Gameplay in
MSR is centered around the
single-player mode, with tracks and cars in the multiplayer mode being unlocked concurrently with those in the single-player game. The premise is that, as a street racer, the player must impress other drivers with quick yet stylish driving across a series of challenges. These challenges are organized into sets of ten (called Chapters, with a total of 25), and completing all challenges in a chapter unlocks the next chapter (provided the player has enough Kudos, see below) and a new car. Each challenge takes place on a different track, and unlocking a challenge also makes that track available in the time-attack and multiplayer modes.
Challenges •
Hotlap: Race solo around a track—typically three laps—and attempt to beat a specific time. An alternate version records the average time for all laps. •
One-on-One: A race (usually three laps) against an opponent. The player can give themselves or the computer opponent a
head start of up to 60 seconds. •
Street Race: A single race against multiple opponents. •
Championship: A series of four races against three opponents. Points are awarded based on the player's position at the end of each race. This challenge is typically the last one in the chapter. •
Challenge: A race with custom rules, such as passing a certain number of cars within a time limit. Some challenges (typically within the Challenge category) feature a time-based unlock mechanism, allowing secret cars or cheats to be accessed by completing the challenge within a specified timeframe. The challenge can still be completed outside this designated time, but doing so will not yield the associated rewards.
Kudos Kudos (from Greek κῦδος, meaning 'praise' or 'glory') serves as the currency in
MSR. It is earned during challenges in two categories: Skill and Style. Skill Kudos are awarded for successfully completing a challenge. The difficulty of challenges is user-configurable—for example, by reducing the time limit or increasing the head start for opponents—with more challenging scenarios rewarding greater Kudos upon completion. Style Kudos are earned by drifting, which involves using the handbrake to skid while turning. A "K" symbol appears when drifting, becoming brighter the longer and more pronounced the drift. The more opaque the symbol, the more Kudos are earned. Additionally, Kudos are awarded for finishing a race without colliding with obstacles or other cars. Kudos are lost if the driver collides with a wall, obstacle, or other vehicle (theoretically, Kudos are not lost if another car collides with the player, but this is not always the case), or by failing the challenge, resulting in a final Kudos total of -25 "K" for that challenge. Cancelling a challenge incurs a penalty of -50 "K". Kudos are calculated on a per-challenge basis. Each challenge's Kudos result is stored, and only the most recent attempt is recorded. For example, if a challenge is completed with 250 "K" and is then attempted unsuccessfully, the result for that challenge will change to -25 "K". By playing the game, players can earn "Joker" cards. Using one of these cards before starting a challenge will double the amount of Kudos gained or lost during that attempt.
Cars In single-player mode, the player has access to a garage that holds up to six cars. To acquire a new car, the player must complete a challenge using that vehicle—typically involving a short lap within a time limit. The player has unlimited time to finish the challenge. Once earned, the new car can be customized. The color of the car and the opacity of the windows can be modified, along with the
number plate. The
ABS can also be toggled on or off, and convertible cars may be set to hard-top, soft-top, or open-top configurations to accommodate different weather conditions. Kudos is also linked to the player's cars. Since there are initially only three spaces in the garage, it may become necessary to dispose of cars to make room for better vehicles unlocked during gameplay. However, disposing of a car incurs a penalty of 10% of the Kudos earned while driving that vehicle. This mechanic is designed to encourage players to switch cars less frequently and to spend more time with their preferred vehicle, especially in lower chapters, to achieve higher Kudos results.
Online Functionality While
MSR did not support network racing, various features can be accessed via the
Internet option in the main menu: •
Time Trial: A time attack mode featuring a specific car, course, and weather condition. Best lap times can be saved as ghost cars within the trials themselves. A separate
VMU file is created that can be shared with others for competition. •
Speed Challenge: These are time attacks on designated courses from each city: Market West II (San Francisco), Parliament Street South II (London), and Higashi-Dori Kita II (Tokyo). They can only be raced using the VX220/Opel Speedster cars with automatic transmission and
ABS activated. Until March 2002, players could upload their best times to an online ranking system within Dreamarena. Players registered with Dreamarena/Seganet could also access a dedicated MSR microsite using the built-in browser. This site included the following features: •
Speed Challenge Ranking: Players could submit their best times for each course or an overall best time. •
World Time Trial Ranking: This section displayed the top ten best lap records for each course. Players competed by uploading their Time Trial files, which could then be downloaded by others for challenges. •
World Kudos Ranking: This feature tracked the best total Kudos scores. It was activated on 5 January 2001 due to score bugs present in the initial PAL editions. •
Ghost Attack: This feature allowed players to compete against pre-set ghost cars from various courses. • Driving tips and links to the MSR
message board within Dreamarena. The site also hosted nine "New Time Trials" billed as "races created by Sega on an exclusive circuit that you can download and challenge". However, these circuits were simply the 'Challenge' tracks (Shibuya Challenge, Westminster Challenge, Pacific Challenge, etc.) that were already present in the game. Reports indicate that the top 10 ranking for this feature was never implemented. The microsite and rankings were closed in March 2002 with the demise of
Dreamarena and
SegaNet. ==Development==