One of my favorite games to play growing up
was Virtua Racing. I picked it up for the
32X on launch day and it’s remained the
one I most often pick up and play on the system.
Not only has it held up extremely well but
it’s historical contributions to the direction
gaming would take in the preceding generations
along with a whole host of games that would
take heavy influence from it is undeniable.
I covered the entire series a couple of years
back, but with the port by famed developer
M2 recently releasing for the Switch, I think
it’s time to revisit the series in what
I hope is a nice companion to my existing
video that will give anyone interested a definitive
answer as to what version is right for them.
This is retro impressions Virtua Racing, A
definitive Analysts
With the release of Virtua Racing on the Switch
there are now five home versions of the game,
and I would classify them as such.
On one side you have the original Arcade and
direct ports which include the Genesis, Switch,
and 32X which contains additional content.
On the other, we have the PS2 and Saturn,
which I consider a reimagining or quasi-sequel.
I think the names given to each release fairly
well define this too.
Virtua Racing on the Genesis
Virtua Racing Deluxe on the 32X
Virtua Racing on the Switch which is part
of Sega Ages
Time Warner Interactive’s V R Virtua Racing
on Saturn
And
Virtua Racing Flat Out on PS2 also a Sega
Ages release.
As this video is intended to stand on it’s
own while also being a companion to the one
already existing on this channel, we will
forgo the discussion of game history and break
down of mechanics in favor of jumping straight
into the catorigized comparisons.
First up let's talk about Sound
The race to the bottom for worst sound in
the series isn’t even a competition in my
opinion. The excessive loud and annoying tire
noise ruins the PS2 audio experience. It’s
like having a lawn mower in the room at all
times, if there’s anything good here it’s
impossible to appreciate under this mess.
There’s not much else to say so take a listen
for yourself.
The Genesis comes in at 4th. The game was
already well known for its 15 to 30 second
sound clips that play throughout the race
as you pass various checkpoints. It seemed
like the prime set up for a solid conversion
to the genesis, and it’s not bad. However,
the already short audio tracks are reduced
to partial clips and many of the sound assets
are not included in any form. It’s a bit
unreal but Sega opted for a 16 meg cart rather
than the 24 Megs that would be used on the
32X release. It’s assumed this was a cost-cutting
measure as even with the reduced rom size,
the game still retailed for $100.00 upon release.
So with such limited space, I applaud what
AM2 accomplished but it leaves a lot to be
desired.
The Saturn release is quite the oddity. On
one hand, the full soundtrack is in glorious
Red Book audio form. In fact, I feel it’s
the pinnacle of all the releases. The real
issue is all other effects are generated using
the Saturns on board YMF292 and the result
isn’t pretty or well optimized. The Doppler
effect that’s present in the 32X and arcade
release is missing when passing through tunnels
as is any real variation in engine noise.
The mark they should have reached for is often
missed with things such as a formula one car
that sounds like a Geo Metro rather than the
iconic machines it's modeled after (show clip).
Getting these thing right is critical to a
game like this in adding texture to the overall
experience and the execution here can at times
be quite distracting.
The top spot is a contest between the 32X
and Switch release.
I feel like the 32X version does the game
justice. Everything is here form the arcade
as is additional music and effects in support
of the new content. No real complaints about
in this release. The same is true for the
Switch.
From what I can tell, the Switch version includes
all 21 tracks from the arcade and nothing
more. I’ve heard there are additional tack
included and there might be, but using the
included music player there appears to be
noting extra included. For me, the higher
quality tracks and stand alone music player
help to set this version apart. The presentation
seems to be near arcade perfect and without
a doubt the Switch comes away with the best
home audio experience of the bunch.
Next up is visuals.
The obvious choice here is as expected with
the Genesis release, it is after all greatly
limited by the hardware on-screen color limitation
among other shortcomings not conducent of
3D games. However, with all things considered,
it’s kind of shocking Sega was able to pull
this off. Even considering the inclusion of
the SVP chip, getting the core aspects of
this fast paced 3D racer into the limited
size space is once again with all things considered,
an impressive achievement. One I’ll discuss
a bit more when addressing the 32X so lets
move on.
The PS2 version ranks 4th for two reasons.
First off, it’s extremely dark. People have
expressed a slight displeasure with the slightly
off-color palette of the Switch release also
to be addressed later down this list. If that’s
a problem for you there, this is a massive
issue here. Playing this game is almost like
wearing sunglasses in doors. Nothing quite
looks right. There's also some odd smoothing
effect in place and I really don't dig it.
I'm not really a PS2 expert so couldn't exactly
say what's going on, but the game looks slightly
off in a way no other version compares. The
assumption is that it's due to this not being
a true port, so it's really about personal
preference here. It's not to say that this
version is without merit, it is after all
the only one besides the switch to run at
60 fps and the detail of shadows is dramatically
enhanced giving a more vivid outdoor experience.
In third is the Saturn which at times looks
excellent, but it also falters far too often.
The main complaint I have is the excessive
clipping of the camera outside of the track
along with certain tracks having a floating
island feel rather than something grounded
in any sort of reality.
Moving on the number 2,
Let me preface this by saying the Switch version
is bar none the best looking Virtua Racing
game ever made. I mean, it’s not even a
debate. It’s the only version that renders
the entire map rather than loading it in chucks
causing a pop-in effect visable in every other
version. It has a nice color palette that’s
close to the arcade though not exact with
a more pastel look as oposed to the bright
vivd colors of the original. It also runs
at a locked 60 FPS while the arcade is locked
at 30, and object shadows are also improved.
So why’s it second? One massive reason I
call acceleration pop. In essence, every time
you hit the accelerator the screen jerks up
then down. So if you’re feathering the accelerator
as you pass around the corner, it’s rather
rough. It’s certainly an over exaggerated
effect to help with immersion but it’s not
in any other release including the Arcade
so I’m unsure why an option to disable it
wasn’t included. In fact, I find the movement
around the track to be rather rugged and at
times and unpleasant to the eye. It’s not
something I noticed in handheld mode, but
playing it on the big screen really highlights
the roughness of the presentation in this
regard. People have insinuated that this has
surpassed the arcade when in reality it’s
not quite as visually appealing to the player
when in motion as is the 32X and at this point,
no one has surpassed this silky smooth perfection
of the arcade release thought with an update
from M2, this could quickly change.
The good, the reliable, the 32X. In contrast
to the Genesis which uses a 256 by 240 resolution,
the 32X bumps it up to 320 by 240 giving the
player a much larger view of the playfield.
While the SVP chip was able to push 6,500
polygons per second the step up to the SH-2
in the 32X was a dramatic jump as it could
handle 50,000 per second and the result speaks
for itself. Mind you, this is all in comparison
to the Model 1 board which was capable of
nearly four times the polygons per second
of the 32X and 28 times the SVP backed Genesis.
Even with this shortfall, the 32X versions
does an admirable job of mimicing the Model
1 experience without sacrificing anything
important. What’s really impressive is that
the Genesis version is locked at 15 FPS, the
32X at 20 FPS, and the arcade at 30 FPS. Yet
to play any of them, the sense of speed is
well preserved. It’s not to say that the
higher frame rate isn’t preferred but rather
a testament to how well executed all three
versions are considering the limitations put
in place so they could be delivered on the
hardware at hand in the most efficient way
possible.
It’s time to look at Controls and the Game
Play Experience
If we are discussing virtua Racing, I believe
there is a certain expectation that goes along
with that. When you pick up a controller for
a game you are intimately knowledgeable with,
you expect the game to play a certain way.
If you’re coming to the Saturn or PS2 version
from any other release you’re going to have
a bad time. The Saturn vehicles are rather
floaty while the PS2 release has this weird
boost mechanics. They both have a ton of additional
content which ill cover in the next section
but neither feel like the original release,
even when playing in their dedicated arcade
mode that’s meant to give the player the
original experience. In all fairness they
both are fun to play in their own right as
long as you don’t think of them as being
Virtua Racing ports to which neither game
is. The Saturn release is compatible with
the Steering wheel but not the 3D control
stick where as the PS2 release has analogue
support, but it’s poorly implemented causing
dramatic oversteer when used. I don't find
either version fun in Arcade mode as the experiance
is to far removed from expectation, but getting
into another vehical such as the Go Kart in
the Saturn release is a blast. Even with the
variable of frame rates that exist between
versions, the sense of speed is well captured
in every case. There’s one thing that really
sets the Saturn at the bottom of the barrel
and it’s the terrible collision detection
that often times brings you to a complete
stop even when it shouldn’t. It's very reminiscent
of Motocross on 32X whereas if you can stay
away from the crowd, it's quite fun.
The Genesis comes in third. There’s really
not much to say here as it feels like you
would expect coming over from the arcade.
If there’s one hiccup for me, it’s that
it’s not compatible with the 32X making
it a pain in the rear to play. The decreased
draw distance, lower frame rate, and missing
collision detection make is the least desirable
of all true port experiences, but it's still
quite impressive as to what was accomplished.
The 32X version is fantastic, but is it better
than the Switch when it comes to how it controls?
Maybe not. To be fair, they both control excellent
and I had zero issues switching back and forth
between both game. The same strategies could
be used as they feel nearly identical which
is a testament as to what's been done here.
For twenty-five years we've been waiting for
a fairthful port that feels like the Arcade
which M2 finally has delivered. Where the
Switch pulls ahead is the dramatically increased
draw distance and analog control which this
time is well adjusted.
So what Extras or missing content might each
version have.
Genesis
If the arcade is the base to judge additional
content from, then Genesis would come in dead
last. It’s not missing any modes, tracks,
or cars, but offers nothing new giving a solid
foundation to the bottom.
WIth my fellow Sega fans gushing over the
new Switch release, I entered into what I
consider one of my most anticipated games
of 2019 with extremely high expectations.
Online play, local play with up to 8 participants?
It sounded great. Unfortunately, while the
local play is welcome the online experience
is a mess. I’ve been playing this since
release, and while I’ve had some luck finding
competition without waiting, I’ve also been
in ques waiting to be matched for over thirty
minutes. I was expecting 8 human players facing
off against each other, but the random match
I was tossed into was two humans one being
myself and some computer controlled cars that
were on track but not in the race itself.
To be clear there is nothing more to the online
mode than the 2 v 2 option. To make matters
worse, the input delay made it nearly unplayable
as I experienced multi-second input delays
in my race around the track. In subsequence
matches, I’v experienced game breaking glitches
and delays. It seems that after experiencing
a number of online matches, it’s Peer to
Peer with player one hosting. So if you’re
player one, no problem. However, if you’re
player two, prepare for game-breaking frustration.
If it’s this bad at launch I doubt there’s
any hope the feature I was most looking forward
too. There are other nice features here and
there including better stat tracking, but
overall it’s the arcade game and not much
more.
When the Deluxe version released it has enough
additional content to be considered version
1.5. Two additional vehicles, two additional
tracks, and new audio to match, all by the
team behind the arcade release. It’s all
quite good and has to this day remained exclusive
to the 32X.
The PS2 and Saturn release have a number of
things in common and considering the Saturn
release was a full 9 years before the PS2,
it would seem that heavy inspiration was taken
from it. Both Contain additional tracks, cars,
and a career mode of sorts, and with all these
things the Saturn has more of it all. When
comparing the two, the Saturn has the PS2
versions beat hands down. While I found Flat
Out's version of a career to be tedious and
pointless to play, the Saturn’s is kind
of fun with a progression system that makes
some sense. Neither version is great, but
while the PS2 is uninspired, the Saturn release
feels like a half complete love letter. I
can understand what they were going for and
respect the attempt to expand upon what Sega
had already established. There's more include
in the package such as cheesy track previews
but all in all that's it for the major content.
This brings us to my final recommendation
Rather than give a recommendation based on
a weighted system that takes into account
the hardware limitations this one is purely
based on what I feel are the most enjoyable
and worth owning from a head to head standpoint.
With that said, the ranking here won’t reflect
the same as in my prior Virtua Racing review.
Leading up the pack is the Genesis release.
In a weighted ranking, it would remain near
the top, but here, it’s more of a novelty
few people not named Historic Nerd would find
actually fun. I personally enjoyed every other
version to some degree through the Genesis
release is more frustrating than anything.
The lack of draw distance, low color count,
and muddy dithered appearace detracts from
the experience, especially when returning
to it from any other version. It’s like
comparing the George Reeves Superman to the
one from Super Friends. I like them both,
but one struggled to jump over tall buildings
while the other could fly around the earth
fast enough to turn back time.
As the PS2 versions appears to take many cues
from the Saturn release, it shouldn’t be
a surprise to see it here. Overall it’s
a fun game with the sound is turned off. I’m
still not a fan of the Visuals and though
the game controls well, it certainly follows
the Saturn trend by trying something new that
ultimately feels out of place when comparing
this apple the arcade orange. If you've never
played Virtua Racing and have the opertunity
to pick this one up, I think you'll be pleasantly
surprised. For everyone else, you might be
best to pass it up unless one of the additional
games included on the disc appeals to you.
The Saturn comes in 3rd. In fact, this game
has grown on me since I last discussed it
in 2017. It has a whole host of issues and
bugs, but a great soundtrack and it’s a
serviceable racer in some regard. In my opinion,
the main issue is it was developed by the
same team responsible for RBI Baseball with
no input or assistance from Sega or anyone
associated with Virtua Racing. So it’s got
the game, the music, and the tracks, but when
you sit down to play, it feels like something
else altogether. It might be considered a
bad Virtua Racing game when directly compared
to the arcade but I don’t feel the comparison
is justified. It’s not a bad game rather
one that appears to have been rushed to market
which is rather unfortunate because looking
over the entire package, it looks like there
was a deep love for the source material.
So what is the definitive version? It certainly
isn’t the Switch.
Honestly, I struggled with how to best discuss
the issue here. With a digital only game,
I’m hard-pressed to discuss it on a show
that focuses on tangible items. As of the
posting of this video, there’s a real possibility
this game will be unavailable in any form
within the next decade. We’ve already seen
one Virtua Racing digital only game disappear
but more telling is the recent closure of
numerous platforms including Ouya and Wii
game stores. On top of that, my main reason
to experience this game was for the online
mode and at this point, it’s a broken mess.
It's honestly hard to recommend a game when
a core feature if unusable, it's like trying
to watch a movie on a tv that's missing 30
percent of the picture. Even if M2 addresses
the issues detailed here, it’s still a digital
title and with that comes the downfall of
digital-only distribution methods that are
certain to disappear taking with them then
online play mechanics. There’s a lot of
positive stuff to say about what many have
claimed to be an M2 masterpiece including
the crisp arcade perfect controls, great visuals,
and a solid ost. If your only in it for the
core arcade experiace, it’s quite fantastic
here. However, to me, even being a good port
the glaring flaws keep it from dethroning
the Virtua Racing Deluxe on the 32X. It’s
not to say my issues couldn’t be fixed via
a patch, but considering this game has already
been available in its current form for some
time in Japan, I think what we got is all
we will receive.
That leaves the 32X and while it’s not perfect
with it’s graphical pop in, lower resolution
game field, and slightly lower frames per
second than the arcade, none of that impacts
the intended experience. The Arcade sense
of speed along with its tight controls are
nailed in near perfection. The OST is great
and the additional content is highly welcomed
and in this case, it all works without issue.
What you should anticipate is what this version
delivers. In the end, that's what separates
it from the rest. Everything just works and
does so perfectly every time.
So that's it. I think the Switch release is
a solid purchase for Virtua Racing fans and
I'm sure I'll continue to play it going forward.
I can’t give a definitive recommendation
due in large part to the game having broken
features, something I find wholly unacceptable.
With all that said, I hope I’ve helped you
in your quest to choose which version of this
arcade classic is best suited for you.
Thank you so much for watching. Until next
time, I’m jenovi and this is Retro Impressions.
