Cyber Speedway

From Sega Retro

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  • NTSC-U/PAL
  • NTSC-J

CyberSpeedway title.png

GranChaser Saturn JP Title.png

Cyber Speedway
System(s): Sega Saturn
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Sound driver: SCSP/CD-DA (20 tracks)
Peripherals supported: Arcade Racer
Genre: Driving[1], Racing[2]

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Saturn
JP 		¥5,8005,800 GS-9022
Sega Rating: All Ages
Sega Saturn
US 		$69.9969.99[4] 81205
ESRB: Kids to Adults
Sega Saturn
EU 		MK-81205-50
ELSPA: 3+ OK
Sega Saturn
DE 		MK-81205-50
USK: 6
Sega Saturn
PT
Sega Saturn
UK 		£44.9944.99[6] MK-81205-50
ELSPA: 3+ OK
Sega Saturn
PL
Sega Saturn
AU
OFLC: G
Sega Saturn
BR 		191636
Tectoy: Todas as Idades

Cyber Speedway, called Gran Chaser (グランチェイサー) in Japan, is a 1995 racing game by Nextech under contract from Sega for the Sega Saturn.

The game's hovercraft were designed by Syd Mead, whose futuristic designs have been featured in films such as Blade Runner, Tron, and Aliens.

For its North American release, the game's original soundtrack, composed by Kouji Hayama, was replaced with works by the band Bygone Dogs.

Story

Sometime in the future, the civilizations of the universe have developed to such a point that war is no longer necessary for settling conflicts. However, some primitive civilizations continue the practice, such as the savage Kaladasia and the barbaric Earth, who have been engaged in conflict for countless generations. As these planets pose the last barriers to universal peace, the leaders of all the other civilized planets of the universe developed a means of settling the hostilities, called the Cyber Speedway. Instead of fighting in armed battles where millions will die, the belligerents will instead race high-tech sleds on cyber-race courses to decide their disputes.

Gameplay

The game is a science fiction, cyberpunk-themed racing game where players race futuristic hovercraft (called "sleds") on different planets.

The sled steers with Left or Right. It can "steering boost" by rotating sideways for tighter turns with L or R. Steering boosts are limited by the Boost meter (which replenishes quickly when it is not used). The sled accelerates with B and brakes with A. It fires its rockets with C, which are limited in supply (but can be collected by driving over item pick-ups). Rockets explode in an area and damage and temporarily disable enemy racers that are caught in the blast radius. The game supports the Arcade Racer.

The sled takes damage if it is hit by an enemy rocket, from environmental hazards, or from colliding with terrain, obstacles, or other racers. Taking damage drains the Shield meter (which cannot be replenished during a race). Environmental hazards include large icicles on the ice planet and lava on the volcanic planet. Detector lines appear in a large circle in the center of the screen and flash red when the player is in danger because an enemy racer or an enemy rocket is close behind the player's sled. The player is retired from the race if the shield is depleted and the sled is destroyed.

Each race is five laps. Green sleds appear during races but act solely as obstructions and do not affect the player's ranking. Some courses contain hidden shortcuts.

Modes

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Cutscene.png

Cutscene

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Split Screen.png

Two-player split screen

There are two game modes. In the Story Mode, the player assumes the role of Clay Shaw, a racer who represents Earth in a series of races to determine the outcome of its conflicts with the Kaladasians and other war-mongering planets. Cutscenes with voice-acting and comic-style artwork appear in between each race to tell the story.

All of the courses are raced in order, and there are two difficulty levels, Standard and Advanced, which determines which version of each course is played. After the first race, the player must finish in at least the top three in Standard or first place in Advanced in order to proceed to the next race. The final course, Armasatelles, is only played on Advanced. Before each race, the player can make equipment selections for the sled.

The player starts the game with three continues and earns another for every 3,000 points earned. Points are earned for finishing each lap and the race in higher positions and for finishing the race with more rockets and shields remaining.

The Free Run Mode is a practice mode where players can choose any sled and any course (except Armasatelles). One player can race the clock in the Time Trial or race against four computer opponents in 1P vs CPU, and two players can go head-to-head in 1P vs 2P in a split-screen race (with no computer opponents).

Equipment

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Equipment Select.png

Equipment selection

Before every race in the Story Mode, the player can make adjustments to the sled's equipment:

  • Engine: Changes the engine between Power (faster acceleration but lower top speed), Neutral, and Speed (highest top speed but slower acceleration).
  • Steering: Changes the steering between Heavy, Neutral, and Light.
  • Brake: Changes the braking between Hard, Neutral, and Soft.
  • Special: Chooses special equipment between Boost (reduces the amount that the Boost meter is drained when using steering boosts), Shield (reduces the amount that the Shield meter is drained when taking damage), and Weapon (increases the blast radius of the player's rockets). This equipment is unlocked one piece at a time after completing races successfully.

Before each race, Nard Morgan, the player's chief mechanic, offers advice about the best equipment selections for each course.

Items

Items are found throughout the courses and collected by driving over them.

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Rocket.png
 Rocket
Adds a rocket to the sled's inventory, up to 5. Every sled starts the race with no rockets.

Sleds

Only one sled, the Terra, is available in the Story Mode, while the others appear as competitors. In the Free Run Mode, players can choose any sled.

Sleds are rated on Acceleration, Max Speed, Steering, and Brake.

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Sleds, Terra.png

Terra
A well-rounded sled produced by Earth with moderate statistics in every category.

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Sleds, Kaladasia.png

Kaladasia
A sled produced by Kaladasia, Earth's archenemy, which has the highest speed but the worst acceleration and braking.

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Sleds, Alcmaeon.png

Alcmaeon
A sled produced by Alcmaeons, a planet in military alliance with Earth, which has superior handling and braking.

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Sleds, Drum.png

Drum
A sled produced by the Drums, an ally of the Kaladasians, which has high acceleration and deceleration but low top speed.

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Sleds, Cerebun.png

Cerebun
A sled produced by the Cerebun, a neutral party in the war, which has excellent acceleration but poor statistics in every other category.

Views

The player can switch between three different perspectives at any point during the race.

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Views, Driver's View.png

Driver's View (X)
Cyber Speedway Saturn, Views, Driver's View.png

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Views, Normal View.png

Normal View (Y)
Cyber Speedway Saturn, Views, Normal View.png

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Views, High View.png

High View (Z)
Cyber Speedway Saturn, Views, High View.png

Courses

The Cyber Speedway arena spans six planets. Every location has a Standard and Advanced course, except for Armasatelles.

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Terra Standard.png

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Terra Advanced.png

  • Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Terra Standard.png

  • Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Terra Advanced.png

Terra

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Glacies Standard.png

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Glacies Advanced.png

  • Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Glacies Standard.png

  • Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Glacies Advanced.png

Glacies

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Vastitas Standard.png

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Vastitas Advanced.png

  • Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Vastitas Standard.png

  • Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Vastitas Advanced.png

Vastitas

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Nubes Standard.png

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Nubes Advanced.png

  • Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Nubes Standard.png

  • Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Nubes Advanced.png

Nubes

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Evoflammas Standard.png

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Evoflammas Advanced.png

  • Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Evoflammas Standard.png

  • Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Evoflammas Advanced.png

Evoflammas

Cyber Speedway Saturn, Courses, Armasatelles.png

Armasatelles
This course is only available in the Story Mode and only when playing on the Advanced level.

Versions

Localised names

Also known as
Language Localised Name English Translation
English Cyber Speedway Cyber Speedway
English (US) Cyber Speedway Cyber Speedway
Japanese グランチェイサー Gran Chaser

Production credits

US version

Supervision — SEGA Side Staff
(C)Sega 1995 All rights reserved
Source:
In-game credits[7]
Music Credits
  • Going Blind, "Dayglo Blues", "Tabitha", "Call Me Crazy", "Da Jam" and "Why" composed and performed by bygone dogs. "I Will Not Take It" composed by Alvarez, Alan and Aknin.
  • Produced by: Spencer Nilsen and bygone dogs
  • Recorded by: Dave Young for Sega Music Group
bygone dogs are Joel Alvares, guitar and vocals; Time Alan, bass; and Brad Kaiser, drums.
Source:
US manual
Error creating thumbnail: /bin/bash: line 1: 1750884 Done '/usr/bin/gs' '-sDEVICE=jpeg' '-sOutputFile=-' '-dFirstPage=1' '-dLastPage=1' '-dSAFER' '-r150' '-dBATCH' '-dNOPAUSE' '-q' '/home/sonicret/domains/segaretro.org/public_html/images/9/92/Cyberspeedway_sat_us_manual.pdf' 1750885 Segmentation fault | '/usr/bin/convert' '-depth' '8' '-quality' '95' '-resize' '2187' '-' '/home/sonicret/domains/segaretro.org/public_html/images/temp/transform_fe5f66a8eff1.jpg'
[8]

Japanese version

  • Visual Concept Design: Syd Mead, Nick Pausback
  • Program: Hiroaki Sano, Toshio Toyota, Satoshi Ohtake, Yukihiko Tani, Hiroshi Fukuda
  • Planning & Produce: Hiroaki Sano, Tetsuya Maeda
  • Assist Produce: Seiichi Sekine, Yoshitaka Maki
  • Object Modeling & Texture Mapping: Yoshihisa Shimizu, Kazushige Nagai
  • Course Modeling & Texture Mapping: Yoshihisa Shimizu, Masahiro Sato, Munemoto Matsushima
  • Assist Design & Texture Mapping: Kazuhiro Nagata
  • CG Movie Works: Hitoshi Masuda, Hideyuki Kikuchi
  • Special Thanks: Yayoi Onda, Toshio Yamamoto, Eiichi Kitano, Yuji Tamaya, Ryousuke Tei
  • Music Compose: Kouji Hayama
  • Character Design: Yasuhiro Suzuki
  • Clay Shaw: Mitsuaki Madono
  • Nard Morgan: Yousuke Naka
  • Dobbs: Rokuroh Naya
  • Executive Produce: Katsuji Aoyama
  • Computer Designed By: Nextech
Supervise Sega Side Staff
Source:
In-game credits[9]

Magazine articles

Main article: Cyber Speedway/Magazine articles.

Artwork

  • EU prototype cover

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
CD Consoles (FR)
52
[10]
Consoles + (FR)
91
[11]
Consoles + (FR)
89
[12]
Computer & Video Games (UK) NTSC-J
71
[13]
Edge (UK)
40
[14]
Electronic Entertainment (US) NTSC-J
50
[15]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
55
[16]
Fusion (US) NTSC-U
63
[17]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
82
[4]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
75
[18]
Gamers (DE)
47
[19]
Games World: The Magazine (UK)
66
[20]
Game Informer (US) NTSC-U
50
[21]
HiTech (ES) NTSC-J
70
[22]
Hobby Consolas (ES) PAL
84
[23]
Joypad (FR) NTSC-J
74
[24]
Joypad (FR)
92
[25]
MAN!AC (DE) NTSC-J
64
[26]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
64
[27]
Maximum (UK)
25
[28]
Mega Force (FR) NTSC-J
80
[29]
Mega Force (FR) PAL
75
[30]
Mega Fun (DE) NTSC-J
67
[31]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) NTSC-J
59
[32]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
53
[6]
Player One (FR)
79
[33]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
62
[34]
Saturn+ (UK) PAL
86
[35]
Sega Power (UK) NTSC-J
92
[36]
Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-J
72
[37]
SuperGamePower (BR)
60
[38]
Sega Megazone (AU)
79
[39]
Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) PAL
68
[5]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
47
[40]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
66
[41]
Super Juegos (ES)
82
[42]
Todo Sega (ES)
87
[43]
Total Saturn (UK) PAL
57
[44]
Ultimate Future Games (UK)
62
[45]
Última Generación (ES)
64
[46]
Video Games (DE) NTSC-J
51
[47]
VideoGames (US) NTSC-U
40
[48]
Sega Saturn
 66
Based on
42 reviews

Cyber Speedway

Saturn, JP
GranChaser Saturn JP Box Back.jpgGranChaser Saturn JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
CyberSpeedway Saturn JP Spinecard.jpg
Spinecard
CyberSpeedway Saturn JP Disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, US
CyberSpeedway Saturn US Box Back.jpgCyberSpeedway Saturn US Box Front.jpg
Cover
CyberSpeedway Saturn US Disc.jpg
Disc
Cyberspeedway sat us manual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, EU
CyberSpeedway Saturn EU Box.jpg
Cover
CyberSpeedway Saturn EU Disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, FR (Blister pack)
CyberSpeedway Sat FR blister front.jpg
Cover
Saturn, PT

Saturn, AU
CyberSpeedway Saturn AU cover.jpg
Cover
CyberSpeedway Saturn EU Disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, BR
CyberSpeedwaySaturnBRBack.jpgNospine.pngCyberSpeedway Saturn BR Box Front.jpg
Cover
CyberSpeedwaySatBRDisc.jpg
Disc

Technical information

Main article: Cyber Speedway/Technical information.

External links

  • Sega of America webpage: Saturn
  • Sega of Japan catalogue page (Japanese): Saturn

References

  1. ↑ File:GranChaser Saturn JP Box Back.jpg
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/segasaturn/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-03-04 08:13)
  3. ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video.sega/c/NSR8cww3zSQ/m/GSgTD_bniDcJ
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Game Players, "Vol. 8 No. 11 November 1995" (US; 1995-1x-xx), page 54
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sega Saturn Magazine, "December 1995" (UK; 1995-11-24), page 86
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mean Machines Sega, "January 1996" (UK; 1995-11-xx), page 92
  7. ↑ File:Cyber Speedway Saturn credits.pdf
  8. ↑ File:Cyberspeedway sat us manual.pdf, page 18
  9. ↑ File:Gran Chaser Saturn credits.pdf
  10. ↑ CD Consoles, "Juillet/Août 1995" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 126
  11. ↑ Consoles +, "Juillet/Août 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 144
  12. ↑ Consoles +, "Décembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 173
  13. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "August 1995" (UK; 1995-07-12), page 46
  14. ↑ Edge, "August 1995" (UK; 1995-06-29), page 74
  15. ↑ Electronic Entertainment, "September 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 81
  16. ↑ Famitsu, "1995-06-02" (JP; 1995-05-19), page 1
  17. ↑ Fusion, "Volume 1, Number 5: December 1995" (US; 1995-1x-xx), page 120
  18. ↑ GamePro, "October 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 54
  19. ↑ Gamers, "November 1995" (DE; 1995-10-11), page 51
  20. ↑ Games World: The Magazine, "August 1995" (UK; 1995-06-29), page 60
  21. ↑ Game Informer, "October 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 50
  22. ↑ HiTech, "Julio/Agosto 1995" (ES; 1995-06-30), page 60
  23. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Noviembre 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 106
  24. ↑ Joypad, "Juillet/Août 1995 (Joypad International supplement)" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 30
  25. ↑ Joypad, "Décembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 44
  26. ↑ MAN!AC, "08/95" (DE; 1995-07-12), page 34
  27. ↑ MAN!AC, "10/95" (DE; 1995-09-13), page 65
  28. ↑ Maximum, "November 1995" (UK; 1995-11-xx), page 147
  29. ↑ Mega Force, "Été 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 94
  30. ↑ Mega Force, "Décembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 88
  31. ↑ Mega Fun, "09/95" (DE; 1995-08-23), page 90
  32. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "August 1995" (UK; 1995-06-26), page 76
  33. ↑ Player One, "Décembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 150
  34. ↑ Saturn Fan, "1995 August" (JP; 1995-07-07), page 66
  35. ↑ Saturn+, "Christmas 1995" (UK; 1995-12-14), page 62
  36. ↑ Sega Power, "September 1995" (UK; 1995-07-20), page 52
  37. ↑ Sega Pro, "August 1995" (UK; 1995-07-13), page 60
  38. ↑ SuperGamePower, "Agosto 1995" (BR; 1995-0x-xx), page 42
  39. ↑ Sega Megazone, "September 1995" (AU; 1995-0x-xx), page 24
  40. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "June 1995" (JP; 1995-05-08), page 114
  41. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "Readers rating final data" (JP; 2000-03), page 15
  42. ↑ Super Juegos, "Octubre 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 96
  43. ↑ Todo Sega, "Diciembre 1995" (ES; 1995-1x-xx), page 42
  44. ↑ Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Four" (UK; 1996-12-29), page 18
  45. ↑ Ultimate Future Games, "August 1995" (UK; 1995-07-01), page 72
  46. ↑ Última Generación, "Julio/Agosto 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 62
  47. ↑ Video Games, "8/95" (DE; 1995-07-26), page 63
  48. ↑ VideoGames, "November 1995" (US; 1995-10-24), page 86


Cyber Speedway

CyberSpeedway title.png

Main page | Magazine articles | Reception | Technical information


Music: Gran Chaser (1995)
Sega Saturn
Prototypes: 1995-06-26
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