MotoRace USA
MotoRace USA (also known as Traverse USA, in Japan as Zippy Race, and in Spain as Mototour) is a 1983 racing video game developed and published by Irem for Japanese arcades; it was released in North America by Williams Electronics and in Europe by Comercial Electronica. The player controls a racer who must travel on a motorcycle from Los Angeles to New York City.
Also recorded as Zippy Race · Traverse USA
MotoRace USA
- Date
- 1983.
- Publisher
- WMS Industries and Irem.
- Genre
- racing video game.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
MotoRace USA (also known as Traverse USA, in Japan as Zippy Race, and in Spain as Mototour) is a 1983 racing video game developed and published by Irem for Japanese arcades; it was released in North America by Williams Electronics and in Europe by Comercial Electronica. The player controls a racer who must travel on a motorcycle from Los Angeles to New York City.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2079413 · wikipedia · MotoRace USA
In this article
Gameplay
Gameplay
Every level has two parts: The first part uses an overhead point of view, in which overtaken cars cause the player's rank to increment by 1 per car. The current rank is shown in the bottom right hand corner of the game screen during each stage. The second part uses a third-person point of view, in which the player must try not to crash into the opposite cars while a background relative to the city they're traveling to is shown (i.e.: if the player is reaching Las Vegas, then a few casinos can be seen in the background). Oncoming cars passed do not increase the player's rank. There are five different stages that the player encounters on their way to the final destination (NY) before the game starts back at stage one as outlined below. These stages alternate from tarmac on stages one, three and five, to unsealed (dirt) roads on stages two and four. On the tarmac stages bonus fuel can be picked up by running over the gas can icon. There is also a "wheelie" section which when run over causes the rider's bike to do a wheelstand and gain bonus points. On the dirt road stages both fuel and points can be gained by running over the gas cans or the score amounts indicated on the playfield. On the dirt road stage there are several log bridges that cross water and a "jump" section on some bridges - riding over the jump icon results in a score bonus. On all stages there are puddles of water which, if ridden through, render the bike unable to steer for a short period of time and a tire squealing sound is played briefly. Crashing into cars, road edges, bushes/trees, rocks or missing a bridge and riding into the water on a dirt road stage results in the motorcycle stopping and restarting; costing the player an amount of fuel. Running out of fuel prevents the motorcycle from going any further and causes the game to be over, but in the arcade version, the player can continue by inserting more coins (if necessary) and pressing START. Crashing can also result (especially in later levels) in being overtaken by cars which decreases the player's rank. As the player reaches each city the rank achieved results in a bonus amount being added to the score and extra fuel added to the player's total. The higher the position achieved, the more points and fuel is awarded. When the player reaches NY, a sign saying "Viva NY" is shown while the Statue of Liberty waves its hand and "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played. After this, the game restarts with the player's score intact but the difficulty increases and the player has a higher capacity motorcycle (with correspondingly faster top speed).
Development
Development
Cabinet art was done by Larry Day and Bruce Schafernak of Advertising Posters in Chicago.
Home ports
Home ports
The game was ported to the SG-1000 home console by Sega in March 1984, and the Family Computer in 1985. An updated version of the game was announced for the Intellivision Amico, but never released.
History of the object
Dated record
History of the object
The full dated record · 2 entries
1983
MotoRace USA published.
1983
MotoRace USA is recorded as published in 1983.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Japan.
Country
MotoRace USA is associated with Japan.
Country
Reception
In Japan, Game Machine listed MotoRace USA as the most successful new table arcade unit of July 1983.
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.Video Game Flyers: Mototour, Comercial Electronica (Spain). The Arcade Flyer Archive.
- 2.MotoRace U S A. (Registration Number PA0000188002). United States Copyright Office.
- 3.Manufacturers Equipment. Cash Box. 42. February 2, 1985.
- 4.Akagi, Masumi. アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005). Amusement News Agency. 120. 13 October 2006. 978-4990251215.
- 5.Amusement Press Inc., Osaka, Japan. Home Video Game Console(Japanese, top-right). Game Machine Magazine 15th July '85. 15 July 1985.
- 6.All Famicom games sorted from the latest release to the earliest. Famitsu.
- 7.8 paid iPhone apps you can download for free on September 19th. 2019-09-19.
- 8.Amusement Press, Inc. Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型新製品 (New Videos-Table Type). Game Machine. 215. 29. 1 July 1983.
- 9.Amusement Press, Inc. Best Hit Games 25. Game Machine. 216. 37. 15 July 1983.
- 10.Intellivision® Reveals Initial Details For The Upcoming Amico™ Home Video Game Console!. PR Newswire.
- 11.Intellivision is trying to save the Amico by severely cutting staff and licensing out its IP. VGC. 2022-06-08.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
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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