I've not been watching La Tour de France or anything but I keep hearing about Lance Armstrong and it's made me realize: Bicycle racing is a completely untapped market in video games. I mean just imagine, the guy's won the race like a gazillion times in a row and no endorsement deal for "Lance 'Lefty' Armstrong's X-treme Tour de la France" on X-Box?
Aside from BMX games I don't know that there are any games involving the bicycle at all. Not since "Paperboy" anyway. I don't think you can even steal a bicycle and go run over a hooker with it in any GTA installment. But oh gosh can't you picture it: You're Lance on your bike (leaning ever so slightly to one side), navigating those uphill turns, switching the camera angle from behind a pair of obscenely tight slick Lycra bicycle shorts to first-person mode, your fingers cramping all the hell up on the controller as each press of the trigger button is a push of the pedal. Get endorsement deals from goofy looking bicycle helmet manufacturers, take a few months off during training season for chemo treatments, then during racetime pee in a cup on demand at random times just to prove you aren't using steroids. Trick out your bike between races, maybe with some sweet Bond gadgets, all oil slick shooters and rockets hidden in the waterbottle...
Comments (2)
Califonia Games, Downhill Domination, GTA San Adreas, Big Air Freestyle, High Velocity: Mountain Racing Challenge, Coiurer Crisis, and Cannondale Cup all come to mind, with assistance from the DP database.
Ignoring the humor and sarcastic nature of the post, I don't know if a real sim would work. The extreme sports stuff is what sells, so trying to sell a bike racing game with no trick system just wouldn't work. Kids want tricks, not serious racing. Downhill Domination worked for that reason alone, including the ability to blast someone with a water bottle.
Posted by Matt Paprocki | July 15, 2005 11:46 AM
Posted on July 15, 2005 11:46
They added bicycles in San Andreas.
How do you know he is not a "righty" anyway?
I think a "Armtrong 2006" could work, produced my EA of course. There could be a morality system in the game, (take steroids or not) pick fights with other riders, etc.
Yea I am sure Giro would jump at the chance at sponsoring a video game. LIVESTRONG would be plastered everywhere too, you know it.
Posted by Ken Edwards | July 15, 2005 4:20 PM
Posted on July 15, 2005 16:20