Grand Prix Legends

Grand Prix Legends
North American boxart
Developer(s) Papyrus Design Group
Publisher(s) Sierra Sports
Director(s) Matt Sentell
Designer(s) Randy Cassidy
David Kaemmer
Brian C. Mahony
Matt Sentell
Richard Yasi
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release 1998
Genre(s) Racing simulation
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer

Grand Prix Legends is a computer racing simulator developed by Papyrus Design Group and published in 1998 by Sierra On-Line under the Sierra Sports banner.[1] It simulates the 1967 Grand Prix season.[2]

Development

Inspired by the 1966 film Grand Prix, the developers chose to base the game on 1960s motor racing because during that period tracks were narrow and lined with trees, houses, and other elements that in a video game can serve as backgrounds to enhance the sensation of speed.[2] In addition, the more primitive suspension of cars of the time meant that the car physics could be more visually dramatic.[2]

However, the amount of time that has passed since the 1967 Grand Prix season meant that some of the tracks the designers wanted to recreate no longer existed in their original form. The team visited town halls to get blueprints for defunct tracks.[2] Licensing could also be difficult. Papyrus co-founder Dave Kaemmer commented, "It's not a pleasant thing to call someone on the phone and say that you want to license their dead son's name, but people have been very helpful."[2]

Reception

According to Andy Mahood of PC Gamer US, Grand Prix Legends experienced "abysmally poor sales".[3]

GameSpot said "Grand Prix Legends will reward you with arguably the most intense racing experience ever seen on a personal computer." They gave the game a score of 8.9 out of 10 (Great).[4]

Grand Prix Legends was the runner-up for Computer Gaming World's 1998 "Best Driving" award, which ultimately went to Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. The editors wrote of Grand Prix Legends, "Arguably the most ambitious and realistic driving simulation to date—modeling the thrills and difficulties of Grand Prix racing circa 1967—it is also perhaps the toughest to play. It's an awesome game for those who can handle it."[5]

Grand Prix Legends won Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1998 "Sports Game of the Year" award. The editors wrote, "Racing games are always popular, and there are a lot of them, but few if any approach Grand Prix Racing's level of sophistication and uncompromising detail."[6]

References

  1. ↑ IGN.com: Grand Prix Legends
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "NG Alphas: Grand Prix Legends". Next Generation. No. 29. Imagine Media. May 1997. pp. 66–69.
  3. ↑ Mahood, Andy (December 2000). "Sim Column; Staying Ahead of the Game". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on August 27, 2003.
  4. ↑ Gamespot: Grand Prix Legends Review
  5. ↑ Staff (April 1999). "Computer Gaming World's 1999 Premier Awards; CGW Presents the Best Games of 1998". Computer Gaming World (177): 90, 93, 96–105.
  6. ↑ Staff (February 11, 1999). "The Best of 1998". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 3, 2005.
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