Preferably Disc games
Hi. I’m searching for a old game. It’s from like 1996. Racing game. 3dfx branded Off road. After the 3dfx logo disappears, there’s an off-road car driving on a dirt road forwards, then makes a 180, and the game start options are shown.
Platform(s): PC, Windows XP
Genre: Driving / Racing
Estimated year of release: late 90s to early 2000s, no later than 2007.
Graphics/art style: 3D, 3rd person camera, PS1-like, pretty basic UI
Notable characters: -
Notable gameplay mechanics: I'm not 100% on this, but I think there was no real road you drove on, just a series of gates to pass through.
Other details: What I am 100% on is that the desktop icon for this game was a pair of car keys, sort of like this, but with a gold key. I used to play this on my dads Windows XP machine around ~2005. You would drive around in 4x4s, maybe Monster Trucks, but in my memory the wheels weren't really that large. Terrain was not flat, but also not that detailed, maybe the odd tree or fence. I think there was a free-roam mode, where you could just explore the map or drive alone, but that might have just been me ignoring other racers and just going off on my own.
This game definitely had characters tied to the cars you'd race too. I don't exactly recall anything about the story (or if there even was one). Not every car was a sports car either. I do remember one of the early races involved a black car that didn't look like a sports car at all. And this game was definitely early 2000s. Wasn't a super wacky racing game either, where things explode and had crazy crashes.
https://preview.redd.it/qy30d21phv671.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=d6b8031cc1e7c13f1cb1b0f61823b0bffb8c9186
- The track is relatively safe & simple. Driving off the track is tricky and dangerous.
- The circuits have tons of curves and bends, and you can go as far off course to get to the next checkpoint (or if you are really far behind, further ahead where the next checkpoint might spawn).
- Cars take damage that can affect performance. If you're driving off-track, you'll be assuming many more risks.
- Reaching a checkpoint awards 1 point. First player reach the point limit wins.
I'm going to be honest: I never played Midnight Club Racing, but from what I barely remember this might be how it played? Let me know if this is true. I mean the part about a checkpoint disappearing and spawning somewhere else as soon as someone reaches it. Personally I imagined something more like Star Wars Pod Racer or F-Zero in which the vehicles are fast and fragile, except you don't have to stick to the track at all.
