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+--- Thread: Speed Freaks/Punks (Sony PS1) (/Thread-Speed-Freaks-Punks-Sony-PS1)
Speed Freaks/Punks (Sony PS1) - T. L-Drago 9207 - Sep. 05, 2015
This is a topic of a kart racing game on the PS1 that I had loved since I got a copy of it at age 12. It's Speed Freaks (Speed Punks in the USA), one of the most visually impressive racing games on the PS1. It was developed over a period of around 2 years by the SD Team at Funcom Dublin, having gone under working titles like Wheelnuts, SD Racing, and Project SDR. Speed Freaks was first released in Europe in 1999, and in 2000 in North America. While it didn't sell as well as something like Crash Team Racing, Speed Punks did receive its fair share of positive criticism.
The graphics are bright colorful, and highly detailed, practically taking the Geometry Engine to its limits and somewhat beyond. The level designs are cool, with four different track themes from a city to a tropical island and even a huge arena! Speed Freaks also has a colorful cast of characters to play as, a group of kids that drop out of school to go racing. There are 24 different tracks, (12 normal tracks and 12 bonus tracks). It was also a great multiplayer game, with compatibility with PS1 multi-tap accessories for gameplay with up to three other opponents at a time. As with any Mario Kart clone, Speed Freaks has its own set of power-ups that you can use to your advantage against your opponents. Along with that, there are also Speed Boost Tokens that you must collect in order to perform a speed boost.
Oh, and back in July, I decided to start up a wikia dedicated to Speed Freaks. If you're interested in seeing this, go here: http://speed-freaks.wikia.com/wiki/Speed_Freaks_Wikia
EDIT: As of 2017, www.thespeedfreaks.com is no longer active, and the domain is up for sale :(