About this game
Released in Japan on March 20, 1994, Chiki Chiki Machine Mou Race is an interactive FMV title based on the Hanna-Barbera Wacky Races cartoon from the late 1960s. Developed by Future Pirates and published by Daiko exclusively for the 3DO, it presents itself as a game where you pick a racer and watch original CGI animation unfold — more interactive movie than traditional racing game.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Chiki Chiki Machine Mou Race was one of several FMV-focused titles developed for the 3DO in Japan during the platform's early years. The 3DO's CD-ROM format allowed publishers to experiment with full-motion video content, a direction many developers explored in the mid-1990s. Future Pirates, the developer, produced this title exclusively for the Japanese market, adapting the classic Hanna-Barbera Wacky Races cartoon with original CGI animation rather than live-action footage. The game was produced by Tsuyoshi Takashiro, a self-described 'hypermedia creator' who founded Future Pirates, and launched on March 20, 1994, as a simultaneous release with the 3DO console itself in Japan, priced at 8,800 yen.
Tricks & Tales
The game's format is unusual even by FMV standards: rather than controlling a racer directly, you pick a winner before each race and watch the CGI animation play out. If your guess is correct, you win. The full Japanese title is 'Chiki Chiki Machine Mou Race: Kenken to Black Maou no Ijiwaru Daisakusen' (roughly: 'Wacky Races: Kenken and the Black Demon King's Mischievous Plot'). Future Pirates later developed a sequel, 'Chiki Chiki Machine Mou Race 2: In Space,' and other FMV-focused 3DO titles including 'Macaroni Horenso Interactive' (1995).
Collector's Guide
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Chiki Chiki Machine Mou Race copies regularly.
Does this 3DO game use a save battery like cartridge-based games?
No. The 3DO reads games from CD, not cartridges, so there is no internal battery to worry about. Save data is stored either in the console's built-in memory or on an external memory card — both are battery-backed inside the 3DO console itself, not the disc. If the console's internal battery has died, saves may not persist, but the game disc itself requires no maintenance.
Is this 3DO game region-locked?
The 3DO console is not region-locked by hardware, so a Japanese disc can physically run on any 3DO system worldwide. However, this particular game was released only in Japan, and all on-screen text and menus are in Japanese. If you don't read Japanese, navigation may be challenging.
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Rooms this game lives in
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