Scud Race

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Scud Race
System(s): Sega Model 3 Step 1.5
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega AM2
Genre: Racing
Number of players: 1-4
Release Date RRP Code

Scud Race, known as Sega Super GT in North America, is a racing game developed by Sega AM2 for Sega Model 3 Step 1.5 hardware in late 1996. The first Model 3 racing game, Scud Race is a spiritual sequel to Daytona USA with very similar controls, HUD and visual style, though features supercars rather than NASCAR-style stock cars. The working title of this game was simply Supercar, though European flyers suggest that at one point the Scud Race name wasn't deemed final either. "Scud" stands for "Sport Car Ultimate Drive".

Scud Race was likely intended to show off the capabilities of the Model 3 hardware as it contains many bright, colourful and detailed stages all played through at fast speeds while retaining the 60FPS refresh rate. The core engine powering the game does not differ significantly from Daytona USA due to supposed time restraints - major improvements would not be seen until Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge.

Gameplay

Scud Race follows the same basic rules as Daytona USA in terms of gameplay as they both share the same game engine - it is a racing game in which the player competes against several dozen computer controlled cars in an attempt to finish first. As an "arcade style" racer, much of the "realism" is taken out of the equation in order to provide the user with a fast paced, entertaining experience - cars do not handle like they would in reality, but rather how users would want these cars to handle.

Like Daytona USA, Scud Race is based on a real life racing event - the BPR Global GT Series, being sponsored by the BPR Organization. It also features four real-life cars - the Porsche 911 GT2, the Ferrari F40 GTE, the Dodge Viper GTS-R and the McLaren F1 GTR, all of whom could be spotted in the 1995 season. Renault Alpine GTA/A610s are also featured, but are driven by the computer and cannot be selected by the player.

One of the only major changes of Scud Race is the drifting system, as players can now accelerate while drifting.

Cars

	Porsche 911 GT2, "Easy Driving"
	Top speed: 337km/h (AT), 344km/h (MT) The Porsche is the easy option, being the simplest and safest car of the four to drive. It is, however, the slowest, and so is mainly aimed at beginners.
	Ferrari F40 GTE, "Normal Driving"
	Top speed: 349km/h (AT), 359 km/h (MT) The Ferrari is a little quicker and therefore a little harder to control, but is generally the more balanced option.
	Dodge Viper GTS-R, "High Torque"
	Top speed: 338km/h (AT), 349km/h (MT) Though a bit slower than the F40, the Dodge Viper is an easier car to control and very good with corners.
	McLaren F1 GTR, "High Speed"
	Top speed: 355km/h (AT), 369km/h (MT) At the time, the McLaren F1 was the fastest road car available to the general public, so it makes sense that it is also the fasest in Scud Race. But the speed comes at a cost - the car is much more difficult to control than the others.

Sequels and Rereleases

Scud Race was due to be ported to the Sega Saturn, though the vast differences in hardware capabilities meant development moved over to the Sega Dreamcast (similar to Virtua Fighter 3). The Dreamcast version of the game was used in a tech demo in the 1998 Dreamcast Presentation, but the port was cancelled for unknown reasons. Some Dreamcast development kits have sections of Scud Race built in for example purposes.

Unlike Daytona USA, the BPR Global GT Series no longer exists as a sport (and in fact, was discontiuned in 1997 - a year after Scud Race's release), and so may explain why Scud Race was never brought to home consoles. GT racing games (such as Sega GT and its sequels) would stil lbe released by the company in the years that follow, but none follow the "arcade style" gameplay seen here.

Despite seeing no console release of its own, the four tracks in Scud Race appear in the Xbox port of OutRun 2, complete with original music. An updated version of the game, Scud Race Plus and an official soundtrack would be released in Japan.

Production Credits

Producer & game director: Toshihiro Nagoshi
Programmers: Takuji Masuda (program director), Kouki Koiwa, Takashi Fujimura, Kazuhiko Takata, Takashi Isowaki, Takayuki Kazama, Ryo Ikawa
Designers: Yasuo Kawagoshi (design director), Daisuke Sato, Akihito Hiroyoshi, Junichi Yamanaka, Yukinobu Arikawa, Makio Kida, Kazufumi Ohashi, Hidenobu Miyakita, Junichi Yamada, Makoto Osaki, Kazuhiro Izaki, Naotake Nishimura, Shinichiro Shimano
Sound: Hideaki Miyamoto, Toru Nakabayashi, Fumio Ito, Hidenori Shoji

• Digital Media Studio: Tatsutoshi Narita, Naoyuki Machida
• YUMEX: Junji Fujita, Kaoru Ohori, Hiroko Hamano

Cabinet Engineers: Masao Yoshimoto (mechanical supervisor), Eiji Nishimura, Eiji Inoue, Yumiko Ara, Hiroyuki Takahashi, Hideyuki Yamada, Mikio Tsuda, Keisuke Tsukahara
Publicity: Koji Umeda
Special Thanks: BPR Organization, Japan Airlines, Car Graphic, S.S. Company ltd., Cobra Company Japan, Yu Suzuki
Presented by: Sega

Gallery

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  Twin Cabinet

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  Deluxe Cabinet

Artwork

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External Link

• Scud Race Dreamcast tech demo