Overview
Tank Racer is a 3D action racing computer and video game developed by the Glass Ghost team at Simis and published by Grolier Interactive, copyrighted in 1998 and released on March 30 1999.
Gameplay
There are four different play modes to choose from: Cup Mode, Single Race Mode, Multi-player Battle Mode, and Multi-player Racing Mode.
Cup Mode
In Cup Mode the player's aim is to win all three "cups" in the World Tank Racing Championship (WTRC). Each cup has its own four tanks for the player to choose from, and one secret tank that is unlocked upon completion of the cup (making a total of 15 playable tanks in the game). There are 8 different tracks, although some of them are reused meaning there are a total of 15 races.
Single Race Mode
Single Race Mode is similar to the Cup Mode, the difference being the player can play any race they choose to (as long as they have already completed that race within the Cup Mode system), and of course it's just a single race.
Multi-player Battle Mode and Multi-player Racing Mode
In Battle Mode the player can battle other players in one of eight special battle arenas (some of which are based on the racing arenas, and some of which are unique). How many "cups" the player has won in Cup Mode affects the speed of the tanks and the power-ups. Each tank has an energy/health bar, and when this is depleted, the game is over for that player. The multi-player Racing Mode lets players race against each other on 6 tracks. There is also a Catch-up mode to help less experienced players.
Reception
The UK Official PlayStation Magazine gave the PlayStation version 6 out of 10, describing the "novelty racing game" as having a "Casanova charm" with a "fun-filled soul". IGN gave the game 5.2 out of 10, calling it mediocre and saying that "There's some original thought here but not enough to make the game deserve much attention."
Tank Racer (mobile game)
A mobile phone game with the same title and similar gameplay (although in 2D) was released by GlobalFun and Runestone Games in February 2005. In the game the player can choose from a range of six tanks including Bumbleboy, Thor and Power Punch. Like Glass Ghost's game, they have a range of tracks and championships to choose from, and some tracks have hidden shortcuts.