Street Racer

Overview

Street Racer is a comedic kart racing game developed by Vivid Image and published by Ubi Soft for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on December 1994.

A kart racer with eight cartoonish stereotypes (each of which have their own stats and unique abilities), Street Racer features a 24-track Race Mode and two bonus modes (the battling Rumble Mode and the sporty Soccer Mode), all of which can be played in four-player split-screen multiplayer (with use of a multitap adapter).

The game later received a Sega Mega Drive conversion in 1995, released exclusively in Europe, as well as a handheld Game Boy conversion in 1996. Unlike the SNES version, which makes use of close-knit Mode 7 tracks similar to games like Super Mario Kart and Wacky Wheels, both of these conversions change it to long-winding Z-scaling tracks similar to games like Pole Position and F-1 Race. This version was later ported to Amiga computers exclusively in Europe in 1997. Like the SNES game, both the Genesis and Amiga versions feature four-player split-screen multiplayer.

It also received updated ports for the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn in late 1996 and early 1997, known in Japan as Street Racer Extra. This version features a new assortment of 3D tracks (which better resemble the SNES version), updated racer stats, and support for eight-player split-screen multiplayer. This version was later ported to DOS PCs in North America in 1997, which later received a digital re-release (alongside an emulated SNES version) by Piko Interactive via Steam on August 2, 2021.

Game Modes

Each of these modes are played with eight racers in total (4 if playing 3P or 4P modes in some versions).

Race

The game's main racing mode. Along standard practice and head-to-head, the game includes a multi-race Championship. There are three standard Cups to choose from (the six-track Bronze Cup, the 10-track Silver Cup, and the 14-track Gold Cup), some of which have repeating tracks. The game is notable for a customizable Custom Cup, with players able to create their own track order (up to 24 tracks).

There are 24 tracks in total, four of which (Hodja 3, Raphael 3, Sumo San 3, and Frank 3) are unlockable. All of these tracks correspond to each of the eight playable characters, being their "home track".

In the Genesis and Game Boy versions, the final track in Gold Cup is a unique "Space" track.

The PS1 and Saturn versions of the game add a fourth Platinum Cup.

Rumble

A free-for-all battle mode where each racer attempts to be the last racer standing in a small arena by knocking all others out of the ring using both their abilities and aggressive driving.

While there is only one arena, there are three different "levels" of play that affect how much of the barrier the arena starts with (with Easy starting with a full barrier, Medium starting with some gaps, and Hard starting with no barrier).

In the Genesis and Game Boy versions, all racers drive forward in one large circle, rather than move around freely.

Soccer

A free-for-all sport mode where racers attempt to score points by bringing a single soccer ball inside the goal (which is guarded by an automatic goalkeeper), with the game ending after either a racer reaches a certain amount of goals or after a certain time has elapsed.

While there is only one arena, there are three different "pitches" that determine how slippery the ball is (with Outdoor being normal, Indoor being bouncier, and Ice being slipperier).

This mode was removed in the PS1, Saturn, and PC versions.

Characters

There are eight characters in the base game, each of which being various caricatures (of varying offensiveness).

• Hodja - A wise old magician from Turkey, and based on the Muslim folk hero Nasreddin Hodja. His kart resembles a magic carpet and his home tracks are set on cobbled streets.
• Frank - A Transylvanian racer and the grandson of Frankenstein's monster. His kart resembles chrome-piped hot rod and his home tracks are set in a graveyard.
• Suzulu - An African native. His kart is primitive and his levels are set in the prairies.
• Biff - An American who's big, bad, and talks with a baseball bat. His kart resembles a 4WD buggy and his home tracks are set in a motocross arena.
• Raphael - A suave Italian and the son of a successful racer. His kart resembles a sports car. and his home tracks are set in the countryside.
• Surf Sister - An Australian photographer and the only woman on the circuit. Her kart resembles a beach buggy and her home tracks are set on a beach.
• Helmut - A German airman who was forced to retire. His kart resembles a mix between a classic racing car and the tri-plane of the Red Baron, and his home tracks are set in an airfield.
• Sumo-san - A retired Japanese sumo wrestler who now prefers winning with high-tech gadgets. His kart is "futuristic" and is outfitted with treads, and his home tracks are set in a dark industrial city.
• Rabbit - A cartoon rabbit who was added in the PS1, Saturn, and PC versions of the game in cutscenes as a comic relief mascot. He is playable as a secret unlockable and his home tracks are set in a storybook fantasy.

Stats (SNES/Genesis/GB/Amiga)

Stats (PS1/Saturn/PC)