jerkov
05-05-2004, 01:16 AM
I just got a copy of Corvette ZR-1 Challenge for the NES from Germany, so I'd thought it be interesting to compare it directly to Race America, which is the American release of the game. For those of you who don't know, Corvette ZR-1 Challenge was slated for release in America by Milton Bradley, but for some reason it only saw the light of day in Europe. However, the company of absolute must've picked up the rights to distribute the game in America under a different name and featuring a different car (the Dodge Viper). Mostly, the two games are the same, but there are a few interesting differences.
First of all, Corvette ZR-1 Challenge does seem to have problems playing on an NTSC system. A PAL games FAQ written by Adam Esbenshade says that the game will play fine on an American NES, but that does not seem to be the case. All of the menu screens look fine, the drag race intro to each race looks fine, the overhead (a la Spy Hunter) view looks fine, but the main split-screen racing view has green lines flashing all over the screen and the car in second place (which is on the bottom of the screen) is cut off and you can't see it, which makes the game very hard to play if you're in second place. Anyone else play this game on an NTSC system and have this experience?
Anyways, the credits that come up when the game is turned on look to be virtually the same, except that Absolute's name has been added to Race America's credits. Milton Bradley is still listed on the screen though, which is fitting because they originally released Corvette ZR-1 Challenge. The title screen of ZR-1 has a still picture of two Corvette ZR-1's driving down a road; Race America features a Dodge Viper and (interestingly enough) a Corvette racing down the road. The next couple screens (the choice of 1 or 2 players and the opponent selection screen) and the music are identical. The next screen has a Corvette or a Viper (depending on which game is being played) on the top of the screen, the performance specs of the car (these are slightly different in each version of the game to reflect the performance of each car) and a keyboard so that you can input your name. Once that is done, a character walks in from the left side of the screen, gets into the car, burns rubber and takes off. The next screen details the leg of the race (which locations and the distance, both games feature an identical race across America), with you racing against Team MB in ZR-1 and Team Absolute in Race America.
The race starts off with a drag race, which has a sidescrolling view of the two cars. The cars in both games look almost the same, except that Absolute changed the car a little bit so that it looks like it has a targa roof (just like all the original Dodge Vipers). It still looks quite "Vette-ish" however. The overhead view that pops up when you and your opponent are running neck and neck is also slightly different, with the cars in Race America again featuring a targa roof (although the general Corvette shape is still retained). As the main, behind the car, split screen view pops up, it's apparent that the car graphics are again slightly changed in Race America. The only thing they changed were the tail lights; the Corvette in ZR-1 Challenge has four tail lights (two on each side) while the Viper in Race America has been modified so that it only has two tail lights (one long tail light on each side of the car). Other than this change, the cars appear to be identical. Another minor difference is that there is a large gray block in both games next to the secon place screen: "ZR-1" is written here in ZR-1 Challenge while Race America displays only the pyramid-shaped Absolute logo. It's interesting to note that the other vehicles on the road in ZR-1 Challenge consist solely of other Corvettes and motorcycles, while the other vehicles in Race America are made up of other Vipers, some Corvettes (again, the inclusion of Corvettes is interesting), and some motorcycles. And when you lose, there is a newspaper type article detailing your loss and a picture of your car (obviously a Corvette or a Viper depending on what game you are playing). I haven't beaten either version of the game, so I can't comment on if the endings are different.
Race America just seems to be a lightly disguised version of Corvette ZR-1 Challenge, which Milton Bradley decided not to release in America for reasons unknown to me (why would they release a game featuring a race across America, starring America's most beloved sports car, in Europe but not America????). My big question is this: why is that Absolute couldn't get the rights to feature the Corvette ZR-1 in their game? And to follow up, why were they allowed to keep a Corvette on the title screen and why are Corvettes on the road when you're racing your Viper? There seems to be no information on these changes anywhere on the Internet. I don't know how many people here are interested in either of these games, but I find the whole situation quite interesting. I just wish that Corvette ZR-1 Challenge worked better on an NTSC console.....
First of all, Corvette ZR-1 Challenge does seem to have problems playing on an NTSC system. A PAL games FAQ written by Adam Esbenshade says that the game will play fine on an American NES, but that does not seem to be the case. All of the menu screens look fine, the drag race intro to each race looks fine, the overhead (a la Spy Hunter) view looks fine, but the main split-screen racing view has green lines flashing all over the screen and the car in second place (which is on the bottom of the screen) is cut off and you can't see it, which makes the game very hard to play if you're in second place. Anyone else play this game on an NTSC system and have this experience?
Anyways, the credits that come up when the game is turned on look to be virtually the same, except that Absolute's name has been added to Race America's credits. Milton Bradley is still listed on the screen though, which is fitting because they originally released Corvette ZR-1 Challenge. The title screen of ZR-1 has a still picture of two Corvette ZR-1's driving down a road; Race America features a Dodge Viper and (interestingly enough) a Corvette racing down the road. The next couple screens (the choice of 1 or 2 players and the opponent selection screen) and the music are identical. The next screen has a Corvette or a Viper (depending on which game is being played) on the top of the screen, the performance specs of the car (these are slightly different in each version of the game to reflect the performance of each car) and a keyboard so that you can input your name. Once that is done, a character walks in from the left side of the screen, gets into the car, burns rubber and takes off. The next screen details the leg of the race (which locations and the distance, both games feature an identical race across America), with you racing against Team MB in ZR-1 and Team Absolute in Race America.
The race starts off with a drag race, which has a sidescrolling view of the two cars. The cars in both games look almost the same, except that Absolute changed the car a little bit so that it looks like it has a targa roof (just like all the original Dodge Vipers). It still looks quite "Vette-ish" however. The overhead view that pops up when you and your opponent are running neck and neck is also slightly different, with the cars in Race America again featuring a targa roof (although the general Corvette shape is still retained). As the main, behind the car, split screen view pops up, it's apparent that the car graphics are again slightly changed in Race America. The only thing they changed were the tail lights; the Corvette in ZR-1 Challenge has four tail lights (two on each side) while the Viper in Race America has been modified so that it only has two tail lights (one long tail light on each side of the car). Other than this change, the cars appear to be identical. Another minor difference is that there is a large gray block in both games next to the secon place screen: "ZR-1" is written here in ZR-1 Challenge while Race America displays only the pyramid-shaped Absolute logo. It's interesting to note that the other vehicles on the road in ZR-1 Challenge consist solely of other Corvettes and motorcycles, while the other vehicles in Race America are made up of other Vipers, some Corvettes (again, the inclusion of Corvettes is interesting), and some motorcycles. And when you lose, there is a newspaper type article detailing your loss and a picture of your car (obviously a Corvette or a Viper depending on what game you are playing). I haven't beaten either version of the game, so I can't comment on if the endings are different.
Race America just seems to be a lightly disguised version of Corvette ZR-1 Challenge, which Milton Bradley decided not to release in America for reasons unknown to me (why would they release a game featuring a race across America, starring America's most beloved sports car, in Europe but not America????). My big question is this: why is that Absolute couldn't get the rights to feature the Corvette ZR-1 in their game? And to follow up, why were they allowed to keep a Corvette on the title screen and why are Corvettes on the road when you're racing your Viper? There seems to be no information on these changes anywhere on the Internet. I don't know how many people here are interested in either of these games, but I find the whole situation quite interesting. I just wish that Corvette ZR-1 Challenge worked better on an NTSC console.....