DUCATI WORLD RACING CHALLENGE: A THREAD

There are two paths available at the main menu - Ducati Life or Quick Race - the former being a career and the latter being exactly what it says it is, more of an instant action mode. My favourite mode was always Quick Race, chiefly because of the kick-ass music and also because it felt like less of a commitment than Ducati Life. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve played the career mode a hell of a lot too, however this game doesn’t offer anything in relation to what you might expect as far as a story or campaign. Ducati Life more or less resembles a choose-your-own-adventure. You start right out of the gate with 10,000 in-game cash and a choice of bikes, helmets and leathers.

I have a very strong connection to this game. I remember playing it as a kid, admiring the bike models and the colourful leathers worn by the A.I. opponents that took the time out of their day to hurl themselves at me as we raced around plainly rendered but colourful 3D environments to the beat of vibrant techno and jungle music. It played a fundamental role in my aesthetic development, both musically and visually. This game is important to me for a number of reasons. I experienced it when I was very young and listening to the music of the opening screen is actually one of my first memories. I have other fond memories of beating the game, unlocking the hidden courses and bikes as well as setting records for every track there was which probably says more about how much free time I had as a kid rather than my skill at the game. It helped form my aesthetic choices in terms of visual design in that I developed an appreciation for vivid colour palettes in combination with low poly skeletons and structure - and in a broader sense it got me on the road to valuing minimalism in art direction, a view I still hold today. Each screen is quite sparse with no excessive UI elements that would crowd your experience of navigating through the game. During a race your entire HUD is composed of a speedometer, a very simplistic map, your position among the racers, a personal best time and the total lap time. The font choice resembles a bold version of Arial and the sans-serif theme is consistent throughout the game. Everything that needs to be seen at one time is available on screen for you to examine. It’s far from polished but that’s part of its charm.

The bike list is perhaps one of the most impressive parts of the game. It was released at around the turn of the millennium and was a low profile release at the time so expectations were not high. This was probably reflected in the scores that it received after released - it was rated as pretty mediocre, lost in the sea of other, more polished racing games and then, after Acclaim and Attention to Detail went under a few years later (2003 for ATD and 2004 for Acclaim), Ducati World Racing Challenge quickly become another title for the abandonware pile. Which was rough in its own way, but I’m kind of glad it managed to escape that weird status some old games get where they’re more akin to museum exhibits than straightforward entertainment material.

Here are some bikes from the game.