Hardcore 4X4

Hardcore 4X4
Developer(s)	Gremlin Interactive
Publisher(s)	Gremlin Interactive (Europe) ASC Games (North America)
Platforms	Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Network
Release date(s)	PlayStation Sega Saturn Microsoft Windows PlayStation Network
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer

Hardcore 4x4 (initially known as TNN Motorsports Hardcore 4X4 in the US and known as Deka Yonku ~Tough The Truck~ (デカ４駆　～タフ　ザ　トラック～) in Japan) is a racing video game developed by Gremlin Interactive for the Sega Saturn, PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It became available for download from PlayStation Store as a PSone Classic for play on the PlayStation 3 on January 10, 2008, in PAL regions. The game utilizes 3D environments and truck models. The soundtrack features hard rock music. It was the first game to feature vehicles with independent suspension.

In 1996, ASC (publisher) hired Top Dog Entertainment in Austin, Texas, to develop Hardcore 4x4 II (the second version). The first Sony PlayStation developer in the Americas, Brett Butler, was lead programmer. He travelled to England to collect the game code and world builder tools. Both were defective, so he spent the first month repairing the code base. He then designed new tracks, rebuilt the graphics engine in MIPS RISC R3000 assembly, and hired artists and designers to create new tracks, menu interfaces, and vehicles. The title was completed in late 1997 as Top Dog went out of business shortly after Brett Butler left the company.

Gameplay

Screenshot from Hardcore 4X4

Hardcore 4x4 is an off-road racing game. You drive a 4x4 like a Jeep or pickup truck around 3D cross-country loops and attempt to get to the finish line first. There are six different vehicles to choose from, each with differing handling, acceleration and suspension settings. Circuits have differing surfaces for the player to contend with, including tarmac, dirt, sand and ice. Weather conditions can be changed to add another challenge to the game.

There are three race types. In single race mode you participate in only one race on a track of your choice against five other competitors. Championship allows you to race through all six courses in a row in an attempt to win a Mother truck. Time trial lets up to eight players compete round-robin style for the fast lap time around a track.

Reception

Hardcore 4x4
Review scores Publication Score EGM 83 GamePro 60 GameSpot 63 IGN 40

Electronic Gaming Monthly said "This is 4x4 racing at it's best" although the same review also criticises the game as the author "wish(es) you could leave the tracks and go wherever you want". GameSpot criticizes the game's track design as having "drab colors and textures" and for being "far too narrow" and says that the lack of a map or overhead view makes the game a lot more difficult than it would have been with such a feature included. GamePro called the gameplay "unchallenging", saying the game would be better for rental than for purchase. IGN said that "The trucks themselves handle very well" and "the physics of the jumps and bumps are very nice", however IGN also says that the graphics are "incredibly grainy", and also mentions the narrow circuits as a problem.

External links

• TNN Motor Sports Hardcore 4x4 at MobyGames