Chocobo Racing (1999)

The Chocobo has appeared in every Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy IV as a large yellow bird that you can ride to other destinations or use during fights. With Chocobo Racing, you can race a Chocobo along with a range of different characters both from the Final Fantasy world including Cloud and Cid from Final Fantasy VII and created just for the game through many different fantasy worlds at high speed, using a selection of weapons to aid you. The game supports 1 and 2 player racing

Storyline

Chocobo Racing borrows themes and elements from Final Fantasy I to VIII. The Story Mode is narrated by Cid and includes nine chapters in a pop-up book fashion with FMVs. To progress, the player needs to defeat the chapter's respective challenger. Before each chapter begins, the player is given the option of viewing the story or skipping to the race except when playing the Story Mode for the first time. Characters The cast of Chocobo Racing is drawn from recurring creatures and characters from the Chocobo's Dungeon and Final Fantasy series. Eight characters -- Chocobo, Mog, Golem, Goblin, Black Magician, White Mage, Chubby Chocobo, and Behemoth—are immediately available, and additional, secret characters such as Cactuar, Bahamut, Cloud, Aya, and Squall may be unlocked after completing Story Mode.[5] Story Chapter one, titled "Gadgets a go-go", begins with the inventor Cid presenting Chocobo with a pair of "Jet-Blades" and offers Chocobo a chance to take a test-run with them on the racetrack behind his lab.[13] After the race, Mog the Moogle drops in and asks Cid about the progress of the racing machine he'd commissioned.[14] Cid promises to bring the machine by tomorrow, but later confides to Chocobo he'd forgotten it.[15] The next day, after presenting the doubtful Mog with his scooter,[16] Chocobo and Mog race. After Chocobo wins, Mog confronts Cid over his vehicle's poor performance, but Cid replies that Chocobo won because of the differences in their abilities (i.e., Chocobo's "Dash").[17] He explains that the secret of Chocobo's "Dash" ability is the Blue Crystal on his leg-ring.[18] Mog mulls over his inferior "Flap" ability and decides he wants a Blue Crystal as well, so Cid recommends that the two go on an adventure to find out the secret of the Blue Crystal.[19] The two head out to discover the secret behind the Blue Crystal, meeting (and racing) many along the way. When they reach Mysidia, the village of mages, a White Mage there notices that all the companions have Magicite, which the companions had previously referred to as "Blue Crystals". The companions want to know the legend behind the Magicite shards; the White Mage agrees to tell them on the condition that they race her in the Floating Gardens, with the story as the winner's prize. Upon winning, she tells them of the legend: "There are Magicite Shards scattered all over the world. It used to be one large Magicite Crystal...But people kept fighting each other over it. So the founder of Mysidia, the great magician Ming-Wu, broke the Crystal into eight pieces. He then scattered the shards to the four winds. He did so to assure later restoration of the Magicite Crystal...when all eight pieces are brought together again".[20]