Lotus Challenge

Lotus Challenge is a racing game developed by Kuju Entertainment and published in 2001 for PlayStation 2 by Virgin Interactive. Versions followed for Windows, GameCube, and Xbox from different publishers.

Development – Lotus Challenge

Virgin Interactive first announced the game for the PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows in August 2000 for an early-2001 release.^[1] The game was renamed Lotus Extreme Challenge in November 2000 ^[2] with a North American release planned to be published by Interplay Entertainment.^[3] Although this never came to circulation. The game would eventually see its release under its former name.

In March 2002, Virgin Interactive announced they would release the game on the Xbox under the name of Lotus Arcade^[4] before reverting to its former name, with the announcement that the Xbox version would feature major improvements over the PS2 version. The game was due for a release in Europe by Virgin in September^[5] but this never happened.

In November 2002, Xicat Interactive announced they would release the game in North America instead as an Xbox exclusive,^[6] with a GameCube port also announced.^[7] In December 2002, Xicat secured a licensing deal with Motor Trend to rename the title as Motor Trend Presents Lotus Challenge,^[8] with the Xbox version releasing shortly after. The GameCube version was due for a release in August^[9] but was pulled for unknown reasons.

In May 2004, Ignition Entertainment‘s website listed a title named Lotus Extreme for the GameCube.^[10] However, the game was renamed again back to its original title a few weeks later when it was officially announced by Ignition.^[11] and was released shortly after.^[12]

The Lotus series consists of three racing computer games based around the Lotus brand: Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge, Lotus Turbo Challenge 2, and Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge. Published between 1990 and 1992 by Gremlin Graphics, the games gained very favourable reviews upon release. Original Amiga versions of the games were created by Shaun Southern and Andrew Morris of Magnetic Fields, and then ported by other individuals to several other computers and game consoles.

The first game in the series was released in 1990 8-bit and 16-bit computer systems, the Amiga and Atari ST versions. The game allowed the player to race a Lotus Esprit Turbo SE car through several (32 in the Amiga version) circuit race tracks of varying scenery. Two player simultaneous play (with split screen) was also provided, and a choice of audio tracks to accompany races.

Each track is lap-based and consists of turns of varying degrees, as well as hills and hollows which slow down or speed up the car passing through them. Each turn is indicated by a chain of road-side signs, and the difficulty of the turn is reflected by the number and density of these signs – a feature common to all titles in the Lotus series.

While racing, the players must manage their fuel supply, occasionally visiting the pit stop for refuelling. Also apart from overtaking the other cars, the racers must avoid various hazards and obstacles. These are dependent on the scenery the track is located in, and include slippery road on the winter courses, road blocks, slippery puddles and wooden logs.

The tracks are split into three race series, with different difficulty levels. In each race the player or players compete against 20 opponents. The goal is to finish each race on the highest possible position; if the player finishes a race within the first 10 places they qualify for the next race and receive points towards a final position on the high-score table. The names of the computer-controlled drivers are puns on the names of real-life racers of the time (“Ayrton Sendup“, “Nijel Mainsail” and “Alain Phosphate” for example).

Reception[edit]

Reception