The Race Is On As Codemasters’ Pro Race Driver Zooms Onto Store Shelves

New York – December 10, 2002 –  READY…………..…..SET…...………….GO!  
Codemasters, a global video game publishing giant today announced its revolutionary racing title, Pro Race Driver, shipped today for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.  Pro Race Driver redefines the racing genre with the inclusion of an innovative narrative character-based storyline and the realism of more than 40 detailed cars and 38 licensed tracks in Pro Race Driver.    The game is available on store shelves for an SRP of $39.99.  

Pro Race Driver, dubbed by many as the first ever “CarPG,” is the next evolution of the smash-hit series, Touring Car Challenge.  At its core, Pro Race Driver remains an intense, realistic racing game, but it will introduce a new feature to the racing series – a narrative character-based storyline.  Players assume the role of aspiring test driver Ryan McKane, looking to prove himself in the world of racing.  Through manager and pit chief advice, racing drama and experience, players guide Ryan to victory as World champion in what will be the ultimate drive of his life.  The racing experience has never been so real with 42 amazingly detailed cars, all with accurate handling, physics and real damage, as well as 38 licensed tracks that contribute to the total immersion of the game.

Pro Race Driver also includes several other features that raise the bar for the racing genre.  The game features the Finite Element Modelling (FEM) damage engine, which accurately simulates the deformation of a car’s structure over the duration of an impact, calculating how both the internal structure and outer bodywork of the cars react. This physics based approach gives unparalleled realism with different impact results every time depending on the exact conditions of the collision.

Codemasters has also used Dolby Surround Sound in every aspect of the game.  The game’s sound track, cinematic cut-sequences, in-game engine and even crash sounds will all be heard through Dolby’s technology.  Additionally, Pro Race Driver’s development team implemented an advanced motion capture (MoCap) technology, in which character movement was recorded with full casts of actors performing each scene with their speech recorded simultaneously.  This fusion of the movie and gaming worlds means players will be drawn into Pro Race Driver on a whole new level.       

ABOUT PRO RACE DRIVER
The aggressive, white-knuckle drive of the world racing challenge comes to the screens of gamers in Codemasters’ Pro Race Driver*. Uniquely blending a cast of game characters with the sport’s real-life drivers, locations and championship events, Pro Race Driver moves the racing game genre on by giving the player one central character to connect with and wraps the high speed action with cinematic presentation. It’s also set to be the only race game to feature high-impact collision damage on the world’s most expensive race cars. Pro Race Driver features more licenses than any previous game in the series, enabling players to race the world over in championships such as Germany’s DTM Championship, Australia’s AVESCO V8 Supercar Shell Championship Series and the UK’s TOCA Tour.

ABOUT CODEMASTERS
Established in 1986, UK-based Codemasters is one of Europe's best-selling and profitable game-makers, developing and publishing titles for the console platforms and PC.  Codemasters’ products first appeared on US retail shelves in 1999 and since then they have continued to provide energetic, compelling and innovative entertainment to gaming fans of all genres.  The company’s 2001 offerings included Blade of Darkness and Operation Flashpoint, both of which met with critical acclaim and enormous consumer praise. Richard Darling, the company’s Design Director and co-founder, is renowned as one of the most prolific game designers and has been involved in the creation of 60 of the company’s staggering #1 titles in the UK.  In keeping with the company's mission to remain on the crest of the gaming wave, Codemasters is developing games for online and next generation platforms.  Additional information about the company and its products can be found at www.codemasters.com
 

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