imported>Andrzejbanas: /* Reception */ updating EGM review to match source per review box standards and WP:STICKTOSOURCE. removed star ratings as they have been depreciated by the infobox. removed Nintendo Power review as there is no final/overall score from Nintendo Power, so we don't display it as such

2025-08-25T13:47:25Z

Reception: updating EGM review to match source per review box standards and WP:STICKTOSOURCE. removed star ratings as they have been depreciated by the infobox. removed Nintendo Power review as there is no final/overall score from Nintendo Power, so we don't display it as such

New page

{{Short description|1997 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Multi Racing Championship
|image = MultiRacingChampionshipBox.jpg
|caption = North American cover art
|developer = [[Genki (company)|Genki]]
|publisher = {{vgrelease|JP|[[Imagineer (Japanese company)|Imagineer]]|WW|[[Ocean Software|Ocean]]}}
|designer =
|engine =
|released = {{vgrelease|JP|July 18, 1997|NA|September 4, 1997<ref>{{cite web | author = IGN staff | date = September 4, 1997 | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/09/05/mrc-on-sale-now-everywhere | title = MRC on Sale Now Everywhere | website = [[IGN]] | publisher = [[Ziff Davis]] | accessdate = November 30, 2020 | archive-date = June 18, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230618092043/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/09/05/mrc-on-sale-now-everywhere | url-status = live }}</ref>|EU|October 1997}}
|genre = [[Racing video game|Racing]]
|modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]], [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer]]
|platforms = [[Nintendo 64]]
}}

'''''MRC: Multi-Racing Championship'''''{{efn|Also known as simply {{nihongo foot|''Multi Racing Championship''|マルチレーシングチャンピオンシップ|Maruchi Rēshingu Chanpionshippu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}}}} is a [[racing video game]] developed by [[Genki (company)|Genki]] and released for the [[Nintendo 64]] in 1997. It was published in North America and Europe by [[Ocean Software|Ocean]] and in Japan by [[Imagineer (Japanese company)|Imagineer]]. The game is compatible with the [[Controller Pak]] and the [[Rumble Pak]].

==Gameplay==
In Championship mode, the player competes against nine [[Artificial intelligence|computer-controlled]] racers. Finishing first advances the game. In [[Time trial|Time Trial]] mode, players try to finish a course in as short a time as possible. [[Ghost (gaming)|Ghost car]] is included so the player can compete against the best time recorded. Free Run mode lets the player drive freely without other opponents or time limit. The VS Race mode lets two players compete against each other. The unlockable Match Race option pits the player against a hidden computer opponent in a night-time race.<ref name="AllGame">{{cite web | last = McCall | first = Scott | url = http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7509&tab=review | title = MRC: Multi-Racing Championship - Review | website = [[AllGame]] | publisher = [[All Media Network]] | accessdate = November 30, 2020 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141115214201/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7509&tab=review | archivedate = November 15, 2014}}</ref> Weather effects like rain, fog and snow are included.<ref name="IGN review"/>

''MRC'' features ten cars, which are divided into two groups: road cars and off-road vehicles.<ref name="IGN review"/> There are seven different areas for car customization: tires, brakes, suspension, steering, transmission, gear ratio, and aerodynamics. ''MRC'' includes three tracks: Sea Side, Mountain, and Downtown. The courses have multiple paths and mirror images can be unlocked.<ref name="GSpot review"/>

==Development==
The game was unveiled at the April 1997 [[Tokyo Game Show]], where it drew large crowds despite publisher Imagineer having only a small booth.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://archive.org/stream/NextGeneration30Jun1997/Next_Generation_30_Jun_1997#page/n17 | title = Tokyo Game Show Report from Japan | magazine = [[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] | publisher = [[Future US|Imagine Media]] | issue = 30 | date = June 1997 | page = 17}}</ref>

It was the first game from an [[Infogrames]] subsidiary to be released on the [[Nintendo 64]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infogrames.com/infogrames/FR/societe/index.html |title=Infogrames | Infos Societe |website=www.infogrames.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980113032041/http://www.infogrames.com/infogrames/FR/societe/index.html |archive-date=13 January 1998 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| GR = 67%<ref name=GameRankings>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/198014-mrc-multi-racing-championship/index.html |title=MRC: Multi-Racing Championship for Nintendo 64 | website = [[GameRankings]] | publisher = [[CBS Interactive]] | accessdate = November 26, 2017 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20191209014039/https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/198014-mrc-multi-racing-championship/index.html | archivedate = December 9, 2019}}</ref>
| Allgame = 2/5<ref name="AllGame"/>
| Edge = 7/10<ref name="Edge review">{{cite magazine | title = Multi-Racing Championship | magazine = [[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] | publisher = [[Future Publishing]] | issue = 49 |date=September 1997 | pages = 76–77}}</ref>
| EGM = 6.5/10, 6.5/10, 5.0/10, 6.5/10<ref name=EGMrev>{{cite magazine | title = Review Crew: Multi-Racing Champ [sic] | magazine = [[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] | publisher = Ziff Davis | issue = 101 | date = December 1997 | page = 192|url=https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/7d2a7347-8628-4fc8-a98b-7634e6c59fc8|via=[[Video Game History Foundation]]|accessdate=August 25, 2025}}</ref>
| Fam = 26/40<ref name=Fam>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14500&redirect=no | title = マルチレーシングチャンピオンシップ [NINTENDO64] | language = Japanese | magazine = [[Famitsu]] | publisher = [[Enterbrain]] | accessdate = November 30, 2020 | archive-date = November 27, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231127014128/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14500&redirect=no | url-status = live }}</ref>
| GI = 8.25/10<ref>{{cite magazine | url = http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=n64&path=sep97&doc=mrc | title = Multi Racing Championship | magazine = [[Game Informer]] | publisher = [[GameStop|FuncoLand]] | issue = 53 | date = September 1997 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19990909163432/http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=n64&path=sep97&doc=mrc | archive-date = September 9, 1999 | url-status = dead | access-date = November 30, 2020}}</ref>
| GameFan = 85%<ref>{{cite magazine | last1 = Halverson | first1 = Dave "E. Storm" | last2 = Cockburn | first2 = Andrew "The Enquirer" | last3 = Hodgson | first3 = David "Chief Hambleton" | url = https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_5_Issue_08/page/n19/mode/2up | title = Multi Racing Championship | magazine = [[GameFan]] | publisher = Metropolis Media | volume = 5 | issue = 8 | date = August 1997 | page = 18 | accessdate = November 30, 2020}}</ref>{{efn|Three critics of ''[[GameFan]]'' gave the game each a score of 78, 89, and 88.}}
| GSpot = 4.1/10<ref name="GSpot review">{{cite web | last = MacDonald | first = Ryan | date = October 2, 1997 | url = https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/multi-racing-championship-review/1900-2543692/ | title = [MRC:] Multi-Racing Championship Review [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000"] | website = [[GameSpot]] | publisher = CBS Interactive | accessdate=November 30, 2020 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090719153112/http://www.gamespot.com/n64/driving/multiracingchampionship/review.html | archivedate = July 19, 2009 | url-status = live}}</ref>
| Hyper = 74%<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Fish | first = Eliot | url = https://archive.org/details/hyper-051/page/78/mode/2up | title = Multi Racing Championship | magazine = [[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]] | publisher = [[nextmedia|Next Media Pty Ltd]] | issue = 51 | date = January 1998 | pages = 78–79 | accessdate = December 1, 2020}}</ref>
| IGN = 6.4/10<ref name="IGN review">{{cite web | last = Casamassina | first = Matt | date = September 11, 1997 | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/09/12/multi-racing-championship | title = Multi Racing Championship | website = IGN | publisher = Ziff Davis | accessdate = November 26, 2017 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160308013003/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/09/12/multi-racing-championship | archivedate = March 8, 2016 | url-status = live}}</ref>
| N64 = (JP) 81%<ref>{{cite magazine | title = Multi Racing Championship [Import] | magazine = [[NGC Magazine|N64 Magazine]] | publisher = Future Publishing | issue = 5 | date = August 1997}}</ref><br />(EU) 71%<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Davies | first = Jonathan | title = Multi Racing Championship vs Top Gear Rally | magazine = N64 Magazine | publisher = Future Publishing | issue = 8 | date = November 1997 | pages = 48–53}}</ref>
| NGen = 4/5<ref name=NGen>{{cite magazine | url = https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_33/page/n131/mode/2up | title = A Race Won (''MRC: Multi-Racing Championship'' Review) | magazine = Next Generation | publisher = Imagine Media | issue = 33 | date = September 1997 | page = 130 | accessdate = November 30, 2020}}</ref>
}}

''Multi Racing Championship'' held a 67% on the [[review aggregation]] website [[GameRankings]] based on 12 reviews.<ref name=GameRankings/> Critics liked that players could customize their car to suit different road conditions<ref name=EGMrev/><ref name="GSpot review"/><ref name="IGN review"/><ref name=NGen/><ref name=GPro108/> and the mixture of on-road and off-road racing,<ref name=EGMrev/><ref name=NGen/><ref name=GPro108/> but felt the small number of tracks severely hurt the game's value.<ref name=EGMrev/><ref name="GSpot review"/><ref name="IGN review"/><ref name=NGen/><ref name=GPro108/> While most critics praised the controls,<ref name=EGMrev/><ref name="IGN review"/><ref name=GPro108/> ''[[GameSpot]]'' found the realistic handling forces the player to slow down too much, concluding that ''MRC'' doesn't have the illusion of speed, and making gameplay as dull.<ref name="GSpot review"/> Matt Casamassina of ''[[IGN]]'' described ''MRC'' as decent average racer game.<ref name="IGN review"/> ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'' highlighted the realistic handling of the cars, which varies depending on the road surface material. The magazine criticized the game's short length, but admitted that the two-player mode gives the game some longevity.<ref name="Edge review"/>

Most critics also said the graphics overall were solid but failed to actually impress,<ref name=EGMrev/><ref name="GSpot review"/><ref name="IGN review"/><ref name=GPro108/> and found the announcer annoying.<ref name=EGMrev/><ref name="GSpot review"/><ref name=GPro108/> ''[[GamePro]]'' argued that despite the game's flaws, it is worth checking out because it was thus far the Nintendo 64's only real alternative to the critically panned ''[[Cruis'n USA]]''.<ref name=GPro108>{{cite magazine | author = Air Hendrix | title = Nintendo 64 ProReview: Multi Racing Championship | magazine = [[GamePro]] | publisher = [[International Data Group|IDG]] | issue = 108 | date = September 1997 | page = 84}}</ref>{{efn|''[[GamePro]]'' gave the game 4.0/5 for graphics, 4.0/5 for fun factor, 3.0/5 for sound, and 4.5/5 for control.}} However, ''GameSpot'' and ''IGN'' both pointed out that ''[[Top Gear Rally]]'' and ''[[San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing|San Francisco Rush]]'' would both be out soon and looked more promising than ''MRC''.<ref name="GSpot review"/><ref name="IGN review"/> Three of ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]''{{'}}s four reviewers also felt ''MRC'' was not as good as the rest of the racing games arriving on the Nintendo 64 in late 1997, and echoed ''IGN''{{'}}s assessment of the game as distinctly average.<ref name=EGMrev/> In contrast, ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' lauded its "wonderful graphical complexity", also praising realism and physics model and considering the game as a respectable rival to Sega racing games.<ref name=NGen/>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{moby game|id=/n64/mrc-multi-racing-championship}}

[[Category:1997 video games]]
[[Category:Genki (company) games]]
[[Category:Imagineer games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:Nintendo 64 games]]
[[Category:Nintendo 64-only games]]
[[Category:Ocean Software games]]
[[Category:Off-road racing video games]]
[[Category:Racing video games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]

MRC: Multi-Racing Championship - Revision history