''Indy 500'' is a 1995

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

developed by

Sega AM1 is a development department within Japanese video game developer Sega that also previously existed as Wow Entertainment and AM1 spent most of its early existence under the leadership of Rikiya Nakagawa and developed a number of arcade games f ...

. Based on the

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...

, the game possesses a license from the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United State ...

, home of the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

, and includes the speedway as one of its courses. ''Indy 500'' was AM1's second game developed using

3D computer graphics 3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for th ...

and their first to utilize color textures. While planned as a

Model 3 The Tesla Model 3 is a Compact executive car, compact executive Sedan (car), sedan that is Battery electric vehicle, battery powered and produced by Tesla, Inc., Tesla. Limited production of the Model 3 began in mid-2017, with the first produ ...

arcade system board release, delays in the hardware's completion led to use of the Model 2 instead. A

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...

port was planned, but later canceled. Reception to ''Indy 500'' was mixed, with some critical comparison to other games such as

Sega AM2 previously known as is a video game development team within the Japanese multinational video game developer Sega. Yu Suzuki, who had previously developed arcade games for Sega including ''Hang-On'' and ''Out Run'', was the first manager of th ...

's ''

Daytona USA is an arcade racing video game developed by Sega AM2 in 1993 and released by Sega in 1994. Players race stock cars on one of three courses. The first game released on the Sega Model 2 three-dimensional arcade system board, a prototype debuted ...

'' and

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

's ''

Ace Driver is a 1994 racing game, racing arcade game developed and published by Namco. The player controls a Formula One racer, with the objective being to complete three laps of a race course and to avoid a collision with opponents and other obstacles. Th ...

'' and ''

Rave Racer is an arcade racing game that was released by Namco in 1995. It runs on Namco System 22 hardware, and could be played by two people per cabinet for up to eight players total when up to four of them were linked together. It is the third arcade t ...

''.

Gameplay

''Indy 500'' is a racing game based on

IndyCar INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...

, and possesses an official license from the

. Players can race one of three courses: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (called

Indy 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of India ...

in the game), Highland Raceway, and Bayside Street, the latter two being fictitious courses. The race commences after the user has made their choice of automatic transmission or manual transmission with a 2-position shifter, capable of selecting 6 speeds. Special features of the cabinet include a steering wheel with haptic feedback. Similar to previous Sega arcade racing games, the game can be played from one of four different camera angles. Each race begins with a

rolling start A rolling start is one of two modes of initiating or restarting an auto race; the other mode is the standing start. In a rolling start, the cars are ordered on the track and are led on a certain number of laps (parade or caution laps) at a pre-det ...

, and players are tasked with racing against opponents and a timer in a three lap event, needing to make it to the next checkpoint before the timer ends. Racing speeds are up to , and up to 420 km/h (260 mph) while in a

slipstream A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid (typically air or mustard) is moving at velocities comparable to that of the moving fluid, relative to the ambient fluid through which the object is churning. The term slip ...

. Up to eight players can compete in multiplayer, via a feature where multiple arcade cabinets can be linked. A hidden feature in the game allows players to race as the pace car.

Development and release

''Indy 500'' was developed by

, an arcade research and development division of Sega led by Rikiya Nakagawa. The game was AM1's second project using

, after 1994's ''

Wing War A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

''. According to Nakagawa, ''Indy 500'' was the first time AM1 was able to develop color textures and gave the team experience in developing games in 3D. For this reason, Nakagawa credits the game as his most memorable project with AM1. The game was originally developed for the

Sega Model 3 is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, respectively. Its division ...

arcade board, but due to delays in the board's development it was instead released on the

Sega Model 2 Sega is a video game developer, publisher, and hardware development company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with multiple offices around the world. The company's involvement in the arcade game industry began as a Japan-based distributor of coin-o ...

, specifically the Model 2B variant first used in ''

Sega Rally Championship ''SEGA Rally Championship'' is a 1994 racing video game developed by Sega AM3 and published by Sega. Originally released for arcades using the Sega Model 2 board, it was converted to the Sega Saturn in 1995 and Windows in 1997. The unique sellin ...

.'' ''Indy 500'' was released in Japan in July 1995, and to other regions by the end of the year. The development team behind the

version of ''Sega Rally Championship'' were planning to do a Saturn conversion of ''Indy 500'', and a Saturn port was announced, but due to fan demand they were taken off of the project and put to work on '' Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition'' instead.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Indy 500'' in their September 1, 1995 issue as being the second most popular dedicated arcade game of the month. However, according to an article published in ''Edge'' a few months after the game's release in Japan, "... reaction to the game in Japan has been relatively muted so far, with

's impressive ''

'' attracting a lot more players". Critical reception to ''Indy 500'' was mixed, but often compared the game to other similar arcade releases and focused on graphics and gameplay. French magazine praised the game's graphics and stated that ''Indy 500'' continued a racing tradition with Sega that began with ''

Virtua Racing ''Virtua Racing'', or ''V.R.'' for short, is a Formula One racing video game developed by Sega AM2 and released for arcades in 1992. ''Virtua Racing'' was initially a proof-of-concept application for exercising a new 3D graphics platform under ...

'' and continued with ''

'' and ''Sega Rally Championship''. Brazilian magazine praised the game in comparison to others, calling both ''Daytona USA'' and ''Sega Rally Championship'' an appetizer for ''Indy 500''. In an article for ''Edge'', the staff pointed out that ''Indy 500'''s graphics were not as high quality as those in Namco's ''

'', which had been released the previous year. Specifically, ''Indy 500'''s graphics lack Gourand shading.'''' A reviewer for ''

Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...

'' stated that ''Indy 500'''s main goal was to bring the fastest speeds ever in an arcade racing game, up to 380 km/h. They compared the game to ''Daytona USA'' and stated that ''Indy 500'' is a more realistic game, but lacks in both graphics and gameplay compared to ''Daytona'' and ''Rave Racer''. By contrast, a ''

Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...

'' reviewer praised the game's graphics and effective simulation of the unique qualities of IndyCar racing, calling ''Indy 500'' "the fastest simulated driving experience ever", but also remarked that the infrequency of powerslides makes the game less fun. ''

Sega Pro ''Sega Pro'' was the first publication from Paragon Publishing and catered for the Sega consoles: the Master System, Game Gear and the Mega Drive. Early editorial staff included Dominic Handy (editor), Les Ellis (games editor), Dave Perry (de ...

'' reviewer Steve Hardy also praised the game's graphics, but was critical of the gameplay and suggested that players play ''Sega Rally Championship'' instead for more excitement. He expressed disappointment that ''Indy 500'''s course selection offered nothing out of the ordinary.

References

External links

* * {{Indy Racing League games 1995 video games Arcade video games Sega arcade games Video games developed in Japan

Gameplay

Development and release

Reception

See also

References

External links