Mickey's Speedway USA

Mickey's Speedway USA is a Disney racing game for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color, developed by Rareware and published by Nintendo under license from Disney Interactive. It is styled after other kart racers such as Mario Kart 64 and Diddy Kong Racing, and features characters from the Mickey Mouse universe racing across the United States. It is Rare and Nintendo's second Disney-themed racing game following Mickey's Racing Adventure (1999).

Mickey's Speedway USA
North American Nintendo 64 box art
Developer(s)Rare
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Composer(s)Ben Cullum
Platform(s)
ReleaseNintendo 64
  • NA: November 13, 2000
  • EU: December 1, 2000
  • JP: January 21, 2001
Game Boy Color
  • EU: March 23, 2001
  • NA: March 25, 2001
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay
A screenshot of the Nintendo 64 version showing a race in Indianapolis, with the player controlling Mickey Mouse.

Mickey's Speedway USA features various characters from the Mickey Mouse universe racing in karts to complete laps around a track as quickly as possible. Scattered along each track are tokens that increase racers' maximum speed, boosters which will give racers a quick burst of acceleration, and items that can be used to interfere with opponents, such as baseballs and paint cans. The Nintendo 64 (N64) version features gameplay similar to Rare's previous N64 racing game Diddy Kong Racing, while the Game Boy Color (GBC) version uses a top down gameplay style similar to its predecessor, Mickey's Racing Adventure.

The game includes a Grand Prix mode, a time trial mode, a practice mode, and multiplayer racing modes in both the N64 and GBC versions, along with a multiplayer battle mode on N64. Completing each Grand Prix on different difficulties will unlock new characters, cheats, and other features. The game features 20 different race tracks spread across five Grands Prix, all themed after famous American cities and locations such as Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and the Grand Canyon; the selection of tracks slightly differs between versions.[1] An additional bonus track can be unlocked in the N64 version via a cheat code and in the GBC version by linking up to a copy of Mickey's Racing Adventure via the system's infrared port.[2]

Six playable characters are included in both versions of the game. These default characters are paired in statistics: Mickey and Donald have average statistics, Minnie and Daisy focus on handling and acceleration, and Goofy and Pete have a concentration in speed and quickness.[3] Three additional characters, consisting of Dewey, Louie, and Ludwig Von Drake, can be unlocked in the N64 version through completing objectives in Grand Prix mode; a fourth character, Huey, can only be unlocked by connecting to the GBC version through the Transfer Pak.[4]

Synopsis

Mickey discovers his dog, Pluto, has been kidnapped by the Weasels for his diamond collar. He calls Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy to help search for him, while Pete intercepts the phone call and follows behind. Professor Ludwig von Drake builds race cars for the group to help them search faster, and they travel across America following a series of postcards left by the Weasels. After a final race, the Weasels are found, caught, and sent to jail. Mickey happily reunites with Pluto, revealing the supposed diamonds on his collar are simply glass beads from one of Minnie's old necklaces, and the group heads home.

Reception

The Nintendo 64 version received "average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[7]

Matthew Byrd, writing for Den of Geek in 2017, said: "To be honest, Mickey's Speedway USA doesn't quite measure up to the likes of Diddy Kong Racing, Mario Kart 64, or Crash Team Racing. Its courses are not nearly as inventive (many are just basic recreations of US locations), its power-ups are a little slim, its A.I. is perpetually stuck in first, and its roster is a bit thin (...) [but] Rare still managed to produce an engagingly charming and more than functional kart racing title that's only notable flaws are tied into the fact that it didn't surpass what came before it".[27]

See also

References
  1. "Mickey's Speedway USA :: GBC Game Review". Kidzworld. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  2. Rare (2001). Mickey's Speedway USA (GBC) (instruction manual). Nintendo. p. 12.
  3. Rare (2001). Mickey's Speedway USA (N64) (instruction manual). Nintendo. p. 7.
  4. "Huey Spotted on Mickey's Speedway". IGN. March 8, 2001. Archived from the original on February 12, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  5. "Mickey's Speedway USA for Game Boy Color". GameRankings. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  6. "Mickey's Speedway USA for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  7. "Mickey's Speedway USA for Nintendo 64 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  8. Frankle, Gavin. "Mickey's Speedway USA (N64) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  9. "Mickey's Speedway USA (GBC)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. 2001.
  10. EGM staff (February 2001). "Mickey's Speedway USA (N64)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Archived from the original on February 11, 2001. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  11. "Mickey's Speedway USA (GBC)". Game Informer. No. 97. May 2001.
  12. Reiner, Andrew (January 2001). "Mickey's Speedway USA (N64)". Game Informer. No. 93. p. 136.
  13. "REVIEW for Mickey's Speedway USA (N64)". GameFan. November 10, 2000.
  14. Uncle Dust (April 25, 2001). "Mickey's Speedway USA Review for Game Boy Color on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on November 22, 2004. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  15. Four-Eyed Dragon (February 8, 2001). "Mickey's Speedway USA Review for N64 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  16. Liu, Johnny (November 2000). "Mickey's Speedway USA Review (N64)". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on August 7, 2001. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  17. Provo, Frank (March 28, 2001). "Mickey's Speedway USA Review (GBC)". GameSpot. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  18. Satterfield, Shane (November 15, 2000). "Mickey's Speedway USA Review (N64)". GameSpot. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  19. Shea, Cam (May 2001). "Mickey's Speedway USA". Hyper. No. 91. p. 70. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  20. Harris, Craig (April 10, 2001). "Mickey's Speedway USA (GBC)". IGN. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  21. Mirabella III, Fran (November 10, 2000). "Mickey's Speedway USA (N64)". IGN. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  22. Cave, Lewis (October 4, 2011). "Mickey's Speedway USA (Nintendo 64) Review". Nintendo Life. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  23. "Mickey's Speedway USA (GBC)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 142. March 2001. p. 125.
  24. "Mickey's Speedway USA (N64)". Nintendo Power. Vol. 138. November 2000. p. 124.
  25. "Mickey's Speedway USA". Official Nintendo Magazine. No. 99. December 2000. pp. 28–32. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  26. Meinung, Alex (December 2000). "Mickey's Speedway USA". de:Video Games (in German). pp. 84–85. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  27. Byrd, Matthew (2017-06-22). "Old School Cool: Mickey's Speedway USA". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
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