Hello everybody. I've been a fan of Sega Racing games (Daytona USA 1/2, Scud Race, OutRun 1/2, Sega Rally, Crazy Taxi, Virtua Racing, etc.) ever since I first played Daytona USA 2 in the arcade around 2002. I like them and try to promote them as much as I can. Let everyone know about the magic that is Sega Racing Games!!!
So the Sprint Cup has started Preseason at Daytona. They're showing off new 2013 cars like these:
I like race cars, but when they overshine them, it sucks (see Daytona USA 2001). The cars look a bit off to me, like they were designed nice and tight for circuit racing (which is strange since this is NASCAR, not Australian V8 Supercars). But the new 2013 cars are going hella fast at Daytona and everyone seems to like them. Everytime NASCAR changes their car designs, there's a few "boohoo, it sucks" complaints but let's get racing cause I can't wait for NASCAR again, geez.
I thought the 2011 cars looked cool...I just hope the designers aren't trying to turn NASCAR into F-Zero, I'd have nightmares if real-life drivers wore tights and appeared in Nintendo fighting games.
So I was casually watching Speed footage of the "Preseason" and everyone was standing around in the garage. The topic started to sway towards video games. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (whom I will never have pity on ever again for being an "Enemy of Sega" and beating Danica Patrick in that big Sega race Nov. 2012) was playing Words with Friends on the iPhone (Zynga, GAAAAYYYY). And Juan Pablo Montoya (who had yet to test the 2013's car capabilities versus 2013's jet dryers) was playing CSR Racing on the iPad, a popular drag racing game with a NFS/FnF style. I saw this game before...my dad was playing it and some Trials/Linerider dirtbike game (with engines that sound like BB guns) on his iPhone.
After this clip that I'm sure no one saw, the camera goes over to Bobby Labonte for a brief interview. He's asked "what kind of game would you give for Darrell Waltrip to play?" to which Bobby replies, "A fishing game." And then Darrell Waltrip comes on to say "Shoot, I don't play no video games or fish, what'chu kids talkin bout there with those fancy electronic devices." Then they go on to talk about Kyle Busch's car and the video game discussion is over. In other words, no progress was made between race drivers and race games. Gamers and gearheads still continue to look at the other side's stuff and think "what the f*** is that s*** they're messin with."
Ya know what would be great? If we could get Daytona USA, OutRun, or even freakin Super Sprint in the hands of one of these race car drivers. You'd THINK that race car drivers would appreciate race car video games, don't you? Especially hardcore balls-out racing games that bring the blue skies and that sense of speed RIGHT TO YOU with no firesuit required. Surely a legit race car driver can truly say THAT'S A GODDANG GREAT RACING GAME THERE my programmer friend. I GOTTA GET BALLIN ON THAT NEW SUPER SPRINT GAME. Speaking of race car drivers in games...
DANICA, YEAH IF YOU COULD PLAY SEGA ALL-STARS RACING: TRANSFORMED ON TV,
THAT'D BE GREAT...
But this leads me to my next point and it's a pretty crappy observation I made from a decade of browsing countless Internet chats/forums. I think there's a dichotomy between the two types of racing games--the sims and the Mario Karts. On one hand, you got diehard auto racing fans are only seen playing the sims like iRacing, NASCAR: The Game, and F1 by Codemasters. On the other hand, you got plain old gamers who'll get into Mario Kart, Burnout, Need for Speed but they have no interest in real life racing (the "NASCAR is rednecks turning left for 5 hours" crowd). Almost like the other insults their intelligence. "Arcade racers makes a mockery of the sport," versus "Racing sims are too boring." Take your pick.
Why can't we have both? In Sega Racing Games? I almost think Sega is caught in limbo there. Like Sega takes real life cars & settings and run with it--they embellish real life, look here. Oops, can't have that apparently. You talk about the "Sega Racing Nation" and it's a place run on niche cult classic fuel--like NASCAR fans won't list Daytona USA as being "one of them" while mainstream gamers just can't be arsed into playing something requiring practice & determination like OutRun 2.
It's probably why Danica Patrick's Sega All-Stars Racing campaign bombed--because we have a REAL LIFE DRIVER (appealing to racing sims people) trying to sell an ARCADE RACING GAME (played by gaming nerds who have no idea who Danica is). It's like trying to advertise motorized scooters on Disney Channel. Herp derp, we still love you Danica & Sumo Digital.
Seriously though, if I ever meet a real life race aficionado (someone who sticks a Dale Sr. "3" on their rear windshield or something) who's obsessed with crap like Mario Kart (or better yet, SEGA ALL-STARS RACING), I'll flip my s***. Ok guys, we're all gonna be real life NASCAR/F1/Indy/Rally/Le Mans/V8/Touring as well as arcade racing fans now. Problem solved, goodnite.
And a happy 2013 to you...when everyone else was shooting fireworks, I was shooting a Remington 12 Gauge and an AR-15 (at nobody, don't worry kids). Tell me that those things aren't more impressive (and louder) than sparklers & Roman candles.
When we talk about racing games, I hear this term thrown around a lot--"sense of speed." Well, what exactly is it? "It's the feeling that you're going fast." Well duh, that's what everyone wants. But other than that, people really don't know what it is. They just want something that feels good. Well how do you make that good sense of speed? I'm going to try to define it the best I can.
First of all, notice the term--sense of speed. It's the human body's five senses. It's like trying to explain what and why does certain art is pleasing to look at, why certain food is delicious, why certain scents elicits positive moods. It just "does" somehow. Like try to explain what constitutes "good" art or something. "It's pretty and detailed." Okay, well what's "pretty" or "detailed." Besides, there's abstract art which is neither of these and is hugely popular. You could consult a biologist, anthropologist, or psychiatrist for the answers to these things, but I'm going to explain this sense of speed nonsense as best as I can:
Go back to when you were in a fast vehicle, be it a car, truck, motorcycle, airplane, boat, or roller coaster. You're sitting there then it takes off. You start moving, but you're moving faster than usual. It's "foreign" to you as your body begins to experience weird sensations. G-forces pull you back. Then you start turning as this heavy contraption leans in and out of turns, pulling you along with it. You experience the dopamine rush as your stomach starts to turn and your hair stands on edge. You rest in-between a state of hopelessness to complete control--you can't predict what'll happen next as you attempt to will the car to your bidding. You're doing something super-human--the human body was never meant to go faster than, say, 25 mph. And accompanied with the g-forces are some rumbling as the vehicle trades blows with the road and the engine lets out a hollow roar. Maybe you're in a cool piece of machinery like a Ferrari or an F1 car. Maybe there's some token fast-paced music similar to AC/DC or Metallica. In other words, you're experiencing something out-of-this-world and sense of speed just takes you to that seemingly foreign world.
F1 car of speeds over 200 mph.
Suspension cam of stock car at Daytona.
Mindblowing rally racing!!! So kinetic you can feel it!!! Skip to 1:22.
Go to 2:50, man that's some serious horsepower.
Now...how do you get sense of speed in a video game? Well, I'm sure if you were actually in the cockpit of those cars, yeah, the sense of speed would be really easy to pick up. But you're actually not there (shocker). Looking at racing sims like GT and Forza, they do a good job of transmitting real-life imagery on the screen, but if you're sitting on your couch looking at a regular TV/speaker combo playing a racing game with a regular video game controller, it's not the same thing--you don't feel the same rush as a real life driver. So what do we do? We have to embellish the video game. Obviously, this is one huge advantage that video games have over real life but often, for the sake of "authenticity," racing games (particularly simulations) don't add anything new and thus the games become boring and people lose interest.
"Hello everybody, we're here in the boring world driving a boring car around a boring track at a boring speed using a boring video game controller. You're gonna love this game."
So what should we do to improve the sense of speed? Here, let me throw some suggestions out there, another Top 10 (err, 12) of things:
1. There needs to be some "tactile" feel of the car. The suspension is a great thing since as the car is flung in certain direction, so do you. Sometimes, the car trembles at a high speed, which isn't realistic, but the faster you go, the more you shake, the more you "feel" you're moving. And when the car does some sort of hard cornering, it leans and you can feel yourself being pulled along with it. And not just cornering to the left or right--elevation changes (going up and down hills) is great too since the car is rocking in all directions (track design is crucial). If the car doesn't react to steering, then it might as well be a curling puck on ice--no emotion, no feeling at all.
2. Tire smoke, tire tracks, just other parts of the car that react to physics of the car (car damage, perhaps?). I really cannot think of a good racing game that doesn't have tire smoke/tracks at all--it's mandatory. Exhaust fumes and car damage can be a plus as long as it isn't too distracting for the player. When it comes to Burnout, I'm not "anti-wreck" but I want it to be about fast cars, not smashing them to pieces.
Tire smoke on display as the car's rear bumper starts to kick up from excessive rear-wheel torque.
3. There needs to be a lot of easily-identifiable stuff flying by the car. They give us scale that we've gone from point A to B in X amount of time. Sparse environments with nothing to drive by is boring and doesn't feel like you're really passing anything. The original OutRun does this well--there's tons of crowds, palm trees, dotted lines, overpasses, buildings, signs, even stripes in the road that just whip right past you. Small objects are generally better than large ones since you pass those quicker. Seriously, I talked about this in June 2011, this is a video game not a real life world. We want stuff in our worlds. We want to pass that stuff really quickly.
Colorful, easy to identify objects like clouds, palm trees, traffic, and white lines.
4.Camera angles. There is no such thing as the "best" camera angle, but typically, you want the camera to hover close to the pavement and get a good view of both your car and environment you're passing by. It really helps too if the camera doesn't just stay fixed on the car's rear bumper but rather captures the sides of the car as it is cornering to further emphasize that the car is hauling ass in a certain direction. Ridge Racer violated this rule many years ago and I call it out today.
Should be staring at the driver-side door! Here, I feel like the camera is fixed in place--it's weak.
5. What about the actual speed of the car? There really is no recommended limit but going by what my Sega racers say, a good range would be between 180 to 20 mph (290 to 385 kph). You can get away with going slower or faster if you abide by the rest of the rules...sort of, anyway. F-Zero goes up to 500+ mph but going too fast can get really nauseating. People can only intake so much stimuli before they get profusely ill, even if it's just a projected image and not real life. EDIT: As for going slow (like Mario Kart slow, oooo burn), then you can't have that "sense of speed" if there is no speed in the first place.
Two radically different racing games.
If you DO go outside the speed range, then your game will have to compensate for it. Like F-Zero GX (made by Nagoshi-San, one of the only few people who can actually handle such a beast), has huge environments with wide, gaping turns. On the other hand, you look at something like Club Kart at its low speeds and you have to think "put the camera way close to the ground and make really tight, compact courses." You have to play into the hand of your game's speed range and scale the "size" of the world up/down from there to make sure each is equally difficult yet still playable by the demographic you're aiming at (racing diehards?).
6. 60 Frames Per Second. I don't care what anyone says--60 FPS is better than 30. The best analogy is the log in the fireplace--you're gonna go with the smooth, rounded one or the rough one? The more surface area the log puts on, the faster it will burn (in other words, the smooth log will not burn as quickly). If you're playing a racing game at a lower FPS, then you're not catching as much of the action as you want to--you're only getting, say, 50-60% of what your brain can actually absorb. However, with a 60 fps game (the "rough" log), you get to experience more frames of the action and it just caters to your visual senses better. But if you MUST have 30 FPS or less, then make the frame speed consistent. Inconsistent FPS just f***s your brain all up and isn't fun to play in any genre of action video game.
7. Control response time is paramount. You talk about "fast" games nowadays like Super Mario Bros. or Call of Duty and when you turn, jump, or shoot, you do it INSTANTLY. It makes you feel like you're in charge of your own destiny. When making a racing game, if the car just slowly flops around or you have no real control over where you go, not only will you get pissed off at it, it feels more like the game is trying to usurp control over the car from you. That's why I chew out "slow" games like Need for Speed and (now) Forza because I don't get that feeling like I'm 100% in control of the car if it's so sluggish to do anything. This doesn't mean "make the game piss easy to cater to casuals," but I believe responsive controls are a must.
8. HUD stuff. You don't need to stray away from HUD pieces. As a matter of fact, they can top off the sense of speed. For instance, Daytona USA 2. The "slot machine" position counter, the tach needle which has a motion trail, the track map which rotates to match your car orientation, how everything shakes when you collide with something. It blends in with the rest of the gameplay and at the same time stays out of the way of the action so no complaints.
A decent HUD interface, providing meaningful information and giving a clear shot of the car and what lies ahead.
You don't necessarily need fewer HUD pieces to be "immersive." Split/Second is a great example of this as they chose to include very limited pieces of info in select parts of the screen. Great. But taking away the speedometer (only to replace it with that stupid burnt "border" that blocks parts of the screen) doesn't make the game any faster IMO and can be really annoying for racing "diehards" like me who want simple information like "where am I on the track" and "what's my current lap time?" Is it that hard to ask? Did Split/Second (and Ridge Racer Unbounded as well) need to reinvent what a racing game HUD needs to look like?
Oh Split/Second, how I missed thee...
EDIT: I should mention that I really do love that lap counter. Just the flickering numbers, it's great. Times should be down to the milliseconds (if possible...I know Daytona 1 or Scud Race didn't have three digits).
9.Motion blur is something that isn't necessary bad but I tend to frown upon. THIS IS DEBATABLE but IMO, the more effects you introduce to the game, the worse it gets. Some games feel the need to obfuscate part of the screen when going fast to make it seem "edgy." Yet I don't think that is necessary. Particle effects and whatnot that "prevent" you from absorbing the environment (and possibly cause the game to lag) just piss me off. If you're running at 60 FPS as it is, cruising down the road at 200+ mph, you're going to have a hard enough time trying to understand your environment as it is so motion blur will come automatically. Don't need to force these things on the user.
I searched for "motion blur" and all I got was this scrambled mess. Don't do this.
10. Sound is phenomenally important. After all, visuals are only 1/5th of the human senses so you have to cater to the other ones (hearing is another 1/5th). If you're playing a racing game for about 20 hours and you have to listen to some whiny piece of crap sound effect for that entire 20 hours, it'll suck. Get some deep, hollow engine sounds so you can "feel" the horsepower. Makes it feel like you're situated in a tin can with that loud motor. Get great tire, transmission, suspension, collision, EDIT: and wind sound effects. See NASCAR suspension clip for heavenly "air tunnel audio." You can add "contrast" to pictures to make them more colorful so do the same with sound. Get some stereo speakers to surround you. Easier said than done since not everyone can afford that setup.
11.Now about how you physically feel the game. That's another 1/5th right there. You play a racing game and there needs to be some tactile feedback like a real race car driver would. Here's where Sega's state-of-the-art arcade cabinets come in to play. The force feedback of trying to fight against an aggressive car (much like a cowboy tries to ride a bull) is something you really have to play into. Not as relevant on home consoles (just make the controller shake) but something you can't discount if you're going for 100% perfection.
12. Last but not least--a racing game NEEDS great music. It needs to be exciting and fit the tone of the game. Sega does a great job at creating their own tunes as I've mentioned here. Great lyrics to accompany fast-paced beats. But if you can't create your own music, then use licensed music! Problem is many producers (not just in games but TV & movies too) pick pretty lame "racing" music. Like I think Coldplay is alright but it sure as hell doesn't inspire me to get up and race cars. I can think of 100 better bands--AC/DC, Metallica, Tom Petty, Lynyrd Skynard, Powerman 5000, freakin Papa Roach (releases an album for racing game tracks), you get the picture. But this is a pretty heavy conversation I will probably discuss in a future post. It'll be great.
TLDR version, here's five bullet points:
1. Work on making the car display "emotion" as it drives. Stoic cars = bad, dynamic cars = good.
2. Use camera angles and track environments to catch as much detail as possible.
3. 60 FPS. Don't get too fancy with the HUD and avoid hindrances to the driving.
4. Go for solid, responsive gameplay that errs on the side of arcade physics.
5. Iterate upon sound & music until it is rich in expression.
That's my list. You think about these things and say...which racing games are fast and which ones are not? Do they follow these rules? Even "bad" racing games (IMO) like Burnout and Need for Speed do some of these things properly but the ultimate ones have to be Sega racers. Now you know about putting better sense of speed in your video games. Click on the games on the right panel bar to look at fast game footage. Now to go to sleep and dream about cars!
Geez, I wish you investigative reporters out there would tell me this stuff ahead of time! So on Feb. 13, 2012, a bizarre post ends up on NeoGAF titled Just got a bizarre email from Nagoshi! Instigated from some guy named quinntendopower. This is his avatar. It is "viral marketing" for Binary Domain (so everyone says). And this is how the thread goes down (just his posts):
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Not sure what to think of this. I got an email from Nagoshi... I think he is asking me to buy the 2012 GOTY Binary Domain, but it has the bru skies and hornet so I think he might want me to re-buy his entire collection.
"Hi You Guys,
Binary Domain you guys
I require you to buy Binary Domain You Guys be purchase. not up for Nagoshiation
Sincerely,
Nagoshi Nagoshster
PS: F-Zero GX all missions clear - very hard accomplish"
I already have Binary reserved, but after this I might double dip on both versions.
I now include my F-zero mastery card.
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I assume it's him detecting my memory card from F-zero GX.
I'm pretty sure if you get all missions clear on Very Hard, and beat all cups on the hardest class you are automatically entered into his database.
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I do strain gaging, and build custom transducers. I do a lot of work for professional motorsports (nascar, indycar, AM2 daytona championships)
I'll let you guys know if he sends another email. I love Nagoshi, even after all of his transformations.
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Nagoshi!
the enemies are sooooo much fun to destroy. very impressed with the A/I
FUCKING NAGOSHI i love you buddy. he gets me every time. this is just god like stuff right here, and i can't even understand anything.
if this is a taste of what the next yakuza game, fine by me. BRU BRU SKYYYYYY, BRU BRU MOTHERFUCKIN SKAAAAAAAAASSS I SEEEEE
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It was VERY HARD difficulty, pay attention.
I found Rex on the beach, and taught him a few tricks. Haruka was pleased.
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Bah, horrible fake! Someone didn't beat very hard yet... Good luck, you'll need it!
Getting on the Nagoshi database isn't supposed to be easy.
and yes, Rex was a Shiba Joe! Shiba Inu's are great pups.
If people really think my post is a viral campaign, LOL. This is serious Email business.
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I don't think people realize just how cool Nagoshi is.
I'm pretty sure Yuteralds gif is a requirement for the "minigame master" trophy in Yakuza 3.
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.
NAGOSHI IS PLEASED WITH YOUR SACRIFICE
.
.
.
.
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How the hell am I supposed to make my awesome Ultimate Ghosts and Goblins Ultimate mode playthrough/review/megathread now?
And to think, Binary was supposed to be out TODAY!
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that only puts you into nagoshi's database
only real gamers can get the bru bru bry skies
you must prove real gamer to nagoshi after selected into database
beat all nagoshi games on hardest difficulty and in certain time span, real gamers will know nagoshis desires
each completed game will give you a piece of a special important very code
binary domain was project nagoshi was planning all his life for only real gamers and sea crabs
input prize into binary domain
NAGOSHI WILL REWARD
ALL PARTNERS ARE HORNET IN BRU SKIES
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He just sent something else:
"Hi You Guys Quinntendopower Guys,
I want thanks for accomplish all platinum trophies in yakuza 3 and 4! You have now been moved into Level 1 Defcon Database. You are now in Nagoshi Nation. Thanks for your dedicated Youtube channel for Yakuza 3 and Four.
Many excitements for you guys!
I require you to buy Binary Domain You Guys be purchase. not up for Nagoshiation."
that was the email, he's so awesome.
Included was my database card for the F-zero Very Hard!
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Robots, and PERSONALITY!
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I honestly also think "not up for Nagoshiation" is the best video game related pun we can ever have as a collective group.
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has duckroll beaten ultimate ghosts and goblins on ultimate mode and gotten all the rings??? i donnnnn't think so
10 days. 10 days until Nagoshi Nation you guys.
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I wonder what Nagoshi is doing RIGHT NOW.
he's either eating toast or tanning prolly.
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I have a few threads already in the works, if i ever get my license back.
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I helped in the technical production of F355 challenge, and Suzuki introduced us when he showed up to try it.
I do strain gaging for a lot of motorsports, and I did some telemetry work for their physics system.
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3 Days Remain...
ERROR DETECTED IN NAGOSHI DATABASE...UNABLE TO SUPPLY FUNNIES...
REALLY ME THIS TIME: Rest of the thread has a few more pics and is crap that dissipates into air but I'll leave you with this:
A typical NeoGAF thread. We're being trolled, you guys. If Nagoshi sends out e-mails PLEASE SEND ME MESSAGES!!!! But if Nagoshi created this thread himself, I'm kicking his ass. Precious time working on Daytona 3 WASTED.
10. Victory Run (Turbografx-16)
9. Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off-Road (Sega Genesis)
8. Marauder - Rock & Roll Racing (Sega Genesis)
7. Battle Cars (SNES)
6. Jaguar XJ220 (Sega Genesis)
5. Zero 4 Champ RR (Super Famicom)
4. Super Mario Kart (SNES) 3. Virtua Racing (Sega Genesis NOT 32X)
2. F-Zero (SNES) 1. OutRun (Sega Genesis)
Might I remind you that I contributed nothing to the votes. Lessseeee here...you got Nintendo juggernauts Mario Kart & F-Zero. And then here comes Outrun and Virtua Racing (the GENESIS version, remind you) which top 'em. Well done, voters!!! Cartoon go-karts and space racers may be interesting in a fantasy setting, but in the end, it's all about the work of modern artisans and technicians that hits the pavement...
Holy crap, look at the people at :36...it's Gumby!!
Not the flashiest version of OutRun...
These are on the measly Genesis so give them a break. And there you have it, Sega racers score more points out there.
Here's some assorted racing game stories just for you:
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Sega Rally Online Arcade has been out for a couple of days and there's only two reviews I know of: GameSpot (7.0) and Eurogamer (8.0). There's really no need to criticize these reviews because there's not much to say about such a small game. Gamespot quotes "The sun is always shining in the world of Sega Rally," which is a good thing since bright, saturated environments is a given in (most) Sega games. Eurogamer quotes, "After this and the oh-so-excellent OutRun, let's have Daytona Online Arcade, yeah?" so at least it's nice to know there's Daytona fans in higher places. Overall, main demerits are lack of content and no online ranking systems.
It is weird how Eurogamer is more flattering towards Sega...because most of the Sega racing diehards (I know of anyway) come out of the UK. Well, their review is good. I like how the writer has a more personal relationship with Sega Rally outside of the Xbox 360 so that's great to hear.
Now saying "might" or "I want to" just doesn't cut the mustard anymore--it really doesn't. Yu Suzuki might work on Shenmue 3. Yuji Naka wants to work on Dreamcast 2. Mark Fisher (of Sega Racing Studio) said "maybe" to a new Daytona game. Well, better to say that than an outright "no" as to not hurt your fanbase or stick your foot in your mouth should the opposite happen. So expect ambiguous BS from your devs from now on!!!
But I do think there will be another F-Zero for this new Nintendo "Cafe" console. And sadly, Sega & Nagoshi-San will put more effort into one of Nintendo's IP's rather than any of Sega's racing IP's. I hope I'm wrong, but with Nagoshi running around touting that new Binary Domain game, I really question that man's sanity...
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Hey, guess what game's making a comeback? Carmageddon. Yeah. A site will release an announcement on June 1. The site is hosted by Square-Enix Europe--I mean, really? SQUARE ENIX??? Wouldn't you like to see THEM make a new Carmageddon game? Holy crap, that would be the end of racing games, hence the game's title. So there you go, a new Carmageddon, I'm stoked and you should be, jk rofl.
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Also, please be sure to check out my friend Dave's blog post right here on dark-colored racing games. He makes a good point that a lot of these racing sims like GRID and DiRT are just trying to depress you with dingy hues. EDIT: DiRT 3 averages 9.0 on review sites, therefore engraving this idea into devs that crap "realistic" hues are good. NEWS FLASH: If you're trying to go for "realism," then don't cause real life is "depressing" enough as it is having to get out of bed and get to work in a world full of turmoil and death. Remember our Kotaku friend Mr. EnigmaNemesis who recently called us "color fanboys?" Isn't the world a great place to live? EDIT: DiRT has some color, I know. Not as much as Sega though.
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One last thing is that I added a "Fan Stuff" label so go looking for fan stuff now!!!
My younger brother jumps from thing to thing...like That's So Raven to Indiana Jones to Legend of Zelda to Super Smash Bros...well he bought this N64 game he always wanted to play and guess what it is...:
EDIT: Okay, so I actually saw some footage in action. I didn't play it though, I just watched. The framerate looks damn fast, there's 30 vehicles on the course, and you can slip and slide. Okay, sounds like a good diversion. I didn't like two things though. First, there's NO detail around the courses whatsoever, no buildings, mountains, anything. I can tell Nintendo was trying to keep the game running as fluidly as possible, but the game makes me a bit depressed to watch. Second, the announcer and robot voices are annoying, unintelligible, and should be replaced. That's about it. I'm not gonna taze this game, bro.
This was something that I found a while back, but I want to repost it and leave my commentary. Here is the interview with the man responsible for Super Monkey Ball, F-Zero, and in our case DAYTONA USA...
Bear in mind that this interview was in Dec. 2004. Daytona 1 came out '94, Scud Race came out '96, Daytona 2 came out '98, F-Zero AX came out in '03 just to remind you...:
I wanted to point out a few questions on the last page. Wildly interesting from my point of view.
Interviewer: You started out at AM2. How has that influenced you?
Nagoshi: The graphics then in the games they were making when I was working there were very high-tech and innovative. I also liked the approach in communications amongst the staff in planning the games and these designs.
See, I really like AM2 for this reason. AM2 is associated with Yu Suzuki and Amusement Vision with Nagoshi, but despite the fact these games were published by Nagoshi, AM2 had a hand in them which explains why they just blow my mind. I always credit AM2, they're a top-notch company. Also explains why I thought the Dreamcast version of Daytona USA was a bit lackluster (no AM2 support).
Interviewer: We’ve noticed tracks from your games (Scud Race, Daytona 2) will be appearing in Outrun 2. How did you go about working with AM2 and Sumo Digital for this? I take it you and the folks from AM2 still get along very well?
Nagoshi: I haven’t done anything for Outrun 2 at all, no. AM2’s in the same building here, though, so of course the staff of both teams still interact quite often.
Yes, I think that the OR2 bonus courses are a huge bonus for us Daytona 2 and Scud Race fans. Nice to know that someone out there cares even just a little to go out of their way to include the tracks. It makes me believe that the source code for these games is still intact which is damn good news.
Interviewer: Do you think we’ll ever see any sort of straight ports of those titles? Racing fans have been clamoring for them for a while now.
Nagoshi: Hmmm, I run quite a tight schedule here... [laughs] but our staff has talked about it before. A few of our younger staff members at Sega have expressed interest in taking them on themselves, even.
This quote just pissed me off. Laughing it up, come on!!! It's nice to know that the staff brought up these games but it's six years later and I haven't seen much of anything. If individuals in the office can make the game themselves that would be great, but I don't know how much sway they have in deciding what games get made.
Interviewer: Recently footage of the original Dreamcast Scud Race tech demo surfaced on the internet. Were there any plans for a full release of the game?
Nagoshi: No, just a demo. A lot of people really wanted it, but... We didn’t because...huh, I really don’t know why. [laughs]
Once again, he laughs it off. Is that his best reaction? That's your baby, your creation, why do you not care?
Interviewer: Speaking of which, any chance of a new Daytona anytime in the near future?
Nagoshi: We don’t have any public plans at the moment. But right now, driving games like Need for Speed and Burnout are big in the US, so we’ve had thoughts about a Daytona 3.
Ugh, freakin piece of garbage (keepin it PG) Burnout and Need for Speed. Putting a plastic bag over the head of racing gamers everywhere. I'm surprised that he gave a new Daytona a slight thought, but once again, it never came to fruition. Then again, I don't see games like Burnout giving people "Daytona fuel" because I see Burnout as the exact opposite of what Daytona stands for. You can either keep the car on the road or off the cliff and Burnout is driving us off the cliff.
I'm sitting here pounding my fist on my desk over and over again screaming for a new GOOD Daytona game/sequel/etc. but the man just laughs and stares at the wall. Does he take any pride in making top-notch high-quality games? Strange since I'm pretty sure lots of you regarded him with hero or deity-like status.
Question: Do we really need him to make a good racing game? Look at AM2 who just produced OutRun 2 with no real help from Nagoshi after all. We're goin' off-roading here folks, if we have to get another Daytona game, then we may have to do it without Nagoshi or even the Daytona trademark.
I know that Nagoshi was responsible for F-Zero which was a good game. However, I have a few burning issues with that game. First, snaking. Second, Captain Falcon/Chuck Norris jokes, I just don't like the man. Third, the fact that Nagoshi would put more effort into a racing series that originally belonged to another company instead of his own flesh and blood is just embarrassing.
I really don't know all the ins and outs of what goes on at Sega HQ everyday but seeing Nagoshi promoting his Super Monkey Balls and going to tanning salons, I don't know...the guy hasn't inspired me with much confidence. I'm torn here.
