Sega Touring Car Championship on Sega Saturn retro games console

[Mcsleeve]

Just got this game recently. Initially I was disapponted, but I'm really started to like game. For me the worst part of the game is the framerate. Not so bad in time attack mode but really awful when racing against other cars. Control wise I use the nights pad as I find it alot easier to play than the D-Pad.

[Monacomaverick]

You can get the Sega Rally cars in this game if you stick with it long enough.

As for the controls, try just slightly holding the analog stick into the turn at speed, and only release it when you're ready to go straight again. You really don't need to counter much at all. Practice on the country track for a bit. I didn't like it either when all I had was a standard pad, and now I love it.

[Adropacrich2]

Hmm you're spot with your reactions to this seemingly dreadful game but i honestly couldn't say for absolute sure if it's that's bad or not - i think it probably is though unless gifted at magic and can alter the controls

Iv'e seen a couple of videos now where some people manage to drive actually rather well but it sure isn't obviously how you're supposed to do it

I loved my Saturn for some quite excellent games but i don't suppose i'll care too much if i play this one again

[julsyDCst]

I adore the Saturn but I remember being bitterly disappionted by this "game" as a kid, I had a Saturn when kids at school were ps1 players and when they saw this game..... you can imagine :P, compare this to sega rally, which apart from the size of the game is on par with any Ps1 racer, this is appauling. When are we seeing Manx tt?

[SteveBenway]

Manx TT is after Sega Rally and a couple of Dragon games. Sega Rally is in a couple of hours :D

[preydog1]

mine was bent nails and hi-tec trainers for breaks hehehe.

[rudeydudey05]

The problem with the Sega Saturn is that its dual CPUs tried to access the system memory on the same bus at the same time which messed up the whole system due to bottlenecks, the architecture looks like it was designed for a single CPU. imo, The machine was too complex, they should of just had one fast CPU, it could of been fantastic. They would of had the means to sort out the physics of the 3d games.

Playstation got it soo right, Sega got it wrong with this one.

[SteveBenway]

Originally the Saturn was only intended for 2D and they did only have one CPU.

Then when the CEO of Sega heard the specs of the Playstation, he threw a fit, and insisted the Saturn be given more power, so it could compete with the Playstation at 3D.

So they just crammed another CPU on it... chence the bodge that it is.

Pity too, coz it's great at 2D, like it was originally meant to be.

[preydog1]

Homemade GoKarts a classic British summer holidays pastime hahahaha.

[SteveBenway]

Pram wheels on the back, pushchair wheels on the front.

If you could afford it, you had a nut and bold holding the front plank with the wheels in place, and pipe brackets holding the axles on.

If you couldn't... it was all held together with bent nails, and fell apart very quickly.... especially the brake, which was just a piece of wood with a nail through it that you pulled on one end, to rub the other end against the back wheel.

Quality downhill transport :D

[Catholicboy4life]

My guess is that this game was rushed out for Christmas or was incomplete because of budget (much like the rushed and unfinished saturn version of House of the Dead.)

By late 1997 the saturn can do far better than thism, especially since Saturn owners got quite decent conversions of Wipeout 2097 and Manx TT just months earlier.

[Catholicboy4life]

I agree with most of what is in this review, except for the part where you say that the Saturn is using all its processing power for this game.

I have seen the saturn do FAR better 3D than this, games such as Quake, Resident Evil, Dead or Alive, Burning Rangers, Last Bronx, Sonic R, the unrelaesed Shenmue Demo etc.

[Retrosofer]

Funny, i tried playing this last night, but i soon put it back, i came to the same conclusion about this game too, Sega Rally is best racer on the Saturn i have played so far.

[SteveBenway]

Thanks. I'm glad it's not just me :)

[wrestletube1]

A review? Watever happened to SWILL? :P

Anyways nice review.

[BlooditeDrakan]

Hahaha Daytona seems far far better than this.

[Fawltykog]

Got motion sickness watching this!

All games i dare say from that period in time look ugly, i was playing 007 Racing on the PS1 the other day and while it's a good fun it does look like Picasso in his cubist period designed the graphics!

Not knocking the old games i'm as big a retro gaming fan as Mr Benway is!

[Flodder450]

have you tried playing it with the NIghts Controller?

IIRC,that had an analouge(sp?) stick

[SteveBenway]

I was playing it with the Nights controller at the start, and then switched over after 6 or 7 minuted to see how it played with an original pad.

It was awful with both.

[Flodder450]

wow,even with analouge ,it sucks

if they couldve made the control better,this would be an awesome game

[hotdaddyhuggy]

With some forced perceverence, tweaking the controls in the setup menu, using AT, analog controls and a behind car view, I finally (semi) mastered this game and kinda enjoyed it!.....

....Thats until the final 'bonus' track...

....It then seriously makes you it's bitch!!!!!

[DeanoTheLegend87]

I wouldn't say this is Sega's answer to Gran Turismo, more like there answer to Ridge Racer since this came out shortly after.

If i remember the Arcade version wasn't to bad, was certainly more forgiving.

[darthbluntedone]

no the arcade machine was just as bad the steering is aweful in this game arcade or saturn version.

[ScrewAttackEurope]

I'd personally say this was Sega trying to follow up with the success of Sega Rally and failing miserably.

Fucking awesome soundtrack though.

[SteveBenway]

Heh... I didn't notice the music at all.

Maybe I'll go back to it and have a listen.

[ScrewAttackEurope]

Lol, it's done by AVEX TRAX, a famous techno-pop band in Japan, They've also done a few other video games and anime soundtracks in th epast too.

The final level's music is my favourite, the red brick town I think it's called.

[SteveBenway]

You played this pile of junk through to the last level?

You masochist! That's what I call dedication ;)

[DemonmachinE]

Well, on the upside, the game does MOVE quickly. That's at least somewhat technically impressive, even if the game otherwise looks and plays like absolute shit.

[madcapoperator]

Games like this try and convince me that the saturn was an absolute pile of crap...until I get hold of the games that I actually want other than VF2, Nights and fighters megamix!

Basically a bunch of japenese 2D smups and beat em ups. Meh, you get what you pay for...

[lettersfromtheleft]

If I shrunk myself down, put a harness on a ferret, and tried to ride it like a horse I'd imagine it'd feel a lot like this game plays.

[SteveBenway]

Now that I'd like to see :D

[lettersfromtheleft]

Speaking of racing games, you getting GT5 when it comes out? I'm loving the hell out of Forza 3 right now, but will end up getting GT5 too, since I'm a big douche like that.

[SteveBenway]

I'll be getting it. Whether I get it when it comes out all will come down to the state of my finances at the time... but I'll definitely be getting it.

[Rockythefishman]

Bad Bad game, Sega Rally is good however just like in the arcade sega touring cars controls make the game unplayable :( Well at least its a good arcade port LOL

[zxEightyJon]

Sega rally was cool,this one looks dodgy..

[macintoshgermany]

can you drive a calibra?

it would be fun to win some races in a gentleman`s car

[SteveBenway]

The 2nd car I raced in here was a Calibra.

[macintoshgermany]

How are the driving physics compared to gran turismo or toca race driver?

It looks like a lot of fun.

[SteveBenway]

The physics on this are very wooden, and I personally didn't find it remotely fun.

[ArcadeMeister]

LOL @ your "DOH!" moment! XD

The graphics aren't that great but that doesn't make it a bad game, dodgy controls, on the other hand...

Anyway, I have a question, in fact, no, I have 2 (I'm still not full yet :P):

1) When are we gonna see some N64 SWILLS?!?

2) Are you gonna do an Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion SWILL? I was pleasantly surprised when you said you had that game, it's one of my all-time favourite games! :D

[SteveBenway]

N64 games.... I don't know. Some time, but planning that far ahead would be fairly pointless, coz I rarely work to a plan.

I won't be doing an Elder Scrolls video, as I have it for my PC, and I blew up my graphics card around a year ago. The onboard gfx for this PC are far too weedy to play the game.

[ArcadeMeister]

Fair enough! Leave the best till last, I say! :P

Pity about the PC, it would've been nice to see you do that game. Nevermind. :(

Keep up the good work, anyway. :)

[MaximumRD]

Heh, ah well, how about looks nice then? OK I will stick to Daytona lol!

[SteveBenway]

Hehehe... I wonder if this game is like Daytona... which was great in the arcades and pretty rough on the Saturn.

[MaximumRD]

Daytona USA was pretty good, the follow up Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition is better, of course the DREAMCAST version is great, but all the Daytona games are very "arcadey" type control but pretty good once one get's use to it........

[MaximumRD]

Cool, nice Saturn racer!

[SteveBenway]

Nice? It's terrible :O