Motor City Patrol

Last updated
Motor City Patrol
Motor City Patrol Cover.jpg
Developer(s) Source Research & Development
Publisher(s) Matchbox International
Designer(s) Ross Harris
Programmer(s) Ian Richards
Artist(s) Ross Harris, John Cassels
Composer(s) Chris Gill, Link Tomlin
Platform(s) Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
  • NA: January 1992
Genre(s) Mission-based driving [1]
Mode(s) Single-player

Motor City Patrol is a top-down driving game released in 1992 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. [2] It was developed by British studio Source Research & Development and published by Matchbox International Ltd. [1]

Contents

Motor City Patrol was shown at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in 1990 and 1991. [3] [4] The game was released in January 1992, [1] [5] and was Matchbox's first video game. [6]

Motor City Patrol was one in a line of video games that tied into the Matchbox brand of die-cast model vehicles, like police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, [7] and earth-moving construction machines. [2]

Gameplay

Screenshot of a car chase Motor City Patrol screenshot.png
Screenshot of a car chase

The player controls an officer of the law whose job it is to patrol one of five precincts for a week at a time. As the player gets further and further into the week, a larger area is permitted to be patrolled, in addition to a longer shift (time limit) to accomplish each of the mission goals.

The player must drive around looking for speeders, robbers, and public enemies, and not hurt innocent civilians. When a criminal (speeder, robber, or public enemy) appears on the precinct map, the player must either pull over or shoot the offender's vehicle. The game ends when the player fails a mission, receives five or more warnings, shoots a civilian, or totals their vehicle.

After going through all five precincts (at seven days apiece), the player starts over again in precinct 1, on day 1, with all of their points, merits, warnings, and car upgrades intact. The game cycles indefinitely until the player loses.

Reception

Skyler Miller of AllGame gave Motor City Patrol two stars out of a possible five, calling it an "interesting but ultimately disappointing game". Miller praised the game's "sharp, detailed rendition" of city streets, but wrote that the execution of the game's "promising" concept "is derailed by repetitive objectives that never change, a difficult-to-control car and the necessity of constantly having to switch to a map screen to see the location of buildings and criminals." [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>F-Zero</i> (video game) 1990 racing game

F-Zero is a 1990 racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was released in Japan on November 21, 1990, in North America in August 1991, and in Europe in 1992. F-Zero is the first game in the F-Zero series and was a launch game for the SNES. F-Zero was rereleased for the Virtual Console service on various Nintendo platforms and as part of the Super NES Classic Edition in 2017.

<i>R.C. Pro-Am</i> 1988 video game

R.C. Pro-Am is a racing game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in North America in February 1988, and then in Europe on April 15. Presented in an overhead isometric perspective, a single player races a radio-controlled car around a series of tracks in vehicular combat. Each track qualifies its top three racers for the next track. Collectible power-up items improve performance, hazards include rain puddles and oil slicks, and missiles and bombs can temporarily disable opponents. Originally titled Pro Am Racing, it was ported to the Sega Genesis in 1992 as Championship Pro-Am, an enhanced remake with enhanced graphics and additional features. R.C. Pro-Am spawned two sequels: Super R.C. Pro-Am in 1991, and R.C. Pro-Am II in 1992.

<i>Rad Racer</i> 1987 video game

Rad Racer, known as Highway Star in Japan, is a racing video game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1987. In this game, players drive a Ferrari 328 or a generic Formula One racing machine through a racecourse. The game was released in North America and Europe months after its debut. The title became well known for being one of two titles from Square that made use of stereoscopic 3D, which was made possible by wearing a pair of anaglyph glasses. Square president Masafumi Miyamoto initially conceived the game as an opportunity for developer Nasir Gebelli to demonstrate his 3D programming skills. Gebelli developed, and often drew by hand, the graphics for the game's 3D mode.

<i>Cyberball</i> 1988 video game

Cyberball is a video game released in arcades in 1988 by Atari Games. The game is a 7-man American football using robotic avatars of different speeds, sizes, and skill sets set in the year 2022. Originally released for arcades, Cyberball was ported to several home consoles and computers.

<i>Journey to Silius</i> 1990 video game

Journey to Silius, known in Japan as Rough World, is a side-scrolling run and gun video game developed and published by Sunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990.

<i>Midnight Club: Street Racing</i> 2000 video game

Midnight Club: Street Racing is a 2000 racing video game developed by Angel Studios and published by Rockstar Games. The game focuses on competitive street racing and the import scene. Two distinct versions of the game were released for the PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance platforms, the former being a launch title for the platform. It is the first game in Midnight Club franchise, followed by Midnight Club II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Video Entertainment</span> American video game company

American Video Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game company based in San Jose, California. The company developed unlicensed video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The company developed two games on its own, Dudes with Attitude and Trolls on Treasure Island, and published 19 games altogether for the NES.

<i>Batman: Return of the Joker</i> 1991 video game

Batman: Return of the Joker is a 1991 run and gun video game, the follow-up to Sunsoft's first Batman game on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Unlike that game, which was based on the 1989 Batman film directed by Tim Burton, Return of the Joker is entirely self-contained and based more on the modern comic book iteration of Batman, but the Batmobile and the Batwing are featured from the 1989 film. A remake of Return of the Joker, titled Batman: Revenge of the Joker, was released on the Sega Genesis by Ringler Studios in 1992. A Super NES version of Revenge of the Joker was completed but never officially released; a ROM image surfaced online in later years.

<i>G.I. Joe</i> (NES video game) 1991 video game

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a 1991 run and gun game published by Taxan for the Nintendo Entertainment System based on the toyline of the same name. The game was produced by Ken Lobb and developed by the same Japanese team that later formed KID. A sequel developed by the same team, titled G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor, was released the following year, but was published by Capcom after Taxan went out of business.

<i>Adventure Island 3</i> 1992 video game

Adventure Island 3 is a side-scrolling platform game published by Hudson Soft that was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. It is the third game in the Adventure Island released for the NES, following Adventure Island II. Unlike the first two games in the series, the NES version was never released in Europe. A portable version was also released for the Game Boy in 1993 titled Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Jima III, renamed to Adventure Island II: Aliens in Paradise outside of Japan.

<i>Felix the Cat</i> (video game) 1992 video game

Felix the Cat is a platform video game by Hudson Soft, based on the cartoon character of the same name. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1992, and for the Game Boy in 1993. Although Felix the Cat was developed in Japan, it was only released in North America and Europe.

<i>Cyber Stadium Series—Base Wars</i> 1991 baseball–fighting Nintendo game

Cyber Stadium Series—Base Wars is a baseball video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

<i>Rockin Kats</i> 1991 video game

Rockin' Kats is a platform video game produced by Atlus Software Inc. in 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The side-scrolling game involves the adventures of a cartoon cat in his quest to defeat a criminal gang of dogs that has taken over the city.

<i>Alien 3</i> (video game) 1992 video game

Alien 3 is a run and gun game based on the 1992 film of the same name. It was released for the Genesis and Amiga in 1992, then for the Commodore 64, Game Boy, Game Gear, Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Master System.

<i>G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor</i> 1992 video game

G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor is an action-platform video game developed by KID and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released only in North America in 1992. It is the sequel to KID's previous NES G.I. Joe game, G.I. Joe, which was published by Taxan the previous year.

<i>Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade</i> (1991 video game) 1991 video game

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1991 action video game for the NES, developed by Software Creations and published by Taito. The game is based on the 1989 film of the same name.

<i>Formula One: Built to Win</i> 1990 racing video game

Formula One: Built to Win is a 1990 racing video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Winkysoft and published by SETA Corporation.

<i>Conan: The Mysteries of Time</i> 1991 video game

Conan is a side-scrolling action video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System released in 1991. It was developed by Eastridge Technology and published by Mindscape. While it features the Conan the Barbarian character, it is a simple adaptation of a computer game called Myth: History in the Making, which was developed by System 3.

<i>Digger T. Rock</i> 1990 video game

Digger T. Rock: Legend of the Lost City is a platform game developed by Rare and published by the Milton Bradley Company for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was first released in North America in December 1990 and in Europe in 1991. The game centres around the miner Digger T. Rock, as he spelunks various caves and catacombs whilst searching for the mythical Lost City.

<i>Ghostbusters II</i> (NES video game) 1990 video game

Ghostbusters II is a 1990 action game for the NES, developed by Imagineering and published by Activision. It is based on the 1989 film of the same name, and was released in the United States in April 1990, followed by a United Kingdom release in March 1991.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Motor City Patrol at GameFAQs
  2. 1 2 "Matchbox licensees". MobyGames. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Nintendo Player". Electronic Gaming Monthly . August 1990. pp. 42, 71. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "CES Show". Zero . September 1991. pp. 66, 70. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "Short Pro Shots". GamePro . February 1992. p. 128. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "Next Wave: New Soft News". Electronic Gaming Monthly. October 1991. p. 156. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  7. ↑ "Matchbox: Emergency Patrol". MobyGames. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Miller, Skyler. "Rating information for Motor City Patrol". AllGame. Archived from the original on 16 November 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.