is an
arcade 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 ra ...
released by
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, 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, r ...
in November 1979 in Japan, and January 1980 worldwide. An upgraded version, ''Pro Monaco GP'', was released later in 1980. One of the last
Sega games
The following are lists of Sega games:
General lists
* List of Sega video games
* List of Sega arcade games
* List of Sega mobile games
Pinball machines
* List of Sega pinball machines
By systems
* List of SG-1000 games
* List of Sega Gen ...
to use
TTL
TTL may refer to:
Photography
* Through-the-lens metering, a camera feature
* Zenit TTL, an SLR film camera named for its TTL metering capability
Technology
* Time to live, a computer data lifespan-limiting mechanism
* Transistor–transistor lo ...
chips instead of a
microprocessor
A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...
CPU, the game has players race against a clock and pass rival racers while attempting to earn points driving through five areas.
The game was commercially successful in arcades. In Japan, it was among the top three highest-grossing
games of 1979 and top five
in 1980, while in the United States it was the top-grossing driving game
of 1981. It continued to regularly appear on Japanese arcade charts through 1983, and made a record number of appearances on US arcade charts from 1980 through 1987. ''Monaco GP'' was ported to the
SG-1000
The is a home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business. Developed in response to a downturn in arcades starting in 1982, the SG-1000 was created on the advice of Hayao Nakay ...
in 1983. The series also had later releases ''
Super Monaco GP
is a Formula One racing simulation video game released by Sega, originally as a Sega X Board arcade game in 1989, followed by ports for multiple video game consoles and home computers in the early 1990s. It is the sequel to the 1979 arcade ga ...
'' and ''
Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II
is an arcade-style Formula One racing video game developed and manufactured by Sega for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive, Master System, and the Game Gear in 1992. It is a follow-up to ''Super Monaco GP''. The game was also endorsed by, and ...
''.
Gameplay
''Monaco GP'' is a racing game played from an overhead perspective,
where the main objective is to finish a course before time runs out. Points are awarded as the player races through five areas. As the game progresses, rival cars controlled by the game's
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
get faster, the road narrows, and the road surface changes to ice and gravel.
Various hazards in the road include puddles, narrow bridges, and tunnels where the driver's view is limited by the range of the car's headlights on screen. The timer continues counting down until 2000 points are scored; then, the system changes to a limited number of
lives
Lives may refer to:
* The plural form of a ''life''
* Lives, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran
* The number of lives in a video game
* '' Parallel Lives'', aka ''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans'', a series of biographies of famous m ...
. At 6000 points and again at 8000, rival cars increase in speed. According to ''Sega Arcade History'', the concept for this timer system came from Sega Enterprises president
Hayao Nakayama
is a Japanese businessman and was the former President and CEO of Sega Enterprises, Ltd from 1983 to 1999.
Early life and career
Nakayama was born into a family of doctors, and was expected to pursue medicine as a career. However, Nakayama de ...
. ''Pro Monaco GP'', an upgraded version of the game released later, features a higher difficulty level than the original game.
Development and release
''Monaco GP'' was one of the last arcade games made by Sega to use
transistor–transistor logic Transistor–transistor logic (TTL) is a logic family built from bipolar junction transistors. Its name signifies that transistors perform both the logic function (the first "transistor") and the amplifying function (the second "transistor"), as opp ...
(TTL) based discrete
logic circuits
A logic gate is an idealized or physical device implementing a Boolean function, a logical operation performed on one or more binary inputs that produces a single binary output. Depending on the context, the term may refer to an ideal logic gate ...
instead of a
microprocessor
A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...
-based
central processing unit
A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU performs basic arithmetic, logic, controlling, an ...
(CPU). The game is operated by over 100 chips across two circuit boards. Images are stored in small custom
read-only memory
Read-only memory (ROM) is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be electronically modified after the manufacture of the memory device. Read-only memory is useful for storing sof ...
(ROM) chips, including
sprites, cars, and the "
game over" message. Sound effects, such as the cars' engines, a siren, and the sound of wheels slipping on the pavement, are generated by
operational amplifiers
An operational amplifier (often op amp or opamp) is a DC-coupled high-gain electronic voltage amplifier with a differential input and, usually, a single-ended output. In this configuration, an op amp produces an output potential (relative to c ...
and other analog circuitry. The scoring information appears on various LEDs located on the cabinet, including the player's score and the high score table.
''Pro Monaco GP'' also features a
battery backup
An uninterruptible power supply or uninterruptible power source (UPS) is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source or mains power fails. A UPS differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system ...
system to save high scores if the cabinet loses power.
Multiple styles of arcade cabinet exist for the game, including a deluxe cockpit cabinet which was designed in approximation to sitting behind the wheel of a race car with a padded steering wheel and accelerator pedal.
A tabletop housing and a smaller upright cabinet were also created.
Initially displayed at the Japan Amusement Association show in Tokyo in 1979, ''Monaco GP'' received a positive reception at its debut. Sega chairman
David Rosen called the game's warm reception at the show evidence of the world's growing acceptance of coin-operated arcade games.
''Monaco GP'' was released in November 1979 in Japan,
and in January 1980 worldwide via
Sega/Gremlin.
''Pro Monaco GP'', an upgraded version with a higher difficulty level, was released in Japan in March 1980,
and worldwide in July of the same year.
The original game was later ported to the
SG-1000
The is a home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business. Developed in response to a downturn in arcades starting in 1982, the SG-1000 was created on the advice of Hayao Nakay ...
and SC-3000, Sega's first video game consoles.
The SG-1000 port was released in 1983 in Japan,
and by March 1984 in Europe.
Reception
![Monacogp](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Monacogp.jpg)
''Monaco GP'' became highly successful in arcades. In Japan, it was the third highest-grossing
arcade game of 1979,
then the fifth highest-grossing
arcade game of 1980,
and then the 20th highest-grossing
arcade video game of 1982. Japanese magazine later listed ''Monaco GP'' on their July 15, 1983 issue as being the fifth top-grossing upright/cockpit
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 ...
of the month in Japan. In North America, ''
Cashbox'' reported that ''Monaco GP'' was the most popular arcade driving game in the US
in 1981, and it was among the highest-grossing games of the year. The game appeared on the monthly arcade earnings charts of arcade industry magazine ''RePlay'' from April 1980 until April 1987, a record number of appearances to which
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 ''
Galaga
is a 1981 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. In North America, it was released by Midway Manufacturing. It is the sequel to ''Galaxian'' (1979), Namco's first major video game hit in arcades. Controlling a starshi ...
'' was the next closest to reaching.
In 1985, Eddie Adlum of ''RePlay'' called ''Monaco GP'' the "most evergreen" arcade hit to emerge
from 1979. French magazine ''
Tilt
Tilt may refer to:
Music
* Tilt (American band), a punk rock group, formed in 1992
* Tilt (British band), an electronic music group, formed in 1993
* Tilt (Polish band), a rock band, formed in 1979
Albums
* ''Tilt'' (Cozy Powell album), 1981
* ...
'' gave the SC-3000 version of the game 6 of 6 stars in graphics, and 4 of 6 in gameplay.
Sequels and re-releases
Sega later revived the ''Monaco GP'' series with ''
Super Monaco GP
is a Formula One racing simulation video game released by Sega, originally as a Sega X Board arcade game in 1989, followed by ports for multiple video game consoles and home computers in the early 1990s. It is the sequel to the 1979 arcade ga ...
'' in 1989,
and ''
Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II
is an arcade-style Formula One racing video game developed and manufactured by Sega for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive, Master System, and the Game Gear in 1992. It is a follow-up to ''Super Monaco GP''. The game was also endorsed by, and ...
'' in 1992. ''Super Monaco GP'' designer
Hisao Oguchi
is a Japanese business executive. He was director, vice chairman, and chief creative officer of Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. Oguchi originally was President and CEO of Sega. He currently is president and CEO of Sega Sammy Creation.
Career
Hisao O ...
had played ''Monaco GP'' before working for Sega, and when Oguchi decided to design a game based on Formula One, he started with a different name but chose ''Super Monaco GP'' after listening to opinions that the name was a good one. He referenced a parallel between the
Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...
being the top event in racing and Sega being the top company in arcades.
In 2003,
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, 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, r ...
made a remake of ''Monaco GP'' for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
, as a part of the
Sega Ages 2500 collection.
The remake features a number of additions including more cars and game modes. Kurt Kalata of ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' applauded the ''2500'' remake in particular for its improvements to the gameplay of the original, believing it would have been worthy of a separate release outside Japan.
See also
*
''Head On''
Notes
References
External links
*
''Pro Monaco GP''at the
Killer List of Videogames
Killer List of Videogames (KLOV) is a website featuring an online encyclopedia devoted to cataloging arcade games past and present. It is the video game department of the International Arcade Museum, and has been referred to as "the IMDb for pla ...
German language arcade flyerfrom The Arcade Flyer Archive
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monaco Gp (Arcade Game)
1979 video games
Arcade video games
Discrete video arcade games
Gremlin Industries games
Racing video games
Sega video games
Sega arcade games
Sega Games franchises
SG-1000 games
Top-down racing video games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games set in Monaco