Vrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmm.....

Sega Touring Car Championship, available on the XPLOSIV budget label. The title is getting on a bit and boy, does it show.

This is an arcade conversion that features both the original coin-op and a new version featuring a few new features, such as a Time Attack mode, where you have no opposition but yourself (a ghost car can be switched on so you can gauge exactly how you are doing compared to the previous lap). Basically though this game is all about driving some very powerful cars extremely quickly round a track. You get a choice of Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti, AMG Mercedes C-Class, Opel Calibra V6 and Toyota Supra, and off you go…

You start off with a qualifying lap and then get thrown into the race against 7 other cars. In traditional arcade style, you have to cross the line before the time runs out in order to get a time extension and carry on racing. And… well, that’s it really. It is an arcade-style racing game, pure and simple, in keeping with its coin-op roots. If you want a realistic simulation then forget it.

Unfortunately the age of this game really does make itself manifest once you start playing. The graphics really do look very old and blocky, and though the sound isn’t that bad, there really isn’t much of it. On the plus side, however, those blocky graphics shoot along at a pretty impressive rate and convey much more of a feeling of speed than many games with far more impressive graphics. The game itself is quite fun but lacks depth – after all it’s one thing to sit in a coin-op clutching a steering wheel racing against your friend who is clutching the steering wheel to your right… quite another to just play the game on the computer. The extras that have been added just aren’t enough to keep you interested – though in truth very few people are going to be able to see beyond the stone-age graphics… There aren’t many tracks or cars to choose from, though apparently there are “hidden” tracks and cars in the game – if you’re much more patient than me, I guess you might find them! The car handling is a little fiddly but you get used to it quickly, while the physics seem relatively accurate (for an arcade game!).

I can’t really complain too much though as the game cost me just one pound (from… um.. .the Pound Store!) and despite looking ancient is actually still quite fun to play. (I also like retro gaming, so that helps!) You can play two-player over a data link, or on the same computer individually trying to get the best time, or together on a split screen. A number of peripherals are supported though I just used the keyboard on this one (adding to the retro feel!).

There’s really not much more to say about it. If you have fond memories of the original coin-op or want a really retro gaming experience for very little money, this will fit the bill nicely. If nothing about the previous sentence relates to you, then you’d be far better off avoiding this one.

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