Grand Prix Legends

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. It is inspired by the 1967 Formula One season<ref name=NGen29>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and includes the teams Brabham, BRM, Eagle, Ferrari and Lotus. Two fictional teams called "Murasama" and "Coventry" replaced Honda and Cooper within the game.

Gameplay

File:Grand Prix Legends screenshot.jpg

Replay mode (cockpit view)

The game offers several modes in which the player can race alone or against AI opponents. The game also features multiplayer via LAN. Many parameters affecting the skill and aggressiveness of the AI drivers can be specified.

Development

The game was in development for three years<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with a team of 25 to 30 people.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inspired by the 1966 film Grand Prix, the developers chose to base the game on the 1967 Formula 1 Grand Prix season 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.<ref name=NGen29/> In addition, the more primitive suspension of cars of the time meant that the car physics could be more visually dramatic.<ref name=NGen29/>

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.<ref name=NGen29/> Papyrus co-founder Dave Kaemmer commented that the licensing for the game was difficult, but they had people who helped them during the development.<ref name=NGen29/>

Reception

Critical reception

The game received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.<ref name=gr/> GameSpot said that Grand Prix Legends has the most intense racing experience ever seen on a personal computer.<ref name=gspot/> Next Generation highly praised the graphics, gameplay, the recreation of 1967 Grand Prix season (in addition to its cars and tracks of its era), artificial intelligence and realistic driving model physics.<ref name=NGen49/> The magazine ranked it at #47 in its list of the Fifty Best Games of All Time.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Sales

The game was a commercial failure;<ref name=mahood/><ref name=gamesthatsell/> Andy Mahood of PC Gamer US described its sales as "abysmally poor".<ref name=mahood>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2003, writer Mark H. Walker reported that "the game sold only a few thousand copies" in the United States, which he attributed to the general unpopularity of Formula One racing in the country. He noted that its "steep learning curve kept many fans away" in European markets.<ref name=gamesthatsell>Template:Cite book</ref> GameSpotTemplate:'s Gord Goble attributed its performance to the "combination of treacherous gameplay, sometimes glacial frame rates, and esoteric subject matter". It ultimately totalled 200,000 sales by 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards

The game was the runner-up for Computer Gaming WorldTemplate:'s 1998 "Best Driving" award, and for GameSpotTemplate:'s 1998 "Driving Game of the Year" award, both of which ultimately went to Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit.<ref name=cgwpremier1998 /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The staff of the former commented that Grand Prix Legends was the most ambitious and realistic driving simulation game of 1998, and the toughest to play.<ref name=cgwpremier1998>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The game won Computer Games Strategy PlusTemplate:' 1998 "Sports Game of the Year" award. The staff wrote that a few racing games could come close to Grand Prix RacingTemplate:'s level of sophistication and uncompromising detail.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It also won the Best Racing Game award at the 1998 CNET Gamecenter Awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

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