''Midtown Madness'' (also known as ''Midtown Madness: Chicago Edition'') is a 1999
racing game
Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...
developed by
Angel Studios
Angel Studios is an American video streaming service, media company, and film distribution studio. The studio uses equity crowdfunding to finance its original productions by offering individual investors the opportunity to purchase shares in ...
and published by
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
. The
demo version was released in April 1999. Two
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
s followed, with ''
Midtown Madness 2'' released in September 2000 and ''
Midtown Madness 3
''Midtown Madness 3'' is a 2003 open world racing video game developed by Digital Illusions CE and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox. It is the third and currently final game in the ''Midtown Madness'' series. A version for mobile ...
'' released in June 2003 for the
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
. The game is set in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
; the object is for the player to win
street races and obtain new cars.
Unlike racing games that restrict the player to a
race track
A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also u ...
, ''Midtown Madness'' offers an
open world recreation of Chicago. This setting was said to provide "an unprecedented degree of freedom to drive around in a virtual city".
[ Players can explore the city using one of several modes and can determine the weather and traffic conditions for each race. The game supports ]multiplayer
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
races over a local area network
A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or office building. By contrast, a wide area network (WAN) not only covers a larger ...
or the Internet. The game received generally positive reviews from gaming websites. Angel Studios developed another video game featuring open-world recreations of cities, '' Midnight Club: Street Racing''.
Gameplay
''Midtown Madness'' features four single-player modes: Blitz, Circuit, Checkpoint, and Cruise.[ In Blitz mode, the player must swing through three checkpoints and drive to the finish line within a time limit. Circuit mode curtains off most of the city to resemble race tracks and pits the player against other cars. Checkpoint mode combines the features of Blitz and Circuit modes and has the player race against other cars to a destination—but also adds the complication of other traffic, such as police cars and pedestrians.] In Cruise mode, the player can simply explore the city at their own pace.[ Each mode except Cruise is divided into missions—completing one unlocks the next. Environmental conditions found in each mode include: weather (sunny, rainy, cloudy, and snowy), time of day (sunrise, afternoon, sunset, and night-time), and the density of pedestrians, traffic, and police vehicles. The heads-up display includes information about the race and a detailed map, but this display can be turned off.][
Players start off with five vehicles; five more are unlockable.][ The available vehicles range from a ]Volkswagen New Beetle
The Volkswagen New Beetle is a compact car, introduced by Volkswagen in 1997, drawing heavy inspiration from the exterior design of the original Beetle. Unlike the original Beetle, the New Beetle has its engine in the front, driving the fron ...
and a Ford F-350
The Ford Super Duty (short for F-Series Super Duty) is a series of heavy-duty pickup trucks produced by the Ford Motor Company since the 1999 model year. Slotted above the consumer-oriented Ford F-150, the Super Duty trucks are an expansion of t ...
to a city bus
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and a Freightliner Century
The Freightliner Century Class is an aerodynamic sloped-hood conventional Class 8 truck that was produced by American truck manufacturer Freightliner.
It was introduced in 1995 (as a 1996 model) to replace the FLD series, although the FLD remai ...
truck.[ Unlocking vehicles requires completing goals] such as placing within the top three in any two races.[ If the player has previously won a race mission, they can change the race's duration and the weather when replaying it. The Checkpoint mode allows players to set the frequency of traffic, police cars, and pedestrians. Vehicles can accrue damage from collisions, and can be disabled if excessive damage is accrued, resulting in premature failure of Blitz or Checkpoint races, or several seconds of time lost before the vehicle is immediately restored in Circuit races and Cruise.]
The game's city environment is modeled after Chicago, including many of its landmarks, such as the 'L', the Willis Tower
The Willis Tower (originally the Sears Tower) is a 108-story, skyscraper in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois, United States. Designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), ...
(then known as the ''Sears Tower''), Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...
, and Soldier Field
Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1 ...
. The streets feature a number of objects the player can crash into including trash bins, parking meters, mailboxes and traffic lights.[ In Checkpoint mode other vehicles move in accordance with traffic lights, but the player is under no obligation to obey them.][
''Midtown Madness'' supports multiplayer games on a local area network, the Internet, or by ]serial cable
A serial cable is a cable used to transfer information between two devices using a serial communication protocol. The form of connectors depends on the particular serial port used. A cable wired for connecting two DTEs directly is known as a null ...
connection. The Multiplayer mode was originally supported by Microsoft's MSN Gaming Zone
MSN Games (also known as Zone.com - formerly known as The Village, Internet Gaming Zone, MSN Gaming Zone, and MSN Games by Zone.com) is a casual gaming web site, with single player, multiplayer, PC download, and social casino video games. Games ...
, but this service was retired on June 19, 2006. It is now supported by similar services such as GameSpy Arcade
GameSpy Arcade was a shareware multiplayer game server browsing utility. GameSpy Arcade allowed players to view and connect to available multiplayer games, and chat with other users of the service. It was initially released by GameSpy Industries ...
and XFire
Xfire (pronounced "X-Fire") was a proprietary freeware instant messaging service for gamers that also served as a game server browser with various other features. It was available for Microsoft Windows.
Xfire was originally developed by Ult ...
, via DirectPlay
DirectPlay is part of Microsoft's DirectX API. It is a network communication library intended for computer game development, although it can be used for other purposes.
DirectPlay is a high-level software interface between applications and commun ...
. The Multiplayer mode includes a Cops and Robbers mode, a capture the flag
Capture the flag (CTF) is a traditional outdoor sport where two or more teams each have a flag (or other markers) and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base", and bring it safely back to their own base. ...
-style game in which players form two teams and each team tries to steal the opposing team's cache of gold and return it to their own hideout.
Development
''Midtown Madness'' was one of the first games that Angel Studios developed for the PC.[ Microsoft planned to publish sequels to racing computer games with the word ''Madness'' in the title, including '' Motocross Madness'' and '']Monster Truck Madness
''Monster Truck Madness'' is a racing video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft. It was released in North America on August 31, 1996. The game has twelve monster trucks and tasks the player with beating computer opponent ...
''. According to project director Clinton Keith, the concept behind the game came to two Microsoft employees during an attempt to cross a crowded Paris street. They proposed their idea to Angel Studios, which had tried to sell Microsoft a 3D vehicle simulator. Initially, Angel Studios was hesitant to accept Microsoft's offer given the magnitude of the proposed undertaking. They ultimately agreed and decided to use Chicago for the setting because the city was featured in several famous car chases in films, including ''The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respective ...
''. The development team asked Chicago residents to playtest
A playtest is the process by which a game designer tests a new game for bugs and design flaws before releasing it to market. Playtests can be run "open", "closed", "beta", or otherwise, and are very common with board games, collectible card games, ...
the game to ensure that the city was recreated faithfully. ''PC Gamer
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...
'' reported that the re-creation was mostly accurate, although certain landmarks were moved to enhance gameplay. 8 to 15 people were working on the game at any one time.[
Angel Studios and Microsoft included regular cars in addition to the "overpowered Italian sports cars" often seen in racing games.] The developers obtained permission from manufacturers to use the likenesses of selected vehicles. Microsoft received authorization from Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
for the New Beetle
The Volkswagen New Beetle is a compact car, introduced by Volkswagen in 1997, drawing heavy inspiration from the exterior design of the original Beetle. Unlike the original Beetle, the New Beetle has its engine in the front, driving the fron ...
, and Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
, for the Mustang
The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, they ...
and the F-350 Super Duty. The decision to make only half the cars available at the outset was intended to promote a sense of competition. Microsoft staff asked Angel Studios employees to prevent players from hitting pedestrians. Angel Studios (after deciding against rendering pedestrians in two dimensions) developed 3D pedestrian models that could run and jump out of the way. ''Midtown Madness'' included an option to remove pedestrians, as they do not alter gameplay but may affect system performance when in a group; consequently, the game does not require a 3D graphics card
A graphics card (also called a video card, display card, graphics adapter, VGA card/VGA, video adapter, display adapter, or mistakenly GPU) is an expansion card which generates a feed of output images to a display device, such as a computer moni ...
.
Microsoft's marketing team expressed interest in including Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...
restaurants in the game to run promotions that would involve giving away free burritos, according to project director Clinton Keith, but the feature was requested too late in development for Angel Studios to make the change.
A demo version was released for download on May 1, 1999. It featured three vehicles (a Mustang, a Panoz Roadster
The Panoz Roadster is a sports car launched in 1992 by the American manufacturer Panoz Auto Development Company of Georgia. The Roadster was succeeded by the AIV Roadster in 1997. They were built using aluminum, similar to that of the Plymouth Pr ...
, and a bus), and all driving modes except Circuit. The demo also included features that were scrapped in the full version, such as the ability to send billboards flying. In December 1999, Angel Studios reported that they were considering a race designer for players, but ultimately this feature was not added. The finished game was released on May 27.[
''Midtown Madness'' is distinct from other racing games of its time, especially those influenced by the '']Need for Speed
''Need for Speed'' (''NFS'') is a racing game franchise published by Electronic Arts and currently developed by Criterion Games, the developers of ''Burnout''. The series generally centers around illicit street racing and tasks players to com ...
'' series, in providing an open environment rather than a closed circuit. Project director Clinton Keith said that an open world makes the gameplay more diverse and adds "element of discovery" such as finding shortcuts.[ ]Gary Whitta
Gary Leslie Whitta (born 21 July 1972) is an English screenwriter, author, game designer, and video game journalist. He was editor-in-chief of both the UK and US editions of ''PC Gamer'' magazine and contributor to gaming magazine ''ACE''.
Whit ...
described the game as open world racing: " u still have checkpoints to hit, utyou don't have to follow the A-B-C-D standard to do it".[
]
Reception
The game received favorable reviews according to the review aggregation
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website GameRankings
GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
.[ The '']IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' review noted that the game "doesn't rely heavily on driving authenticity; this game's all about fun." The review also praised the simplicity whereby players can "pick a real-world car and go."[ '']GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
''s reviewer wrote that "it's fun to be able to drive like a maniac ..because you know you can't in real life."[ '']Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...
'' review remarked on the game's humor, provided by other drivers, police, and competitors (described as maniacs), praising the "carnage that unfolds before your windscreen."[ '']PC Zone
''PC Zone'', founded in 1993, was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as ''PC Leisure'', ''PC Format'' and ''PC Plus'' had covered games but ...
''s Steve Hill recommended the game, calling it highly refreshing; ''Total Video Games'' reviewer said the game seemed a good choice, but suggested that it would be outdone by GT Interactive
GT, Gt or G-T may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Games
* GT Interactive, an American video game developer
* GameTrailers, a video game website
* '' Golden Tee Golf'', golf video game
* ''Gran Turismo'' (series), a series of racing video games ...
's '' Driver'', released soon after.[ The '']AllGame
RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel.
Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...
'' reviewer called it a "must-buy for the driving game enthusiast" and said that it would also appeal to players who are not necessarily fans of the racing car genre. ''Next Generation Magazine
''Next Generation'' was a video game magazine that was published by Imagine Media (now Future US). It was affiliated to and shared editorial with the UK's ''Edge'' magazine. ''Next Generation'' ran from January 1995 until January 2002. It was p ...
'' concluded its review by stating that ''Midtown Madness'' was not innovative, but that "it'll stay on your hard drive for a while and keep you playing."[
''IGN''s Tal Blevins gave high marks to the game's graphics, saying that "the downtown portion of Chicago is portrayed very accurately" even though other parts of the city looked more generic.][ ''Next Generation Magazine''s reviewer said the graphics were impressive and praised the "thoroughly detailed" random occurrences of "cars hurtling in front of you" and "cringing pedestrians when you lurch onto the sidewalks".][ ''GameSpot''s reviewer approved of the variety in third-person, the first-person dashboard, and the widescreen driving views. However, they complained of the game suffering from "choppy ]frame rate
Frame rate (expressed in or FPS) is the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (frames) are captured or displayed. The term applies equally to film and video cameras, computer graphics, and motion capture systems. Frame rate may also be ca ...
s" and unconvincing visual effects
Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of
a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production.
The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...
.[
''PC Zones Hill praised Angel Studios for avoiding gimmicks, instead presenting "accurately modeled cars and a meticulously recreated city" to the player.][ ''AllGame''s review said ''Midtown Madness'' "possesses superb, immersive graphics", using the different times of day and weather as an example. Conversely, it complained that cars not controlled by the player were lacking in detail.][ Randell said that as well as being "structurally and visually consistent", the Chicago setting in ''Midtown Madness'' was "brought to life"—for instance, a "city bus legitimately pulling out at a four-way junction" can end the race for a player by destroying their car.][ Total Video Games' review called the game's presentation "far from optimal" even with the recommended ]system requirements
To be used efficiently, all computer software needs certain hardware components or other software resources to be present on a computer. These prerequisites are known as (computer) system requirements and are often used as a guideline as opposed ...
. Reviewer Noel Brady pointed out "a serious lack of detail" and called the screen "blocky", especially without a graphics card. He was critical of the AI, declaring that cars often drive "without noticing he player
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
at all". In his book ''AI Game Engine Programming'', Brian Schwab described ''Midtown Madness'' gameplay as "arcade style" and "fast and loose", and said the in-game traffic was satisfactory.
''IGN''s review described the in-game narration as "a nice touch", but noted some glitch
A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among ...
es among the otherwise "distinctive engine and horn sounds".[ Calling the game's sounds exceptional, ''GameSpot''s review praised the variety of car noises such as the back-up beeper for the bus.][ ''PC Zone''s Hill praised the in-game radio system and the support for external media players.][ ''AllGame''s review said players "get a dose of reality" with other drivers and pedestrians "hurling insults and exclamations your way".][
The game sold 100,805 copies in the U.S. by April 2000.
The staff of '']PC Gamer US
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games mag ...
'' nominated the game for their 1999 Best Racing Game award, which ultimately went to ''Re-Volt
''Re-Volt'' is a racing video game designed by Paul Phippen and Simon Harrison. It was developed by Acclaim Studios London and published by Acclaim Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64, PlayStation and Dreamcast.
The premise of the ...
''. They wrote that the game "lays down a racing milestone by creating a living, breathing 3D city — and then letting you trash it". It was also a nominee for ''Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
''s Racing Game of the Year award, and for ''CNET Gamecenter
''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...
''s "Best Racing Game" award, but lost both of them to '' Need for Speed: High Stakes''.
Legacy
''Midtown Madness'' spawned a three-title series of the same name, the second entry of which, '' Midtown Madness 2'', was developed by Angel Studios and released in September 2000. Another sequel, ''Midtown Madness 3
''Midtown Madness 3'' is a 2003 open world racing video game developed by Digital Illusions CE and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox. It is the third and currently final game in the ''Midtown Madness'' series. A version for mobile ...
'', was developed by Digital Illusions CE
EA Digital Illusions CE AB (trade name: DICE) is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. The company was founded in 1992 and has been a subsidiary of Electronic Arts since 2006. Its releases include the ''Battlefield'', ''Mirror's E ...
for the Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
and published in June 2003. The games' most-acclaimed elements were the detailed open-world environment, distinct visual presentation and sophisticated artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
.
In 2000, Angel Studios and Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...
created '' Midnight Club: Street Racing'', a PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
video game also featuring open world recreations of urban cities. Its critical and commercial success spawned the ''Midnight Club
''Midnight Club'' is a series of Racing video game#Arcade-style racers, arcade-style racing video games developed by Rockstar San Diego (formerly known as Angel Studios) and published by Rockstar Games. ''Midnight Club'' is similar to the ''Mid ...
'' series of street racing
Street racing is typically an unsanctioned and illegal form of auto racing that occurs on a public road. Racing in the streets is considered an ancient hazard, as horse racing occurred on streets for centuries, and street racing in automobiles is ...
-themed games.
References
External links
*
*
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1999 video games
Microsoft games
Microsoft franchises
Open-world video games
Racing video games
Video games developed in the United States
Windows games
Windows-only games
Video games about police officers
Video games set in Chicago
Multiplayer and single-player video games