MegaRace
MegaRace is a vehicular combat game developed by Cryo for MS-DOS and published by The Software Toolworks in 1993. Ports to Sega CD and 3DO were released the following year. It uses pre-rendered 3-D graphics and includes over twenty minutes of full-motion video of fictional game show host Lance Boyle.
MegaRace
- Model
- MegaRace.
- Date
- 1993.
- Publisher
- Mindscape.
- Language
- English and French.
- Genre
- racing video game and cyberpunk video game.
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Documentary summary
MegaRace is a vehicular combat game developed by Cryo for MS-DOS and published by The Software Toolworks in 1993. Ports to Sega CD and 3DO were released the following year. It uses pre-rendered 3-D graphics and includes over twenty minutes of full-motion video of fictional game show host Lance Boyle.
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original value insufficient · checked 25 September 2026
- Identity
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wikidata · Q2036099
In this article
Plot
Plot
There are two sequels: MegaRace 2 and MegaRace 3.
MegaRace takes place in the distant future, where the player is a contestant on a fictional game show and namesake, MegaRace. The program is broadcast on the fictional VWBT (Virtual World Broadcast Television) television channel, where contestants compete in a live-or-die race match against speed gangs. MegaRace's host is the eccentric Lance Boyle, portrayed by actor Christian Erickson. He guides the player throughout the game, introducing new levels and enemies, frequently discouraging them.
Gameplay
Gameplay
MegaRace is a vehicular combat game with arcade-style gameplay, similar to that of RoadBlasters and Spy Hunter. However, it is also a rail shooter, in which players do not fully control the car; they can move it from side to side and accelerate within a limited range, but cannot turn nor fully stop the vehicle. This is because the speedway is rendered in full-motion video. The player must not only kill the opponents, but must also selectively avoid or run over "symbols" marked on the speedway itself. When driven over, these symbols temporarily improve or harm the car's performance. The objective in MegaRace is to kill all of the speed-gang members in each race before three laps of the racetrack are completed. The first race starts with a small number of speed-gang punks, but more are added in each subsequent race. The player can dispatch opponents by slamming them into the sidewall of the track, hitting them with missiles mounted on the player's car, or passing them, causing the opponent's vehicle to explode after the gap between the two cars becomes too great. The player has a limited number of missiles for each race. If all opponents are not killed within three laps, the race is lost and the player must start again from their last saved game. If all opponents are successfully dispatched, the player moves on to the next race. If the player beats Lance Boyle's score (120,000 points), plays for a sufficiently long time, and comes in second, third or (occasionally) fourth, Lance will let him move on to the next track. Usually, coming in any position other than first either ends the game or forces the player to play the "Last-Chance Speedway". The game has a total of eight cars and fourteen speedways across five worlds, not including two bonus races. The tracks differ in appearance between difficulty levels.
Development
Development
MegaRace features a techno chiptune soundtrack composed by Stéphane Picq of Dune. Software Toolworks were working on an Amiga CD32 version of the game, but it was never released. Microïds (Anuman Interactive's adventure games label), owners of the Cryo brand, made the game available on GOG.com on April 30, 2009, alongside MegaRace 2. It also received a version for OS X on June 18, 2013, via GOG.com.
History of the object
Dated record
History of the object
The full dated record · 2 entries
1993
MegaRace published.
1993
MegaRace is recorded as published in 1993.
Reception
Reception
Reviewing the 3DO version, GamePro commented that the controls are difficult, but that the fun gameplay and impressive graphics make up for it. Next Generation reviewed the 3DO version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "It would seem that every new piece of hardware needs to proves itself on a racing game, and this could be the 3DO game to compete with Daytona, Ridge, and Cruis'n. Good stuff." James V. Trunzo reviewed MegaRace in White Wolf Inphobia #51 (Jan., 1995), rating it a 3 out of 5 and stated that "If you enjoy racing games, MegaRace is original and offers enough tracks and special road markings to guarantee initial enjoyment. The game show host should have his own sitcom; he's that good. The downside is that MegaRace becomes repetitive. Now if the enemy could shoot back!" The game sold 330,000 units by September 1995. MegaRace was eventually added to publisher Mindscape's "Value Classic Series". The box art touted "Over 1.5 Million Sold!"
Legacy
Legacy
MegaRace also spawned two sequels, MegaRace 2 in 1996 and MegaRace 3 in 2001, the former uses the same pre-rendered method introduced in the original albeit with 3D polygon car models instead. The latter features full real-time 3-D graphics. Lance Boyle also returns for both sequels. MegaRace also came bundled with some Packard Bell, Quantex computers, Matrox video cards, and Gravis joysticks during the early to mid-1990s. In April 2014, ZOOM Platform and Jordan Freeman Group announced conversions of the entire MegaRace Trilogy for mobile and tablet devices along with a reboot of the franchise on PCs, game consoles, mobile, and tablet devices. A teaser trailer followed two months later.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.MegaRace (1994) - MobyGames. February 2021.
- 2.Future Publishing. In the Bag. Computer and Video Games. 160. 55. March 1995.
- 3.ZOOM Announces New Releases: "Mr. Travel" and "MegaRace Mobile/Reboot" Franchises - Yahoo Finance.
- 4.Computer & Video Games Issue 155. 155. 99. October 1994.
- 5.IDG. ProReview: Mega Race. GamePro. 67. 96. February 1995.
- 6.Imagine Media. Finals. Next Generation. 1. 90. January 1995.
- 7.Trunzo, James V. The Silicon Dungeon. White Wolf Inphobia. 51. 75. January 1995.
- 8.BAUME, Renaud de LA. La Financière Agache se pique aux jeux . La participation dans la PME Cryo traduit l'intérêt croissant pour le multimédia. Libération.
- 9.eBay.
- 10.Mobile game startup Zoom debuts with the familiar face of Sony, Sega vet Bernie Stolar as its chairman. April 17, 2014.
- 11.FMV classic MegaRace's rebirth brings back its original host along with cheesy videos. June 18, 2014.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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