GT Advance Championship Racing, known in Japan as , is a racing game developed by MTO and published by THQ. It was a launch title for the Game Boy Advance. The game's sequel, GT Advance 2: Rally Racing, was released on June 30, 2002 in North America. GT Advance features forty-five Japanese cars and places the player in races on thirty-two tracks. Due to positive reaction to the game in Japan, THQ purchased publishing rights for the North American and European releases to the game after a reported bidding war, and added in a controversial password save system into the game to cut costs. The game was received with mostly positive reviews from critics that praised the game for its fun gameplay, but THQ was criticized by most reviewers for adding passwords to the game when the Japanese version had battery-backed saves. Gameplay GT Advance Championship Racing is a customizable experience, including 48 cars from 8 car manufacturers, and 32 courses. Some of the cars featured in the game are exclusively found in Asia, such as the first-generation Nissan Cube. The courses vary between paved and dirt roads, requiring the player to adapt their driving to meet the conditions of the course they're driving on. The game's championship mode features four levels of play, three cups of varying levels, and an unlockable "kart racing mode". Upgrades earned through gameplay can be added to the player's car, and in some cases, they can change the physical appearance of the vehicle. The game contains multiplayer support, allowing two people to play against each other using a Game Link Cable. Controls are simple, with the A and B buttons controlling the player's gas and brakes respectively. The R and L buttons shift the car up or down a gear in manual control, and the D-Pad controls the car's steering. The game requires the player to master the powerslide technique to skid around corners and to reduce their lap time. Graphics The roads in the game are painted on a flat plane, which allows the game to progress at a smooth rate, but makes it harder for the player to see upcoming turns in the road. The problem can be remedied by playing through a track multiple times to gain familiarity with the turns in a course. The cars are rendered through sprite frames, giving the impression of 3D graphics in the game. Save