SPOGS Racing
Encyclopedia
SPOGS Racing is a racing
video game published by D2C Games and developed by Pronto Games for the Wii
. It was released as a WiiWare
title in North America on July 7, 2008, and in Europe on July 18, 2008. It costs 1000 Wii Points
and takes up 264 Blocks.
-like disc inside representing the player's avatar. Adding to the traditional racing game formula, SPOGS Racing gives the player an ability, called Crash 'N Grab, to steal spare parts such as engines, brakes, and tailpipes from their opponents to upgrade their own vehicle by crashing into them. The SPOGS themselves are equipped with six different weapons to allow the player to slow down the opponents and take their parts more easily, and are maneuverable enough to allow players to pull off tricks on ramps and loops and make the vehicle spin off, drift and flip over.
In addition to three different control schemes, SPOGS Racing also features several different available modes: quick races, a battle mode and a season mode (which sees the player racing on all the available tracks). D2C Games CEO Scott Orr
has also revealed plans for downloadable content
for the game. An example of such content will be downloadable "racer packs" that will include content such as new tracks, vehicles and other related material.
SPOGS Racing was inspired by other racing games such as Andretti Racing
, Hard Drivin'
, Mario Kart
and Crash Team Racing
.
, who called the game "WiiShovelWare
", citing dull gameplay, infuriating AI and claiming it to be the "ugliest game available on the Wii". They also pointed out the absurdness of such a "broken, fugly" game standing among the likes of other WiiWare titles such as LostWinds
and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
. However, they did believe the Crash 'N Grab mechanic was the sole good idea in the game, though it was poorly implemented. Hardcore Gamer also gave the game a negative response, scoring it a 1 out of 5 and claiming it to be "one of the most horrible games ever made". They also called the graphics "insulting" and said the game's music will "make you leave the game feeling like you’ve just been punched in the head a few times". Eurogamer
's reviewer called it "the most inept game [they've] played on any format, in any genre, in recent memory", giving it a 1 out of 10.
WiiWare World was only slightly more positive with a 3/10, calling the gameplay and opponent AI "terribly erratic" and the graphics "absolutely inexcusable". However they felt the game had some unique ideas, and that the two player mode was decent, but still "not that great". Their sole praise was for the sound effects, which they felt sounded "very authentic".
With a Metascore of 18 from 7 reviews, Metacritic
proclaimed SPOGS Racing to be its Wii "Dud of the Year". The title is currently the lowest rated Wii game on the site.
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
video game published by D2C Games and developed by Pronto Games for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. It was released as a WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
title in North America on July 7, 2008, and in Europe on July 18, 2008. It costs 1000 Wii Points
Wii Points
Nintendo Points are a currency that Nintendo uses for its Wii and Nintendo DSi systems through the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop respectively...
and takes up 264 Blocks.
Gameplay
The game sees the player racing around 12 tracks in a vehicle called a SPOG (Sports Player Object Gyros), which resembles a tire with a PogPogs
Pogs is a game that was popularized during the early 1990s. The word "pog" also refers to the discs used to play the game. The name originates from POG, a brand of juice made from passionfruit, orange and guava; the use of the POG bottle caps to play the game pre-dated the game's commercialization...
-like disc inside representing the player's avatar. Adding to the traditional racing game formula, SPOGS Racing gives the player an ability, called Crash 'N Grab, to steal spare parts such as engines, brakes, and tailpipes from their opponents to upgrade their own vehicle by crashing into them. The SPOGS themselves are equipped with six different weapons to allow the player to slow down the opponents and take their parts more easily, and are maneuverable enough to allow players to pull off tricks on ramps and loops and make the vehicle spin off, drift and flip over.
In addition to three different control schemes, SPOGS Racing also features several different available modes: quick races, a battle mode and a season mode (which sees the player racing on all the available tracks). D2C Games CEO Scott Orr
Scott Orr
Scott Orr is an American computer game and video game designer best known as the original lead designer on the first video game console versions of the North American best-selling game, Madden NFL Football...
has also revealed plans for downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for the game. An example of such content will be downloadable "racer packs" that will include content such as new tracks, vehicles and other related material.
SPOGS Racing was inspired by other racing games such as Andretti Racing
Andretti Racing
This article is about the 1994 video game Andretti Racing. For the current racing team, see Andretti Autosport.Andretti Racing is a video game that was released in 1994 on the Sega Mega Drive and Genesis. It was an early title in the newly-created EA Sports line, and was developed by Stormfront...
, Hard Drivin'
Hard Drivin'
Hard Drivin is an arcade game that invites players to test drive a high-powered sports car on stunt and speed courses. The game featured the first 3D polygon driving environment via a simulator cabinet, rendered with a custom architecture...
, Mario Kart
Mario Kart
is a series of go-kart-style racing video games developed by Nintendo as a series of spin-offs from its trademark Mario series of platformer adventure-style video games...
and Crash Team Racing
Crash Team Racing
Crash Team Racing is a racing video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The game was released in North America on September 30, 1999 and in Europe and Australia later the same year. It was re-released for the Sony Greatest Hits line-up in...
.
Reception
SPOGS Racing garnered an overwhelmingly negative response from critics. It received an "abysmal" 1.9 out of a possible 10 from IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, who called the game "WiiShovelWare
Shovelware
Shovelware is a derogatory computer jargon term that refers to software noted more for the quantity of what is included than for the quality or usefulness...
", citing dull gameplay, infuriating AI and claiming it to be the "ugliest game available on the Wii". They also pointed out the absurdness of such a "broken, fugly" game standing among the likes of other WiiWare titles such as LostWinds
LostWinds
LostWinds is a platform/adventure video game developed by Frontier Developments, originally for WiiWare. The game was released for WiiWare in North America on May 12, 2008 and in Europe on May 20, 2008, serving as a launch title for WiiWare in both regions. Square Enix published the game in Japan...
and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King is a video game developed for the WiiWare service of the Nintendo Wii console by Square Enix...
. However, they did believe the Crash 'N Grab mechanic was the sole good idea in the game, though it was poorly implemented. Hardcore Gamer also gave the game a negative response, scoring it a 1 out of 5 and claiming it to be "one of the most horrible games ever made". They also called the graphics "insulting" and said the game's music will "make you leave the game feeling like you’ve just been punched in the head a few times". Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
's reviewer called it "the most inept game [they've] played on any format, in any genre, in recent memory", giving it a 1 out of 10.
WiiWare World was only slightly more positive with a 3/10, calling the gameplay and opponent AI "terribly erratic" and the graphics "absolutely inexcusable". However they felt the game had some unique ideas, and that the two player mode was decent, but still "not that great". Their sole praise was for the sound effects, which they felt sounded "very authentic".
With a Metascore of 18 from 7 reviews, Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
proclaimed SPOGS Racing to be its Wii "Dud of the Year". The title is currently the lowest rated Wii game on the site.