Difference between revisions of "MegaRace"

From Sega Retro
(added info from manual and Wikipedia)
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Despite being an European game (and being advertised in Europe, to be published under the [[Mindscape]] brand), the Mega-CD version was only released in North America. It was given a supposed release date of May 1994 in the UK.{{magref|cvg|150|78}}
 
Despite being an European game (and being advertised in Europe, to be published under the [[Mindscape]] brand), the Mega-CD version was only released in North America. It was given a supposed release date of May 1994 in the UK.{{magref|cvg|150|78}}
 +
 +
==Story==
 +
{{ScreenThumb|MegaRace, Host.png|width=200|Lance Boyle}}
 +
The game takes place in the distant future, where the player is a contestant on a fictional game show and namesake, ''MegaRace''. ''MegaRace'' is broadcast on the fictional VWBT (Virtual World Broadcast Television) television channel, where contestants compete in life-or-death races against gangs of "speed punks." The show's host is the eccentric Lance Boyle, who guides the player throughout the game, introducing new levels and enemies, frequently discouraging the player.
  
 
==Gameplay==
 
==Gameplay==
−
''MegaRace'' is a futuristic racing game set in a virtual world where the objective is either to win in a three-lap race or destroy all opponents on the track. It is one of several racing games produced around this period where tracks are represented entirely by full motion video - while the player can accelerate and break, it is not possible to "turn" your vehicle, with {{Left}} and {{Right}} merely adjusting its horizontal position on-screen.
+
''MegaRace'' is a futuristic racing game set in a virtual world. It is one of several racing games produced around this period where tracks are represented entirely by [[full-motion video]]. The car can only accelerate and brake within a narrow range (and cannot be brought to a complete stop), and "turning" only changes the horizontal position of the car on-screen, similar to a rail shooter, rather than steering. The objective is to destroy all of the opponents on the track before three laps of the racetrack are completed. The player must also selectively avoid or run over symbols marked on the speedway, which temporarily improve or impair the car's performance. The first race starts out with a small number of speed-gang punks, but more are added in each subsequent race.
 +
 
 +
The car is moved with {{left}} and {{right}}. It accelerates with {{up}} and brakes with {{down}} (but there are two alternative control schemes that map these to {{A}} and {{B}} instead). The player can dispatch opponents by slamming them into the sidewall of the track or hitting them with guns or missiles. Car are initially equipped with guns, but some cars can also acquire missiles by driving over the missile symbol on the road. Weapons are fired with {{C}} but cost energy to fire (with missiles costing more energy than guns).
 +
 
 +
There are multiple selectable cars. The status area on the bottom of the screen differs in appearance depending on which car is being driven but contains the same information. The three bars in the center are a speed bar, energy bar, and damage bar. The car cannot fire its weapon when the energy bar is exhausted, and it is destroyed when the damage bar is emptied. One side of the status area (depending on the car) shows the current enemy's car and damage bar. The other side shows the "Thrill-O-Meter," which gauges the audience's excitement with the race and increases as the player engages in vehicular combat and destroys opponents.
 +
 
 +
If all opponents are not killed within three laps, the race is lost and the player must start again from the last saved game. If all opponents are successfully dispatched, the player moves on to the next race. There are two difficulty levels (Novice and Hardened).
 +
 
 +
===Cars===
 +
The first three cars are initially available. The other cars are earned after defeating their owners in a race. Cars are rated on weapons, armor, ease of control, and "Techno" (support for special devices such as shields awarded by certain road symbols).
 +
{{gallery|widths=200|screens=yes|
 +
{{gitem|MegaRace, Cars, Luis.png|Luis}}
 +
{{gitem|MegaRace, Cars, Ouzbel.png|Ouzbel}}
 +
{{gitem|MegaRace, Cars, Jose.png|Jose}}
 +
{{gitem|Notavailable.svg|Ramon}}
 +
{{gitem|Notavailable.svg|Maria}}
 +
{{gitem|Notavailable.svg|Hooper}}
 +
{{gitem|Notavailable.svg|Paloma}}
 +
{{gitem|Notavailable.svg|Omega}}
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Symbols===
 +
Symbols appear on the road and cause certain effects when they are driven over.
 +
{{InfoTable|imagewidths=50|
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Booster +
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Booster -
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Points +
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Points -
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Energy +
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Energy -
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Weapon
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=No Weapon
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Missile
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Rails
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Shield
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Radar Jam
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Blinding Zone
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Panel Off
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Skidding
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Skidding Turn
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Warning
 +
| sprite=
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Tracks===
 +
There are three areas, each defended by a different gang.
 +
====NewSan====
 +
{{InfoTable|imagewidths=320|
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Uptown
 +
| screenshot=MegaRace, Race 1.png
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Sunset Boulevard
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Golden Gate Speedway
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
}}
 +
====Maeva====
 +
{{InfoTable|imagewidths=320|
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Atlantis
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Aqualand
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=The Blue Lagoon Funworld
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
}}
 +
====Factoryland====
 +
{{InfoTable|imagewidths=320|
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Industrial Park
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=The Snake
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=The Big Zero
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
}}
 +
====Terminal City====
 +
{{InfoTable|imagewidths=320|
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Wasteland
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Orbital Junkyard
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
}}
 +
====Fractalian Space====
 +
{{InfoTable|imagewidths=320|
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=The Particle Accelerator
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=The Belly of the Beast
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Paradise Valley
 +
| screenshot=Notavailable.svg
 +
| desc=
 +
}}
 +
}}
  
−
In game music is not streamed off the CD, instead being generated by the sound chips of the [[Mega Drive]].
+
==Music and sound==
 +
In-game music is not streamed off the CD, instead being generated by the sound chips of the [[Mega Drive]].
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
 
===Legacy===
 
===Legacy===
−
''MegaRace'' was followed by ''MegaRace 2'' and ''MegaRace 3'' in 1996 and 2002, respectively.
+
''MegaRace'' was followed by ''MegaRace 2'' for [[IBM PC|DOS]] in 1996 and ''MegaRace 3'' for [[Windows]] and the [[PlayStation 2]].
 +
 
 +
==Production credits==
 +
{{multicol|
 +
{{creditstable|
 +
*'''Created by:''' [[Cryo Interactive Entertainment]]
 +
*'''Graphics:''' Frank de Luca, Madjid Taibi
 +
*'''Additional Graphics:''' Philippe Lamoureux, Florian Desforges
 +
*'''Bitmap Graphics:''' Daniele Herbulot
 +
*'''Renders & Gameplay:''' Florian Desforges
 +
*'''Program:''' Olivier Robin (Haiku Studios), Olivier Crozet (Haiku Studios), Pascal Urro, Remi Herbulot
 +
*'''Programmer:''' Eric Safar
 +
*'''Music & Sounds:''' Stephane Picq
 +
*'''TV Host:''' Christian Erikson
 +
*'''Texts:''' Johan Robson
 +
*'''Shooting Crew:''' Johan Robson, Olivier Levy, Philippe Jedar, Remi Herbulot, Daniele Herbulot
 +
*'''Video Digits:''' Daniele Herbulot, Remi Herbulot
 +
*'''Producers:''' Simon Harris, Steve Hutchins
 +
*'''US Product Manager:''' Greg Dawson
 +
*'''Game Testing:''' Jon Howe, Hugh Mason, Craig Brisgel, Daryl Bunting, James Thornton III, Scott Van Schoick, Danny Isaac, Neil Soane
 +
*'''Documentation:''' Karl Fitzhugh, Anne O'Brien, Bill Duncan, Clive Fort
 +
*'''Special Thanks To:''' Jean-Martial LeFranc, Jim Fisher, Jim Molitor, George M., Steve Whittle, Juliet Pitt, Greno, Inspector Preston of US Customs, Carol Shelby, S.C.T.A., Lee Singleton, [[Mindscape]] Technical Services
 +
*'''Directed By:''' Remi Herbulot
 +
*'''Produced By:''' Steve Hutchins
 +
*'''Technical Support:''' Dave Locke
 +
*'''Technical Support Manage:''' Dave Buoncristiani
 +
*'''Packaging, Documentation, and Marketing:''' Myrna Peskin, Anne O'Brien, Julie A. Lippold, Ruth A. Weston, Beeline Group, Inc.
 +
| source=US manual
 +
| pdf=Megarace mcd us manual.pdf
 +
| pdfpage=22
 +
| console=MCD
 +
}}
 +
}}
  
 
==Magazine articles==
 
==Magazine articles==

Revision as of 10:52, 23 February 2023

n/a

MegaRace title.png

MegaRace
System(s): Sega Mega-CD
Publisher: The Software Toolworks
Developer:
Genre: Racing

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega-CD
US 		T-87025
Videogame Rating Council: MA-13
Non-Sega versions

This short article is in need of work. You can help Sega Retro by adding to it.

MegaRace is a Sega Mega-CD racing/shooting game developed by Cryo Interactive Entertainment and published by The Software Toolworks.

Despite being an European game (and being advertised in Europe, to be published under the Mindscape brand), the Mega-CD version was only released in North America. It was given a supposed release date of May 1994 in the UK.[1]

Story

MegaRace, Host.png

Lance Boyle

The game takes place in the distant future, where the player is a contestant on a fictional game show and namesake, MegaRace. MegaRace is broadcast on the fictional VWBT (Virtual World Broadcast Television) television channel, where contestants compete in life-or-death races against gangs of "speed punks." The show's host is the eccentric Lance Boyle, who guides the player throughout the game, introducing new levels and enemies, frequently discouraging the player.

Gameplay

MegaRace is a futuristic racing game set in a virtual world. It is one of several racing games produced around this period where tracks are represented entirely by full-motion video. The car can only accelerate and brake within a narrow range (and cannot be brought to a complete stop), and "turning" only changes the horizontal position of the car on-screen, similar to a rail shooter, rather than steering. The objective is to destroy all of the opponents on the track before three laps of the racetrack are completed. The player must also selectively avoid or run over symbols marked on the speedway, which temporarily improve or impair the car's performance. The first race starts out with a small number of speed-gang punks, but more are added in each subsequent race.

The car is moved with Left and Right. It accelerates with Up and brakes with Down (but there are two alternative control schemes that map these to A and B instead). The player can dispatch opponents by slamming them into the sidewall of the track or hitting them with guns or missiles. Car are initially equipped with guns, but some cars can also acquire missiles by driving over the missile symbol on the road. Weapons are fired with C but cost energy to fire (with missiles costing more energy than guns).

There are multiple selectable cars. The status area on the bottom of the screen differs in appearance depending on which car is being driven but contains the same information. The three bars in the center are a speed bar, energy bar, and damage bar. The car cannot fire its weapon when the energy bar is exhausted, and it is destroyed when the damage bar is emptied. One side of the status area (depending on the car) shows the current enemy's car and damage bar. The other side shows the "Thrill-O-Meter," which gauges the audience's excitement with the race and increases as the player engages in vehicular combat and destroys opponents.

If all opponents are not killed within three laps, the race is lost and the player must start again from the last saved game. If all opponents are successfully dispatched, the player moves on to the next race. There are two difficulty levels (Novice and Hardened).

Cars

The first three cars are initially available. The other cars are earned after defeating their owners in a race. Cars are rated on weapons, armor, ease of control, and "Techno" (support for special devices such as shields awarded by certain road symbols).

MegaRace, Cars, Luis.png

Luis
MegaRace, Cars, Luis.png

MegaRace, Cars, Ouzbel.png

Ouzbel
MegaRace, Cars, Ouzbel.png

MegaRace, Cars, Jose.png

Jose
MegaRace, Cars, Jose.png

Notavailable.svg

Ramon
Notavailable.svg

Notavailable.svg

Maria
Notavailable.svg

Notavailable.svg

Hooper
Notavailable.svg

Notavailable.svg

Paloma
Notavailable.svg

Notavailable.svg

Omega
Notavailable.svg

Symbols

Symbols appear on the road and cause certain effects when they are driven over.

Booster +
Booster -
Points +
Points -
Energy +
Energy -
Weapon
No Weapon
Missile
Rails
Shield
Radar Jam
Blinding Zone
Panel Off
Skidding
Skidding Turn
Warning

Tracks

There are three areas, each defended by a different gang.

NewSan

<div class="bobtransform" style="transform:scale(1,Expression error: Unexpected < operator.); transform-origin:0% 0%; !important;"> <div style="width:320px; height:Expression error: Unexpected < operator.px;"> 320px

Uptown

Notavailable.svg

Sunset Boulevard

Notavailable.svg

Golden Gate Speedway

Maeva

Notavailable.svg

Atlantis

Notavailable.svg

Aqualand

Notavailable.svg

The Blue Lagoon Funworld

Factoryland

Notavailable.svg

Industrial Park

Notavailable.svg

The Snake

Notavailable.svg

The Big Zero

Terminal City

Notavailable.svg

Wasteland

Notavailable.svg

Orbital Junkyard

Fractalian Space

Notavailable.svg

The Particle Accelerator

Notavailable.svg

The Belly of the Beast

Notavailable.svg

Paradise Valley

Music and sound

In-game music is not streamed off the CD, instead being generated by the sound chips of the Mega Drive.

History

Legacy

MegaRace was followed by MegaRace 2 for DOS in 1996 and MegaRace 3 for Windows and the PlayStation 2.

Production credits

  • Created by: Cryo Interactive Entertainment
  • Graphics: Frank de Luca, Madjid Taibi
  • Additional Graphics: Philippe Lamoureux, Florian Desforges
  • Bitmap Graphics: Daniele Herbulot
  • Renders & Gameplay: Florian Desforges
  • Program: Olivier Robin (Haiku Studios), Olivier Crozet (Haiku Studios), Pascal Urro, Remi Herbulot
  • Programmer: Eric Safar
  • Music & Sounds: Stephane Picq
  • TV Host: Christian Erikson
  • Texts: Johan Robson
  • Shooting Crew: Johan Robson, Olivier Levy, Philippe Jedar, Remi Herbulot, Daniele Herbulot
  • Video Digits: Daniele Herbulot, Remi Herbulot
  • Producers: Simon Harris, Steve Hutchins
  • US Product Manager: Greg Dawson
  • Game Testing: Jon Howe, Hugh Mason, Craig Brisgel, Daryl Bunting, James Thornton III, Scott Van Schoick, Danny Isaac, Neil Soane
  • Documentation: Karl Fitzhugh, Anne O'Brien, Bill Duncan, Clive Fort
  • Special Thanks To: Jean-Martial LeFranc, Jim Fisher, Jim Molitor, George M., Steve Whittle, Juliet Pitt, Greno, Inspector Preston of US Customs, Carol Shelby, S.C.T.A., Lee Singleton, Mindscape Technical Services
  • Directed By: Remi Herbulot
  • Produced By: Steve Hutchins
  • Technical Support: Dave Locke
  • Technical Support Manage: Dave Buoncristiani
  • Packaging, Documentation, and Marketing: Myrna Peskin, Anne O'Brien, Julie A. Lippold, Ruth A. Weston, Beeline Group, Inc.
Source:
US manual
Megarace mcd us manual.pdf
[2]

Magazine articles

Main article: MegaRace/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #58: "May 1994" (1994-xx-xx)
also published in:
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Sega Pro (DE) #1994-09: "September 1994" (1994-09-02)
Logo-pdf.svg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Consoles + (FR)
77
[4]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
75
[5]
Joypad (FR) PAL
35
[6]
Mega (UK) PAL
73
[7]
Mega Force (FR) PAL
68
[8]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) NTSC-U
55
[9]
Sega Magazine (UK) PAL
73
[10]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
79
[11]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
72
[12]
Sega Mega-CD
 67
Based on
9 reviews

MegaRace

Mega-CD, US
MegaRace MCD US Box Back.jpgMegaRace MCD US Box Front.jpg
Cover
MegaRace MCD US Disc.jpg
Disc
Megarace mcd us manual.pdf
Manual

Technical information

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments

References

  1. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-15), page 78
  2. ↑ File:Megarace mcd us manual.pdf, page 22
  3. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "June 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 26
  4. ↑ Consoles +, "Septembre 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 147
  5. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "October 1994" (UK; 1994-09-15), page 99
  6. ↑ Joypad, "Septembre 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 109
  7. ↑ Mega, "October 1994" (UK; 1994-09-29), page 48
  8. ↑ Mega Force, "Septembre 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 88
  9. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "November 1994" (UK; 1994-09-30), page 102
  10. ↑ Sega Magazine, "October 1994" (UK; 1994-09-15), page 90
  11. ↑ Sega Power, "October 1994" (UK; 1994-09-01), page 56
  12. ↑ Sega Pro, "October 1994" (UK; 1994-09-08), page 52


MegaRace

MegaRace title.png

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