Poimandres
Member
Yeah, I'm a fan
Just saying there are some MK8 tracks that change each lap. Not to the same extent as Sonic but they are exploring the concept at least.
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Is SEGA the best racing game studio?
- Thread starter To Far Away Times
- Start date
Yeah, I'm a fan
Just saying there are some MK8 tracks that change each lap. Not to the same extent as Sonic but they are exploring the concept at least.
Seven Force
Banned
Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion, but I'd be lying if I said WR64 > Daytona USA doesn't baffle me a bit, haha.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
ClayKavalier
Banned
Yeah, I'm a fan
Just saying there are some MK8 tracks that change each lap. Not to the same extent as Sonic but they are exploring the concept at least.
I can't think of which ones. Clearly it's nowhere near the extent some of the tracks change in Sonic.
Fair enough. I think the drift system is the best an arcade racer has ever seen. I like Ridge Racer games too, but the Scalextric style drifting made them extremely shallow.. and RR6 and RR7 were simply poorly designed imo. It just became a case of timing your boost to end as you enter a turn, and then using ultimate charge to refill your bars immediately. I enjoyed them (have a full 1000/1000 on RR6), but they're really not great racers.
The less said about Mario Kart as a racer the better imo. I thought Sonic Transformed struck a much better balance between racing and "item roulette", but I wouldn't count either as being in the upper echelon of actual racers.
RRV is easily the best Ridge Racer (sit down Type 4 fans). It's the only one I think really deserves to be in a "best arcade racer" discussion.
MrCunningham
Member
They were always good at arcade racers. It used to be their specialty. The only other company that could compete with them back in the day was Namco.
A few other racers you didn't mention:
Super Monaco GP:
Though granted the arcade version of this game only had one track: Super Monaco. Despite having worse graphics, the Sega Genesis port added a lot more tracks and additional modes.
Power Drift:
RAD Mobile (Gale Racer):
(this is also the first Sega game to feature Sonic the Hedgehog)
Wave Runner
SCUD Race (Sega Super GT) :
Daytona USA 2:
Ferrari F355 Challenge:
Daytona USA 2001 (Dreamcast):
(yeah the controls were a little off, but it was still pretty great)
Initial D series:
Shame that era is long gone for Sega. For a while, they did have Sumo Digital trying to keep the legacy alive with games like Sega Rally Revo, ports of OutRun 2, and the Sonic All Stars Racing series, and Sumo did actually a very good job. But Sega's internal teams have dried up about a decade ago. Seeing Yu Suzuki's name of an arcade racer meant that you were about to play something good.
djplaeskool
Member
Sega AM2 is god tier when it comes to arcade racing. Sure.
Spaced Harrier
Member
They were the best just generally.
Now... it wouldn't make a difference if they never released a game again.
Now... it wouldn't make a difference if they never released a game again.
Naked Snake
Member
You forgot Virtua Racing OP, a true classic.
I love Sega racers, and Sega's arcade games in general.
I love Sega racers, and Sega's arcade games in general.
magnumpy
Member
are you asking "is SEGA the best racing game studio?" or "was SEGA the best racing game studio?"
Poimandres
Member
Yeah, it doesn't have much of an impact really. I'd like the handling of different vehicle "forms" to be somewhere between Sonic (where boats are a bit too weighty) and MK8 (where the different forms make little difference)
MrCunningham
Member
I think the correct phrasing would be:
"Sega was the best arcade racing studio."
Because they were.
Sega also perfected sim racing in F355 Challenge. A case can be had when you compare it to pc sim racers, but on consoles no game is a better racing sim than F355. And also no sim ever got close to it on arcade.
Racong on hard with clutch and the triple screen setup makes you see how masterful of a sim it is.
dano1
A Sheep
This.
Shadowhaxor
Member
All this talk about arcade racers, I had go fire up "That Michael Bay" racer... aka Split Second. I know it's not a Sega racer, but I always loved it and was a blast to play back in the day. Hell, still is fun.
Poetic.Injustice
Member
Criterion for me.
digita1alchemy
Member
Yes.
Criterion would be another was.
They did an amazing job with Burnout but EA forced them into Need for Speed and things went down hill after that.
Isnt Criterion kinda dead now?
The "was" is all that's worth discussing when it comes to arcade racers. There's no "is".
While they arent perfect they are trying their best to keep the dream alive.
Hopefully we see a reasurgence of arcade racers. I really didn't care for Driveclub.. didnt feel arcade enough nor was a good sim racers. There are a few indies giving it a shot.
I miss PGR so bad
Shadowhaxor
Member
They announced a game at E3 last year and nothing has been said ever since, now that you mention it.
diffusionx
Gold Member
Sega Rally Revo was actually done by a new internal studio (Sega Racing Studios) that got shut down after one game. Sega Rally Revo was an amazing game with great tech that just happened to be fucking impossible. I was really disappointed with it actually.
I totally forgot about that game, last I remember EA gave Need for Speed to someone else and hearing Criterion lost some of its talent.
Also what is Sumo Digital up to these days?
MrCunningham
Member
Oh right, I forgot that it was made by Sega Racing Studio and not Sumo Digital. I guess I am getting these two confused because both studios came from the UK worked on Sega racers. SRS was also bought out by Codemasters and developed the GRID games, or at least GRID 2?
Fox Mulder
Member
It's a shame that much of Sega's great arcade stuff is going to be lost to time and can only be played through piracy.
rockmanjoe
Member
Outrun 2, Sonic Racing Transformed and F-Zero GX are 3 of my favorite arcade racing games, so yes.
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
Namco was no slouch either, same with Konami and Capcom to an extent. But yes, SEGA was the king of arcade racing and driving games in their heyday. They pioneered the experience (taikan) game for the better of arcades everywhere.
I actually like it more than Mario Kart. The handling is just so much better to me.
According to my self-powered rumour mill, Nintendo's having them make the next Mario Tennis.
Seriously though they just released some expansion last month according to Wikipedia and other than that, it's a mystery. They're sure not bringing DLC to SASRT on consoles though.
Was is the key word here.
Tizoc
Member
We had this at the arcade when I was a kid, we could not beat it but the graphics were mind blowing <3
ChamplooJones
Formerly Momotaro
When it comes to arcade racers Sega will always remain the king.
Sim racers on the other hand are a toss up.
Sim racers on the other hand are a toss up.
cj_iwakura
Member
Namco still makes Maximum Tune, so one king is still on the throne.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Yup.
UltraGunner
Banned
I've yet to play any racing game that I've enjoyed as much as the Sega racers.
Teknopathetic
Member
"Namco still makes Maximum Tune, so one king is still on the throne."
Sega released an Initial D update like less than a year ago, though.
Sega released an Initial D update like less than a year ago, though.
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
Daytona USA 2 needs a port already.
Wrote a stupid amount of stuff on it awhile back. There's a ridiculous amount of depth.
Wrote a stupid amount of stuff on it awhile back. There's a ridiculous amount of depth.
sega's mastery of racing games predates video games themselves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhO02gQEu-k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhO02gQEu-k
angrywoodchuck
Member
You forgot Monaco GP and Turbo
bobawesome
Member
Still waiting on that Project Diva racer, SEGA!
No other game has had a more significant impact on my life.
When I was but a wee little boy, cars were just big metal machines that would take us from A to B. That all changed when I came across this gem. With its finely tuned sim-cade style physics it was fairly easy to pick up and play, but still let you feel the nuances in handling of different cars. For the first time, I realized that cars had strengths and weaknesses, and that with few modifications, those strengths grew stronger and those weaknesses could be remedied. It ignited a passion within me that still burns strong to this day. Sure, there are better games now (Forza) but a part of me would REALLY love to see another Sega GT.
Here's to hoping for a Sega GT 2020.