Alpine Racer 2

Alpine Racer 2 is a 3D alpine skiing arcade game released by Namco in 1996. It is the sequel to Alpine Racer. Unlike the original, two cabinets can be linked together so that players can race against each other.[2]

Alpine Racer 2
Screenshot of Alpine Racer 2
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco
SeriesAlpine Racer
Platform(s)Arcade Game
ReleaseDecember 6, 1996 (VER.A)
January 10, 1997 (VER.B)
Genre(s)Sports game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade systemNamco System 22[1]
CPU68EC020, TMS32025, M37710
SoundSound Chips : C352
DisplayHorizontal, Raster, 640 x 480 pixels, 32768 colors

Sleep research

Alpine Racer 2, along with Tetris, was used by Harvard sleep scientist Robert Stickgold to study the relationship between learning and sleep. He found that after playing the game for hours before going to sleep, even subjects suffering from anterograde amnesia, the inability to form new memories, would dream of skiing.[3]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Alpine Racer 2 on their February 15, 1997 issue as being the sixth most-successful dedicated arcade game of the year.[4] A reviewer for Next Generation remarked that the ability to choose from three different characters adds depth to the gameplay, the new courses are larger and more beautiful than those of the original Alpine Racer, and the added multiplayer capability greatly increases the fun of the game. However, he said the actual skiing and opponent AI are unchanged from the first game, and "in the final analysis there aren't enough improvements to carry Alpine Racer 2 now that the novelty of the original has worn off." He gave it three out of five stars.[5]

TV segment

Some scenes of this game were shown on the BBC Horizon episode, "What Are Dreams?", aired in 2009, months later as a PBS' Nova episode.[6]

Series
  • 1. Alpine Racer (1994)
  • 2. Alpine Racer 2 (1996)
  • 3. Alpine Racer 3 (2002)
  • 4. Super Alpine Racer (2013)
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References
  1. "Alpine Racer 2". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 19. Emap International Limited. May 1997. p. 93.
  2. Levy, Stuart; Semrad, Ed; Sushi-X (November 1996). "JAMMA: Capcom Finally Unveils Street Fighter III!!!". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 88. Ziff Davis. p. 163.
  3. The Boston Globe, Analyze This:What sparks our dreams, especially those wacky ones? One man is on the case.
  4. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - 完成品夕イプのTVゲーム機 (Dedicated Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 535. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 February 1997. p. 21.
  5. "Alpine Racer 2". Next Generation. No. 28. Imagine Media. April 1997. p. 132.
  6. "What Are Dreams?".
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