Mad Dash Racing is a video game released in 2001 for the original Xbox. It was developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive. It's a racing game with the twist that the characters all race on foot.
Unfortunately, the game never was made backwards compatible with the Xbox 360note and hasn't been re-released for the Xbox One, so the only way to play it is to still have an original Xbox and game disc.
This game contains examples of:
- The Ahnold: Tremlord is a hulking, muscular Tremmel who speaks in a comical Austrian accent.
- Bootstrapped Theme: The song created specifically for the game, "Mad Dash", only plays on certain levels. Whereas the song that is heard every time you start the game is "Roll it Up" by The Crystal Method, so it's easier to claim that as the game's theme song.
- The Cameo: Gex is one of the hidden characters.
- Chained by Fashion: Big Blue wears a single manacle around his ankle with a broken chain attached to it.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: While about half the cast counts to some degree, unlockable character TEK-9 is notable for either thinking he is genuinely a fantasy hero or far too committed to a LARP-ing role.
- Covered in Scars: None are visible on his model, but Zero-G attests that he's "Only scarred about the face, chest, neck and head."
- Dungeon Bypass: The nine default characters are split into three classes, each class attached to a certain type of exclusive shortcut found around the various courses that allows them to skip a bit of the course or bypass segments that would otherwise slow them down. Collecting ten of a certain pickup grants access to all three types of shortcuts regardless of character.
- The Bashers (Chops, Big Blue, Betty and hidden character Roscoe) are given the ability to break through certain walls.
- The Dashers (Sid, Spanx, Clawdius and hidden character Cinder) are given the ability to dash up steep inclines.
- The Gliders (Zero-G, Ash, Faze and hidden character TEK-9) are given the ability to glide over long distances.
- Edible Ammunition: Throwable fruit is one of the most common power-ups.
- Forced Transformation: At the end of the story mode, Hex gets turned into a pig.
- Gasshole: Chops the Boar belches and farts near-constantly. According to the manual, his fascination with motorcycles may stem from the fact that he can't stand the smell when he's in a car with himself.
- Institutional Apparel: Spanx wears a tattered straitjacket.
- Loophole Abuse: Non-Basher class characters can utilize Basher-exclusive shortcuts simply by following behind a Basher that has opened the shortcut first, something that cannot be achieved with the Dasher or Glider-exclusive shortcuts.
- Not Quite Flight: One of the power-ups allows you to glide for a short time.
- Rubber-Band A.I.: Unfortunately, the game has a pretty bad case of it. You could be dominating for the entire race but lose in the last stretch because the computer suddenly gets faster.
- Shellshocked Veteran: Zero-G is apparently a veteran of some armed conflict, and is prone to flashbacks mid-race.
- Speech Impediment: Clawdius the Lion speaks with a lisp.
- Wrench Wench: Betty evokes this aesthetic, and even carries a giant wrench wit her which she uses as a bludgeon.
