Rumor has it that Sega’s newest racer is not doing to well in arcades. We already have reported that it is expected that the game will receive an update sometime within the next few weeks but until then the game doesn’t seem to be making many waves. Personally I have not seen the game yet so I cannot give it a review at this time but I am curious to know if any of you have had a chance to play it yet and if so how the game plays. Does it deserve a bad rap or does it just need a little more time to change people’s impressions about the game?
[Discuss on the Forum or comment below]
I played all the versions of the game – up to the new release next week of the password version. I feel that the game is just too much like a flat version of F-Zero AX! For some time there has been rumbling that Amusement Vision (the old AM4 group) has been decimated of arcade expertise, and has lost its way – having to be forced to focus on softer game play.
The game played like a fast racer, that had Ford license dropped and was made soft to compete against the success of The Fast and the Furious. It is no secret that Sega AM hated to admitt that the Raw Thrills games played better than their recent drivers in the ‘international’ sector. The fun element of Sega drivers had been crippled by overt simulation and imagery.
Though getting an official word on a success of a game from Sega is impossible, the activity to come up with a replacement to RaceTV (see Sega testing next Rally) speaks volumes.
We have had them out for several weeks now. Yes, not a great performer. But I must admit the game is a good looker. The neon marquee attracts attention at first, but the sub par game play will not carry this piece. Looking forward to the new program, hopefully that can perk things up. Seems like our few remaining race game fans are not looking beyond our ID 4’s and Maximum Tune 3’s right now.
noticed that this was not added:
So lets look at the scene (based on our un-impartial popularity 1 out of 5 chart):
– ID4 [technical game for hardcore players Asian style action] 3/5
– Max Tune 3 [fun but still technical Asian style action] 4/5
– Fast & Furious Superbike [simple but fun and physical] 4/5
– Fast & Furious DRIFT [simple but fun repeat of previous games] 3/5
– NASCAR [simple and fun US style action] 4/5
– Sega RaceTV v1 [simple but not compelling] 2/5
– OutRun 2 SDX Attraction [simple but fun big race system] 4/5
– Wakey Races [simple but fun cartoon style action] 3/5
– Mario Kart AC2 [simple but fun cartoon style action] 3/5
– Chase HQ II [simple but fun fast pace chase action] 3/5
We are due a new technical racer from GlobalVR, a new fun Racer from Raw Thrills, and the possibility of a new technical but fun from Sega Europe??
Other drivers out on test include the Taito Drifting game, Namco’s bike game and Ace Driver 3 title; and Konami’s new driver – all of these look to be on hold or not for international release.
That is one crowded market – and explains why Sega are trying to down play the situation to clear the warehouse!
I think that part of the problem is the crowded market, as you mention Editor. I think they need to scale back on racers and focus on some new ideas. But it looks like that won’t happen anytime soon. I do think that racers are best in arcades but until the racing market thins out you need to do something to make your racer really stand out.
I would like to play Chase HQ 2 but I haven’t seen it anywhere here yet.
Shaggy, In the US ChaseHQII is distributed by Namco America – and guess what… no one has seen it, other than on their booth at shows!
Editor, I’m genuinely intrigued by your comments on how it feels like a flat F-Zero AX. I’ve not had the chance to play RaceTV yet, but I loved F-Zero AX (and GX, for that matter). However, I never saw it in any location outside of the Trocadero. Did that game perform reasonably in the market?
Also, on how popular The Fast and The Furious and its sequels have been: I don’t mind relative simplicity or complexity (I carry save cards for Initial D 4 and Mario Kart 2 in my wallet), but I’ve never understood how those games stay popular. The games are ubiquitous – and of course, to stay in place they must earn well – but I wouldn’t be lying if I said that two credits were enough to put me off them forever.
Hi HeavyElectricity, welcome to the site – regarding your questions:
– F-Zero, the arcade version was very expensive for the only version that seemed popular (deluxe version), and when Sega released the Cycraft version it got complicated. The machines memory card and MCRD feature did not add to the game, and it proved flat in interest on repeat play.
– F&F, you have to look at the key factor in modern ROI – the ‘casual’ player, against the ‘hardcore’. Most sites in the US look on the casual gamer as the main-revenue generator. The Hardcore is avoided seen as too fickle and difficult to cultivate. The move towards casual gaming means machines just have to be placed correctly and kept in working order – the fast turnround in impulse players means no returns and so an ability to keep the same old machine without updating hardware.
It is this situation that is killing the amusement sector, and is leaving a vacuum that needs to be filled with a facility chain that updates hardware and keeps players coming back for more. Raw Thrills proved clever in including the Midway keypad memory system to offer a hock for the odd hardcore player.
– Players cards, oh HeavyElectricity you can not beat the selection of memory cards and IC cards I have in my bag. From my Golden Tee VIP card, ID4, MaxTune 3/4 card or my Sega Gameworks ViP card (and many more). If you have ever read the Stinger you will know we are BIG on IC Card utilization as amusement future.
Have a good one.
Thanks for the clarification on F-Zero. It’s a shame to see it didn’t do so well, it was one of the reasons I used to visit the Trocadero. I’d always suspected that it hadn’t been a hit though, given the general lack of machines spotted in the wild.
Sad to see operators avoiding the hardcore, but I see it even at my university – they recently removed all the machines that weren’t driving or light gun games. I’m generally on the hardcore end of the market, especially when it comes to genres that currently lack representation in Western arcades – 2D shooting, etc. (if I can’t play them in domestic arcades, I have to import the console ports, which has kept my Dreamcast in action for many years now).
As for reading the Stinger, I have been since before I started writing for this site (which I hope to be doing more of, now that my workload has lightened a bit).
I have quite a few of the data cards too, I also like to grab the derby’s owner club ones from the machines in D&B as they just leave the cards laying on the machine, makes a nice collection. I like the initial D cards and I have one for each version cept for 4.