Fireburst

Fireburst is a third-person racing game set to release Spring 2011 on PC Digital, PSN, and XBLA. Players choose from one of sixteen characters to represent their racing skills, but only one driver will be crowned the best.

Gameplay

The player takes the role of one of sixteen available characters whose skills and capabilities vary depending upon the character.

Plot

Well, it all began with Hightower – here is the backstory: Charles Randolph, known as "Hightower", had always work harder than others to achieve his goals because he is often underestimated as a little person. People made fun of him and didn't accepted him cause of his size, but he ignored these people and just worked harder. He built up an internet start-up as he began his studies at Stanford University. The company was very successful and Hightower became one of the big .com players. After a couple of years he brought his company to the stock market and got incredibly rich. After a while he lost his motivation in his company and sold it. Now not only was he fabulously wealthy, but had an ego to match. He started several companies, but they did not satisfy him anymore, so he began his search for something new. He decided to buy a professional baseball team, but instead of just being the owner he wanted to take part as a player – an unfortunate decision because he turned out to be the worst baseball player in history. Disappointed and embarrassed he sold the team and searched for a sports challenge where he can prove to be a winner. One day on a motor show, he met Genji and was introduced to his invention, Firecars. This is what he has been searching for: a racing league with these spectacular Firecars would really attract attention, but instead of professional drivers he was looking for interesting personalities that the viewers could identify with, and of course, that Hightower could defeat. So he invented the Fireburst Racing League and is determined to be the first champion in order to restore his dignity and reputation.

Characters

• Hightower - Charles Randolph, known as "Hightower", had always work harder than others to achieve his goals because he is a midget. Peaople made fun of him and didn't accepted him cause of his size. But he ignored these people and just worked harder than enybody else. He built up an internet start-up as he begun his studies at Stanford University. This company was very successful and became on of the big .com boom players. After a couple of years he brought his company to the stock market and got increadible rich. After a while he lost his motivation in his company and sold it. Now he was rich and his ego gained the size of the moon. The strange midget from a small town has become one of the richest mans on the planet. Nobody will ever make jokes on him. He started several companies but this did not satisfy him anymore. He was already increadibly rich and has already proven he is a successful businessman. So he searched for something new: He bought a professional Baseball team. But instead of just being the owner he wanted to take part as a player. But this went totally wrong and the people made fun of him as the worst player ever. Disappointed and embarresd he sold the team and searched for a sports challenge where he can prove to be a winner. One day on a motor show he met Genji and his Firecars. This is what he has been searching for: A racing League with these spectacular Firecars would really attrack attention. But instead of professional drivers he was looking for interesting personalities that the viewers could identify with. And of course Hightower is really able to beat the other drivers. So he invented the Fireburst Racing League and want's to be the first champion to get back his reputation. He want's to show the world that he is also a winner in a sports events.
• Miss April - Miss April is the personal secretary and bodyguard of HighTower. She is very grateful that a successful man like him gave a girl like her a chance. She was once a girl from a poor family and her mother was working for one of Hightowers companies. As her mother got sick, Miss April pretended to be her mother and tried to replace her mother at work to earn enough money for her family. As this became public, Hightower recognized her skills and was impressed by her will and effort. He decided that this girls is someone he likes to work with and gave her the chance to study. Besides haveing a master in businesss and economics she also has a black belt in Karate. For Hightower she is a perfect mixture of will, intelligence and strength. And she has totally sacrificed her life to work for Hightower 24 hours a day and 7 days a week because the is still very thankful for the chance that Hightower gave her...Secretly she is also in love with him, but she is far to shy to confess this to him and don't want to risk her job...
• Brooke - Brooke is the ex-wife of Hightower and wants him to pay the money he owes her. She and her boyfreind, Sonny want the money from the divorce to start a life in pure luxury. Hightower offered Brooke a lots of extra money if she and her new boyfriend take part in the races. And of course he will pay her the money he owes her. For having the chance to take revenge on the track and for another entertaining story for the viewers it is worth the money. Brooke really hates the Fireburst Racing League but she and her boyfriend Sonny love the money. So she can't refuse to accept Hightowers offer.

• Shawn - Shawn was once a famous and successful race driver on his way to the championship. But all of a sudden he had a breakdown. As the championship was in reach the pressure of his team, the sponsors, the media and fans became too big for him. From one day to another he just disappeared. First, the team, friends and media thought we was kidnapped and the whole world was looking for him. They even stopped the championship season to orevent any cheating. But then he unveiled that it was his decision to leave his former life. He was not tough to handle all the presser the people are putting on his sholder. Everybody was totally shocked and got very angry on him. There was not ways to ever come back to professional racing...Even his girlfriend Cammy turned gainst him and left him. But Hightower gave him a second chance. Shawn has been hired by Hightower to help him win the Fireburst championship. And this will be Shawns comback in racing...even if it's more like a show than professional racing. To motivate Shwan and to have more gossip Stories to tell, Hightower hired his ex girlfriend Cammy, too.
• Cammy - Cammy was once a grid girl in the racing circus and became the girlfriend of Shawn, the rising star in racing. She was very ambitious and wanted to become more than just a beautiful grid girl and just the girlfirend of sombody famous. She just wanted to get famous, too. She wasn't sure if she want's to be an IT girl like her friend Vicky. After Shawns breakdown she wan't sure if she really wants to be an IT girl like her best friend Vicky. She thought she should get more serious and broke up with Shawn the looser. The friendship between her and Vicky cooled down as Cammy refused to got to every party and play her stupid party girl role. But this was not really working out for her cause the media just recognized her as party girl and best friend of Vicky. So she was very happy as Hightower offered her a seat as a race driver in the Fireburst Racing league...But Hightower kept quiet about that he has hired Shawn and Vicky as well...
• Samantha - Samantha is a young biker girl and rides with Moses and his friends. She is the daughter of the famous rock star Izzy. But Izzy was never a good father for her. Most of the time he was on tour so she just saw her father once or twice a year. Izzy really lived a rock star live: He had dozens of girls and loved to have lots of alcohol and other drugs. But the extreme drug abuse really destroyed the band and they quit. Samantha was very ashamed of her father and does not want to have anything to do with him. As a friend of Moses and the daughter of Izzy Hightower invited Samantha to join the Fireburst Racing League as they chased trucker Jimbo that destroyed Moses bike. Hightower thinks she could add some extra spice to the drivers and the struggle between her and Izzy could be very entertaining for the viewers.
• Izzy - Izzy was once a famous rock star that toured the world. Izzy and his buddy and roadie Moses had great times with lots of parties, girls and alcohol. But later the drug abuse of Izzy and his band went totally wrong. It destroyed the band and they had to quit. All of them lost their jobs from one day to another. Due to his rock star live and his drug problems Izzy has a very bad relationship to his daughter Samantha. He just wasn't there for her and when the band was quit, he was just a wreck that wasn't even able to care for himself. After several long detoxifications Izzy tries to have two combacks: He want's to push his career as rock star and he truly longs for a a bettr relationship to his daughter. As Hightower offered him a seat as dirver in the Fireburst League, he hopes to show Samantha that he has changed!
• Genji - Genji is an inventor and the owner of Genji Motors. He works together with the mechanic, Jules. He invented the Firecars and licensed them to Hightower. He takes care of his younger sister Hanako as their parents died in a terrible accident. Ages ago he came from Japan to the US cause he was a big fan of the American way of life. And of course he loves Elvis and tries to live the American dream. As he came to the US Genji met Jules and joined his car workshop. As a very talented machanic and inventor, Genji once created the spectacular Firecars. At a motor show Hightower was totally excited about his invention and came up with the idea of the Fireburst Racing League. So he licensed the Firecars and hired Genji, Jules, Melvin and Hanako for the Racing League. So it seems the Amercan dream is coming true for Genji and he is really excited about the Fireburst Racing Leage. He is just a little worried about his sister Hanako cause the raced may be to dangerous for her. On the other hand the cars should be safe cause he and Jules constructed them.
• Hanako - Hanako is the younger sister of Genji, the inventor of the Firecars. Hanako grew up in Japan. Her brother Genji left the family and emigrated to the USA ten years ago cause he was a big fan of the Amercan way of life. Unfortunately her parents died in a terrible accident when she was 10. So she followed her brother Genji to the USA where he worked as a car mechnaics and as an inventor. She was grown up by Genji ans his best friend and coworker Jules. Both became Hanakos family. The first years in the US were very hard for Hanako. It was not easy for a shy Japanese girl on an American High School. Over time the adapted to her new world and made some friends. One of her firends is the programming genius Melvin and introduced him to Genji and Jules. With Melvins programming skills Genji could finally finish the fire control program for the Firecars. As Hightower took a look at the Fireacrs he hired the whole crew right away. Now Hanako is really excited to take part in the Fireburst Racing League...Let's see what happens between her and Melvin...
• Melvin - Melvin is a programming genuis that developed the software for the Fireboost Cars. He goes to the same school and is in the same classes as Hanako. As Genji and Jules were looking for a programmer to write the control softwore for the Firecars Hanako introduced Melvin to Genji and Jules. Genji was very excited about the programming skills of young Melvin. So Melvin became the programmer of the Firecars and part of the team. Later Highower hired all of them to create all the Firecars and take part in the races. Secretly Melvin has a crush on Hanako but he is far too shy to talk to her about this. Unfortunately Hanako is very shy, too so this makes thinks more complicated. Melvin hopes to succeed in the races to impress Hanako to show her he is more than a geek. But what is wrong about a lovable geek?

• Jack - Jack served for his country in the Persioan Gulf War. After 10 years in the army he decided to quit and tired to get back into a civil life. But this was not easy for him. He had several jobs like barkeeper or bouncer. Later he worked as a debt collecting company and Jack was really successful in this job. After a couple of years he decided to work on his own. His latest job is to get money from Sonny. Sonny's creditors hired Jack to get their money back. And Sonny owes them a lot of money. Jack knows that Sonny has by far not enough money to pay his depts. In a closer and physical discussion Sonny promised that Jack will get his money, soon. Sonny told him he and his gilrfirend Brooke will receive lots of money from Hightower if they are attending the Fireburst Racing League. Additionally Brooke will get all the money from the divorce from Hightower. So she will be rich ver soon and he will marry her and will pay his debts. But Jack didn't trust Sonny and forced him to organize a seat in FRL for him. So Sonny won't have a chance to run away. Probably Jack may even get a bonus by earning some price money.
• Sonny - Sonny is an easy man who likes to party, have fun with girls, and spend money. What Sonny does not like to do is work. He met Brooke shortly after her divorce from Hightower. As he heared she will get lots od money he decided she is the right girl for him. So he might keep or even improve his easy life. To get the money and a big bonus from Hightower he offered Sonny and Brooke to join the Fireburst Racing League. Brooke hates it but she and Sonny like the money Hightower promises them. And after Brooke got rich he will propose and trys to merry her...cause he really loves her...and her money. But lazy Sonny has still one big problem and that is the debt collector Jack. He hunts him to get lits of money that Sonny owes to some strange guys. Sonny tells him that he's not able to pay him at the moment but after taking part in the Fireburst Racing League and after he marries Brooke he can pay him. Jack forces Sonny to organzize him a seat in the drivers grid as well so that Sonny won't be able to get away. Jack will stay on Sonnys side until he pays.