Synetic
Encyclopedia
Synetic GmbH is a German
video game company specialising in racing game
s. The company was founded in 1996 in Gütersloh
by 5 former members of Ascaron
. All 5 original members are still working for the company. Although the company with its team of 8 employees is rather small and its games are virtually unknown outside of Germany, their titles are among the most popular racing games in Germany and are consistently among Germany's best-selling games.
While originally only developing games for Windows
PC
s, Synetic's later releases (starting with 2003's Mercedes Benz World Racing) were also available for a selection of consoles
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
video game company specialising in racing game
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
s. The company was founded in 1996 in Gütersloh
Gütersloh
Gütersloh is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the area of Westphalia and the administrative region of Detmold. Gütersloh is the administrative centre for a district of the same name and has a population of 96,320 people.- Geography :...
by 5 former members of Ascaron
Ascaron
Ascaron Entertainment was a video game developer based in Germany. Founded as Ascon and later renamed in October 1996 due to the possible confusion with the Swiss company Ascom AG, the company produced titles primarily for the PC until it was made insolvent in 2009.-Background and history:Ascaron...
. All 5 original members are still working for the company. Although the company with its team of 8 employees is rather small and its games are virtually unknown outside of Germany, their titles are among the most popular racing games in Germany and are consistently among Germany's best-selling games.
While originally only developing games for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s, Synetic's later releases (starting with 2003's Mercedes Benz World Racing) were also available for a selection of consoles
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
.
Games
- Have a N.I.C.E. day (1997), an arcade racer focusing on stunts such as long jumps and loopingswas Synetic's first release. The game was unusual for a racing game in that it offered only three basic car models that could be tuned and modified by the player to suit a wide variety of different driving styles. According to statements made by Synetic employees on their website's forum, the term "N.I.C.E.", which also appeared in Synetic's follow-up title, was initially an abbreviation for some concept in the game, but apparently none of the team members remembers what it stood for.
- N.I.C.E. 2 (1998), released as Breakneck on the international market, featured three distinct classes of cars (classics, contemporary high-performance cars and micro-size cars like the Fiat 500Fiat 500The Fiat 500 is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of the Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by Dante Giacosa....
), along with some special classes like Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
cars and kartsKart racingKart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits...
. The game's complicated career mode which had to be played to unlock cars and tracks, as well as the shootout mode in which players could arm their cars with machine guns and rocket launchers, were met with rather mixed reactions by players. An add-onExpansion packAn expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
, N.I.C.E. 2 Tune-Up, attempts to address these problems by providing a simple, streamlined interface for selecting races and by removing the shootout mode. Due to Synetic's limited funding at the time the game was developed, and due to the fact that many car manufacturers refused to be associated with a shooting game, the cars in the game were not licensed by car manufacturers. Although instantly recognizable as their real-world counterparts, the 3D car models were changed slightly, and cars were given imaginary names. - Mercedes-Benz Truck Racing (2000) was Synetic's first licensed game, featuring Mercedes-BenzMercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
racing truckTruck RacingTruck racing is a form of motor racing which involves modified versions of heavy tractor units on racing circuits.The sport started in England in 1984 with the first race held at Donington Park and enjoyed great success, but declined in the 1990s. However, in the last few years the profile of...
s that could be driven on a variety of real-world race tracks. - Mercedes-Benz World Racing, Using their contacts with Mercedes, Synetic was able to release this title in 2003. The game, roughly similar to Electronic ArtsElectronic ArtsElectronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
's Need for Speed: Porsche UnleashedNeed for Speed: Porsche UnleashedNeed for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, released as Need for Speed: Porsche 2000 in Europe, and Need for Speed: Porsche in Germany and Latin America, is a racing video game, developed by Electronic Arts Canada and published by Electronic Arts, and is a part of the Need for Speed series...
, featured a broad selection of Mercedes cars ranging from classic SilberpfeilSilver ArrowsSilver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germany's dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55.For decades until the introduction of sponsorship liveries, each...
racing cars to contemporary high-performance cars. It was Synetic's first game that did away with fixed racing tracks, instead offering large, open environments with multiple streets that could be explored by the player. The game also offered several new racing modes, like cross-country checkpoint races. - World Racing 2 (Oct 2005) Released for PC and Xbox. Features a variety of licensed car models, ranging from classic sports cars to prototypePrototypeA prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
s and SUVSport utility vehicleA sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
s. The game also features the open environments and broad selection of racing modes found in its predecessor. New features included a detailed damagemodel, traffic and the use of headlights and turnsignals. The player could customize vehicles by choosing various paintjobs, vinyls and rims. - Alarm for Cobra 11 - Nitro (Nov 2006) based on the German TV series of the same name. Features 27 missions and 3 sceneries (Autobahn, City, Countryside) and uses an enhanced version of the graphics engine used in the World Racing series.
- Alarm for Cobra 11 - Crash TimeCrash Time: Autobahn PursuitCrash Time: Autobahn Pursuit is a mission based driving game released for the PC in 2007 and Xbox 360 in 2008...
(Nov 2007) Features up to 50 non-linear missions in different sceneries and uses an enhanced version of the same graphics engine used in the World Racing series. - Alarm for Cobra 11 - Burning WheelsBurning WheelsBurning Wheels is the second sequel of the Crash Time series, released on Q4 2008 and available for Xbox 360 and PC...
(Dec 2008) Another title following AFC11 line. The game uses an even more enhanced version of World Racing graphics engine. Additional info and screenshots may be found on Synetic official site and forum. - Ferrari Virtual Race (Apr 2009) Developed by Synetic although according to contract Synetic title never appears in the game. The game is freeware and features 3 Ferraris on Mugello race track. Game is based on same World Racing engine.
- Alarm for Cobra 11 - Highway NightsAlarm für Cobra 11: Highway NightsAlarm für Cobra 11: Highway Nights is a racing video game developed by Synetic Games and published by RTL Interactive. It is the third game adapted from the Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei television series...
(Nov 2009) aka Crash Time III - Alarm for Cobra 11 - The Syndicate (Dec 2010) aka Crash Time 4 - The Syndicate. The first AFC11 series game with multi-player mode where up to eight players can compete on-line. Synetic has recreated over 100 km of roads and highway sections from the Cologne metropolitan area. There's going to be more than 40 different vehicles to choose from. Official news at Synetic site. DTP Entertainment released the game for PC and Xbox 360.