Sega’s Wonderful Simulation Games Over The Years

Bullet Mark – While Sega was a powerhouse at making EM games, it took them a few years to get the hang of making original video games. Bullet Mark was their first truly original video title, other titles such as Pong Tron just being derivatives of Atari’s Pong (which was common practice at the time by everyone, even Atari themselves to a degree).

It came at the time when manufacturers would often use real (but hollowed out) guns to adorn their games instead of cheap plastic shells. This aspect of EM games was part of what made them interesting and it had a similar effect for video arcades too.  These days I’m sure there would be some sort of regulation making it next to impossible to use hollowed out guns, not to mention the cost of doing so but it was an early step in the idea of letting someone make simulated use of a real world object for virtual entertainment.

Heavyweight Champ (1976 and 1984) – Following Bullet Mark, a few other Sega video games followed the same pattern of a shooting gallery type game but this game took a risk as it was a boxing game. This is one of the first video games to use large on-screen characters and also the first known attempt at a one-on-one fighting game. But like Bullet Mark, the controls also stood out. Instead of a joystick and button to strike the blows it used sliding boxing glove like controllers.

It wasn’t the type of simulation we would see today but given how early this was it gets a pass. Sega would release another game by the same name 12 years later with a similar, albeit enhanced control mechanism and more modern play.

KO Punch (1981) – Five years later, Sega decided to innovate in the boxing world again with KO Punch. This machine may look familiar as today there are many boxing games out there made by companies like Kriss Sport and Kalkomat which pretty much do the same thing – slam a real punching bag as hard as you can and see what score you get. Funny enough, Sega’s example from 1981 is more technically advanced by using a color screen with animation as opposed to some modern boxing machines that only use a simple red LED counter.

Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator (1982) – In Sega’s game that was even more action-packed than the recent Into Darkness, there were two cabinet models for this – the upright that most would be familiar with and the Captain’s Chair sitdown model that took it up a notch. All you needed was a Star Trek uniform and not a care about people wondering why you would be barking orders at an imaginary crew.

The Captain’s Chair may not be exactly like simulating an entire starship bridge but combining the elements of the Captain, the tactical officer and navigation officer into one are probably enough to satisfy on an action craving player. While researching, I found this incredible restoration and mod by a member on the KLOV forums, one picture of his cabinet is below.

Subroc 3D – The first and equally unsuccessful time at trying 3D in video games provided Sega with an opportunity to try and make submarines the next big thing. It wasn’t to be but it made for a really cool deluxe cabinet with a periscope viewer and all.

GP World (1984) – Notable for the twin monitor cabinet that was used to create a widescreen effect and the fact that it served as an eternal poster child for why a realistic laserdisc based racing game is a bad idea.

Line of Fire (1989) – Sega’s first proper first-person rail shooter isn’t one of the greatest examples of the genre (better was to come), but for that distinction alone (and the lovely Engrish on the below flyer) it’s worthy of a mention.

Virtua Cop (1994) – There is a whole family tree growing out of this game, being Sega’s first full polygonal 3D shooter, and one of their greatest. Other teams at Sega made their own stabs at the genre afterward, from the much-loved House of the Dead to Gunblade NY, but Virtua Cop had the biggest initial impact – and got two subsequent sequels in 1996 and 2003. A fourth would be very cool to see someday…

Star Wars (1994) – Like Star Trek earlier, becoming part of the Star Wars universe is low-hanging fruit in the world of video games. This rare game (not the same as Star Wars Trilogy Arcade which came a few years later) allowed players to work as a pilot and gunner, using shaded 3D graphics to create a Star Wars presentation unlike any other. Rumors suggest either LucasArts ordered Sega to destroy most of its cabinets due to licensing issues, or not many being made due to Model 1 board stock being depleted (or both):

Desert Tank (1994) – It’s one man in a tank, in the desert, against a desert army. The shift in warfare to places like Iraq is where the idea for Desert Tank came from, bland name and all. This was only released in a sitdown deluxe cabinet form and had feedback to make it feel more realistic, similar to the deluxe Daytona USA cabinet.

Sports Fishing (1994) – If I was to ask someone to name the first fishing arcade game that came to their head, chances are the response would be Sega Bass Fishing from 1998. That was not the first Sega fishing game which sought to make a fishing simulator however, that honor goes to the lesser known Sports Fishing. They actually fixed a full fishing rod and reel to this cabinet, something that would be downsized for their later fishing games. In fact for their last fishing game, a revision of Sega Bass Fishing called Sega Bass Fishing Challenge, it was downsized to a trackball.

Sega Rally Championship (1995) – You’d think one of Sega’s most famous racers got a motion version, but outside of an extremely rare ‘Special Stage’ edition for Joypolis with very little documentation, nope – however it is worth a mention. Though following in the footsteps of Daytona, this proved Sega had the breadth of manpower and talent to do another completely different style of racing in 3D, still in its infancy at the time.

Sega Ski Super G (1996) – It wasn’t the first game to use sliding foot controllers, but it did have force feedback built into them to try and mimic the effect of going on snow. Set the cabinet up in a refrigeration unit and you’d be set! The same design was also used for Sega Water Ski from the following year, and it received a Model 3-based follow up with Ski Champ in 1998.

Top Skater (1997) – What better way to go about virtual skateboarding than giving the player a big arcade cabinet with a skateboard to stand on? That is pretty much the idea behind Top Skater. Of course the idea here was also to allow one to tackle massive virtual ramps so chances of physical harm were pretty minimal. This spawned a couple of sequels that went by different names, the last of which was released 10 years ago (Ollie King); there was also a spin-off called Soul Surfer released in 2002.

Real Life Career Series (Various) – 18 Wheeler, Airline Pilots, Brave Firefighters, Crazy Taxi, Emergency Call Ambulance, Jambo! Safari, Sega Strike Fighter and Tokyo Bus Tour – In the late 90s Sega began releasing some titles that we supposed to present a real life career simulation – with enough fantasy elements to keep it interesting. As such these are borderline simulators as opposed to direct. Of these I think I have seen Airline Pilots the least, as often those were converted into Sega Strike Fighter games. Here’s some Brave Firefighters, the full game played through.

Magical Truck Adventure (1998) – What would it be like to use one of those old-timey pump rail carts? I can’t say I ever really wanted to know but thanks to Sega’s Magical Truck Adventure, the opportunity to find out is…available.

F355 Challenge (1999) – Despite the bulk of this cabinet, thanks to the triple screen setup, I have seen this game in various arcades over the years. What’s it like to drive a Ferrari F355 without the headache of liability insurance or needing deep pockets to even be allowed to touch one? This game is the perfect way to find out. The triple screen version also got a sequel within a couple of years.

Samba De Amigo (1999) – A maraca simulator? Sure, why the heck not? Make it cute and call it a day. Sega also created something like this that isn’t as well known called Shakatto Tambourine. That was probably a more annoying instrument to try that on, which is why I imagine it’s rarely spoken of.

Crackin’ DJ (2000) – Konami proved that music games could make money but they didn’t own the whole concept (although argument could be made to say that they certainly tried). Here’s one of Sega’s first attempts at the idea which let you play out your fantasies of being a DJ.

Inu No Osanpo (2001) – Here’s one mighty fine example of a game that has helped Japan gain a reputation for “weird games”. It’s kind of like an overblown virtual pet that gets a little exercise out of the user who has to use the treadmill.

Burnout Running & Sonic Athletics (2007 / 2013) – Much of what Sega experiments with at Joypolis isn’t released outside of Japan but that doesn’t keep it from being cool. Here are a couple more of their treadmill games, the latest of which is playable at the Tokyo Joypolis now.

Let’s Go Golf (2011) – Sega’s latest sporting simulator in Japan isn’t just exclusive to Joypolis, being available in limited numbers to any facility that wants to buy it (they’ve even brought it to some sporting expos there). It’s not reinventing the wheel with this sort of thing, but it does look cool. And no, it is not part of the Let’s Go Jungle series…

Space Tactics (1981) – We’ve mentioned this one a few times before as it’s an unusual game with some impressive engineering behind it. It isn’t the first game that comes to mind when people think about Sega classics either as the software isn’t anything to get crazy about but the hardware was. This was Sega’s first cockpit game and they wanted you to feel like you were in control of some sort of futuristic turret. The multiple control panel buttons actually worked and it had a yoke controller too but most stunning was that the screen physically moved around in the cabinet. No other arcade game I know of has attempted to work in the same manner, although they have usually found less complex ways to move the monitor around. It is that complexity in Space Tactics that gives it charm however.

Hang On (1985) – This game was the real beginning of Sega’s prime time making motion simulators and true arcade classics, with it being Yu Suzuki’s first major work. It wasn’t their first time dabbling in motorcycles (Fonz was an interesting take on it which involved a celebrity), but it was the first time they used a full motorcycle sitdown controller, which have since become a standard in handling such racing games. The sequel, Super-Hang On, used a similar but slightly different design, with a smaller ride-on bike and the screen above it in a tower, instead of being merged together.

Space Harrier (1985) – This weirdly wonderful shooting game was Yu Suzuki’s second major work, with many of the others you see next in this section involving him somehow. The game became even more well-known through home conversions although the smoothest graphics and play were certainly found in the arcade. This was given a non-motion sequel in arcades called Planet Harriers, which was a great 3D take on the idea released in 2001. The deluxe motion version of the original can be seen in action in this video:

OutRun (1986) – I’m probably digging a hole for myself here but because Sega have made an awful lot of sit-down racing games over the years, I will have to avoid mentioning most of them just to save space. Instead let’s recall a few of those that were game changers in their own right, such as OutRun. The 3rd person perspective wasn’t new, but driving a Ferrari was totally radical. Sega released three cabinet designs to support different budget tiers, one was to take advantage of their motion technologies.

After Burner II (1987) – The 80s was a time of shooter games where you would fly a lone air/space craft against hordes of fodder enemies and huge bosses. But One game that kicked it up a notch would be Sega’s After Burner. Taking control of a fighter jet was an idea that probably didn’t need much debate in the halls of Sega and like some of their other titles around these years, the deluxe motion cabinet was engineered to impress. It even famously appeared in Terminator 2 a few years afterward.

Thunder Blade (1987) – This game sought to do for helicopters what After Burner was doing for jets. The swivel seat was not as elaborate as some of Sega’s other motion games but the cabinet is still unique. A similar game was made a few years later called Air Rescue that linked two cabinets together.

Galaxy Force I/II (1988) – If a casual gamer came across one of these in arcades they would most likely compare it to Starfox (which comparison I’ve actually heard used with Dariusburst; but that wasn’t as strange as the Halo comparison to the same game. I digress) and would probably be surprised to find out that before Starfox, there was Galaxy Force. It doesn’t have cute talking animal characters or 3D polygons but the 3rd person space shooting action coupled with a motion cabinet made this game cool before anyone could get a SuperFX chip at home.

Sega Super Circuit (1988) – In this attraction piece just released in Japan, it scaled the simulator in size but giving players a real track with RC race cars. Players controlled the cars by sitting in cabinets similar to OutRun cabs. The sheer size of this made it an improbable game to show up in many places but it was a unique spectacle.

Cyber Dome (1990) – Sega’s answer to Namco’s Galaxian 3. I’ve tried to find footage of this but I’ve had little luck, just this picture from System16. Some might pop up one day though. The guns seem to have been inspired by their smaller, easier to find and much more affordable Laser Ghost arcade game.

CCD Cart (1990) – Another very early attraction-sized piece by Sega, this mixed the dot-eat gameplay of Pac-Man with real-life drivable carts that drove over marked spots to gain points, and CCD cameras to view the action outside of them. Like Cyber Dome above, no video can be found of this one either…

G-LOC (1990) – Jet combat once again took the stage with G-LOC, blending 2D and 3D effects into one game while also presenting the combat in a more realistic light than After Burner did. There was a standard upright and a sitdown version of this game but then of course the motion deluxe as seen here:

Rad Mobile (1991) – This game is often remembered for being the first appearance of Sonic The Hedgehog in a game, however there was a reason Sega called it rad (it’s probably been a few years since anyone used that word without thinking about it) – it was their first 32-bit game and they wanted a cabinet to show that it could handle more than pretty graphics. The motion cabinet didn’t use a hydraulic system and it had buttons to activate the windshield wipers and other car features in the game. A less impressive non-motion version of the game called Rad Rally was released but it did provide linked two player play.

Rail Chase (1991) – With its “Magical Bench Seat”, this movie-like two player shooter is a very early example of the couple dynamic in rail shooting games, that would later permeate in subsequent Sega works such as Let’s Go Jungle. Excepting the rare ‘Special’ edition mentioned below, that one didn’t actually use a motion simulation seat, though the sequel Let’s Go Island did, whilst Rail Chase’s design was re-used for Sega’s first Jurassic Park arcade game and its own sequel.

R360 (1991) – This is one of the most famous examples of Sega’s wizardry when it came to motion simulators games. Even today it seems futuristic, all that would need a change is more modern software and an HD screen. The cabinet was originally released with G-LOC, but it later supported a Model 1-powered 3D title called Wing War that could link two cabinets together.

The only time I personally had the opportunity to see one was when it was found in a never-opened arcade in Bountiful, UT. It was apparently one that had been at Disneyland. The guy who was primarily working on the project restored the machine to working condition and it was quite a sight to behold. I’m not sure where that unit ended up at as the arcade project ultimately fell through. Here’s a webpage loaded with information on the platform by an R360 collector; also a page at System16 full of technical information.

Virtua Racing/Formula (1992) – The idea of the “Virtua” series was all about realism (for what they could do in the early 90s) and to prove it Sega had Virtua Racing as a killer arcade app. Like many Sega titles, VR was released in several different cabinet forms, including a DLX cabinet which used a number of airbags to create a unique force feedback system in the seat along with a widescreen monitor which was unheard of at the time. There was also a large attraction version called Virtua Formula that allowed players to sit inside F1 shaped cabinets with hydraulic movement bases and race against 7 others. It had a CCD camera system to show player reactions on a separate screen. Sega would use the same setup with their Indy 500 game a few years later.

AS-1 (1992) – I had not included this at first as it isn’t a game as such, although I knew it could be included here. We’ll say better late than never. I recall seeing one of these at a local large FEC a long time ago but I cannot remember the software very well. It is famous in part because there was one piece of software designed for it called Scramble Training that featured Michael Jackson as a kind of mission commander. Here’s a video that’s a compilation of footage from a trade show event including some inside footage of the AS-1:

Dragon Ball Z V.R.V.S. (1994) – Remember the Sega Activator? If so, I’m sorry, you were probably trying to forget it. It wasn’t just at home that Sega tried to push the peripheral, something like it was used in arcades too, with Dragon Ball Z V.R.V.S. (no need to say that that stands for). The game only ended up releasing in a cut-down stick and button iteration, but was originally tested internally and at a Japanese trade show in a massive theater setup, with extra sensors to pull off better reaction sensing. This was intended for Sega’s first Joypolis parks, but as far as I can tell it never quite made it to even those; System16 has a little more info.

Daytona USA Special (1994) – This game doesn’t need much detail given its fame, but it should be mentioned due to the heavy influence it would have on other arcade racers, within and without Sega. The Sega Rally series is a good example, just applied to a different type of racing. However, the motion part only comes into play with the original Daytona in this special model for larger venues, which involved either 4 or 8 linked units.

Sega VR-1 (1994) – Sega was just as eager to jump into the VR game in the mid 90s as anyone else, but they wanted to kick it up a notch. They couldn’t settle just for a VR headset – they had to combine that with a motion seat base too with VR-1, one of their first major Joypolis-exclusive attractions. Here’s an explanation video, though it is low-quality (like many older Joypolis attractions, footage outside of this is extremely rare as of writing):

Manx TT Superbike (1996) – Sega returned to the motion game concept that truly made them with this second highly successful motorbike racer, using the real-life UK island location (where it did particularly well). Two models were available; a twin type with two smaller bikes on a mounted wedge, and a single deluxe with movement more akin to Hang-On. Both were linkable up to eight players, as seen with the latter in this huge expo-only setup:

Sega Rally Special Stage (1996) / Sega Touring Car Championship Special (1997) / Initial D Arcade Stage 4 Limited (2006) – A trio of highly impressive racing simulators using the same base concept and technology that were made only for Joypolis parks, taking their arcade releases that did not use motion cabinets and sizing them up to actual moving cars. Documentation of the first two (especially Sega Rally) is scarce but they did once exist, and as of writing, ID4’s version remains in operation at Tokyo Joypolis and Sega Republic in Dubai.

Wave Runner (1996) – I’m not sure if it’s fair to say this release is Daytona USA on a jetski but it does follow the pattern that Sega liked to use in their racing games in those days. It got a sequel in 2001, using a similar motion-based cabinet.

Power Sled (1996) / Storm-G (2009) – After initially focusing on VR for Joypolis, Sega then turned to larger, much more amusement park-like attractions such as Halfpipe Canyon that don’t really count here – but, there was still some space for exclusive video-based simulators. One of those was Power Sled, which simulated bobsled racing and was available at one or two larger American FECs e.g. GameWorks too. This was given a higher octane replacement more recently in Japan as Storm-G, which brings back some R360 thrills by spinning riders upside down in barrel rolls.

Scud Race (1997) – After a few years just making big multiplayer examples for Joypolis and larger locations, Sega returned to single motion car racers for all arcades with most of their Model 3-based racing games, first on the deluxe version of Scud Race. This used a red sit in cabinet that turned side to side a little like OutRun’s; a similar one was used for Daytona USA 2’s deluxe the year after, whilst Sega Rally 2’s motion range was more limited, but had an innovative mechanic that reacted to the road type in-game.

The Lost World Jurassic Park Special (1997) / House of the Dead 4 Special (2006) / Let’s Go Jungle Special (2007) – How do you make your light-gun game stand out even more? Give it two opposing screens and a seat in the middle that rotates between the two. Throw in some special effects like air blasts and you have yourself one awesome experience.

Unlike the ‘special’ versions of Sega Rally, Touring Car and Initial D 4, these did release to locations other than Joypolis parks, albeit in a very limited capacity – and Lost World/HOTD4 actually had some major content differences over their originals, with exclusive levels and boss battles. Here’s a photo of the Lost World Special (not much on it out there – it was at several GameWorks locations but was of course replaced by the two more recent examples), then trailers for HOTD4 and the last time Sega tried it with Let’s Go Jungle.

Boat Race GP (1998) – Only available at the Tokyo Joypolis for just a few years in the late 90s, very little exists regarding this next Model 3-based effort. It looks like it did for boats what Wave Runner did for jetskis, but on a Power Sled-sized scale…

Sega Driving Simulator (2002) – Well that made it easy, simulator is right in the name. This wasn’t designed for arcades but traffic schools in Japan who benefited from Sega’s vast experience in working on driving games. More details at System16.com.

Cycraft (2003) – This was a collaboration between Sega and a Korean motion simulator company by the name of Simuline. The Cycraft system could handle various games, although only 3 that I am aware of were released for the unit, Initial D 3, the exceedingly rare F-Zero AX Monster Ride, and its most common iteration with Club Kart (which is the game in the video below, though was an odd choice for it).

OutRun 2 SP SDX (2006) – After Virtua Formula and Indy 500 in the 90s, Sega returned to the special attraction-sized motion racer template for locations other than Joypolis, with the ultimate iteration of what some believe to be their greatest driving game ever. This also upped the graphical quality, taking the game from the Chihiro hardware to Lindbergh, and added a fun driver swap co-op mode.

After Burner Climax (2006) – The excellent resurrection of After Burner in arcades brought with it some motion gaming in several different cabinets, a swivel deluxe sitdown model and a rarer super deluxe full motion base (plus a couple of non-motion budget sitdowns). It was a different motion design than the original After Burner II deluxe cabinet but still very cool in its own way.

Sega Rally 3 (2008) – The motion deluxe version of the game was awesome, with a huge 62″ screen. I’ve only ever caught two of those linked together in person, as seen in the video below, although I know up to six could be networked.

Hummer (2009) – One of Sega’s more recent releases for motion gaming came with Hummer. This followed a design much like OutRun 2 SP SDX as two players could race on one unit and it featured the cool co-op style of control that had you trying to sync the wheels together. They then came up with an MDX design that cost half of what the full-sized beast did; it had less motion, but was still effective.

Dream Raiders (2013) – The newest example of a motion unit by the hands of Sega, although the RingWide-powered game itself by the folks at Gamewax can’t really be considered simulation as it is all about fantasy dream situations. Made by Sega Amusements Europe with development support from Japan, the motion on it is solid, and features wind effects too which help it stand out.