500 GP

To do: Ghost replay feature seems to be disabled in the US version? Need to check with World English version.

500 GP is Namco's first game with the-then FIM Road Racing World Championship (now better known as MotoGP) license. It is also the reason why Paul Ricard track is always in their console MotoGP games despite it being replaced with Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans in 2000.

It is not to be confused with MicroProse's GP 500, coincidentally also based on the same season (1998) of the sport and also releasing in the same year.

Development Text#

Present at 0xC1CC8 and 0x146990 in the .elf executable is text for a couple of debug menus.

JIKKEN      
TEST MOVIE 1
DEMO KERNING
TEST KERNING
CG_CURRENT:
CG_END    :
CG_BEGIN  :
FUNCTION:

NOTICE
SHADOW
Line
S_TST
osSmenu
LightX
LightY
bikeRx
bikeRy
bikeRz
EyeRx
EyeRy
EyeRz
EyeY
RoadX
RoadY
bikeX
bikeY
bikeZ
Num.
Nothing
Address
ID     
Connect
Unfit  
mtSmenu
MODE
XP :
YP :
ZP :
RX :
RY :
RZ :
RZP:
GKK:
yhSmenu
thSmenu
nkSmenu
mtSmenu
osSmenu
MENU
POSIX:
POSIY:
POSIZ:
THX:
THY:
THZ:
CODE:
LIGH:
ENVI:
ANGL:
SPEED:
FRAME:
  ACT:
 NAME:
FRONT:
REC
END
KYOTAI
COMMAND
nkSmenu
0X
[FILE]
GOAL
->
enterZ2
Program
Delete
Ending
Attract
Clear
Replay
RecEye
RecCar
PalTest
Depth
Gamma
thSmenu
Dlete

Developer Messages#

Starting 0xC1D4C in the .elf executable is a series of developer messages:

I AM HIROKI YASUHARA

A rather self-explatanory developer credit. On the game's staff roll, Hiroki Yasuhara is credited under programming.

KERNING TEST

Could be related to a test function.

   AND SPEED AWAY
GET IT ON, GET IT HOT
   BUT I'M HAVING FUN
   IT'S DRIVING ME WILD
HAVING A BALL CUZ
   I AM ON THE RUN
I DON'T KNOW WHY
   TO LIVE THE DAY
YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE A CHANCE
SEARCHING THE WAY
SETTING AWAY
   LIFE TO LIVE THE DAY
YOU'VE GOT TO SAVE YOUR
TEARING THE WAY
GETTING AWAY

The lyrics to a song from Motocross Go!, a previous motorcycle racing game by Namco. Could also have been used for testing.

References#