Group S Challenge

Group S Challenge
North American Xbox cover art featuring the 1996 RUF CTR2 (foreground) and the 1999 Mazda RX-7 (background)
Developer(s)DigitalStudio
Publisher(s)Capcom
Director(s)Masaya Ishizuka
Producer(s)Tatsuya Minami
Koji Nakajima
Designer(s)Ryutaro Ichikura
Composer(s)
Platform(s)Xbox
Release
  • JP: August 28, 2003
  • EU: September 26, 2003
  • NA: November 11, 2003
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Group S Challenge, known in Japan as Circus Drive (サーカスドライブ, Sākasu Doraibu), is a 2003 racing video game developed by DigitalStudio and published by Capcom for the Xbox. It features fully licensed cars, including from Ford, Chevrolet, and Ruf.

Arcade mode

Group S Challenge features four styles in arcade mode: Single Player, Two Player Versus, One Make and Time Attack.

Single Player allows the player to race against AI (artificial intelligence) drivers. In Two Player Versus, two players race on a split screen. One Make measures who possesses the best driving ability, with the player choosing one car model for all vehicles in the race, including the player's own. In Time Attack, the player focuses on trying to post the fastest lap-time.

Circuit mode

Group S Challenge also offers a career mode. Unlike many games featuring a career mode, Group S Challenge contains no cutscenes and lacks a developing story. Instead, the game offers three different racing types: Championship, Line and Dual.

In Championship, the player races to unlock different classes of cars and earns money for upgrades or a new car. Championship has four different "classes" or "tiers", for cars, with higher tiers offering faster cars. Group C is the lowest tier containing the slowest car. Groups B and A contain progressively faster rides. Group S is the top class and it contains supercars and hypercars. (Note: A car from a slower group is allowed in a higher class race, but faster cars cannot enter a lower class race.) The player can earn money by driving in the racing line on the track during Line mode. Dual mode allows the player to unlock special cars that cannot be bought. In order to acquire one of these cars, the player must race and win against it in three different cars that the player already owns.

Tracks

Three different race courses appear with six variations per course: Part A, Part B, Full Track, Part A Reverse, Part B Reverse, and Full Track Reverse. The three different race tracks are Monaco in Europe, Surfers Paradise in Australia and Shibuya in Japan.

Reception

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 28 out of 40.[4] Many reviewers gave it positive to mixed reviews a few months before its U.S. release date.[2][3][5][6][8][10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Group S Challenge for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Edge staff (October 2003). "Group S Challenge". Edge. No. 128. Future plc. p. 101.
  3. ^ a b Sewart, Greg; Linn, Demian; Chou, Che (September 2003). "Group S Challenge". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 170. Ziff Davis. p. 116. Archived from the original on January 1, 2004. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "CIRCUS DRIVE （サーカス ドライブ） [Xbox]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Kato, Matthew (September 2003). "Group S Challenge". Game Informer. No. 125. GameStop. p. 121. Archived from the original on September 20, 2003. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Pong Sifu (October 1, 2003). "Group S Challenge Review for Xbox on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  7. ^ MacDonald, Ryan (December 17, 2003). "Group S Challenge Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Meston, Zach (October 11, 2003). "GameSpy: Group S Challenge". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  9. ^ Aceinet (December 2, 2003). "Group S Challenge - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Group S Challenge". Official Xbox Magazine. Future US. September 2003. p. 84.
  11. ^ a b Soboleski, Brent (September 30, 2003). "Group S Challenge Review (Xbox)". TeamXbox. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2019.