Jeff Gordon XS Racing is a racing game released in 1999 for PC and GBC, but originally planned for Nintendo 64 and Playstation too. Jeff Gordon is a champion of NASCAR and he would have been the mentor of the player in the training mode of JGXS. Despite ASC announced a very realistic physics and AI for each car, the final PC version, probably identical to the cancelled versions, it’s only a mediocre arcade game. Since the Nintendo 64 and the PSX had already a lot of good racing games, perhaps cancelling the home console versions of Jeff Gordon XS was a wise decision.
[spoiler /Clicca qui per la versione in Italiano/ /Nascondi la versione in Italiano/]Jeff Gordon XS Racing è un oscuro gioco di guida, uscito nel 1999 per PC e GBC, ma originariamente previsto anche per Nintendo 64 e Psx, a cui appartengono gli screenshots che trovate in questa pagina.
Il grande campione delle corse NASCAR, Jeff Gordon appunto, avrebbe fatto da mentore al giocatore per il training e poi da caparbio avversario nelle gare del gioco. Certamente c’era ben poco che facesse sperare in un titolo quantomeno interessante. Nonostante ASC avesse annunciato una fisica particolarmente realistica e una AI diversa per ogni auto in gara , il prodotto finito su PC, identico alle versioni cancellate a parte la grafica, è soltanto un anonimo arcade. All’epoca non poteva neanche contare su una cosmesi all’altezza degli altri esponenti del genere su computer.
Siccome il Nintendo 64 poteva già vantare una serie di imbarazzanti titoli di guida, forse la cancellazione di Jeff Gordon XS è stata la decisione migliore che ASC potesse mai prendere nella sua carriera. [/spoiler]
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http://psx.ign.com/articles/123/123886p1.html
Thanks Celine! I’ll add those videos in the article sooner or later :)
From IGN
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NOV, 13 1998
JEFF GORDON XS RACING
ASC forges ahead with N64 development on the futuristic racer. New info.
BY IGN STAFF
Prior to E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), ASC Games announced that it had secured a deal with NASCAR champ Jeff Gordon, to create a new multi-console racer, aptly titled Jeff Gordon XS Racing. Apart from lending his name, ASC says that Gordon also plays an integral part of the development process, giving feedback and tuning instructions at every turn.
Now also in development for N64, the game itself is based upon Gordon’s vision of the NASCAR races of the future. Instead of racing in a straight oval, high banked turns, 300 mile per hour speeds and futuristic tracks all distinguish Jeff Gordon Racing from the host of other generic racing games out there. Couple these facts with Gordon’s desire to make a game that’s accessible to everyone (read: not a simulation) while still keeping the realistic vehicular physics and you have something that’s even more different from existing NASCAR games on any platform.
Features:
Jeff Gordon license. Gordon initially acts as your mentor and helps guide players through the early qualifying stages. Advance in the game and he becomes your fiercest competitor.
Unique AI patterns for each car.
Race at 300mph speeds against 12 cars at one time.
Eight “fantasy” track designs.
Jumps, high-banked curves, and multiple paths.
Realistic physics engine.
3D sound.
Realtime lighting effects.
Two-player split-screen mode.
As you look at the screen-shots (taken from the PSX version), take special note of the four circles in the lower right hand corner of the screen. Those circles represent the stresses placed upon each of the four tires. As corners are tightened or cars accelerate, the circles will swell and change color. The gauge gives drivers insight into how close they are to slipping on a turn, or spinning out.
Track designs are all “fantasy tracks” and include elements such as jumps (mainly for crossovers) and cloverleaves.
When IGN spoke to Gordon about the gauge, he recounted that the gauge represents the essence of what is taught in driving schools and he wishes that there were some way to have said gauges on his car in real life.
Right now, ASC is concentrating on completing the PSX version before porting it to other systems. With NASCAR being the fastest growing spectator sport in the country and Jeff Gordon’s name becoming something of a household item (due in part to sponsorships from Pepsi and Dupont among others), Jeff Gordon Racing could turn out to be a giant hit when it debuts on the N64 next year.
Outlook
In its PlayStation incarnation, the game moved incredibly smoothly and offered excellent colored lighting effects. We can only hope that ASC has the necessary programming skills to port the game to N64 without losing too much of the graphic flair and detail.