Codex Gamicus
Register
Advertisement


Europe Racer (also known as Europe Racing) is a racing video game developed by Dutch company Davilex. It was first published by Infogrames in the UK on September 14, 2001, later re-published as a budget title by Xplosiv on April 2, 2004.

It is part of the Davilex Racer series, the sequel to London Racer (1999) and the France-only release Paris-Marseille Racing (2000).

Background[ | ]

The player takes the role of a race driver participating in a championship of cannonball-run style illegal street racing through various cities of Europe. Not only he has to win the championship, but must also evade the police who try to stop racers by blocking them or setting up roadblocks.

The event is organized by Caesar, a now retired racer. The law enforcement teams are led by police chief J. B. Black, driving a black Hummer.

The player can choose from eight teams to compete for, representing eight nations:

  • United States Club USA
  • Japan Riders of the Rising Sun
  • Russia Club Moskov Masjina
  • Germany Autobahn Raser Club
  • United Kingdom London Racer Club
  • France Le bolide Club de France
  • Italy Motori d'Italia
  • The Netherlands A2 Racer Club

Gameplay[ | ]

There are three different racing modes:

  • Quick race - driving on a single track, with or without opponents
  • Championship - a series of five races in a certain category (sportscar, sedan or SUV), with five racers (including the player) competing against each other
  • Adventure - a series of twenty races, with five racers (including the player) competing against each other. This is essentially the main story of the game

The player can collect money, nitro and 'repairs' from the track during the races. The money can be used in the latter two racing modes to tune the car.

Cars[ | ]

File:Europeracer ingame1.jpg

Driving a Mercedes-Benz SLK in the countryside

The game does not use licensed names of cars (because of the presence of car damage and police chase), but the makes and models are easily identifiable.

Each team (nation) has their set of three unique vehicles: sportscar, sedan and SUV. This does not always mean that the nation in question had manufactured the respective car, for example the Dutch team uses British and Swedish cars. In addition, the player can unlock a bonus car, so the number of drivable vehicles totals to 25.

There is an array of traffic and police cars on every track as well, models varying from country to country.

Car listing[ | ]

Team Sportscar Sedan SUV
United States Dodge Viper Lincoln Town Car Jeep Wrangler
Japan Honda S2000 Subaru Impreza Isuzu Amigo
Russia Lada 110 Lada Samara UAZ-469
Germany Porsche Boxster Mercedes-Benz SLK Opel Frontera
United Kingdom McLaren F1 Ford Mondeo Range Rover
France Alpine GTA Peugeot 406 Renault Scenic
Italy Lamborghini Countach Alfa Romeo 156 Lamborghini LM002
The Netherlands Caterham Super Seven Volvo S40 Custom off-road

Tracks[ | ]

File:Europeracer ingame2.jpg

Piazza di Santa Croce in Florence, as depicted in Europe Racer

There are 15 circuits modeled after major European cities showcasing various real-world landmarks, and 2 circuits presenting country landscapes. All of these are populated by traffic and pedestrians. There is no option to set time of day or weather, and there are no multiple roads.

A 16th city, Prague, was only half completed by the release of the game and it does not appear in the game menu. It can be driven on only after manually editing a configuration file.

Track listing[ | ]

City tracks:

Other tracks:

Critical reaction[ | ]

Europe Racer obtained mostly unfavorable reviews, citing outdated graphics for its time and unrealistic physics. It remained generally unknown.

External links[ | ]

Advertisement