Remembering classic games: BC Racers (1994)

When was the world’s first motor race? The old joke says that it was about five minutes after the world’s second car was built. 1994 game BC Racers expands on that theory and suggests that it wasn’t long after the second wheel was built.

A somewhat surprising spinoff from the old caveman-themed Chuck Rock platforming series, BC Racers is technically a bike racer, though the sidecars and drifty Mario Kart-inspired handling make it a purely academical distinction. The game absolutely whipped along on contemporary PC hardware, with blocky but characterful cartoon graphics. The console versions were more choppy, mainly because they were crammed onto ageing hardware, including the doomed Sega 32X and Panasonic 3DO, rather than prepped for the more powerful Saturn and PlayStation consoles that arrived at the end of '94.

The Flintstones-esque theming led to some truly tortured stone-related puns for the character names, including Cliff Ace, Brick Jagger and Granite Jackstone. Talking of physical pain, there was plenty to crash into on the densely detailed tracks, with a remarkable amount of street furniture to collide with considering this takes place at the dawn of civilisation.

And as with all the best caveman fiction, our neolithic cast rub shoulders with dinosaur opponents who run interference while you try and work your way up the order. You’re even plucked out of the water by a pterodactyl if you misjudge a corner and end up in the primordial drink.

While BC Racers is fondly remembered by us, there’s little doubt that it was overshadowed by designer Toby Gard’s next creation. The Tomb Raider series would have a cultural impact on a similar scale to the impact of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. Sort of fitting, really...