When I saw the trailers for Speed Racer, I thought “hey, that looks kind of neat”. Then, the reviews came out. A rating of 37? That’s got to hurt. NZ dev Sidhe Interactive, which was responsible for the game tie-in, thinks the movie took a giant dump on its chances of success. Here’s what Jos Ruffel, the company’s business development manager, had to say at this year’s GC Developers Conference:
“When we were first asked to do Speed Racer the property it was incredible, it was very exciting. It was a film by the Wachowski brothers and it was about car racing – awesome that’s going to make a great game”.
The Wachowski brothers? I mean, other than the first Matrix film, have they done anything good? Did you see Invasion? No, neither did I.
It can’t be easy balancing demands and expectations from a studio with the desire to make a solid game. To be honest, I don’t think the sort of people who buy games based on a movie like Speed Racer are expecting the next Gran Turismo. Stick to the basics and add a bit of jazz, that’s what I say.
Poor Speed Racer movie hindered our game, says Sidhe Interactive [GamesIndustry.biz, via Tsumea] More »
Topps, the purveyors of candy treats have just launched a little racing web based game to help promote the upcoming Speed Racer Movie, Speed Racer Candy Tracks The game is exactly what you’d expect from the title, a racing game with a Topps candy tie in. The tie in coming from a massive onslaught of in game advertising for all of their products from Bazooka gum to Ring Pops. The tracks may be pink and candy coated but this Flash game already seems ten times more interesting than the bore fest that is Speed Racer the Video Game. I’m sorry, but having to tack on “the Video Game” at the end automatically puts it on my “don’t buy list”.
newVideoPlayer("Speed_Racer_Trailer.flv", undefined, NaN,""); I am strangely intrigued by this Speed Racer video game, probably because I’m strangely intrigued with the cartoon and anything trying to leech of its decades-old popularity. Oh and you can drive a car that jumps stuff, full-on win.
I honestly had no clue this was happening. A Speed Racer film with John Goodman, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, and Richard “Shaft” Roundtree, directed by the Wachowski brothers? How did I not know about this? One of my minions shall be beaten within an inch of its life tonight for certain, but in the meantime I must learn about this glorious film through a Warner Bros. press release for the game of the movie of the animated series. “We are very excited about this natural extension from the Speed Racer film to the videogame. Larry and Andy are videogame fans themselves, so they believe that an interactive game is a key component to the entire Speed Racer experience,” said film producer Joel Silver.
Coming in 2008 for the Wii, DS, and later for the PS2, the game will involve racing, surprisingly enough. Combat racing to be exact, incorporating the ‘car-fu’ action the Wacho’s have developed for the film. Look for the Wii and DS versions to launch with the film’s release, with the PS2 version hitting stores when the DVD does for some strange reason. More »
