Power Drift

From Sega Retro

For the Saturn version, see Sega Ages Power Drift.

n/a

Power Drift Title.png

Power Drift
System(s): Sega Y Board, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, IBM PC, MSX, PC Engine, ZX Spectrum
Publisher:
Arcade (Y Board)
Sega
PC Engine
Asmik
Amiga
Amstrad CPC
Atari ST
Commodore 64
MSX
ZX Spectrum
Activision (UK)
Amstrad CPC
MSX
ZX Spectrum
MCM Software (ES)
Developer:
Genre: Racing

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Arcade (Y Board)
JP
¥? ?
Arcade (Y Board)
US
$? ?


























PC Engine
JP
¥¥6,900 AS02002

{{#ifeq: 0 | 0 |

Amiga
UK
£24.9924.99[6]
Amiga
UK
(The Hit Squad)
£7.997.99
Atari ST
UK
£19.9919.99[6]
Atari ST
UK
(The Hit Squad)
£7.997.99
Amstrad CPC
ES
(Cassette)
AMC 768
Amstrad CPC
UK
(Cassette)
£9.999.99[6]
Amstrad CPC
UK
(Disk)
£14.9914.99[6]
Amstrad CPC
UK
(The Hit Squad)
£3.993.99
Commodore 64
US
(Disk)
$39.9539.95[7]
Commodore 64
UK
(Cassette)
£9.999.99[6]
Commodore 64
UK
(Disk)
£14.9914.99[6]
Commodore 64
UK
(The Hit Squad)
£3.993.99
Commodore 64
IT
(1)
ZX Spectrum
ES
(Cassette)
LYSEC-714
ZX Spectrum
UK
(Cassette)
£9.999.99[6]
ZX Spectrum
UK
(The Hit Squad)
£3.993.99
IBM PC compatibles
US
IBM PC compatibles
UK
£29.9929.99[8]
MSX
ES

Power Drift (パワードリフト) is a 1988 kart racing game developed for the Sega Y Board arcade platform. It was designed by Yu Suzuki and developed by his team at Sega AM2.

Gameplay

Like many games for the hardware, Power Drift makes heavy use of sprite scaling and rotation, often referred to as Super Scaler technology. It is one of the more ambitious efforts for what is considered at its core to be "2D" hardware, attempting not only to simulate driving down a road (like OutRun), but hills and bridges, as well as a camera which can tilt as the player drives around corners.

In Power Drift the player chooses one of twelve characters and attempts to beat them over the course of five "courses", labeled A through E, each with five tracks. Unlike most Sega arcade racers which rely on an in-game timer to determine whether a user has failed, in Power Drift the player must finish third or above in a race to continue playing.

If the player finishes first in all races, a sixth "special" track is unlocked, where the player has the option to play as the F-14 Tomcat from After Burner (A, C, E) or the motorbike from Super Hang-On (B, D).

Drivers

Michael
Keith
Jason
Storoganoph
Tom
Mark
Jimmy
Emily
Lucy
Jeronimo
Harry
Eric

History

Power Drift was the first kart racing game, predating Nintendo's Super Mario Kart by four years. While less known in America, it was critically and commercially successful in Europe, according to gaming magazines of its time.

Improving on the "Super Scaler" technology and road scrolling effects of Hang-On, Out Run and After Burner, it created all of its track layouts with flat bitmaps to simulate a wholly 3D space using strictly 2D technology, making much use of sprite-scaling and rotation to create a 3D effect.[9]

Legacy

Unlike other works by Yu Suzuki, such as Space Harrier, OutRun, and After Burner, Power Drift skipped most home consoles and did not appear on a home Sega system until the release of a Sega Saturn conversion in 1998 (as Sega Ages Power Drift). It was instead ported to the PC Engine in Japan (by Asmik Ace Entertainment), and a variety of home computers in North America and Europe, including the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, IBM PC, MSX, PC Engine and ZX Spectrum. All computer versions sacrifice many of the sprite effects, and though some were well received by the gaming press at the time, the limitations turn these versions into very different games.

The arcade version of Power Drift was also included in Yu Suzuki Game Works Vol. 1 for the Sega Dreamcast. The arcade version has never been re-released in the western world.

Unusual for Sega's "Super Scaler" arcade games, Power Drift was never ported to the Mega Drive console. Dempa was planning to port the game to the Mega Drive[10], but it was later moved to the Sega CD, before the project was eventually cancelled[9]. When Dempa's license expired, Sega briefly worked on a Sega 32X version[11], which also did not see the light of day.

The Sonic Drift games for the Sega Game Gear handheld console were based on the gameplay of Power Drift, but with characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series.[12]

A remastered version was released by M2 and Sega for the Nintendo 3DS as a part of M2's 3D Classics line under the name 3D Power Drift. This version is a port of the arcade version but with added functionality, such as 3D stereoscopic support and customizable controls.

Versions

Amiga and Atari ST versions

The Amiga and Atari ST versions were programmed simultaneously by Zareh Z. K. Johannes of Software Studios, better known by his alias, "ZZKJ". It is in some ways an evolution of ZZKJ's previous project; the Amiga and Atari ST ports of Super Hang-On.

Sega failed to give the team any of the arcade game's assets or source code, meaning artist Saul Marchese had to take "hundreds" of photos of the arcade machine in action, and watch footage of someone playing the game to the end[13]. Due to the limitation of 16 colours per sprite, DEGAS Elite was used as the primary graphics editor[13].

Unlike Y Board hardware, both the Amiga and ST are incapable of natively scaling sprites, so to create the illusion of depth, all graphics had to be rendered at multiple sizes. A program written by ZZKJ allowed these sprites to be generated on the fly, with Saul touching them up before use[13].

The Amiga port is spread across two floppy disks, while the Atari ST port needs three. To reduce the amount of disk swapping, course graphics were stored on disk 3[14]. Atari ST users also have to choose between music and sound effects, while the Amiga supports both simultaneously.

Code was written to allow Amiga and Atari ST users to compete against each other by using a null modem cable[14], but this feature was not implemented in the final product. Its existence would have made Power Drift the only Sega-to-computer port to adopt this feature, and indeed one of a small handful of games in the entire Amiga/Atari ST shared library to support it.

While the arcade version of the game targets 30FPS at all times, Power Drift on the Amiga and ST averages 6-7[15]. Attempts to mitigate the choppy nature of play involved the manipulation of up to 50 sprites per frame[14].

The Amiga version is optimised to some degree for systems equipped with Motorola 68020 processors[16]. At the time, only the Amiga 2500/20 from 1988 came with this processor out of the box - other Amiga computers would have to be upgraded.

Commodore 64 version

The Commodore 64 version of Power Drift was written by Chris Butler, following his conversion of Thunder Blade and being subsequently poached by Activision to work on new titles[17]. Work began in February 1989 with a deadline of September, the contract had a £250 penalty clause for every week missed past this deadline[17].

The Commodore 64 version loads in one go, devoting roughly 32kB to graphics, 20kB to the game and 6kB to music[17]. A further 1-3kB is reserved for "emergency backup purposes"[18].

The game was written on an Amstrad PCW running WordStar, before being assembled by Avaset X-ASM[18]. Priority was given to eliminating the "wobble" of graphics as they move into the screen (as seen with Butler's conversions of Thunder Blade and Space Harrier)[18].

The development team only had the Power Drift cabinet for four months before it was sent elsewhere[18].

ZX Spectrum version

Power Drfit on the Spectrum was created by Software Studios, with programming by John Mullins and graphics by Clive Paul. On a 48K Spectrum, Power Drift is a multi-load game with each circuit being loaded individually[19], but if played on a 128K machine, everything loads in one go (and includes better music and sound effects).

Again, Sega did not provide the team with source code, meaning the game was created by watching videos and analysing screenshots[20].

The graphics are reduced to simple OutRun-style roads, where corners and hills are simulated, but the horizon is static and the camera does not rotate. The screen updates at about 8-10 frames per second, owing to the way the road moves up and down[20]. For this reason, Power Drift is slower than Mullins' previous Spectrum conversion, WEC Le Mans[20].

Music was developed on an Atari ST[20].

Production credits

Main article: Power Drift/Production credits.

Magazine articles

Main article: Power Drift/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Power Drift/Promotional material.

Photo gallery

Physical scans

Y Board version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(UK)
60
[21]
(DE)
77
[22]
(UK)
100
[23]
Arcade (Y Board)
79
Based on
3 reviews

Power Drift

Y Board, US
PowerDrift YBoard US Manual.pdf
Manual
Y Board, JP

Amiga version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
83 №3, p76-77[24]
Amiga
83
Based on
1 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(UK)
65
[25]
(UK)
88
[16]
(UK)
92
[26]
(DE)
79
[27]
(UK)
69
[28]
(DE)
83
[29]
(UK)
72
[30]
(UK)
70
[31]
(UK)
83
[32]
(UK)
90
[33]
(FR)
77
[34]
(AU)
45
[35]
(UK)
78
[36]
(DE)
36
[37]
(UK)
85
[38]
(UK)
65
[39]
Amiga
74
Based on
16 reviews

Power Drift

Amiga, UK
PowerDrift Amiga EU Box Front.jpg
Cover
Amiga, UK (The Hit Squad)
PowerDrift Amiga UK Box Front THS.jpg
Cover

Amstrad CPC version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(UK)
91
[40]
(UK)
45
[41]
Amstrad CPC
68
Based on
2 reviews

Power Drift

Amstrad CPC, UK (cassette)
PowerDrift CPC UK Box Front Cassette.jpg
Cover
Amstrad CPC, UK (disk)
PowerDrift AmstradCPC EU Box Back.jpgNospine.pngPowerDrift AmstradCPC EU Box Front.jpg
Cover
Amstrad CPC, UK (The Hit Squad)
PowerDrift CPC UK Box HitSquad.jpg
Cover
PowerDrift CPC UK Cassette HitSquad.jpg
Cassette
Amstrad CPC, ES (cassette)
PowerDrift CPC ES Box Cassette MCM.jpg
Cover

Atari ST version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(DE)
83
[42]
(UK)
84
[41]
(FR)
77
[34]
(ES)
60
[43]
(UK)
50
[44]
(UK)
76
[45]
(UK)
83
[46]
(UK)
75
[47]
Atari ST
74
Based on
8 reviews

Power Drift

Atari ST, UK
PowerDrift ST UK Box Back.jpgNospine.pngPowerDrift ST UK Box Front.jpg
Cover
PowerDrift AtariST UK Disk1.jpg
Disk 1
PowerDrift AtariST UK Disk2.jpg
Disk 2
PowerDrift AtariST UK Disk3.jpg
Disk 3
Atari ST, UK (The Hit Squad)
PowerDrift AtariST UK Box Back THS.jpgNospine-small.pngPowerDrift AtariST UK Box Front THS.jpg
Cover

Commodore 64 version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(DE)
80
[48]
(UK)
73
[25]
(DE)
77
[29]
(UK)
87
[49]
(UK)
85
[50]
(UK)
41
[51]
(UK)
80
[52]
(SE)
70
[53]
(UK)
92
[33]
(UK)
100
[54]
(UK)
92
[55]
(UK)
80
[56]
(IT)
95
[57]
Commodore 64
81
Based on
13 reviews

Power Drift

Commodore 64, US
PowerDrift C64 US Box Back.jpgNospine.pngPowerDrift C64 US Box Front.jpg
Cover
Commodore 64, UK
PowerDrift C64 UK Box Back.jpgNospine.pngPowerDrift C64 UK Box Front.jpg
Cover
PowerDrift C64 UK Cassette.jpg
Cassette
Commodore 64, UK (The Hit Squad)
PowerDrift C64 UK Box THS.jpg
Cover
PowerDrift C64 UK Cassette THS.jpg
Cassette
Commodore 64, IT

IBM PC version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(UK)
80
[58]
(FR)
62
[59]
(FR)
35
[60]
IBM PC compatibles
59
Based on
3 reviews

Power Drift

IBM PC, US
PowerDrift IBMPC US Box Back.jpgNospine.pngPowerDrift IBMPC US Box Front.jpg
Cover
PowerDrift IBMPC US Disk1.jpg
Disk 1
PowerDrift IBMPC US Disk2.jpg
Disk 2
PowerDrift IBMPC US Disk3.jpg
Disk 3
PowerDrift IBMPC US Disk4.jpg
Disk 4

MSX version

MSX, ES

MSX, ES (alt)
PowerDrift MSX ES Box.jpg
Cover

PC Engine version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(UK)
60
[61]
(DE)
73
[62]
(UK)
69
[63]
(US)
86
[64]
(UK)
87
[65]
(FR)
53
[66]
(FR)
81
[67]
(DE)
59
[68]
(IT)
76
[69]
PC Engine
72
Based on
9 reviews

Power Drift

PC Engine, JP
Power Drift PCE HuCard JP Back.jpgPower Drift PCE HuCard JP Spine.jpgPowerDrift PCE JP Box Front.jpg
Cover

ZX Spectrum version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(UK)
81
[70]
(UK)
71
[71]
(ES)
60
[72]
(YU)
53
[73]
(UK)
79
[74]
(UK)
81
[75]
(UK)
82
[76]
ZX Spectrum
72
Based on
7 reviews

Power Drift

ZX Spectrum, UK
PowerDrift Spectrum UK Box Front Cassette.jpg
Cover
ZX Spectrum, UK (The Hit Squad)
PowerDrift Spectrum EU Box THS.jpg
Cover
ZX Spectrum, ES
Power Drift Spectrum EU MCM Box.jpg
Cover

Unreleased versions

Notavailable.svg
Power Drift
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD
Publisher: Sega
Planned release date(s):

Sega Mega Drive
1991

Sega Mega-CD
1992-04, 1992-05[77], 1994-01[78]

The game was apparently due to be ported to the Mega Drive and Mega-CD. The Mega Drive version was mentioned in the December 1990 issue of Mean Machines, with an expected release date of Easter 1991, and the Mega-CD version was announced shortly before the system launched, with an expected release of "late Spring" 1992 (April/May). Neither version ever came out.

Technical information

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
PC Engine
 ?
CRC32 25e0f6e9
MD5 c7f4c99ccb9f56ef954f3ccf332ce0db
SHA-1 1ffe1111a570b0cca256a356965fd6cdf7bcf2e9
512kB Card (JP)
PC Engine
 ?
CRC32 0a9ade99
MD5 130a6d649d4498d6998d60211a18a4db
SHA-1 8e021703241c20ebd2a40ee55788c3a5fc4b8592
512kB Card (JP) (Alt)

External links

References

  1. Sega Magazine, "1997-02 (1997-02)" (JP; 1997-01-13), page 24
  2. https://shmuplations.com/afterburner/ (Wayback Machine: 2023-11-13 22:25)
  3. Game Machine, "1988-08-15" (JP; 1988-08-15), page 12
  4. Mega Drive Fan, "June 1992" (JP; 1992-05-08), page 75
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Zero, "November 1989" (UK; 1989-10-12), page 12
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 ACE, "December 1989" (UK; 1989-11-xx), page 93
  7. File:CGW US 072.pdf, page 6
  8. Computer & Video Games, "August 1990" (UK; 1990-07-16), page 13
  9. 9.0 9.1 http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/powerdrift/powerdrift.htm
  10. Beep! MegaDrive, "September 1989" (JP; 1989-XX-XX), page 74
  11. GameFan, "Volume 3, Issue 3: March 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 114
  12. http://toucharcade.com/2014/01/03/sonic-all-stars-racing-transformed-review-an-all-star-sequel/
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 The One, "October 1989" (UK; 1989-09-xx), page 34
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 The One, "October 1989" (UK; 1989-09-xx), page 33
  15. The One, "October 1989" (UK; 1989-09-xx), page 32
  16. 16.0 16.1 Amiga Computing, "Volume 2, Number 8: January 1990" (UK; 19xx-xx-xx), page 35
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Zzap!64, "October 1989" (UK; 1989-xx-xx), page 24
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Zzap!64, "October 1989" (UK; 1989-xx-xx), page 25
  19. File:YourSinclair UK 091.pdf, page 59
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 File:YourSinclair UK 091.pdf, page 58
  21. Commodore User, "October 1988" (UK; 1988-09-26), page 97
  22. Power Play, "3/89" (DE; 1989-02-13), page 60
  23. Sinclair User, "October 1988" (UK; 1988-09-18), page 82
  24. http://amr.abime.net/review_31948
  25. 25.0 25.1 ACE, "December 1989" (UK; 1989-11-xx), page 92
  26. Amiga Format, "December 1989" (UK; 1989-11-09), page 42
  27. Amiga Joker, "Januar '90" (DE; 1989-12-29), page 10
  28. Amiga Power, "January 1992" (UK; 1991-12-19), page 106
  29. 29.0 29.1 Aktueller Software Markt, "Dezember 1989" (DE; 1989-1x-xx), page 53
  30. Commodore Computing International, "January 1990" (UK; 1990-xx-xx), page 51
  31. Commodore User, "November 1989" (UK; 1989-10-23), page 36
  32. Computer & Video Games, "November 1989" (UK; 1989-10-16), page 16
  33. 33.0 33.1 The Games Machine, "December 1989" (UK; 1989-11-09), page 90
  34. 34.0 34.1 Génération 4, "Décembre 1989" (FR; 1989-1x-xx), page 14
  35. Megazone, "June 1990" (AU; 1990-0x-xx), page 35
  36. The One, "November 1989" (UK; 1989-10-xx), page 51
  37. Power Play, "1/90" (DE; 1989-12-15), page 30
  38. Zero, "December 1989" (UK; 1989-1x-xx), page 26
  39. Zzap!64, "January 1990" (UK; 19xx-xx-xx), page 71
  40. Amstrad Action, "December 1989" (UK; 1989-11-09), page 50
  41. 41.0 41.1 The Games Machine, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-11), page 21
  42. Aktueller Software Markt, "Februar 1990" (DE; 1990-xx-xx), page 57
  43. Micromanía (segunda época), "Marzo 1990" (ES; 1990-0x-xx), page 41
  44. The One for ST Games, "November 1991" (UK; 1991-10-26), page 85
  45. ST Action, "January 1990" (UK; 19xx-xx-xx), page 50
  46. ST Format, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-21), page 62
  47. Zero, "January 1990" (UK; 19xx-xx-xx), page 89
  48. 64'er, "März 1990" (DE; 1990-02-16), page 121
  49. Commodore Computing International, "January 1990" (UK; 1990-xx-xx), page 50
  50. Commodore Force, "August 1993" (UK; 1993-06-24), page 18
  51. Commodore Format, "December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-21), page 49
  52. Commodore User, "November 1989" (UK; 1989-10-23), page 38
  53. Datormagazin, "4-18 Januari 1990" (SE; 1990-01-04), page 15
  54. New Computer Express, "November 4, 1989" (UK; 1989-11-02), page 60
  55. Your Commodore, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-01), page 32
  56. Zzap!64, "September 1991" (UK; 1991-08-08), page 73
  57. Zzap!, "Novembre 1989" (IT; 1989-xx-xx), page 16
  58. Computer & Video Games, "September 1990" (UK; 1990-08-16), page 54
  59. Joystick, "Septembre 1990" (FR; 1990-0x-xx), page 167
  60. Tilt, "Septembre 1990" (FR; 1990-0x-xx), page 90
  61. ACE, "August 1990" (UK; 1990-07-xx), page 60
  62. Aktueller Software Markt, "Juni/Juli 1990" (DE; 1990-05-25), page 64
  63. Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume IV" (UK; 1990-11-xx), page 50
  64. GameFan, "Volume 1, Issue 2: December 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 9
  65. The Games Machine, "August 1990" (UK; 1990-07-19), page 52
  66. Génération 4, "Juin 1990" (FR; 1990-0x-xx), page 65
  67. Joystick, "Juin 1990" (FR; 1990-05-xx), page 86
  68. Power Play, "8/90" (DE; 1990-07-13), page 129
  69. Zzap!, "Novembre 1990" (IT; 1990-xx-xx), page 58
  70. Crash, "December 1989" (UK; 1989-11-16), page 70
  71. Crash, "January 1991" (UK; 1991-12-27), page 63
  72. Micromanía (segunda época), "Enero 1990" (ES; 19xx-xx-xx), page 37
  73. Svet Igara, "Januar 1990" (YU; 1990-xx-xx), page 14
  74. Sinclair User, "December 1989" (UK; 1989-11-18), page 39
  75. Sinclair User, "December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-18), page 49
  76. Your Sinclair, "January 1990" (UK; 1989-12-18), page 23
  77. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1991" (US; 1991-1x-xx), page 122
  78. Mega Power, "February 1994" (UK; 1994-01-20), page 10
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