Virtua Racing (1992)

I played the Playstation2 port of this that I heard was one of the best ways to experience this classic and I gotta say, it feels really good playing Virtua Racing. It also hit me that I definitely played this in the arcade as a kid. The graphics are blocky and dated but has its charm, and sound design is overall stellar with some really sick music over it. Engine sounds are somewhat one-dimensional but it doesn't hurt your soul like some other titles from the same period. So no excuse there F1!!

Did you play Virtua Racing? If you come across it; I think you should!

[3.5] / [5]

Gameplay, Story and Value:

Virtua Racer is a mess of a game.

That really should sum up everything, but we'll start from the beginning. When you slam Virtua Racer's oversized cartridge into your Genesis are flick the power button, you're treated a a bunch of seemingly random polygons flying into place to create the SEGA logo we all expect to see. In doing so, the game lets you know from the get-go that you're in for a cutting-edge three dimensional treat!

Or something.

Once the main menu is accessible you have a plethora of racing options available to you. Your vehicle selection ranges from The One Car You Get With Manual Transmission to The Same Car With Automatic Transmission. You then get to choose from The Easy Course, The Intermediate Course or The Expert Course. At the start of each race you're given a set allotment of time, which can be extended by reaching checkpoints while there's still time on the clock. Run out of time and the race ends, at which point you may again make your choices from three tracks and one cars.

Bare-bones options aside, surely the actual racing is good. Not so much. At best it's barely playable and at worst it's a nightmare as your tiny car screeches all over the road. Impact detection is awful, as even the lightest bumps into other drivers or road obstacles sends you flipping 30ft into the air. Nearly every turn requires the greatest care lest you launch yourself into the scenery, never mind your opponents' ability to seemingly be glued to the road.

Presentation, Music and Sound:

I very much dislike polygonal games on 16-bit systems, and nothing better captures my reasoning than the barf collage pictured above. It's tacky, it's bad, it's the product of people pushing a gimmick simply for the sake of their ability to do so. That said, I'll give credit where it's due. The ability for you to change your camera view was both a surprising and welcome touch. In addition, the game actually runs at a consistently smooth framerate.

Music is absent save for when you pass through checkpoints, and it's unfortunate as the music you do get is actually pretty good. Given that it's so heavily positioned as an arcade game, a rockin' music track could have made the races slightly less painful. When Virtua Racer does excel are in its sound effects. The screeching tires, revving engines, opponents whizzing by you... it all sounds exceptional. Even the handful of digitized voice samples are clear and fitting.

Afterthoughts:

Virtua Racer is not a bad game.

No wait, that's not right. Virtua Racer is a bad game. It's novel in its presentation, and I remember how impressed I was by Virtua Fighter on the Genesis as a kid, though I'm sure my memory is much nicer than the reality. I could forgive Virtua Racer for being ugly as sin if it had a nice personality, but ultimately it manages to disappoint on all fronts.

Review:

Gameplay: