Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Sega Publisher: Sega Year of Release: 1990 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- The 1989 arcade release of Super Monaco GP took Sega's X Board arcade hardware and created a blisteringly fast Formula 1-themed racing game that would likely make your retinas bleed. The action was so frantic and controls so hairy, few players would make it more than a few corners into the race before losing a wheel and ending up a smoking wreck. Coming one year later, the Sega Genesis version brought the thrills and spills of the coin-op to the living room. As well as the original arcade mode, the home version also features a World Championship game mode, featuring 16 different racing circuits and 2 driving seasons, resulting in a total of 32 races. You'll start at the bottom as a rookie driver with an amateur race team, eventually rising through the ranks by challenging the best drivers from rival outfits, eventually supplanting them and taking their car; it's a weird pink slip racing system, but it works. The programmers implemented a graduated steering mechanism where holding the D-pad left or right turns the steering wheel in corresponding direction. It's a pretty neat solution to the problem of trying to implement a full driving experience with a digital control scheme, although players will struggle in the early stages when driving cars with lower handling ratings. Reacting to sharp bends is never easy, but a bad car makes the whole experience so much worse, and I wouldn't blame anyone for giving up in frustration. Things get a whole lot more enjoyable if you manage to inveigle your way into the likes of team Madonna or team Firenze, largely because their cars are more powerful and have great all-round handling. On a technical level, Super Monaco GP is quite impressive. The rolling road routine and physics do a decent job of simulating an F1 racing experience for a 16-bit gaming console. The framerate during races hovers somewhere between 25 - 30 FPS, but it's nippy enough to convey a sense of speed. The visible play area is reduced to make these speeds achievable, although it's not something you notice while playing. For such an early title, Super Monaco GP is decent first-person racer which, provided you can get over the awkward handling of the starting vehicle, is worth persevering with. It looks great, and fans of the F1 scene will likely have a good time with this. Information & Trivia --------------------------------------------------- - Driver G. Ceara is supposedly based on Aryton Senna - G. Ceara challenges you as a rival at at the start of season 2 and is unbeatable. After 2 losses you're automatically demoted to a lower division race team to create more of a challenge - Catapult the race steward at the finishing line into the far distance by driving into him! - Hold down A + B + C buttons before the winners podium in arcade mode for a secret... Video Notes --------------------------------------------------- - Includes World Championship and arcade modes (see chapters) Related Longplays & Videos --------------------------------------------------- Super Monaco GP (Arcade): Chapters --------------------------------------------------- 0:00:00 San Marino GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 0:07:03 Brazil GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 0:13:03 France GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 0:17:46 Hungary GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 0:22:57 West Germany GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 0:28:18 U.S.A. GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 0:33:26 Canada (Championship Mode: Season 1) 0:38:31 Great Britain GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 0:43:16 Italy GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 0:48:21 Portugal GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 0:53:22 Spain GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 0:58:34 Mexico GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 1:03:16 Japan GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 1:08:46 Belgium GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 1:14:02 Australia GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 1:18:46 Monaco GP (Championship Mode: Season 1) 1:24:25 San Marino GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 1:29:37 Brazil GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 1:34:48 France GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 1:39:46 Hungary GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 1:45:38 West Germany GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 1:51:16 U.S.A. GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 1:56:21 Canada (Championship Mode: Season 2) 2:01:30 Great Britain GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 2:06:12 Italy GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 2:11:11 Portugal GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 2:16:05 Spain GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 2:21:16 Mexico GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 2:26:00 Japan GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 2:31:26 Belgium GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 2:37:05 Australia GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 2:41:57 Monaco GP (Championship Mode: Season 2) 2:47:01 Ending 2:49:43 Super Monaco GP (Arcade Mode)
