Speed Freaks

Speed Freaks is a kart racing game featuring several single and multiplayer modes. During the game, players take control of one of nine characters and drive karts around tracks with various themes. Races are played in third-person perspective, with the point of view behind the chosen character's cart. The goal of the game is to either finish a race ahead of other racers, who are controlled by the computer and other players, or complete a circuit in the fastest time.

Icons marked with question marks are arrayed on the race tracks; they give weapons (pick-ups) to a player's kart if the vehicle passes over them. Pick-ups, such as missiles and slime, allow racers to hit others with the objects, causing them to spin and lose control. A kart that obtains the stealth mode pick-up is temporarily invulnerable to attack. Lines of speed boost tokens are found on the tracks.

Speed Freaks was produced by Padraig Crowley and designed and developed by the SD Team at Funcom Dublin in Ireland. The game took three years to develop. Working titles used included "Project SDR" and "Wheelnuts".

When designing the physics model, the developers opted for a balance between realism and fun by developing a realistic physics model as a base and then modifying it to make it more enjoyable to play. As an example, the developers cited that bumping into a wall in the game results in far less of an impact than doing the same in real life.

The game received favorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings, but Adam Pavlacka of NextGen gave a negative review to the game. GamePro said that Speed Punks offers an enjoyable arcade racing experience despite its shortcomings.