First look: Furious Karting

Infogrames has released the first screenshots from and new gameplay information on Furious Karting, its upcoming Xbox-exclusive go-kart racing game.

For solo players, Furious Karting will feature a nonlinear scenario-based game mode in which the 15 episodes that make up the game's "story" are unwittingly determined by players through their style of driving and behavior toward other racers. The game will incorporate an iconic language system that allows players to interact with opponents and teammates by taunting or congratulating them. Other, less placid forms of character interaction will involve the use of baseball bats, barrels of flammable oil that can be knocked over, and the like.

The game will also allow up to four players to race simultaneously in a number of multiplayer game modes, including an innovative "jam battle" mode. The idea behind this option is that players will select their favorite music track from the console's hard drive before racing, and the driver in the lead will impose his or her chosen soundtrack on the rest of the field. We've yet to see this feature in action, but it certainly sounds like it'll put the Xbox hard drive to good use.

Locales in the game will include traditional outdoor and stadium circuits, as well as more imaginative settings like an ice rink, a supermarket, and a disco. The game will purportedly be easy to pick up and play, and it will incorporate a number of tricks and special moves--the exact purpose of which aren't clear at this stage.

Furious Karting is being developed by Babylon Software and is scheduled for release in January 2003. For more information, check out our previous coverage of the game.