Lotus (computer games)

The "Lotus" series consists of three racing computer games, that were released between 1990 and 1992 for various computers and game consoles. "Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge", "Lotus Turbo Challenge 2", and "Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge" were developed by Magnetic Fields and published by Gremlin Graphics, and gained favourable reviews at the time. As the titles suggest, the games feature the Lotus brand of cars.

"Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge"

Infobox VG| title = Lotus Turbo Esprit Challenge
developer = Magnetic Fields
publisher = Gremlin Graphics
released = 1990
genre = Racing
modes = Single-player, Two-player split screen
platforms = Amiga, Amiga CD32 (part of "Lotus Trilogy"), Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
media = Floppy diskThe first game in the series was released in 1990 for most popular contemporary 8-bit and 16-bit computer systems, the Amiga version being the most technically advanced one. The game allowed the player to race a Lotus Esprit Turbo SE car through several (32 in the Amiga version) circuit race tracks of varying scenery. Two player simultaneous play (with split screen) was also provided.

The tracks are split into three series of races with different difficulty levels. Each race places the player or players against a large number of opponents - the total amount of cars on a track is 20. The goal is to finish each race on the highest possible place - ending the course within the first 10 places qualifies the player to the next race, as well as gains him an amount of points, which are needed to reach the high-score table. The names of computer-cotrolled drivers are a play on real life racers of the time (Ayrton Sendup, Nijel Mainsail and Alain Phosphate for example).

The unique twist is that the starting position in the next race is the exact opposite of the place reached at the end of the previous course. Thus, the weaker player gets a chance to improve by starting from a better place.

Each track is lap-based and consists of turns of varying degrees, as well as hills and hollows which slow down or speed up the car passing through them. Each turn is indicated by a chain of road-side signs, and the difficulty of the turn is reflected by the number and density of these signs - a feature common to all titles in the "Lotus" series.

While racing, the players must control the amount of quickly-depleting fuel, and occasionally visit the pit stop for refuelling. Also apart from overtaking the other cars, the racers must avoid various hazards and obstacles. These are dependent on the scenery the track is located in, and include slippery road on the winter courses, road blocks, slippery puddles and wooden logs.

When racing in the one-player mode, the bottom half of the screen is unused and features a static image of the Esprit Turbo. Only in the two-player play both halves are used. The two-player feature is similar to the single play - the only difference is that only one of the players must reach the 10th place to qualify both to the next race.

As a nice touch, upon loading the game the player is presented with an intro showcasing the Esprit car and its statistics. Before starting the courses, an image of an in-car CD-system is shown and the user may choose between a few audio tracks (4 in the Amiga version) to accompany the races.

"Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge" was well received by the gaming press, which praised its feeling of speed, technical quality and two-player gameplay. The game in all its versions was rated favourably, generally around 80-90%. [cite
title=Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge from ZZap 72; ] It was the only title in the series that was released for an 8-bit platform - the later ones were 16-bit only.

"Lotus Turbo Challenge 2"

Infobox VG| title = Lotus Turbo Challenge 2
developer = Magnetic Fields
publisher = Gremlin Graphics
released = 1991
genre = Racing
modes = Single-player, Two-player split screen
platforms = Amiga, Amiga CD32 (part of "Lotus Trilogy"), Atari ST, Sega Mega Drive
media = Floppy diskThe second Lotus game took a somewhat different approach to the topic of racing, shifting the gameplay into a more arcade-oriented direction. Being the first of the series released for a game console (for Sega Mega Drive under the title "Lotus Turbo Challenge"), the game dropped the different difficulty levels feature, providing instead a single series of courses. No longer would the tracks be lap-based, and the objective is not to overtake the opponents any more - instead, the player has to race against the clock and reach checkpoints to increase the time limit, similarly to classic arcade games such as "Out Run". The fuel limit was also removed. Other features from the first game, such as varied scenery, obstacles, and turn signs, were left in.

In addition to the Esprit Turbo SE, "Lotus Turbo Challenge 2" also featured the Lotus Elan SE, thus providing the reason to drop the Esprit name from the title. The player goes to race both cars, switching between them after each track.

The single-player mode now uses all of the game screen instead of half. The graphics itself is more colorful compared to the first "Lotus" - the opponents' cars now have various colors. The music selection feature was removed from this game - the in-game music is absent; the player instead listens to the sound of cars' engines.

The game was developed for the Amiga and then converted for the other platforms. "Lotus 2" was considered as a technically most impressing game in its own genre. The game's Mega Drive port lacks the smoothly running graphics of the original version.

Barry Leitch's intro music for "Lotus 2" is often found on playlists of retro computer music webradio stations. This music track contains a sampled voice at around the 12-second mark saying the words "you will not copy this game". The sample is played very quietly during the first few bars, and can be easily accessed in any MOD tracker program.

In "Lotus 2" there is also a hidden game accessible with the password DUX, and with TURPENTINE it is possible to play the entire game without time limits.

The Sega Mega Drive version contains a hidden Centipede-like game called "Pod", which can only be accessed by a code. [cite web
url = http://www.gamepro.com/sega/genesis/games/cheats/11795.shtml]

There is a touch of humour on level 6 (the motorway level) of the Amiga version. If the player manages to successfully drive under the trailer of one of the lorries that cross the road, he is rewarded with the sound "Yeehaa!" being played, however this sound was used as a taunt on the Mega Drive port.

"Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge"

Infobox VG| title = Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge
developer = Magnetic Fields
publisher = Gremlin Graphics
released = 1992
genre = Racing
modes = Single-player, Two-player split screen
platforms = Amiga, Amiga CD32 (part of "Lotus Trilogy"), Atari ST, DOS, Sega Mega Drive
media = Floppy disk, CD-ROMThe third game in the series combined all the gameplay aspects of both previous releases, allowing the players to choose between racing against opponents like in "Lotus", and the arcade-like race against time from "Lotus 2". The two-player option was brought back, as well as the music selection feature - this time allowing to select a tune before each race, not only before starting a game. "Lotus III" add the third car to the stake - a concept Lotus M200 automobile. Overall, the game shares most of its graphics with the second "Lotus" game, while still adding new elements, namely some completely new sceneries.

The Mega Drive version bears the name "Lotus II: RECS" (referring to the game's new course creation feature), while the DOS port released in 1993 was simply called "Lotus: The Ultimate Challenge" due to being the only "Lotus" game on that platform. The DOS version features the Lotus Esprit S4 instead of the Esprit Turbo SE. Apart from the slightly different car's graphics, the difference in gameplay is minimal, if any. The DOS version was released again in 1996, this time on a CD-ROM.

RECS

The single most innovative feature of "Lotus III" is the "Racing Environment Construction Set" ("RECS") course creation system. The system allows users to create a race track by defining various basic parameters, such as amount and difficulty of turns and hills, amount of obstacles, type of scenery or difficulty of opponents. The created track can then be raced by one or both players. The course can also be written in form of a letter-and-digit code and later reused; also, up to nine user-created tracks can be combined into a new course, and then played in the defined order.

The RECS system allowed to quickly create a unique track without the hassle of using a complicated course editor. On the downside however, the user has lost the ability to precisely put the turns or obstacles in specific places of the track. The similar track editing system was later reused in another Magnetic Fields' game, International Rally Championship.

Patrick Phelan's soundtrack to "Lotus III" has spawned many modern remixes.

"Lotus III" is not as highly regarded as "Lotus 2", due to its slower running speed (although this time the Mega Drive port is faster) and lack of new features. Many found the lap-based races against the clock to be comparatively boring.

"Lotus Trilogy"

In 1994, the three games were released for Amiga CD32 in one package, as "Lotus Trilogy".

References

See also

* "Turbo Esprit"

External links

"Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge"

*moby game|id=/lotus-esprit-turbo-challenge|name="Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge"
*WoS game|id=0002937|name=Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge
*Lemon64 game|id=1548|name=Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge
* [http://www.cpczone.net/index.php?game=1408 Gamebase CPC entry]
* [http://www.atarilegend.com/games/games_detail.php?game_id=503 Atari Legend entry]

"Lotus Turbo Challenge 2"

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* [http://www.atarilegend.com/games/games_detail.php?game_id=2137 Atari Legend entry]

"Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge"

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* [http://www.atarilegend.com/games/games_detail.php?game_id=2135 Atari Legend entry]