Interstate '76
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| Interstate '76 | |
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| Developer(s) | Activision |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Engine | MechWarrior 2 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date | March 28, 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Vehicular combat |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Input methods | Keyboard, Joystick, Wheel, Gamepad, Mouse |
Interstate '76 is a Windows video game. It was developed and published by Activision and released in 1997.
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[edit] Synopsis
The game is set in the southwest United States of America in an alternative version of the year 1976, during the American oil crisis. The game is based on the engine used for Activision's MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat, and requires a fair amount of strategy through the course of the game, as the player must balance the vehicle's armor and weapon loadouts appropriately in order to successfully complete the various missions. In the game's story mode, the player must also manage and repair equipment salvaged from the wrecks of opponents.
There are four play modes available in the game: the "T.R.I.P." (an acronym for "Total Recreational Interactive Production"), which follows the game's protagonists in an episodic story; "Multi Melee", an online deathmatch version of the game; "Auto Melee", a deathmatch with computer-driven cars; and "Scenarios", short free-standing adventures featuring the game's protagonists. The primary difference between the scenarios and the T.R.I.P., length of play aside, is that the player has a much broader choice of vehicles in the scenario mode, while the player is limited to only one car during most of the T.R.I.P. mode. The game's vehicles are faithful reproductions of various cars and trucks from the era, both in appearance and driving characteristics, though the names have been changed.
[edit] Plot
The game focuses on the daring exploits of Groove Champion, his partner Taurus, and their mechanic, Skeeter. A powerful but shadowy figure is recruiting autovillains (also known as "creepers") from around the country for a private army. Groove's sister, Jade, and Taurus are investigating the movements of the army when, on the night of 3rd July, 1976, Jade Champion is murdered outside Lubbock, Texas. Taurus recruits a reluctant Groove to the cause, with Groove operating Jade's heavily armed Picard Piranha. The game follows Groove and Taurus' quest for revenge and the truth.
Taurus serves as mentor and partner to Groove in the first few missions, until he is seriously wounded in an ambush. His own car ("Eloise") is destroyed and he spends the rest of the T.R.I.P. riding along in the team's van with Skeeter. This allows Groove, the player's character, to take center stage.
The trail leads to Antonio Malochio, a smuggler with a questionable past. Malochio has purchased a hydrogen bomb on the black market and plans to use it to destroy the West Texas Federal Stock - the largest oil reserve in North America. If he succeeds, the gas crisis would become a gas panic, leading to anarchy, during which time Malochio and his army of auto-villains (secretly backed by OPEC) would seize power.
In the course of the T.R.I.P., Groove's driving and shooting skills are put to the test against members of Malochio's organization (some of whom, like Cloaker and Disco Cat, are quite colorful for minor characters); the creeper Patriot and his cronies, former foes of Jade's who may actually be ghosts; a corrupt county sheriff and his deputies (the "fuzz") who've been paid off by Malochio; and even the Jeep-driving operators of a mysterious desert testing range.
Groove and company finally arrive at Fort Davis, Malochio's hideout, just as he has armed the bomb and is preparing to leave; however, Groove taunts Malochio into one last duel. When the player wins, Groove kills Malochio and disarms the bomb, saving the oil supply and completing the game.
[edit] Characters
Because of the limitations of the game's engine, the characters are only seen in prerendered cutscenes, and then as figures constructed of colored but untextured ("flat") polygons. This simple design was chosen to make them easy to animate and to fit in with the overall look of the game. Part of Interstate '76's introduction takes the form of opening credits for a television action series; in this cutscene, each of the characters is credited to a fictional actor.
- Groove Champion (played by "Everett Mann", voiced by Andrew Heckler)
- The protagonist of Interstate '76 and middle Champion child, Groove reluctantly accepts the responsibility of the auto-vigilante lifestyle, takes the C.B. handle of "Swinger" and drives with Taurus to fight against Malochio's goons.
- Taurus ("James W. Styles", voiced by Greg Eagles)
- Taurus isn't his real name- it's what people call him. He lived as a poet in New England with a wife and daughter, who were killed by criminals. He helps Groove to adjust to being a vigilante, guiding him along his quest. His poetry could be sampled by pressing the 'C' key while in driving mode. He goes by the radio codename "Stampede."
- Jade Champion ("Katherine Knolls", voiced by Lisa Picotte)
- For many years, Jade lived a secret life as an Auto-Vigilante. The rest of her family never knew a thing, presumably because Jade wanted to protect them from her enemies. The game begins with Groove taking up her cause, symbolized by her vehicle. Her radio codename was "Vixen."
- Skeeter ("Willard Dicot III", voiced by Tom Kane)
- Skeeter serves as the mechanic and Greek chorus for the series' heroes. He repairs the player's vehicles between missions and occasionally is the focus of the in-game missions. He goes by the radio codename "Monkeywrench."
- Antonio Malochio ("Carlo DeFungi", voiced by John de Lancie)
- The primary villain of Interstate '76, a shady businessman with a history in Vietnam and Cambodia.
[edit] Soundtrack
The Interstate 76 soundtrack was composed by Arion Salazar who would later achieve fame as a founding member of Third Eye Blind. The music was performed under the name "Bullmark" with Salazar on bass, Santana-alumni Tom Coster on keyboards, and Bryan Mantia, who among his performing credits previously played with Primus and Guns N' Roses, on drums. The soundtrack recreated the funk sound of 70's film and television theme music. Some are sly variations of popular 70's funk tracks, such as "Never Get Outta The Car"'s pastiche of The Brothers Johnson's 1976 hit "Get The Funk Out Ma Face." The soundtrack was recorded using vintage instruments and recording technology in order to as closely reproduce this sound as possible. Activision released a separate official soundtrack CD which contained all tracks from the game and unreleased tracks from the recording sessions. Versions of the background music tracks can also be found on the game play disc as redbook audio.
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[edit] Sequels and spinoffs
Interstate '76 spawned a prequel/expansion pack, Nitro Pack (aka Nitro Riders) and a direct sequel, Interstate '82, as well as spun off the Vigilante 8 series for home video game consoles.
In a move that angered many loyal fans of the original game, Interstate '82 and Vigilante 8 were designed more like the simplistic Twisted Metal series. Most importantly, the sophisticated damage model of Interstate '76 wherein armor on different sides of the vehicle and components within the vehicle were damaged based on which direction damage came from (the classic Car Wars model) was abandoned. Instead, cars in the sequels had only simple damage meter. Without the conundrums of vulnerable facings and damaged weapons, many of the interesting tactical decisions of the original game were absent in the successors.
Other games made that are based on the Interstate series include the following:
- Battlefield 1982 - A total conversion mod for the game Battlefield 1942.
- Interstate Outlaws - An open source autocombat simulation with a public alpha available for download.
- American Funk - An autocombat simulation developed by Seventh Sun Studios. Currently on hold, until after their debut title is released.
Activision stated that as of 1999, the franchise is dead and there will be no further sequels. However, a sequel to Vigilante 8 will be out on Xbox Live Arcade in 2008.
