''Manx TT Super Bike'' 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 jointly by
Sega AM3
, known as from 2000 to 2004, is a defunct division of Sega, a Japanese video game company. Established by 1993, AM3 was managed by Hisao Oguchi and developed a number of arcade games for Sega. Series introduced by AM3 include ''Virtual On'', ' ...
and
Sega-AM4. It is a motorcycle racing game built for 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 ...
arcade board. Up to 8 players can race in this game if enough
arcade cabinet
An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...
s are linked together, following on from ''
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 ...
''. It was later ported to the
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 ...
by
Tantalus Interactive
Tantalus Media (formerly Tantalus Entertainment and Tantalus Interactive) is an Australian video game developer based in Melbourne. It was founded in 1994 by Video game programmer, programmers Andrew Bailey and Trevor Nuridin. Since its incept ...
and to
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
by
Perfect Entertainment
Perfect Entertainment was an independent British computer game developer, which ceased production in 1999. It began in 1991 as Teeny Weeny Games headed by Angela Sutherland but changed names when merging exclusively with Gregg Barnett's Perfect ...
.
The game's setting is the
Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...
- the world-famous and demanding motorcycle racing event held on the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
. There are two courses to race on: the Laxey Coast course for novices and the more difficult TT ("
Tourist Trophy") Course for veteran players. While the TT Course is based on the actual course on the Isle of Man, the Laxey Coast is a fictional course designed by the game developers,
though its scenery is drawn from the Isle of Man.
The arcade game was known at the time for its impressive graphics and innovative cabinet. Many arcade motorcycle games incorporated a bike-like machine that tilted so the player could maneuver the on-screen bike through the physical "bike" (pioneered by another Sega game, ''
Hang-On
is an arcade racing game released by Sega in 1985 and later ported to the Master System. In the game, the player controls a motorcycle against time and other computer-controlled bikes. It was one of the first arcade games to use 16-bit graphi ...
''); to do this, the player would need to push their feet against the floor. The ''Manx TT'' machine, however, was sensitive enough to tilt just from the rider shifting their weight, allowing the player to keep their feet on the machine and use their body weight to control the on-screen bike, making the game feel more realistic.
The game was a hit in arcades across the world.
Sega's decision to entrust the Saturn port of ''Manx TT Super Bike'' to an external developer, particularly one with no experience in porting arcade games, was controversial. However, upon release the game proved to be a major critical success for the Saturn. ''
Motor Raid
''Motor Raid'' (モーターレイド) is a racing video game released by Sega on its Model 2A arcade system board in 1997. In contrast to the realistic style of most of Sega's previous racing games, ''Motor Raid'' uses a futuristic aesthetic and ...
'', a futuristic Sega Model 2 motorcycle racing game, was released as an
arcade conversion In video gaming parlance, a conversion is the production of a game on one computer or console that was originally written for another system. Over the years, video game conversion has taken form in a number of different ways, both in their style a ...
kit for the ''Manx TT Super Bike'' arcade cabinet in 1997.
Development
Producer
Tetsuya Mizuguchi
is a Japanese video game designer, producer, and businessman. Along with ex-Sega developers he is the one of the co-founders of the video game development firm Q Entertainment. He formerly worked for Sega as a producer in their Sega AM3 'arcade m ...
recounted the impetus behind the game:
The in-game motorcycles resemble the team Honda/Castrol
Honda RVF750 RC45
The Honda RVF750R RC45 was a fully faired racing motorcycle created for homologation purposes for the Superbike World Championship by Honda Racing Corporation. The RVF750R was the successor to the VFR750R RC30 (not to be confused with the sport ...
. In making the game, AM3 consulted the motorcycle racing team
Castrol
Castrol is a British oil company that markets industrial and automotive lubricants, offering a wide range of oil, greases and similar products for most lubrication applications. The name ''Castrol'' was originally just the brand name for com ...
/
Honda Racing Corporation
Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is a division of the Honda, Honda Motor Company formed in 1982. The company combines participation in Motorcycle racing, motorcycle races throughout the world with the development of racing machines. Its racing act ...
, who helped them on a number of points, including studies on where sound comes from on a motorcycle and how it travels to the ear of the rider.
The team determined that they needed four sound outputs to recreate this experience realistically. Because the Model 2 arcade board has only two sound outputs, they used a Model 1 sound board for the additional two sound outputs.
Because it takes more polygons to render a motorcycle than to render a car with a similar level of detail, AM3's wish for the game to support up to eight players presented processing difficulties. They opted to limit the bikes to a relatively small number of polygons so that the game could support eight players without suffering slowdown.
The game was first demonstrated at the 1995
Japanese Amusement Machine Manufacturers' Association show; the game was described as only 20% complete at this time, with just one course playable.
Gaming fans and journalists assumed that the Saturn version of the game would be developed by the same internal Sega CS team which handled the Saturn conversion of ''
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 ...
'', but the team was busy with ''
Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition'', which Sega considered a more important release. Sega instead assigned the port to third party developer Tantalus Interactive, though several personnel from Sega of Japan assisted Tantalus towards the end of development.
The assignment came to Tantalus in an indirect manner; Sega initially gave the job of both Saturn and Windows ports to
Psygnosis
Psygnosis Limited (known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Hether ...
, which contracted them out to
Perfect Entertainment
Perfect Entertainment was an independent British computer game developer, which ceased production in 1999. It began in 1991 as Teeny Weeny Games headed by Angela Sutherland but changed names when merging exclusively with Gregg Barnett's Perfect ...
and Tantalus.
Release
The Saturn version features an arcade mode (which is essentially a recreation of the arcade version, including the presentation screens) and a Saturn mode, which includes additional features such as practice races and a challenge course in which all the tracks are played in order.
[ It supports two players using a ]split screen
Split screen may refer to:
* Split screen (computing), dividing graphics into adjacent parts
* Split screen (video production), the visible division of the screen
* ''Split Screen'' (TV series), 1997–2001
* Split-Screen Level, a bug in the vid ...
, as opposed to the linkup multiplayer used in the arcade version,[ and is compatible with the analog controller. The Saturn and PC releases have the game soundtrack as standard Red Book audio which can be listened to in any CD player.
]
Saturn to PC conversion
The PC conversion, based on the Saturn game, offered enhancements to the visuals and gameplay modes.
* Full bike shadows instead of the mesh effect shadow in the Saturn version.
* Perspective correction to remove polygon warping.
* Increased draw distance.
* Higher resolution than the arcade version.
* 3dFx compatibility for filtered textures.
* 8 player multiplayer, like the arcade game.
* Newer voices.
Reception
Arcade
Following a strong audience reaction at the Amusement Trades Exhibition International
The Amusement Trades Exhibition International (ATEI) is the major UK trade show for the coin-op and amusements trade.
See also
* BACTA (British Amusement Caterers Trade Association)
* Coinslot
''Coinslot International'' is a UK trade magazin ...
(ATEI) show in January 1996, the game's UK distributor sold out of ''Manx TT Super Bike'' cabinets, despite costing £15,000 or per deluxe cabinet. In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Manx TT Super Bike'' on their February 15, 1996 issue as being the second most-successful dedicated arcade game of the month. In March 1996, it was the second top-grossing dedicated arcade game in Japan (below 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 ''Alpine Racer
is a racing sports video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It had a limited release in December 1994, followed by a wide release in July 1995. It ran on the Namco System 22 arcade hardware.
The player uses a handlebar controll ...
'') and the overall top-grossing dedicated arcade game in Australia. In North America, the game was also a hit in arcades.
A reviewer for '' Next Generation'' hailed the game as "one of the fastest and most dazzling bike coin-ops in the arcades ... the next evolutionary step in bike racing sims." He said the ability to control the bike without placing one's feet on the ground makes it far more immersive and realistic than any previous cycle racing game, and additionally applauded the effective simulation of speed, high frame rate, "solid" learning curve, persistent and intelligent AI opponents, and the way the bike reacts to being hit or jostled by other racers.
Saturn
Despite the controversy over Sega entrusting the Saturn conversion to an outside developer, upon its release critics agreed that it was an exemplary conversion of the arcade game.[ Dean Mortock, for example, admitted in '']Saturn Power
''Sega Power'', initially known as ''S: The Sega Magazine'', was a Future publication aimed at the Sega range of consoles, including the Master System, Mega Drive, Game Gear and later on the Mega-CD, 32X and Saturn. The magazine was later relaunc ...
'': "... I was certainly sceptical as to the reasoning behind letting another team do the conversion. But, after playing the game inside out, I can honestly say that I believe that this is the finest conversion of ''Manx TT'' onto the Saturn possible."[ The game's smooth control was highly praised, with most critics commenting that all three controller options (standard joypad, analog controller, and steering wheel) work well, with the analog controller allowing the most exceptional precision of the three.]
The most common criticism made of the game was that the additional content of the Saturn version was insufficient to give it the longevity expected of a home console game.[ '']GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' in particular concluded that while the game "is one of the best conversions the Saturn has seen and is also truly fun to play", Saturn owners should pass on it in favor of something with higher value-for-money.[ A ''Next Generation'' critic, however, argued that "what ''Manx TT'' is missing in depth is made up for in its ability to deliver a thrilling racing experience with an incredibly smooth frame rate, top-notch rider animation (a detail that doesn't mean much until you've seen it), and some of the best control dynamics ever offered in a racing game".][ Kraig Kujawa of '']Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'' called it "the perfect racing game to rent", while his co-reviewer Dean Hager argued that though the content is limited, "surprisingly, twill keep you busy for a while."[ Rich Leadbetter of '']Sega Saturn Magazine
''Sega Saturn Magazine'' was a monthly UK magazine covering the Sega Saturn, a home video game console. It held the official Saturn magazine license for the UK, and some issues included a demo CD created by Sega, ''Sega Flash'', which included ...
'' judged that "although lastability could have been improved, Manx TT is a tough, enjoyable experience which does a great job of bringing the arcade game to Saturn."[
]
See also
*'' Suzuki TT Superbikes''
Notes
{{reflist
1995 video games
Amusement Vision games
Arcade video games
Isle of Man TT
Sega-AM3 games
Sega arcade games
Sega Saturn games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games scored by Howard Drossin
Video games set in the Isle of Man
Split-screen multiplayer games
Windows games
Tantalus Media games
Multiplayer and single-player video games