Developer: Boss Game Studios Publisher: Midway
Released: October 3, 2000 Rated: E 6/10
Cruising their way past the unfortunately low bar of “best Blockbuster exclusive title,” Boss Game Studios loads up another racer that offers something a little different from most of the pack. Stunt Racer 64 forms something of an antithesis to their efforts with World Driver Championship, with mindful, realistic driving replaced by boosting and stunt work (as the title implies). All wrapped up in a quirky ‘50s diner science fiction aesthetic, it’s a shame that the nature of its release and subsequently, its status on the collector’s market nowadays, have conspired to hide its uniqueness away from the consensus of the majority of the N64’s aficionados.
An in-game demo/tutorial gives the first major indicator of exactly what Stunt Racer 64 (or Stunt Racer 3000, as the in-game text clearly indicates the title being tweaked at the 11th hour) means by its name and what it’s going to do differently. Going fast enough to outclass your competitors will be one thing, but doing it with style will be crucial to progression. Grabbing coins along the way and hitting ramps to land a small array of tricks and flips for cash are crucial to buying and upgrading new cars to keep up with a varied cast of characters throughout each of the game’s circuits. Sharing a lot of DNA with Hot Wheels: Turbo Racing, with track design loaded with loop-de-loops, boost panels, and lots and lots of ramps, though with a heavier feel to the handling that comes off a bit jarring the first time you pull off a backflip with a double tap of the control stick. Clearly left over from Boss Game Studios’ earlier titles, it’s funny that Stunt Racer 64 is far and away the most arcade-y off their efforts, and yet does this almost entirely through mechanics, though that’s not a bad thing. Even if you spend a lot of time banging off of the gutter-guard-like rails that line many of the earlier tracks, it’s not impossible to play or progress without a perfect racing line, as the flashier parts of the game are far more important to your success.
Though it’s serviceable without being insanely deep or rich in its gameplay, Stunt Racer’s aesthetic is certainly one of its more memorable aspects. Essentially taking the vibes of Milo’s Astro Lanes and implanting them into an actually enjoyable title, the interesting combo of rockabilly ‘50s greaser culture and a sci-fi setting lifted from pulp media of the same period, we have a brightly-colored, character-populated racer with pop-art flair smeared on top of classic car designs. Given that another title on the system offers something similar, you certainly can’t say Stunt Racer 64 offers something completely unique, but it does do it well and will be one of the more striking aspects of the game. If anything, I wish they’d been able to take this a bit further, perhaps with some actual decent music during races, instead of the muted offerings we have, and maybe a little bit more than profiles for the multitude of named opponents. The boss characters that operate each of the racing leagues/circuits get their time in the spotlight with their little spiels after each round, but the option to get actual backstories and a profile picture for something like a dozen racers left me feeling shorted on what could have been a real home run in flavor and personality.
Going all in on character and making an impact with your design philosophy can really bolster a game or make you forgive its shortcomings or lack of polish in gameplay. And I can think of several more examples of games like this on the N64 alone. Stunt Racer 64 isn’t a flop of a game, in fact, it’s pretty solid all around, but getting bumped into a Blockbuster exclusive makes me suspect that the feeling behind the scenes is the same as how I felt after a few hours of play — that what’s on offer in the finished product feels a lot more like a solid rental than a game you’ll go back to once you’ve beaten it. I suspect a number of factors like Midway’s already densely populated catalog of racing titles, and of course, time, led to this project being forced to wrap up quickly, and the Blockbuster deal probably helped stabilize the project financially. As a result of its exclusivity, of course, Stunt Racer 64 is now one of the N64 library’s most expensive and hard to find titles, meaning that unlike the majority of Midway’s published racers, it’s not something you’ll pick up on a whim, and not good enough to seek out for its hefty price tag. And yet, a perfect rental title gives way to the perfect title for emulating or trying on a flash cart, which I do recommend if you’re looking to pluck out something a little different from the bottomless pit of N64 racing titles.
Continuing Legacy
Stunt Racer 64 was, unfortunately, the final project Boss Game Studios worked on that saw release, though they were supposedly working on a new racing game for the original Xbox before going defunct in 2002. The circumstances likely at play with this release probably didn’t bode well for their financial future, in that case. Though the style of racing seen here is unique compared to most of the racing genre going forward, it’s a style largely carried on by the Hot Wheels franchise, as well as somewhat in the daredevil racing style of the Burnout games.
Additional Information
Saves: Cartridge or Controller Pak
Players: 4
Compatible with: Rumble Pak, Expansion Pak (High Resolution with Letterbox)
Print Guides: None
Aggregate Critical Reception (GameRankings): 72.5%, based on 2 reviews
Other releases: None
My Streams
Commercials and Print Ads
Featured in Nintendo Power Volume 135 (August 2000)
