Road Trip Adventure
A budget racing adventure with a seamless open world.
Road Trip Adventure is a 2002 racing adventure video game for the PlayStation 2, developed by E-Game and published by Takara. It is the sequel to Choro Q HG and was localized as a budget title in North America and PAL regions by Conspiracy Entertainment and Play It in 2003. The game is noted for its large seamless open world, which the player can freely explore, and is widely considered the best of the Choro Q video games.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- E-Game Inc.
- Publisher
- Takara (JP)
- Conspiracy Entertainment (NA)
- Play It (PAL)
- Designer
- Etsuhiro Wada
- Series
- Choro Q
- Released
- January 10, 2002 (JP)
- October 26, 2002 (NA)
- May 2003 (EU)
- July 2003 (AUS)
- Genre
- Racing; Adventure
- Modes
- Single player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- PlayStation 2
Facts from the source article.
Story
When starting a new game in Adventure mode, the player enters their name and preferences, as well as a name for the game's currency. A cutscene then shows President Forest, weary of his role, declaring he will hand over the presidency to the winner of the World Grand Prix, a seven-race series for elite racers. His secretary leaves to broadcast the news. The player then appears inside the Q's Factory in Peach Town, a small town named after surrounding peach farms. A worker there informs the player that winning the World Grand Prix could make them president. After these scenes, gameplay is largely open-ended, centered on winning the World Grand Prix. To qualify, the player needs two teammates and a Class Super A License, earned by finishing in the top six in every race of license tiers C, B, and A. Teammates can be recruited by talking to other cars after winning a race. The player's performance and teammates' performance are both rewarded in races, so equipping teammates with adequate parts is important. There are 100 stamps to earn, including becoming president, which involve activities from mini-games to favors for other cars. Earning all 100 stamps makes the player eligible for a special surprise. One stamp requires completing a picture album by visiting 100 Quick-Pic Shops, each denoted by black marks on the mini-map; after taking a picture, the owner (a pink Toyota Vitz) tells the player the next shop's location. Another stamp involves collecting all 100 Choro Q coins hidden in cities (except Cloud Hill). A resident of My City trades parts and objects for these coins, and each city's bar owner gives hints about nearby coins.
Gameplay
At the start, the player names the currency used throughout the game. Money is central, needed to buy most parts, and can be earned by racing, advertising for shops, selling parts to a My City resident, or playing roulette. Five shops offer a small above-car billboard for advertising: the coffee shop in Peach Town (10 currency per km), a noodle restaurant in Fuji City (20 per km), a cake shop in Sandpolis (30 per km), a wool shop in White Mountain (40 per km), and a coconut shop on Papaya Island (50 per km). Each sign pays per kilometer driven, and one sign can be placed on each teammate. There are about 20 minigames, including soccer, roulette, and drag races, which earn money, stamps, and parts. The world in Adventure Mode, except Cloud Hill, is cyclic, allowing the player to drive through all cities consecutively and return to Peach Town.
Soundtrack
In the US and European versions, two radio stations are available. The Japanese version has an additional station with voiced DJs. The first station features slight remixes of songs by The Push Kings and The Waking Hours. The second station consists of instrumental tracks, some being uncredited arrangements of songs composed by Michael Walthius. The game's overall music and sound are credited to Fumio Tanabe.
Release
Road Trip Adventure first hit store shelves in Japan on January 10, 2002. British developer System 3 later secured the rights to publish it in PAL territories, releasing it in May 2003 through their new budget-focused division, Play It. This division aimed to bring previously unreleased games to the PlayStation 2 at lower prices. The title was one of four initial Play It releases, alongside two other Takara games, Seek and Destroy and Pinball, and the Canadian title Cel Damage Overdrive. On February 15, 2012, System 3 made it available as a PS2 Classics download on the European PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed Road Trip Adventure?
Road Trip Adventure was developed by E-Game Inc.
Who designed Road Trip Adventure?
Road Trip Adventure was designed by Etsuhiro Wada.
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