Driift Mania
Encyclopedia
Driift Mania is a WiiWare
racing game
by Konami
. It was released in the PAL regions on July 31, 2009. and in North America on September 28, 2009.
, Driift Mania sees players racing against each other in a variety of vehicles ranging from sports cars and trucks to buses, tanks and hovercraft. The game features fifteen tracks set across four different environments including the city, country, desert and snow, with each environment raising different advantages and disadvantages for particular types of vehicle.
The game supports up to eight players simultaneously using a combination of Wii Remote
s, Nunchuks and Classic Controller
s, and features several game modes including single and multiplayer championships as well as team races. Competitive modes include "VIP", in which players must protect a designated player's vehicle, "Contamination" in which a player must try to "infect" others by crashing into them, "Cold Potato" where players scramble for the said vegetable on the track, and "Meteorite", which involves players racing during a deadly meteor shower
.
platforms. Initially motion controls were implemented early in the game's development, but were deemed frustrating to use and ultimately removed from the final game, while online multiplayer was not considered because the developers believed that local multiplayer created a much richer experience for players.
Due to its similar presentation and gameplay, Driift Mania has been likened to the arcade games Super Off Road
and Super Sprint
.
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...
racing game
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...
by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
. It was released in the PAL regions on July 31, 2009. and in North America on September 28, 2009.
Gameplay
Viewing the whole track from a bird's-eye viewBird's-eye view
A bird's-eye view is an elevated view of an object from above, with a perspective as though the observer were a bird, often used in the making of blueprints, floor plans and maps.It can be an aerial photograph, but also a drawing...
, Driift Mania sees players racing against each other in a variety of vehicles ranging from sports cars and trucks to buses, tanks and hovercraft. The game features fifteen tracks set across four different environments including the city, country, desert and snow, with each environment raising different advantages and disadvantages for particular types of vehicle.
The game supports up to eight players simultaneously using a combination of Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
s, Nunchuks and Classic Controller
Classic Controller
The is a video game controller produced by Nintendo. It is used to play games on the Nintendo Wii video game console.-Classic Controller:The Classic Controller is plugged into the Wii Remote in order to be used. It features two analog sticks, a D-pad, face buttons labeled "a", "b", "x" and "y",...
s, and features several game modes including single and multiplayer championships as well as team races. Competitive modes include "VIP", in which players must protect a designated player's vehicle, "Contamination" in which a player must try to "infect" others by crashing into them, "Cold Potato" where players scramble for the said vegetable on the track, and "Meteorite", which involves players racing during a deadly meteor shower
Meteor shower
A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speeds on parallel trajectories. Most meteors are smaller...
.
Development
Driift Mania is the first console game developed by Konami's European studio, which had previously only developed games for mobile phoneMobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
platforms. Initially motion controls were implemented early in the game's development, but were deemed frustrating to use and ultimately removed from the final game, while online multiplayer was not considered because the developers believed that local multiplayer created a much richer experience for players.
Reception
Nintendo Life praised Driift Manias presentation and multiplayer-orientated gameplay, but wished for a fuller-featured single player mode. Wiiloveit.com gave the game a 26/30, stating that "the minor niggles of the game are really overpowered by the compelling multiplayer modes" that allow for a strong "social interaction".Due to its similar presentation and gameplay, Driift Mania has been likened to the arcade games Super Off Road
Super Off Road
Ivan 'Ironman' Stewart's Super Off Road is an arcade video game released in 1989 by Leland Corporation. Virgin Games produced several home versions in 1990...
and Super Sprint
Super Sprint
Super Sprint is a 1986 arcade game by Atari Games. The player drives a Formula One-like car on a circuit that is viewed from above.-Gameplay:...
.