History
The chronological order of this franchise can be somewhat confusing, as the game that was released as Motor Toon Grand Prix in the west, was actually the second game in the series.
Motor Toon Grand Prix 2 was realeased simply as
Motor Toon Grand Prix in the western markets as the first installment never left Japan. Developed by
Polyphony Digital in 1996, the game was designed by
Kazunori Yamauchi, who later went on to creating the critically acclaimed
Gran Turismo series. In 2002, Motor Toon Grand Prix (2) was re-released in Europe as a dual game pack alongside the first
Gran Turismo game.
Overview
Motor Toon Grand Prix is a cartoon style racing game, with characters and vehicles representing mostly stereotypical comic book and video game archetypes. The game, both in visual style and gameplay-wise, clearly draws a lot of inspiration from cart racing classics like the popular
Mario Kart series from
Nintendo. The most significant visual characteristic separating this game from others is its exaggerated use of squash and stretch in the animation of the vehicles, giving an almost jelly-like behavior to the geometry as it is affected by kinetic forces (like centrifugal force when turning at high speeds, or abruptly stopping or accelerating).
As you race through the tracks, all with their own gameplay twists and visual styles, the player has to utilize both the unique driving abilities of the chosen character, as well as cartoon style weaponry and items collected throughout t he race, to beat the opponents to the finish line.
The game was fairly well received by both gaming press and consumers, and was considered by many to be among of the better non-simulation style racing games on the
Playstation console at the time of its release.
Motor Toon Grand Prix is also compatible with the
negCon controller.
Characters
Future
Yamauchi, currently of
Polyphony Digital (
Gran Turismo series), told EDGE Magazine that he is planning to return to the Motor Toon franchise after finishing development on the long awaited
Gran Turismo 5.
"
Who could look at fender renders for over a decade, and not yearn to be the man they once were?", he offered in EDGE's May 2010 issue cover story, while also mentioning that the game would definitely have to have support for Sony's upcoming motion control technology, "
Playstation Move". "
But forget steering - what about placing a virtual cigarette on the dashboard as you throw a wheelie down a canyon? Throwing banana skins from the window? This is the thrill I have been missing for many years. It's time we got back to driving basics: cartoon characters in karts, not Ford Kas."
(Story from www.computerandvideogames.com)
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