American Racing is an Adobe Flash video game by Turbo Nuke released in 2012. In it, you race during one half of the year, with selected days having races or other events you have to clear. If you do well enough, you earn a gold medal for that day. Despite the day-based structure, there's no actual time management to worry about, though. After finishing an event, you can upgrade your car with money earned, which can be multiplied once you get a sponsor. This is one of the few games utilising Flash that is 3D.
The sequel was released in 2013. It isn't much different from its predecessor, employing the same structure and gameplay model.
Compare Formula Racer, another 3D Racing Game series by the same developer.
This game provides examples of:
- Achievement Mockery: The thirteenth achievement in the first game requires you to spin off 5 times, which would require you to suck and effectively get pushed around by other cars.
- Achievement System: There are 14 medals to earn in the first game, which require you to win races, boost, spin off other cars, etc.
- Character Customisation: You can customise your car with one of sixteen different paintjobs.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Not in the original, but in the sequel the AI is a blatant cheat. The black cars are probably the worst, as they have a very wide berth when overtaking and hitting them anywhere will push you back behind them.
- Consolation Prize: You always earn a paltry amount of cash when you fail a level in the original.
- Critical Existence Failure: Inverted. When your car is damaged, its damage bar depletes and its speed goes down by up to 15%. However, fully draining the bar doesn't result in it exploding or getting destroyed. It can get spun out by other cars, though.
- Every Car Is a Pinto: Downplayed, as not all damage causes this, but driving into a billboard causes your car to turn into a chain of explosions.
- Interface Screw: March 19 has you drive over custard pies. Every one hit covers the screen in pie bits, with more hits in quick succession resulting in more screen coverage.
- Level-Map Display: A small map of the level and other racers is displayed in the top-right corner.
- Low-Level Advantage: Some levels that aren't races may be easier if you haven't upgraded your car, especially the ones with Slalom Gates, as the additional speed is detrimental and there's no way to improve handling. Seriously, try to get Gold in January 18th in the original after maxing out your car.
- Money Multiplier: Having a sponsor, which is earned by winning races, multiplies money earned. For example, having Ranch as your sponsor gives a x2 multiplier.
- Motion Blur: The whole screen goes blurry when you turn on the boost in the sequel.
- No Plot? No Problem!: There's no plot provided for the races.
- Product Placement: Frequent, though the products are in-universe. Each race is sponsored by some fictional company (like Mex Tex, Blue Cow, G2 Oil, etc.), banners of the aforementioned fictional companies show up on tracks, and your car gets a logo for the sponsor it has at that point.
- Shows Damage: Each car shows damage by having their backs and windows cracked.
- Timed Mission: Every level that isn't a race has you do an objective within a time limit (for example, hitting 8/10 robots in 30 seconds).
