000 The Honda S2000 is a roadster that was manufactured by the Japanese automaker Honda Motor Company. It was launched in April 1999 and was created to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary. The car was first shown as a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1995, following which it was launched in... |
Subaru Impreza Subaru Impreza Introduced in November 1993, the Impreza was offered in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive versions and as a four-door sedan/saloon or five-door station wagon/estate. According to a Motor Trend article written March 1992 on page 26, the name of Subaru's new compact was, initially, to be... |
Isuzu Amigo |
|
Lada 110 Lada 110 The Lada 110 is a Russian sedan car built by AvtoVAZ since 1995. It also spawned two close derivatives - the 111 estate and 112 hatchback... |
Lada Samara Lada Samara The Lada Samara or VAZ-2108 is an economy car produced by Soviet/Russian vehicle manufacturer AvtoVAZ's Lada brand, from 1984 until 2004. The brand name Samara originally was used only for exported models, in Russia the same model was called "Sputnik" , until 1991, when the sedan version of Samara... |
UAZ-469 UAZ-469 The UAZ-469 is an all-terrain vehicle manufactured by UAZ. It was used by the Red Army and other Warsaw Pact forces, as well as paramilitary units in Eastern Bloc countries. In the Soviet Union, it also saw widespread service in all state organizations that needed a robust off-road vehicle.The... |
|
Porsche Boxster Porsche Boxster The Porsche Boxster is a mid-engined roadster built by Porsche. The Boxster is Porsche's first road vehicle to be originally designed as a roadster since the 550 Spyder.... |
Mercedes-Benz SLK | Opel Frontera |
|
McLaren F1 McLaren F1 The McLaren F1 is a supercar designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. Originally a concept conceived by Gordon Murray, he convinced Ron Dennis to back the project and engaged Peter Stevens to design the exterior of the car... |
Ford Mondeo Ford Mondeo The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk... |
Range Rover Range Rover The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation... |
|
Alpine GTA | Peugeot 406 Peugeot 406 The Peugeot 406 was a large family car made by the French automaker Peugeot from 1995 to 2004. Available in saloon, estate and coupé bodystyles with a choice of petrol or turbodiesel engines, the 406 replaced the Peugeot 405 in Peugeot's lineup, and was itself replaced by the Peugeot 407... |
Renault Scenic Renault Scénic The Renault Scénic is a compact MPV produced by French automaker Renault, the first to be labelled as such in Europe. It is based on the chassis of the Mégane small family car. It became 1997 European Car of the Year on its launch in late 1996... |
|
Lamborghini Countach Lamborghini Countach The Lamborghini Countach is a mid-engined supercar that was produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. Its design both pioneered and popularized the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high performance sports cars... |
Alfa Romeo 156 Alfa Romeo 156 The Alfa Romeo 156 is a compact executive car introduced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 155... |
Lamborghini LM002 Lamborghini LM002 The Lamborghini LM002 is an SUV that was built by the Lamborghini automobile company between 1986 and 1993. The LM002 was an unusual departure for Lamborghini which, at the time, was primarily known for high-performance grand tourers and sports cars... |
|
Caterham Super Seven | Volvo S40 Volvo S40 The Volvo S40 is a small family car produced by Volvo. It introduced the first generation S40 and V40 cars in 1995... |
Custom off-road |
Tracks
A 16th city, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, was only half completed by the release of the game and it does not appear in the game menu. It can be driven on only after manually editing a configuration file.
Track listing
City tracks:- AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
- AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
- BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
- BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
- FlorenceFlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
- Hamburg HarbourHamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
- LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
- MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
- Marseilles
- MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
- OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
- ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
- StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
- ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
Other tracks:
- England CountrysideEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- French CountrysideFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
All of the tracks had items on the side of the road that could be smashed through, such as signs and bus shelters and market stalls. Some of the designs of these items varied per map and some items only appeared once (such as the large yellow pipe organ next to the canal on the Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
map.) All of the maps included jumps. Usually, at the end of the jump there would be a repair or nitro collectable as a reward.
The English tracks were taken straight from Davilex's previous release London Racer. These tracks had some small edits, such as jumps and shortcuts. One part of the English Countryside map was changed from concrete to dirt for a more varied race.