Ludography
Kinetica cover

2001 · Santa Monica Studio · Racing

Kinetica

PlayStation exclusive

They're called kinetic suits. They represent a total merging of man and machine with one goal in mind: speed. High speed. The "drivers" do more than operate their cycles -- they become cycles for insane velocity and maneuverability in this ultimate futuristic race.

Released
14 October 2001
Platforms
PlayStation 2PlayStation 4
Genres
Racing
Developers
Santa Monica Studio
Publishers
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Modes
MultiplayerSingle-player
Perspective
Third person
Themes
ActionScience fiction
Engine
Kinetica
Country
United States
Age ratings
ESRB T

About

Kinetica is a 2001 racing video game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 in North America. The game incorporates the use of SoundMAX audio technology by Analog Devices.

It was the first game to use the Kinetica game engine which would later be used for the video games SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs, God of War and God of War II. An art book titled The Art of Kinetica was included with the game itself, containing artwork of the game's characters. In 2016, the game was re-released on PlayStation 4.

Keywords

  • motorcycle
  • street racing
  • driving
  • futuristic
  • 60 fps on consoles
  • starting grid

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Kinetica is set in the future versions of Earth's major cities, outer-space, and some fictional locations in the Earth's distant future. Twelve racers compete while wearing "Kinetic Suits", which have wheels on the hands and feet, giving racers the appearance of motorcycles. Kinetic Suits have the ability to scale walls and ceilings, the vehicles are capable of reaching terminal velocity and beyond, reaching speeds of over 350 miles per hour (560 km/h).

The goal is the same as any racing game: be the first to cross the finish line. There are fifteen tracks and three seasons in the game. Each season consists of four tracks that the player must obtain a certain place in to advance. Getting first place in every race in a season will unlock a bonus track, and getting first place in the bonus track will unlock both the default and alternate versions of one of the unlockable characters.

Reception

Kinetica received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregator website Metacritic. Louis Bedigian of GameZone praised the game, stating "it practically annihilates Extreme G3 [sic] and the last two F-Zero games released." Gary Whitta of NextGen called it "An intriguing twist on a largely played-out genre, although the Autobots-style racers might turn some gamers off." Four-Eyed Dragon of GamePro said, "Despite its setbacks, Kinetica is a decent racer worth trying. It offers a phenomenal visual rush into new-age racing."

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
PlayStation 214 October 2001North America
PlayStation 417 May 2016Europe · North America 17 May 2016

Games like this

Collections4 collections

Platform libraries

Genres

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.