The Complete History of SEGA Racing Arcade Games

ECOMPLETESEGA HISTORY OF RACING ARCADE GAMES When thinking of arcade-based racing games, for most people only one company comes to mind: Sega. From the domination of their early title, Out Run through Virtua Racing, Sega Rally and other evolutions perfecting the genre, Sega have been there every step of the way; not forgetting what many predict to be the highest grossing of all arcade titles ever, Daytona USA. 1968 DRIVEMOBILE American start-up, Service Games (SE-GA) creates their first racing simulator designed for the American armed forces. PLAY FEATURES It had a simulated "screen" with a scrolling backdrop, and included a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, scoring system and sound effects. 1969 MOTOCROSS Moto Cros Arcade cabinets that could truly be described as "video games" appeared in the 1970s, using TTL- based discrete logic boards long before CPUS were used. Sega produced several popular arcade racing this time, titles including Moto-Cross in 1976 which would be re-branded as Fonz using the character licensed from the popular Happy Days television show, one of the first arcade franchise licences. 1979 HEAD ON 1979 saw the release of Sega's first racing game with a CPU-based standard system, Head On, using the VIC Dual board. However, they really set new standards with the superior VCO hardware the following year with... 1981 TURBO AALECO SELS TURBO Sega's Turbo was revolutionary and brought many innovations that are still used in racing games today, including the first use of a third person perspective with colour graphics, scaling sprites, multiple landscapes, different times of day, and varying weather conditions. Course design was highly varied for the time and was the first to introduce hills to the terrain of a game. It was also first to mix city, beach and countryside racing, and to use bridges and tunnels. 1985 HANG-ON HANG To counter the threat from Namco's Pole Position, Sega's arcade division invented a board with far more powerful "Super Scaler" sprite tech- nology and 16-bit CPU to create a smoother pseudo 3D effect. It was first utilised with 1985's Space Harrier, and this highly successful motorbike racing game. However the real ground-breaking racing game STEGE I SFEED DTKH was... 1986 OUT RUN OutRun The true successor to Turbo used an upgraded version of the Space Harrier board, and in 1986 Sega perfected the 2D sprite scaled arcade racer with the hugely successful, Out Run. Out Run took the polish and smooth- ness of Pole Position and added back the missing features from Turbo, with many varied colourful landscapes and wildly undulating terrain. SEGA s NA OueRam The new graphics engine allowed far bigger, smoother and more colourful sprites than had been seen before, and gamers around the world flocked to race an open STACE O K topped Ferrari through sunny beach roads. Two innovations that Out Run introduced that go a long way to explaining its sustained popularity are the ability to tune your radio at the beginning - essentially making the background music a standout feature - and adding forks in the road to allow multiple paths to complete the game. Courses were not simple circuits, SELECT HUSIC BY STEERING MAGICAL SOUND SHOHER but instead vast terrains which would eventually lead from one area to another in a continuous road race. 1989 TURBO OUT RUN TURBO A pseudo-sequel to Out Run was released in 1989; Turbo Out Run was a more serious affair, and was less popular than its predecessor. However, it did introduce race rivals and F40 the concept of trying to impress the girl riding in the car with you - both of which would be used as features in 2003's Out Run 2. 1992 VIRTUA RACING www Until 1992, the original Out Run arcade machine was still the most popular and profitable arcade racing game around; an impressive feature considering its 1986 release. Sega finally topped this success with the release of its highly impressive Model 1 arcade architecture, powering the highly popular Virtua Fighter, Star Wars Arcade, and Virtua Racing. 10. 16 D 24 31 EXTEND TIME „147. Virtua Racing was the first truly successful arcade racing game to utilise "real" 3d graphics, using polygons. Rival Namco had created Winning Run in 1988 and Atari released Hard Drivin' the following year, but Sega chose to wait until the power of the technology existed to really create something hugely impressive. The amount of polygons used in Virtua Racing is actually higher than several Model 2 games, but the lack of texture mapping including Daytona means that these could be thrown around to an impressive degree by the Model 1 hardware. It introduced multiple camera views that could be swapped at will, including a helicopter style massively overhead view, which really showed just how DEUTAMEN COURSE RANKNG INSERT COIN(S) CREDIT O SEGA many polygons could be handled at once by the machine, all whilst maintaining an incredibly smooth frame rate. 1994 DAYTONA USA DAYTONA DAYTONA USA DAYTONA USA 1994 saw the face of arcade racing games change forever with the limited, then wide release of Sega's Daytona USA. The game was the first to utilise Sega's Model 2 hardware, meaning smooth 60fps and fully texture mapped polygon graphics. Check Po PURTE. 20/2 Even though there were slightly less polygons on screen than in Virtua Racing, the texture mapping meant a level of detail never before seen in arcade gaming. Daytona USA's graphics were a real pull for crowds, and the catchy background music sang "Daytonnnnaaaa" ensuring anyone visiting an 92 224% arcade in the 90s would never Gallo MORNET forget the title. Daytona USA's handling, especially the drift mechanics, and the genuine huge improvements to lap times - made DAYTONA USA possible by master- ing manual gear 12/20 changes over automatic - would 3/4 give a learning curve and a level of balance never before seen in racing games; which many feel has never been mastered. Like Virtua Racing before it, up to 8 cabinets could be linked, and multiplayer Daytona races remain popular in arcades even today. 1995 SEGA RALLY SEGA RALLY RADE LEADER AcE LEAD Sega's arcade racing division went from strength to strength with the enormously popular Sega Rally; adding different handling for differ- ent types of terrain, and repeating everything that made Daytona such a classic. Not only were graphics and sound improving, the entire gaming experience was as 56 0'26"63 212 0'26"63 well. The force feedback steering wheels in Sega Rally were some of the first in the arcades, and proved a firm favourite with racing game 4 136 kmt fans. 1995 MANX TT MANX Although not the first motor- bike game where the bikes moved just like real motor- cycles, Manx TT took it up a notch with its advanced graphics, for the time, and pegs on the side of the bike - which not only made the game more realistic, but they actually needed to be used to master the sharp turns in the Cousa Har 18 game. Manx TT is still a popular bike game today, and certainly the most memorable. 1998 SEGA RALLY 2 ARAIY Three years later Sega released the massively popular sequel to Sega Rally. With the rapidly increasing pace of computing power in the 1990s, arcade machines had a challenger in the form of home games consoles. 0:26"63 56 212 E 0'26"63 E However, Sega kept the arcade one step ahead with its advanced graphics really pushing the Model 3 hardware. 4 136 kh The cabinet design was also one of the most iconic - no arcade in the late 1990s was complete witl the Sega Rally flashing headlights, and the rally seat design was an eye-catcher. Such was and is the popularity of Sega Rally 2. Many of the machines can still be found in arcades worldwide and are kept on in enthusiats homes as one of the best examples of a racing arcade game. 1998 DAYTONA USA 2 DAYTONA In a year of fine follow-ups, Sega also released the legendary Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge. With a booming speaker system, thunderous engine sounds, and advanced physics enabling drivers to use slipstreams and end up in multiple pile-ups, Daytona USA gave one of the most realistic and great looking track racing game experi- ences to date. SCORPI With a striking colour pallette and extremly detailed polygon texture mapping for its time, this arcade machine isn't just fondly remem- bered, it's now a collectors item commanding large sums when TARTH traded between enthusiastic collectors. 1999 CRAZY TAXI A departure from the standard racing format of many of Sega's earlier games, Crazy Taxi injected some fun into the racing game. The game was one of the first to use the Sega NAOMI processor - a more advanced version of the Dreamcast - which would go on to become the backbone of many future Sega successes. The cabinet also stood out with its bright yellow colouring and built-in sub-woofer reflecting the fun style of the gameplay. As was proving to be the case with other Sega classics, Crazy Taxi would also go on to see 283 success in console form - but also spawn a follow-up arcade game, Crazy Taxi: High Roller in 2003. D 2003 OUT RUN 2 After a wait of a mere 17 years, Sega finally gave Out Run fans what they were looking for - a true sequel worthy of the name Out Run! Out Run 2 brought back the classic red Ferrari - plus 7 others - from the original, with stunning 21st Century visuals and sound. The game was so successful that in 2004 an upgrade, Out Run 2 SP, was released with new courses and one of the best looking racing cabinets ever featuring the famous red Ferrari itself. 2010 GRID GF There's no denying that the mid to late 2000s weren't the best time for the arcade machine; the increasing power and prolifora- |tion of consoles meant that gamers didn't need the arcades for those amazing graphics and experiences like they did in the past. 92 Nonetheless, Sega came out fighting! With their 2010 GRID racing game featuring a huge 42" HD display, linkable gameplay, a standout cabinet design, as well as the world's most recogni- sable cars and track, they got back to doing what the arcade does best, giving that real arcade experience! Although from here on out console and PC gaming will most likely be on par with arcade games graphics-wise, there is still room for the arcade to offer an experience not available at home, through exciting cabinet design and truly immersive gaming. HONOURABLE MENTIONS RAGER Star Wars Pod Racer-2000 Wave Runner- 2000 Not a regular racing game, but if you've played it you'll know it's strangely fun. You aren't on a race track - but you are on a jet ski - and one that can catch some serious air. Presented by: Liberty GAMES New & Reconditioned Arcade Machine Specialists www.libertygames.co.uk @libertygames THE ECOMPLETESEGA HISTORY OF RACING ARCADE GAMES When thinking of arcade-based racing games, for most people only one company comes to mind: Sega. From the domination of their early title, Out Run through Virtua Racing, Sega Rally and other evolutions perfecting the genre, Sega have been there every step of the way; not forgetting what many predict to be the highest grossing of all arcade titles ever, Daytona USA. 1968 DRIVEMOBILE American start-up, Service Games (SE-GA) creates their first racing simulator designed for the American armed forces. PLAY FEATURES It had a simulated "screen" with a scrolling backdrop, and included a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, scoring system and sound effects. 1969 MOTOCROSS Moto Cros Arcade cabinets that could truly be described as "video games" appeared in the 1970s, using TTL- based discrete logic boards long before CPUS were used. Sega produced several popular arcade racing this time, titles including Moto-Cross in 1976 which would be re-branded as Fonz using the character licensed from the popular Happy Days television show, one of the first arcade franchise licences. 1979 HEAD ON 1979 saw the release of Sega's first racing game with a CPU-based standard system, Head On, using the VIC Dual board. However, they really set new standards with the superior VCO hardware the following year with... 1981 TURBO AALECO SELS TURBO Sega's Turbo was revolutionary and brought many innovations that are still used in racing games today, including the first use of a third person perspective with colour graphics, scaling sprites, multiple landscapes, different times of day, and varying weather conditions. Course design was highly varied for the time and was the first to introduce hills to the terrain of a game. It was also first to mix city, beach and countryside racing, and to use bridges and tunnels. 1985 HANG-ON HANG To counter the threat from Namco's Pole Position, Sega's arcade division invented a board with far more powerful "Super Scaler" sprite tech- nology and 16-bit CPU to create a smoother pseudo 3D effect. It was first utilised with 1985's Space Harrier, and this highly successful motorbike racing game. However the real ground-breaking racing game STEGE I SFEED DTKH was... 1986 OUT RUN OutRun The true successor to Turbo used an upgraded version of the Space Harrier board, and in 1986 Sega perfected the 2D sprite scaled arcade racer with the hugely successful, Out Run. Out Run took the polish and smooth- ness of Pole Position and added back the missing features from Turbo, with many varied colourful landscapes and wildly undulating terrain. SEGA s NA OueRam The new graphics engine allowed far bigger, smoother and more colourful sprites than had been seen before, and gamers around the world flocked to race an open STACE O K topped Ferrari through sunny beach roads. Two innovations that Out Run introduced that go a long way to explaining its sustained popularity are the ability to tune your radio at the beginning - essentially making the background music a standout feature - and adding forks in the road to allow multiple paths to complete the game. Courses were not simple circuits, SELECT HUSIC BY STEERING MAGICAL SOUND SHOHER but instead vast terrains which would eventually lead from one area to another in a continuous road race. 1989 TURBO OUT RUN TURBO A pseudo-sequel to Out Run was released in 1989; Turbo Out Run was a more serious affair, and was less popular than its predecessor. However, it did introduce race rivals and F40 the concept of trying to impress the girl riding in the car with you - both of which would be used as features in 2003's Out Run 2. 1992 VIRTUA RACING www Until 1992, the original Out Run arcade machine was still the most popular and profitable arcade racing game around; an impressive feature considering its 1986 release. Sega finally topped this success with the release of its highly impressive Model 1 arcade architecture, powering the highly popular Virtua Fighter, Star Wars Arcade, and Virtua Racing. 10. 16 D 24 31 EXTEND TIME „147. Virtua Racing was the first truly successful arcade racing game to utilise "real" 3d graphics, using polygons. Rival Namco had created Winning Run in 1988 and Atari released Hard Drivin' the following year, but Sega chose to wait until the power of the technology existed to really create something hugely impressive. The amount of polygons used in Virtua Racing is actually higher than several Model 2 games, but the lack of texture mapping including Daytona means that these could be thrown around to an impressive degree by the Model 1 hardware. It introduced multiple camera views that could be swapped at will, including a helicopter style massively overhead view, which really showed just how DEUTAMEN COURSE RANKNG INSERT COIN(S) CREDIT O SEGA many polygons could be handled at once by the machine, all whilst maintaining an incredibly smooth frame rate. 1994 DAYTONA USA DAYTONA DAYTONA USA DAYTONA USA 1994 saw the face of arcade racing games change forever with the limited, then wide release of Sega's Daytona USA. The game was the first to utilise Sega's Model 2 hardware, meaning smooth 60fps and fully texture mapped polygon graphics. Check Po PURTE. 20/2 Even though there were slightly less polygons on screen than in Virtua Racing, the texture mapping meant a level of detail never before seen in arcade gaming. Daytona USA's graphics were a real pull for crowds, and the catchy background music sang "Daytonnnnaaaa" ensuring anyone visiting an 92 224% arcade in the 90s would never Gallo MORNET forget the title. Daytona USA's handling, especially the drift mechanics, and the genuine huge improvements to lap times - made DAYTONA USA possible by master- ing manual gear 12/20 changes over automatic - would 3/4 give a learning curve and a level of balance never before seen in racing games; which many feel has never been mastered. Like Virtua Racing before it, up to 8 cabinets could be linked, and multiplayer Daytona races remain popular in arcades even today. 1995 SEGA RALLY SEGA RALLY RADE LEADER AcE LEAD Sega's arcade racing division went from strength to strength with the enormously popular Sega Rally; adding different handling for differ- ent types of terrain, and repeating everything that made Daytona such a classic. Not only were graphics and sound improving, the entire gaming experience was as 56 0'26"63 212 0'26"63 well. The force feedback steering wheels in Sega Rally were some of the first in the arcades, and proved a firm favourite with racing game 4 136 kmt fans. 1995 MANX TT MANX Although not the first motor- bike game where the bikes moved just like real motor- cycles, Manx TT took it up a notch with its advanced graphics, for the time, and pegs on the side of the bike - which not only made the game more realistic, but they actually needed to be used to master the sharp turns in the Cousa Har 18 game. Manx TT is still a popular bike game today, and certainly the most memorable. 1998 SEGA RALLY 2 ARAIY Three years later Sega released the massively popular sequel to Sega Rally. With the rapidly increasing pace of computing power in the 1990s, arcade machines had a challenger in the form of home games consoles. 0:26"63 56 212 E 0'26"63 E However, Sega kept the arcade one step ahead with its advanced graphics really pushing the Model 3 hardware. 4 136 kh The cabinet design was also one of the most iconic - no arcade in the late 1990s was complete witl the Sega Rally flashing headlights, and the rally seat design was an eye-catcher. Such was and is the popularity of Sega Rally 2. Many of the machines can still be found in arcades worldwide and are kept on in enthusiats homes as one of the best examples of a racing arcade game. 1998 DAYTONA USA 2 DAYTONA In a year of fine follow-ups, Sega also released the legendary Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge. With a booming speaker system, thunderous engine sounds, and advanced physics enabling drivers to use slipstreams and end up in multiple pile-ups, Daytona USA gave one of the most realistic and great looking track racing game experi- ences to date. SCORPI With a striking colour pallette and extremly detailed polygon texture mapping for its time, this arcade machine isn't just fondly remem- bered, it's now a collectors item commanding large sums when TARTH traded between enthusiastic collectors. 1999 CRAZY TAXI A departure from the standard racing format of many of Sega's earlier games, Crazy Taxi injected some fun into the racing game. The game was one of the first to use the Sega NAOMI processor - a more advanced version of the Dreamcast - which would go on to become the backbone of many future Sega successes. The cabinet also stood out with its bright yellow colouring and built-in sub-woofer reflecting the fun style of the gameplay. As was proving to be the case with other Sega classics, Crazy Taxi would also go on to see 283 success in console form - but also spawn a follow-up arcade game, Crazy Taxi: High Roller in 2003. D 2003 OUT RUN 2 After a wait of a mere 17 years, Sega finally gave Out Run fans what they were looking for - a true sequel worthy of the name Out Run! Out Run 2 brought back the classic red Ferrari - plus 7 others - from the original, with stunning 21st Century visuals and sound. The game was so successful that in 2004 an upgrade, Out Run 2 SP, was released with new courses and one of the best looking racing cabinets ever featuring the famous red Ferrari itself. 2010 GRID GF There's no denying that the mid to late 2000s weren't the best time for the arcade machine; the increasing power and prolifora- |tion of consoles meant that gamers didn't need the arcades for those amazing graphics and experiences like they did in the past. 92 Nonetheless, Sega came out fighting! With their 2010 GRID racing game featuring a huge 42" HD display, linkable gameplay, a standout cabinet design, as well as the world's most recogni- sable cars and track, they got back to doing what the arcade does best, giving that real arcade experience! Although from here on out console and PC gaming will most likely be on par with arcade games graphics-wise, there is still room for the arcade to offer an experience not available at home, through exciting cabinet design and truly immersive gaming. HONOURABLE MENTIONS RAGER Star Wars Pod Racer-2000 Wave Runner- 2000 Not a regular racing game, but if you've played it you'll know it's strangely fun. You aren't on a race track - but you are on a jet ski - and one that can catch some serious air. Presented by: Liberty GAMES New & Reconditioned Arcade Machine Specialists www.libertygames.co.uk @libertygames THE