Virtua Racing

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Virtua Racing Title.png

Virtua Racing
System(s): Sega Model 1, Sega Mega Drive, Sega 32X, Sega Saturn
Publisher:
Arcade
Sega Mega Drive
Sega 32X
Sega
Sega Saturn
Time Warner Interactive
Developer:
Genre: Racing

















Release Date RRP Code

Virtua Racing (バーチャレーシング, also known as V.R.) is a racing game developed by Sega AM2 in 1992. It was the first game released for the Sega Model 1 arcade platform, and also the first in the "Virtua" series (it was later followed by Virtua Fighter and Virtua Cop. Initially created as proof of concept program for the system, Virtua Racing was given the all-clear to become a fully fledged arcade title and became one of the first 3D racing games to appear in arcades.

The original release of Virtua Racing has the player race formula 1 cars around three different tracks, however subsequent releases have added tracks and different types of car. The game was pioneering for the genre, but is missing numerous features considered a standard in modern day racers. There are no textured polygons as Model 1 hardware did not support them. There are also no music tracks - instead jingles of several seconds long play as the user crosses checkpoints. The game has a fairly high polygon count however, something that would not be matched by home consoles until several years down the line.

Ports and re-releases

Due to its Arcade success, Virtua Racing was ported to home consoles in the following years. The Sega Mega Drive port released in 1994 uses a custom made "Sega Virtua Processor" chip, allowing the game to render polygons similar to the Super FX chip within Star Fox for the SNES. As a result it is one of the more technically advanced Mega Drive games in the library, but the unusual specifications of the cart mean that it is often one of the first games to not be supported by cost-reduced hardware (for example, it won't work with the Genesis 3). That being said, the Mega Drive version still takes a hit in terms of graphics and sound - displaying fewer polygons at a smaller resolution with a restricted palette and lower framerate.

The Sega 32X port, released a few months later as Virtua Racing Deluxe includes two extra tracks and due to the increased power of the 32X, has a greater resemblance to the Model 1 release. Virtua Racing Deluxe adds support for "stock" and "prototype" cars too. All of the home ports include two-player modes, time trials and options usually only available to arcade operators.

A Sega Saturn release by Time Warner Interactive (initially known as Virtua Racing Saturn) appeared in 1995, sporting seven extra courses (on top of the three arcade tracks), four new cars and a grand prix mode. It borrows nothing from the 32X version and still has a lower polygon count. Also included is full motion video and a CD audio soundtrack (however it still only plays music when players pass through checkpoints).

More recently, the game has been remade as part of the Sega Ages 2500 series on the PlayStation 2, which includes an extra three new courses and four new cars to the Model 1 version.

Production Credits (Virtua Racing)

Arcade Version

Director / Chief Programmer: Yu Suzuki
Programmers: Takuji Masuda, Masahiko Kobayashi, Masahiro Kawamura, Kazuhiko Yamada, Shin Kimura
Chief Designer: Toshihiro Nagoshi
Designers: Seiichi Ishii, Kunihiko Nakata, Toshiya Inoue
Music Composer: Takenobu Mitsuyoshi
Sound Effect: Yasuhiro Takagi
Hardware Designers: Shoji Nishikawa, Keisuke Yasui
Mechanical Effect Technician: Masaki Matsuno
Electrical Technician: Futoshi Ito
Program Supports: Ikuo Taniguchi, Yasuhito Shoji, Satoshi Hosoda
And Our Fresh Staffs: Kohki Koiwa, Toru Ikebuchi, Yasuko Suzuki, Naomi Ota, Takeshi Suzuki, Yasuo Kawagoshi, Nobukatsu Hiranoya
Produced by: Sega

Mega Drive Version

Director: Kouichi Nagata
Chief Programmer: Ryuichi Hattori
SVP Programmer: Osamu Hori
Chief Designer: Minoru Matsuura
Programmers: Kouichi Toya, Eiji Horita
Music Composers: Thoru Nakabayashi, Tomoyuki Kawamura
Hardware Designers: Junichi Terashima, Kouji Tsuchiya
Programmers: Hideya Shibazaki, Yutaka Nishino, Tetsuya Sugimoto
Special Thanks: Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yoshinao Asako
And Our Fresh Staff: Kazuo Ohtani, Takayuki Yamaguchi
Produced by: Sega

Saturn Version

Programming: Michael Alexander, Tim Crossman, Charles Tolman
Graphics Lead: Manuel Laguatan
Graphics: Jose Erazo, Ace Miles, Lindsay Dawson
Audio: Doug Brandon (Sweet Willy), M. Stevens, Earl Vickers
Tools: Chris Ebert
Tuning: Robert Boone
Test Manager: Curtis Soldano
Testing: Robert Boone, John Arvay, Brian Corey
Manual: Bill Hindorff, Curtis Clarkson
Producer: Bill Hindorff

Production Credits (Virtua Racing Deluxe)

Producer: K. Nagata
Chief Programmer: R. Hattori
SH Programmer: O. Hori
Programmers: K. Toya, E. Horita, K. Yokoo
Chief Designer: M. Matsuura
Designers: R. Manabe, M. Kubo
Planner: Y. Saito
Music Composer: N. Hataya
Sound Director: T. Kozaki
Sound Programmer: Y. Kashima
Adviser: M. Kobayashi
Special Thanks: K. Umeda, H. Anbo, R. Hasegawa, K. Yamaji, Y. Soejima, N. Sekine, H. Yokaichiya, T. Sasaki, T. Mitsuyoshi, T. Nakagawa, A. Miyazawa

Gallery

  • Upright cabinet

  • Twin cabinet

  • Deluxe cabinet

Screenshots

  • Big Forest (Model 1)

  • Bay Bridge (Model 1)

  • Acropolis (Model 1)

  • Highland (32X)

  • Sand Park (32X)

Manuals

Mega Drive Version

32X Version

  • US Manual (info) ("VirtuaRacingDeluxe_32XUSManual.cbr" does not exist)
  • JP Manual (info) ("Vrdeluxe 32x jp manual.cbr" does not exist)

Physical Scans

Mega Drive Version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
Sega Mega Drive
 Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
60
[1]
Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J
88
[2]
Console Mania (IT) PAL
96
[3]
Consoles + (FR)
94
[4]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
79
[5]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
84
[6]
Edge (UK)
80
[7]
Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U
100
[8]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
78
[9]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
83
[10]
FLUX (US)
79
[11]
GameFan (US) NTSC-U
90
[12]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
85
[13]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
90
[14]
Gamers (DE)
87
[15]
Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
84
[16]
Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J
90
[17]
Hobby Consolas (ES)
92
[18]
Hyper (AU)
92
[19]
Joker (SI)
83
[20]
Joypad (FR) NTSC-J
96
[21]
Joypad (FR) PAL
96
[22]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
88
[23]
Mega (UK) PAL
92
[24]
Mega Force (FR) NTSC-J
95
[25]
Mega Force (FR)
95
[26]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
88
[27]
Mega Power (UK) PAL
92
[28]
MegaTech (UK) PAL
93
[29]
Magazina Igrushek (RU)
4
[30]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
90
[31]
Player One (FR)
99
[32]
Play Time (DE)
93
[33]
Power Up! (UK)
90
[34]
Power Unlimited (NL)
91
[35]
Score (CZ)
90
[36]
Sega Magazine (UK) PAL
100
[37]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
91
[38]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
89
[39]
Sega Zone (UK) PAL
88
[40]
Sega Force (SE)
92
[41]
SuperGamePower (BR)
96
[42]
The Official Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook (1994) (UK) PAL
90
[43]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
86
[44]
Supergames (AR)
100
[45]
Todo Sega (ES)
94
[46]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
85
[47]
Video Games (DE) PAL
80
[48]
VideoGames (US) NTSC-U
80
[49]
Sega Mega Drive
 87
Based on
49 reviews

Virtua Racing

Mega Drive, US
Virtrac md us cover.jpg
Cover
Virtrac md us cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, EU
Virtrac md eu cover.jpg
Cover
Virtua Racing MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, JP
Virtrac md jp cover.jpg
Cover
Virtua Racing MD JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, BR
VirtuaRacing MD BR Box.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, Asia
Virtua Racing MD Asia Cover.jpg
Cover

32X Version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
94
90
Sega 32X
 92
Based on
2 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Sega 32X
 N/A
Based on
0 reviews

Virtua Racing

32X, US
VirtuaRacingDeluxe 32XUSCoverBack.jpgVirtuaRacingDeluxe 32XUSCover.jpg
Cover
Virtua Racing 32X US Cart.jpg
Cart
32X, EU
VirtuaRacingDeluxe 32X eu boxback.jpgVirtuaRacingDeluxe 32X eu boxfront.jpg
Cover
Virtua Racing 32X EU Cart.jpg
Cart
32X, JP
Vrdeluxe 32x jp backcover.jpgNospine.pngVrdeluxe 32x jp frontcover.jpg
Cover

Saturn Version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
Sega Saturn
 Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Sega Saturn
 N/A
Based on
0 reviews

Virtua Racing

Saturn, US
Virtuaracing sat us backcover.jpgVirtuaRacing Saturn US Box Front.jpg
Cover
Virtuaracing sat us disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, EU
VirtuaRacing Saturn EU Box.jpg
Cover
VirtuaRacing saturn eu cd.jpg
Disc
Saturn, JP
VirtuaRacing Saturn JP Box Back.jpgVirtuaRacing Saturn JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
  1. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 259
  2. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "April 1994" (JP; 1994-03-08), page 19
  3. ↑ Console Mania, "Aprile 1994" (IT; 1994-0x-xx), page 102
  4. ↑ Consoles +, "Juin 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 159
  5. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-15), page 50
  6. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "July 1994" (UK; 1994-06-15), page 107
  7. ↑ Edge, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-03-31), page 82
  8. ↑ Electronic Games (1992-1995), "August 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 84
  9. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "June 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 33
  10. ↑ Famitsu, "1994-03-25" (JP; 1994-03-11), page 1
  11. ↑ FLUX, "Issue #1" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 78
  12. ↑ GameFan, "Volume 2, Issue 7: June 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 26
  13. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 7 No. 4 April 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 36
  14. ↑ GamePro, "June 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 38
  15. ↑ Gamers, "März/April 1994" (DE; 1994-03-04), page 36
  16. ↑ Games World: The Magazine, "July 1994" (UK; 1994-05-26), page 17
  17. ↑ Hippon Super, "April 1994" (JP; 1994-03-03), page 61
  18. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Junio 1994" (ES; 1994-xx-xx), page 60
  19. ↑ Hyper, "March 1994" (AU; 1994-xx-xx), page 22
  20. ↑ Joker, "September 1994" (SI; 1994-xx-xx), page 29
  21. ↑ Joypad, "Avril 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 126
  22. ↑ Joypad, "Mai 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 60
  23. ↑ MAN!AC, "05/94" (DE; 1994-04-13), page 36
  24. ↑ Mega, "April 1994" (UK; 1994-03-17), page 22
  25. ↑ Mega Force, "Avril 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 8
  26. ↑ Mega Force, "Mai 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 96
  27. ↑ Mega Fun, "04/94" (DE; 1994-03-23), page 44
  28. ↑ Mega Power, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-21), page 42
  29. ↑ MegaTech, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-21), page 4
  30. ↑ Magazina Igrushek, "5/1995" (RU; 1995-xx-xx), page 78
  31. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-03-xx), page 49
  32. ↑ Player One, "Mai 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 51
  33. ↑ Play Time, "5/94" (DE; 1994-04-06), page 142
  34. ↑ Power Up!, "Saturday, May 21, 1994" (UK; 1994-05-21), page 1
  35. ↑ Power Unlimited, "Jaargang 2, Nummer 5, Mei 1994" (NL; 1994-04-27), page 28
  36. ↑ Score, "Říjen 1994" (CZ; 1994-10-01), page 53
  37. ↑ Sega Magazine, "August 1994" (UK; 1994-07-15), page 97
  38. ↑ Sega Power, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-03-31), page 28
  39. ↑ Sega Pro, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-21), page 44
  40. ↑ Sega Zone, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-xx), page 54
  41. ↑ Sega Force, "3/94" (SE; 1994-03-29), page 18
  42. ↑ SuperGamePower, "Maio 1994" (BR; 1994-0x-xx), page 34
  43. ↑ The Official Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook (1994), "" (UK; 1994-xx-xx), page 35
  44. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85
  45. ↑ Supergames, "Ano I, Numero I" (AR; 1994-xx-xx), page 6
  46. ↑ Todo Sega, "Junio 1994" (ES; 1994-0x-xx), page 32
  47. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 219
  48. ↑ Video Games, "5/94" (DE; 1994-04-27), page 91
  49. ↑ VideoGames, "August 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 86
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