Spirit of Speed 1937

Spirit of Speed 1937 is a racing video game developed by Broadsword Interactive. The game was originally released in 1999 exclusively in Europe by Hasbro Interactive, who released the game under the MicroProse brand name. In 2000 the game was ported to the Dreamcast, and was published by Acclaim Entertainment under the LJN banner, five years after LJN was shut down by Acclaim. This version saw a North American release, and was released there on June 27, 2000. Spirit of Speed 1937 takes gamers back to the 1930s when motorsports were in their infancy and drivers raced for the thrill of speed, the danger, and the glamor that came with it. A port for the Game Boy Advance was in the works but was scrapped.

For the Rolls-Royce hood ornament named Spirit of Speed, see Spirit of Ecstasy.
Spirit of Speed 1937
North American Dreamcast cover art
Developer(s)Broadsword Interactive
Publisher(s)Hasbro Interactive[lower-alpha 1] (PC)
Acclaim Entertainment[lower-alpha 2] (Dreamcast)
Producer(s)Nick Court
Designer(s)David Rowe
John Jones-Steele
Programmer(s)Jim Finnis
John Jones-Steele
Artist(s)David Rowe
Andy Nicholas
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Dreamcast
ReleaseWindows
Dreamcast
  • EU: June 9, 2000
  • NA: June 27, 2000[1]
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Spirit of Speed 1937 features 15 classic vehicles, including the first twin-supercharged single-seat racer, the Alfa Romeo P3. Also featured are the twin V8 Alfa Romeo Bimotore designed by none other than Scuderia Ferrari, the Alfa Romeo 12C, the Auto Union Type C that was designed by the legendary Ferdinand Porsche, and the Auto Union Type D, a model that conformed to the Formula 1 standard of 3.0 liter supercharged or 4.5 liter non-supercharged engines.

Other cars include the Bugatti 35, Bugatti 59, Duesenberg, ERA Remus - which sported a 1500cc supercharged motor that accelerated to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in a little under five seconds, Mercedes-Benz W125, Mercedes-Benz W154, Miller, and the 24-litre Napier-Railton that hits its top speed at a terrifying 168 miles per hour (270 km/h) despite its rather hefty weight for a one-seater. Players race around nine legendary courses located in Melhalla (Libya), AVUS (Germany), Montana (U.S.), Roosevelt Raceway (U.S.), Montlhéry (France), Pau (France), Donington (England), Brooklands (England), and Monza (Italy).

Spirit of Speed 1937's modes of play are Single Race, Championship Season, and Scenario. Single Race allows players to select a car and course to race on. Championship Season is where users take part in a series of races in an attempt to win the title. Scenario is a mode that sets up a historic racing moment for the player to experience. Each mode is broken into three separate difficulties but none of them include a two-player feature. Along with the standard controller, the game also supports arcade sticks and steering wheels.

Reception

The Dreamcast version received unfavorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[2] IGN's Jeremy Dunham called it "the poorest excuse for a Dreamcast game I have ever laid eyes on", harshly criticizing nearly every aspect of the game, including the load times, course designs, control, and graphics. GameSpot's Frank Provo criticized the sound effects and the visuals of the game.[4] In Japan, however, where the game was ported and published by Acclaim Japan on April 5, 2001, Famitsu gave it a score of 25 out of 40.[3]

GameSpot named it the Worst Video Game of 2000 – the first year the award was given for console games.[11]

References
  1. Musgrave, Shaun (June 27, 2000). "Spirit of Speed Takes to the Road". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  2. "Spirit of Speed 1937 for Dreamcast". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  3. "スピリット オブ スピード 1937 [ドリームキャスト]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  4. Provo, Frank (August 15, 2000). "Spirit of Speed 1937". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  5. Mad Carl (August 5, 2000). "Spirit of Speed 1937". PlanetDreamcast. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  6. "Spirit of Speed 1937". GameStar (in German). Webedia. January 2000.
  7. Dunham, Jeremy (July 11, 2000). "Spirit of Speed 1937". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  8. Pseudo supprimé (August 10, 2000). "Test: Spirit of Speed 1937 (DCAST)". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  9. la redaction (December 8, 1999). "Test: Spirit of Speed 1937 (PC)". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia.
  10. "Spirit of Speed 1937". Joypad (in French). No. 100. September 2000. p. 160. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  11. GameSpot staff (January 5, 2001). "Best and Worst of 2000 (Worst Game)". GameSpot. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 28, 2001. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  1. Released under the MicroProse label.
  2. Released under the LJN label.
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