Sega Touring Car Championship was not handled by AM2 or AM3, but farmed out to an outside studio, CRI. This is why the quality of the game is so low, and we have to deal with low-res textures, sluggish framerate, and shoddy controls. If Sega's own wizards were designing the Saturn version, it would have been spectacular. Unfortunately, AM2 was being stolen away on Yu Suzuki's personal vanity project, Shenmue.
I dont know why people are bashing this game so much.Its controls is ok if you practice a bit,graphics are good for its time and soundtrack is great.If you play it with the analog controller of the arcade racer then you have a very good racing game.I loved it and play it till this day.
I remember buying this game because the arcade was so amazing. It was only in later years I found out it was designed with the 3d controller in mind, which I didn't have.
looks like gran turismo's mutant son who went back in time to destroy john connor but ended up getting kidnapped by the sega saturn and was held for ransom.
Two tips for making this game completely playable: - Tune the cars (On the "Saturn Side" you can tune the cars). - Use the analog pad or a steering wheel. I never played it with the digital pad so I can't tell if you can make it completely playable for it by tuning the cars.
The Saturn version is perfectly playable with the Analog Pad and a good configuration of the steering in the options. Once that this is done, you simply have to master each track :)
I have the US PC version of this. I liked the odd racing music but mine had the music all mixed up and backwards for some reason. Or atleast it seemed that way. Bought it along with an old cheap PC racing wheel. Worked well enough. I should go find my old disc and see if I can get the game running again. Thanks for the review.
I love this game a lot, coming back to it regularly on the last 15 years ( jp saturn version + analog pad ) . The difficulty makes it really intense but you can finish it !
I bought the PC port in 1999, along with Daytona USA and Manx TT Superbike. At the time, Touring Car Championship was my favorite of the 3 Sega racers. Controls were fine with an analog joystick... I didn't have a gamepad at the time. If I had I might have the same impression as CGR. Steering was a bit touchy, but since joysticks have a huge range of motion I could just tilt it a bit to steer precisely.
SEGA Rally, Outrun and Daytona destroy this game IMO. I've played the arcade cabinet and the steering was just crap. I tried to get into it... just can't. The best thing you can do with the cabinet is either convert it to Indy 500 or smash the cabinet up to replace the dead monitor in your House of the Dead machine.
That's a bit harsh. Someone worked hard on that cabinet. Okay, to be serious for a moment, I've actually played the arcade version (on an emulator with an Xbox controller) several times already, and it's really not that bad. Sure, during the first time you play it, you're gonna suck at it. I know I did. A couple things I would recommend to improve your skills are to avoid automatic transmission and stick with manual, and then just keep playing the game over and over again. Keep doing that, and you will see an improvement in your driving skills. Obviously, it will never top games like Daytona USA, but in my opinion, Sega Touring Car Championship is still a pretty fun game once you get used to it. Personally though, I wish I had the Saturn version, because the arcade emulated version I have has sound issues.
I actually got really good at this game back in the day. Couldn't really afford to just not play my new game, so I learned how to deal with the handling and it was actually pretty fun. Never would've put up with it if I could've afforded more games though.
Im not sure, but i think this one is in higher resolution ( like Virtua Fighter 2 ) than Sega Rally, i know parts of it are, im not sure if the racing is though. I have it here, ill have to have a look.
I wish the saturn didn't have such a short life-span, because a port of gran turismo cold have been made. You should also try out the analog controller for the saturn, you know, that circle with 2 nubs and buttons on it?
I played the arcade and owned the Saturn version. The Saturn vers played the same as the arcade, but without the pumping speakers behind, both difficult to steer and control. Sense of speed was immense though. I love the music, prob the only person that does:).
@iTech72 Just search for a video called "How to remove youtube's subscription bar and autoplay for firefox". It tells you how to get rid of it for firefox and google chrome users.
I loved this game, played it in the arcaed first, and later on my PC. Primarily because it was the first videogame I could take an Opel (my favourite car manufacturer) for a ride. And I loved the Eurodance Music of Racetrack 1.
I had the european version of this game on the sega saturn. It wasn't that hard, it was just very different than the other racing games. Both my brother and I played it with the standard controllers. It just needed some getting used to, and i thought it was an awesome game.
Eirinjas awesome comment!! i didn´t know that..! and since you said that the BIG question is.. was this game released before gran turismo? becuase if it is like that.. this was the first "REAL DRIVING SIMULATOR" and i appreciate the work of you CGRHD guys but.. he is right!!
When is SEGA going to come out with Racers MEGAMiX where cars, motorcycles & trucks from SEGA games like Daytona, Hang-On, Crazy Taxi, F-1, Out Run, Power Drift & 18 Wheeler are all racing against each other? Would make one awesome XBLA/PSN title, I would think.
@modewr he's Mohammad and he lives in Qatar. Anyway, in the video, he says that Mohammad in Qatar donated this game. A lot of the games and hardware recently have been donated by Mohammad in Qatar.
I really think Sega needs to remake all these games on the current gen consoles. Wouldn't it be cool to have a brand new Daytona USA on Xbox360 or PS3?
This game was rushed to market so it never got the controls correctly. If they took a bit more time on it the game would rock. Too bad as well because the controls were the main reason it never was ported to North America.
The controls are absolutely ok. You just need to practice. Its not an easy game. On my channel I have a video with a 2:44.350 - but on the real arcade machine I got a 2:43 already. I try it here again and if so - I'll upload a new video
Touring cars were a bit lighter and a lot more powerful back then. Today they have 260-280hp. Back then they had 500hp and probably better aerodynamics.
I agree the controls could have been a lot better, I felt the same way when I first played the game. But once you get used to them it's a very fun game, although very hard. The soundtrack is awesome, love the Avex Trax tracks. Still I agree Daytona USA and Virtua Racing are better.
There was a US release of this as I had it. I may still actually have it too, I gotta look. Its funny how I barely remember it, so that is no a good sign for a game.
Best thing about this game is the cheesy 90s music, that's about it. Considering how playable the Sega Rally and Daytona ports were, this port was really disappointing even back when it came out in 1997.
Are people really so stupid as to not notice that there is both an Arcade mode and a Saturn mode to this game and that in the Saturn mode you can create custom car setups (tuning tires, handling, brakes, suspension, etc..) that greatly affects how the cars handle? What kind of reviewer complains about the controls without exploring all the features of the controls? This game is much better than the mindless many would have you believe.
Controls were crap , and in uk version the frame rate was worse than ntsc .. that combined made it hard and annoying to play . Escpecially after playing the arcade game for quite a while before saturns rough conversion. The arcde game is excellant to play and i played more than scud race , sega rally OR daytona . It was just so fast and amazing vs friends
One who cannot read Japanese as he stated in the review. Perhaps Mark could have experimented with the options, but given the rate of reviews, time pressures probably took priority.
I found an arcade version of this when I went to france. It was a lot easier to control than what this sounds like. ill stick to playing sega rally and gran turismo...
It wasn't the bad controls, it wasn't the sketchy menus, it wasn't even the lackluster selection of cars. The real fault of the game was no GAME OVER YEAH!!!
No description available??!?! What is going on here? Make sure you pre-edit your your work. Anyway, you say its for Sega Saturn? Cool! Looks like PS1 graphics. Neat for its time.
I have the feeling a show about transforming robots piloted by a blue haired girl, would be awesome. Obviously, Mark would have to be the Narrator. And it'd be a comedy/action... with Flamethrowers.
NEGATIVE! I had the rare honor of being able to play STCC in the arcade and it was STILL hard to steer! This review reminds me of those days. Cool music though all licensed!
You know, even though the control does suck in this game, with a little practice it is possible to play quite decently with only a digital pad. Well, at least I can.
The music was great, done up by avex trax, the guys that do a lot of J-Euro-beat for stuff like Initial D. I actually ripped the three songs off the CD and have them on my iPOD to this day. I played the arcade stateside and bought the English version the second it came out. One of my Saturn all-time favorites. Funny enough I think Gran Turismo and Forza control like crap, so go figure.
The intro bit with crashing is so true of old racing games...
Sega Touring Car Championship was not handled by AM2 or AM3, but farmed out to an outside studio, CRI. This is why the quality of the game is so low, and we have to deal with low-res textures, sluggish framerate, and shoddy controls. If Sega's own wizards were designing the Saturn version, it would have been spectacular. Unfortunately, AM2 was being stolen away on Yu Suzuki's personal vanity project, Shenmue.
It's got Eurobeat, stupidly high speeds, oversteer... what more do you need?
Well Mark I gotta say, you've done a good job with the show, and its made me want to get a Sega Saturn. Thanks to you lol
I remember the arcade of this in England. It was really good, and the touch sensitive accelerator and brake pedals made a lot of difference.
I have found the arcade version of this game on a nearby café. Very fun to play and the music kicks ass.
I dont know why people are bashing this game so much.Its controls is ok if you practice a bit,graphics are good for its time and soundtrack is great.If you play it with the analog controller of the arcade racer then you have a very good racing game.I loved it and play it till this day.
I remember buying this game because the arcade was so amazing. It was only in later years I found out it was designed with the 3d controller in mind, which I didn't have.
Iv`e heard the control in this game is much better when using a 3D pad. Apparently the analog control really helps the playability.
I can second that. The 3d controller is only $20-$30, and it's definitely worth it for this game.
i love how you put up videos daily. thank you so much!
Does it work with the NiGHTS 3D controller? That thing is WAY better than the dpad for driving games
looks like gran turismo's mutant son who went back in time to destroy john connor but ended up getting kidnapped by the sega saturn and was held for ransom.
Two tips for making this game completely playable:
- Tune the cars (On the "Saturn Side" you can tune the cars).
- Use the analog pad or a steering wheel.
I never played it with the digital pad so I can't tell if you can make it completely playable for it by tuning the cars.
It's not that bad after you spend more time with this game
@1996BeagleMan apparently the standared joypad was terrible for it...that may be why
The Saturn version is perfectly playable with the Analog Pad and a good configuration of the steering in the options. Once that this is done, you simply have to master each track :)
The game doesnt have bad controls when you arent able to drive it.
Improve your skills. As simple as that. The game IS playable perfectly fine !
Nice to see more coverage of this game but like you said the glaring issues overshadow any potential it had.
I have the US PC version of this. I liked the odd racing music but mine had the music all mixed up and backwards for some reason. Or atleast it seemed that way.
Bought it along with an old cheap PC racing wheel. Worked well enough.
I should go find my old disc and see if I can get the game running again.
Thanks for the review.
I love this game a lot, coming back to it regularly on the last 15 years ( jp saturn version + analog pad ) . The difficulty makes it really intense but you can finish it !
I bought the PC port in 1999, along with Daytona USA and Manx TT Superbike. At the time, Touring Car Championship was my favorite of the 3 Sega racers. Controls were fine with an analog joystick... I didn't have a gamepad at the time. If I had I might have the same impression as CGR. Steering was a bit touchy, but since joysticks have a huge range of motion I could just tilt it a bit to steer precisely.
I played this in the arcade in the Philippines last week.. Ah, memories..
Have you tried it with the saturn NiGHTS analogue controller? Maybe it's meant to be played with that
I loved this game. It took a long while to get the controls down, but after that it was butter smooth.
I never have problem to control this game, even with the pad
SEGA Rally, Outrun and Daytona destroy this game IMO. I've played the arcade cabinet and the steering was just crap. I tried to get into it... just can't.
The best thing you can do with the cabinet is either convert it to Indy 500 or smash the cabinet up to replace the dead monitor in your House of the Dead machine.
That's a bit harsh. Someone worked hard on that cabinet.
Okay, to be serious for a moment, I've actually played the arcade version (on an emulator with an Xbox controller) several times already, and it's really not that bad. Sure, during the first time you play it, you're gonna suck at it. I know I did. A couple things I would recommend to improve your skills are to avoid automatic transmission and stick with manual, and then just keep playing the game over and over again. Keep doing that, and you will see an improvement in your driving skills. Obviously, it will never top games like Daytona USA, but in my opinion, Sega Touring Car Championship is still a pretty fun game once you get used to it. Personally though, I wish I had the Saturn version, because the arcade emulated version I have has sound issues.
@@jakescartoons6045 I'm also playing the arcade version emulated on the nebula m2 emulator and I don't have sound issues?
You playing on MAME?
@@SK91NO No. I'm not playing on MAME. I'm playing on the Model 2 Emulator.
Doesn't matter though, since I actually got the Saturn version recently.
@@jakescartoons6045 Nice, hope you got a 3D controller to go along with that
@@SK91NO Sure did! Had the controller since February of last year.
Hoping that leads to way more Saturn reviews, ESPECIALLY any hard to find imports ^_^
I actually got really good at this game back in the day. Couldn't really afford to just not play my new game, so I learned how to deal with the handling and it was actually pretty fun. Never would've put up with it if I could've afforded more games though.
Im not sure, but i think this one is in higher resolution ( like Virtua Fighter 2 ) than Sega Rally, i know parts of it are, im not sure if the racing is though. I have it here, ill have to have a look.
Would this game work better with the Saturn analog joystick controller that came with Nights into Dreams?
I wish the saturn didn't have such a short life-span, because a port of gran turismo cold have been made. You should also try out the analog controller for the saturn, you know, that circle with 2 nubs and buttons on it?
but the OST is great!
I played the arcade and owned the Saturn version. The Saturn vers played the same as the arcade, but without the pumping speakers behind, both difficult to steer and control. Sense of speed was immense though. I love the music, prob the only person that does:).
@iTech72 Just search for a video called "How to remove youtube's subscription bar and autoplay for firefox". It tells you how to get rid of it for firefox and google chrome users.
I loved this game, played it in the arcaed first, and later on my PC. Primarily because it was the first videogame I could take an Opel (my favourite car manufacturer) for a ride. And I loved the Eurodance Music of Racetrack 1.
Nothing like a cold beer, a lord karnage sandwich and CGR to make a monday go away :)
Does it control better with the Sega Saturn racing wheel?
I bought this the day it came out and was soooo hoping that it would be a follow up to the awesome Sega Rally.
Oh how wrong I was :(
I had the european version of this game on the sega saturn. It wasn't that hard, it was just very different than the other racing games. Both my brother and I played it with the standard controllers. It just needed some getting used to, and i thought it was an awesome game.
Eirinjas awesome comment!! i didn´t know that..! and since you said that the BIG question is.. was this game released before gran turismo? becuase if it is like that.. this was the first
"REAL DRIVING SIMULATOR" and i appreciate the work of you CGRHD guys but.. he is right!!
I played this in the arcade today. It rocked
you can play the arcade version on pc through an emulator, and use a proper wheel and pedals. it's still completely impossible to control.
Can you do Sega Rally Championship review? that would be awesome :)
When is SEGA going to come out with Racers MEGAMiX where cars, motorcycles & trucks from SEGA games like Daytona, Hang-On, Crazy Taxi, F-1, Out Run, Power Drift & 18 Wheeler are all racing against each other? Would make one awesome XBLA/PSN title, I would think.
Plays fine with the analogue controller. Its really fun once you get the hang of it.
@edison700 Me too! :D The PC version doesn't install on a newer OS though, I have to play the .exe off the disk! =P
Played the PC version and the controls aren't bad. I've the original orange/black CD but my sister left a small crack on it.
@modewr he's Mohammad and he lives in Qatar. Anyway, in the video, he says that Mohammad in Qatar donated this game. A lot of the games and hardware recently have been donated by Mohammad in Qatar.
I really think Sega needs to remake all these games on the current gen consoles. Wouldn't it be cool to have a brand new Daytona USA on Xbox360 or PS3?
Will it be available on Vectrex Virtual Console?
i have this game for pc but i remember this game as arcade and that whas pretty god you cud feel if tire sliped or losed track etc :D
I actually closed this until I heard the music and brought it back
This game was rushed to market so it never got the controls correctly. If they took a bit more time on it the game would rock. Too bad as well because the controls were the main reason it never was ported to North America.
This came out in the US
patrickthehedgehog Yes but it's very expensive even though the controls suck.
The controls are absolutely ok. You just need to practice. Its not an easy game.
On my channel I have a video with a 2:44.350 - but on the real arcade machine I got a 2:43 already. I try it here again and if so - I'll upload a new video
fireheartis1 sega always love to rush thanks to sonic the hedgehog gotta go fast quote
Daniel Easyrhino LOL That just might be true.
I have this game on PC and it doesn't look so bloody blocky. I actually loved this game probably just for the music alone.
This is the game I always played when I was like 4!
Touring cars were a bit lighter and a lot more powerful back then.
Today they have 260-280hp. Back then they had 500hp and probably better aerodynamics.
@Blaxot for some reason, i didnt have it to begin with
Unless the tuning in question can make the steering any less twitchy, I say you're just blowing smoke.
this is one of those rare arcade racers that isn't easy to pick up and play.
I agree the controls could have been a lot better, I felt the same way when I first played the game. But once you get used to them it's a very fun game, although very hard. The soundtrack is awesome, love the Avex Trax tracks.
Still I agree Daytona USA and Virtua Racing are better.
One of my favorite games on saturn
@Szczaqu
Sonic doesn't have SEGA in the title.
There was a US release of this as I had it. I may still actually have it too, I gotta look. Its funny how I barely remember it, so that is no a good sign for a game.
@tamagoMMA Given, it was SOMEWHAT like a Daytona clone with even floatier controls.. wish I still had my chipped Saturn. :(
I meant Touring car is a Europian term for racecar?
Delite 2nd "&" in URL to get rid of the Gray bar.
@Adonik yeah just making sure some people wouldn't be confused (ou never know) lol
i know the game is terrible but doesn't the Saturn have a steering wheel?
Best thing about this game is the cheesy 90s music, that's about it. Considering how playable the Sega Rally and Daytona ports were, this port was really disappointing even back when it came out in 1997.
ah bring on Gran Turismo 5 eh. Looking Forward to the CGR Review of that :D
I just bought this game... along with a Sega Saturn.
Are people really so stupid as to not notice that there is both an Arcade mode and a Saturn mode to this game and that in the Saturn mode you can create custom car setups (tuning tires, handling, brakes, suspension, etc..) that greatly affects how the cars handle? What kind of reviewer complains about the controls without exploring all the features of the controls? This game is much better than the mindless many would have you believe.
@Guernicaman add the F14 from After Burner as a unlockable vehicle and l would buy it.
Controls were crap , and in uk version the frame rate was worse than ntsc .. that combined made it hard and annoying to play . Escpecially after playing the arcade game for quite a while before saturns rough conversion. The arcde game is excellant to play and i played more than scud race , sega rally OR daytona . It was just so fast and amazing vs friends
Wait, was that really the music, it sounded like something from Initial D: Arcade!
are you kidding me? i love this game!!! i always win! (although i play on easy and 2 laps)
One who cannot read Japanese as he stated in the review. Perhaps Mark could have experimented with the options, but given the rate of reviews, time pressures probably took priority.
@INEEDNAWZZZ and let's not to mention that the music in the game is preety cool
I found an arcade version of this when I went to france. It was a lot easier to control than what this sounds like. ill stick to playing sega rally and gran turismo...
i love 90's music i love 90's cars..!!!!
@dgafecb1
Graphics weren't bad at all for a Saturn game.
@blain93
I played it in arcade too but the wheel "drove itself" so it was hard...music was good though. :)
I have the arcade emu setup with wheel and pedals. Still just as horrible to control.
To delete that annoying grey bar delete the second "&" in the URL. Thumbs up and spread the word!
They have Sega Saturns in Qatar?
@elliotw3 I kinda wish I had a spare pad to send to Mark for him to review
It wasn't the bad controls, it wasn't the sketchy menus, it wasn't even the lackluster selection of cars.
The real fault of the game was no GAME OVER YEAH!!!
@showofdeth Bit harsh don't you think?
people who donate games to CGR are fucking awesome.
No description available??!?! What is going on here? Make sure you pre-edit your your work. Anyway, you say its for Sega Saturn? Cool! Looks like PS1 graphics. Neat for its time.
that music is very Ridge Racer x)
Had the American version. Great music but the rest is really bad. Could not get the steering dialed in even with the adjustments and wheel.
I have the feeling a show about transforming robots piloted by a blue haired girl, would be awesome. Obviously, Mark would have to be the Narrator.
And it'd be a comedy/action... with Flamethrowers.
NEGATIVE! I had the rare honor of being able to play STCC in the arcade and it was STILL hard to steer! This review reminds me of those days. Cool music though all licensed!
@Blaxot thanks :)
You know, even though the control does suck in this game, with a little practice it is possible to play quite decently with only a digital pad.
Well, at least I can.
THERE´S SOMETHING THAT IT´S CALLED THE 3D ANALOG CONTROLLER FOR PLAYING THIS GAME...
The music was great, done up by avex trax, the guys that do a lot of J-Euro-beat for stuff like Initial D. I actually ripped the three songs off the CD and have them on my iPOD to this day. I played the arcade stateside and bought the English version the second it came out. One of my Saturn all-time favorites. Funny enough I think Gran Turismo and Forza control like crap, so go figure.
I still have the PC version of this game
Love this Game on saturn. Bad Review.