Difference between revisions of "Virtua Formula"

Revision as of 17:06, 27 January 2017

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Virtua Formula

System(s): Sega Model 1

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega AM2

Genre: Racing

Number of players: 1-4

Release	Date	RRP	Code

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Virtua Formula is an expanded version of the 1992 Sega Model 1 arcade game, Virtua Racing.

Gameplay

Virtua Formula consists of a much larger setup to standard editions of Virtua Racing, where players are seated in life-size car-shaped cabinets, watching large screens and racing against nearby players. At the time of release, it was one of the most complex racing configurations ever seen in an arcade environment, and would go on to inspire several other "bigger" adaptions of Sega racers,

Virtua Formula comes in four-player and eight-player variants; though theoretically any number between two and eight cabinets can be linked together (and indeed, one cabinet can act as a (costly) single-player experience). A further Model 1 board is used to drive a screen for spectators, showing the action from different camera angles. Extra stand-alone lights can also be linked up to show the start of a race. There is also a pseudo-commentary by "Virt McPolygon", although this essentially consists of an animated 3D model with text sometimes reflecting what is happening in the race.

From a gameplay front, however, Virtua Formula is identical to Virtua Racing, although eight possible cabinets means eight possible colours for the player's vehicle. Attract sequences are completely different in Virtua Formula and can span multiple screens.

History

Release

The 4-player Virtua Formula deluxe cabinet cost £250,000 for arcade operators, and £3 per play for players.^[2]

Legacy

Virtua Formula cabinets are rare, not just because as medium-scale attractions they typically require more space than the average arcade cabinet, but because as technology improved over the course of the 1990s, Virtua Formula cabinets became less desirable (particularly when compared to the eight-player Daytona USA setups).

Many Virtua Formula cabinets were later converted into eight-player Indy 500 ones.

Gallery

Cabinet

References

Virtua Racing series of games
	Virtua Racing (1992) \| Virtua Formula (1993)
	Virtua Racing (1994)
	Virtua Racing Deluxe (1994)
	Time Warner Interactive's VR Virtua Racing (1995)
	Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 8: Virtua Racing FlatOut (2004)
	Sega Ages Virtua Racing (2019)
Virtua Racing related media
	Virtua Racing & OutRunners (1993) \| Yu Suzuki Produce G-LOC/R360/Virtua Racing (1998)
	Virtua Racing Hisshou Kouryaku Hou (1994) \| Virtua Racing: Official Racing Guide (1994)
	Virtua Racing: Virtua Video (?)

[http:.2F.2Fmamedb.com.2Fgame.2Fvformula-1] ttp://mamedb.com/game/vformula

[:File:CVG_UK_149.pdf_p86-2] File:CVG UK 149.pdf, page 86

[2]

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 ==Gameplay==
-''Virtua Formula'' consists of a much larger setup to standard editions of ''Virtua Racing'', where players are seated in life-size car-shaped cabinets, watching large screens and racing against nearby players. Two versions were released, one with four players and a second with eight, with an on-air camera showing players' facial expressions on a monitor above the cabinet.
+''Virtua Formula'' consists of a much larger setup to standard editions of ''Virtua Racing'', where players are seated in life-size car-shaped cabinets, watching large screens and racing against nearby players. At the time of release, it was one of the most complex racing configurations ever seen in an arcade environment, and would go on to inspire several other "bigger" adaptions of Sega racers,
-However, apart form some attract mode differences and a name change, very little has changed content-wise from the standard ''Virtua Racing''.
+''Virtua Formula'' comes in four-player and eight-player variants; though theoretically any number between two and eight cabinets can be linked together (and indeed, one cabinet can act as a (costly) single-player experience). A further Model 1 board is used to drive a screen for spectators, showing the action from different camera angles. Extra stand-alone lights can also be linked up to show the start of a race. There is also a pseudo-commentary by "Virt McPolygon", although this essentially consists of an animated 3D model with text sometimes reflecting what is happening in the race.
+From a gameplay front, however, ''Virtua Formula'' is identical to ''Virtua Racing'', although eight possible cabinets means eight possible colours for the player's vehicle. Attract sequences are completely different in ''Virtua Formula'' and can span multiple screens.
 ===History===