Take control of a collection of the latest Volkswagen Beetle "2.0" models, from street type to off-road designs, and race across varying road types that will test your speed and endurance! Find shortcuts or use nitro boosts to finish first in order to move on to the next track. If the computer AI is to easy for you, battle against a friend in two player race mode or challenge up to 4 people in a special Battle Mode, with added abilities including weapons, from mines and rockets to magical elements, while collecting the flag and finding the exit!
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Beetle Adventure Racing has a rather odd story of how it was created. EA gave a team the task of making a Need for Speed for the N64. Instead of doing this, they developed their own idea for a car game, one they felt suited the N64 more. EA executives were impressed but still wanted NfS – and the developers still carried on with their idea before getting greenlit and deciding on adding the Beetle as the car of the game.
The adventure angle is entirely within the tracks, and is something that comes across really well. The tracks are filled with interesting parts, and there are a ton of shortcuts and hidden areas to discover. I really like how the laps work in the game – the starting area is on its own little stretch, you do laps of the main course, but the end of the third lap twists off into a new final part of the track – in one level, a volcano erupts and you have to drive around lava. While there are only six tracks, they’re packed full of so much stuff that you want to try different routes – not to mention that they’re quite long.
Although it’s not just a case of seeing a shortcut and taking it – as some of them are slower than the main track. There are bonus point crates to find (which gets you extra lives) and some of them are just fun to take, yet I do wish that there was an exploration option that tasked you with finding the crates (and perhaps other hidden collectables).
Beetle Adventure Racing is a lot of fun and the handling works very well, but a few more modes to take advantage of the tracks would have turned it into a must-have. It’s a lovely idea for a racing game, and something you don’t see now. It’s a shame the sequel, Adventure Racing II (which was going to ditch the Beetles to have unique, customisable cars) was cancelled.
The adventure angle is entirely within the tracks, and is something that comes across really well. The tracks are filled with interesting parts, and there are a ton of shortcuts and hidden areas to discover. I really like how the laps work in the game – the starting area is on its own little stretch, you do laps of the main course, but the end of the third lap twists off into a new final part of the track – in one level, a volcano erupts and you have to drive around lava. While there are only six tracks, they’re packed full of so much stuff that you want to try different routes – not to mention that they’re quite long.
Although it’s not just a case of seeing a shortcut and taking it – as some of them are slower than the main track. There are bonus point crates to find (which gets you extra lives) and some of them are just fun to take, yet I do wish that there was an exploration option that tasked you with finding the crates (and perhaps other hidden collectables).
Beetle Adventure Racing is a lot of fun and the handling works very well, but a few more modes to take advantage of the tracks would have turned it into a must-have. It’s a lovely idea for a racing game, and something you don’t see now. It’s a shame the sequel, Adventure Racing II (which was going to ditch the Beetles to have unique, customisable cars) was cancelled.
First GOTM finished for July 2024. I went into this one with some high expectations, and ultimately left disappointed. The music is bland, the tracks are too long (and you have to repeat the base three tracks TWO MORE TIMES EACH to unlock credits) and the rubber-banding is quite annoying. The tracks had some variety in alternate paths and shortcuts, though you're just as likely to actually lose ground trying to take one. At least the controls felt pretty good. Not a terrible racer, and in some instances quite fun, but I wanted more from it.
It's a fun arcade racer.
Tracks might be a bit too long, but they are interesting. They have lots of alternate paths. I wouldn't call them shortcuts as many take longer, but they at least give you a change of scenery and some boxes to break.
Difficulty wise, it's extremely easy. The AI is working in your favor. It will always wait for you if you make some mistakes.
Music is the most forgettable thing I've ever heard. Definitely one of the weak points.
It can also get a bit repetitive. It reuses tracks for every championship, the progression being that with each new championship, an extra track is added, but you have to play all the tracks before it.
Controls are surprisingly good. And it also runs at an unlocked frame rate, so playing this in an emulator feels very smooth.
Could be worth a playthrough if you're curious, but you're not missing much if you skip it.
Tracks might be a bit too long, but they are interesting. They have lots of alternate paths. I wouldn't call them shortcuts as many take longer, but they at least give you a change of scenery and some boxes to break.
Difficulty wise, it's extremely easy. The AI is working in your favor. It will always wait for you if you make some mistakes.
Music is the most forgettable thing I've ever heard. Definitely one of the weak points.
It can also get a bit repetitive. It reuses tracks for every championship, the progression being that with each new championship, an extra track is added, but you have to play all the tracks before it.
Controls are surprisingly good. And it also runs at an unlocked frame rate, so playing this in an emulator feels very smooth.
Could be worth a playthrough if you're curious, but you're not missing much if you skip it.
Literally nothing about this game should be good. It's essentially just one big ad, down to every car being literally the SAME car. Like I'm supposed to believe the colorway affects its stats.
And yet...it's got great tracks, the controls feel great and it's got a banger of a soundtrack. How the fuck did this even HAPPEN?
And yet...it's got great tracks, the controls feel great and it's got a banger of a soundtrack. How the fuck did this even HAPPEN?
i liked the exploration but the racing itself is pretty trite and having to replay every single track every time before you could unlock a new one (including all previously unlocked ones) just made me hate most of the base tracks especially since races in this game are LONG
As the proud owner of a VW bug myself, this is essentially the perfect game for me. It fulfills my ultimate fantasy; what if my car could fly 200 feet into the air and had an explosive rocket launcher? Really though this game is super fun. You can pick from a few magnificent colours for your bug and play by yourself or against friends in a few different styles of races, or take them on in this game's best mode; beetle battle. Imagine the mariokart battle modes but on crack and you have a beetle battle. All of the items (yes, this game has mariokart style items.) are super fun and perfect for causing large amounts of chaos. Your car can shoot rockets, achieve super speed, and plant land mines among a few other things. Also this game has some surprisingly decent music, which adds a lot to its charm. I’m not kidding when I say Beetle Adventure Racing is one of the most fun promotional/licensed games ever made.