The first video game released in the new millennium for which Group Lotus Plc acquired an official license. A well-known British manufacturer of racing and sports automobiles, Lotus has made prominent cameos in several older video games, including James Bond: The Spy Who Loved Me, which starred Roger Moore, and Lotus: The Ultimate Challenge.
It contains 42 vehicles spanning the history of the firm, including examples from the Formula One era (1962 Type 25, 1978 Type 79T to 2001 Formula Lotus), the Classic period (1957 Seven S1 to 1986 Excel SE), and modern sports cars (1964 Competition Elan, 1980 E-spirit S2 to new Elise), in addition to two concept cars built by Lotus Engineers. Each Formula One car in the game is based on the achievements of Team Lotus, and the test drivers that worked on the other models were existing Lotus employees. In addition, the game includes a condensed version of the company’s history.
Beat your best lap time on the “Lotus test track” to qualify for the “Challenge” mode, and then choose a character from the fictional Lotus Challenge team to represent you in a story-based competition that features a combination of World Series Championship racing circuits, stunt driving, and one-on-one matches. Each section that is successfully finished will “unlock.” The “Collection” option allows users to access all of the cars and tracks that have been “unlocked.” The “Championship” mode has seven distinct championship classes, ranging from Classic vehicles to Supercars; however, only two of them can be utilized in the game at any given time because the other five must first be “unlocked” before being accessed. In “Single” mode, you can play a short game of up to 15 laps of any event, challenge, stunt, or race that has been “unlocked.”
Twenty different circuits, including city, speedway, and custom circuits, spread across various settings, including Trafalgar Square or Buckingham Palace in London, Yuma County Speedway in Arizona, and Florida. You can go from Jupiter Beach to the Tokyo Bay Tunnel during the day or at night, and the weather can be any of the following: sunny, foggy, rainy, or snowy. The landscape of the circuits can range from being completely flat to having abrupt hairpin turns, and steep hill climbs. The distractions include nine special events, four stunt sequences, and nine distinct challenges. These challenges range from performing stunts on a Hollywood movie set or in advertising to playing automobile football. Other challenges include evading the paparazzi while traffic is coming or racing against the clock to get a pregnant woman to the hospital before she gives birth. Official Lotus test drivers are available to guide anybody interested in pursuing individual courses.
Many choices are available, ranging from transmission controls and driving aids to the level of opponent skill and the degree of damage done to the vehicle. The story of damage can range from a minimum of broken windows or headlights to complete demolition of the bodywork and engine, with damage ranging from small to substantial indentation, scraping, and even detachable tires.
The in-game visuals provide information on the player’s current ranking in comparison to other drivers, the number of laps completed and remaining, the overall circuit map, the transmission setting, relevant times for the present to the entire race time, the speedo and revs counter, and three tags for the anti-lock braking system, traction control, and assisted steering.
Certain multiplayer games have access to hidden cars and circuits, which can be “unlocked” by completing an agreed-upon single race or championship race and earning the game’s associated achievement.
