Super Monaco GP (MS/GG, 1990)

PLAYERS: 1-2 simultaneous

PUBLISHER/DEVELOPER: Sega

GENRE: Racing

RELEASE DATE: 09/90 – (US), 1990 – (EU)

Super Monaco GP for the Master System doesn’t resemble the arcade game of the same name nor does it play like the Genesis port. The first-person view has been removed in favor of a third-person view a la World Grand Prix. While each race still has fourteen racers, you’ll only see two cars on the screen at the same time, due to system limitations. The in-depth World Championship Mode has been replaced by a VS. Battle Mode. And, unlike the Genesis version which had superb handling, the controls here all but ruin the experience.

Before you take to the dirty streets of Monaco, you first have to assemble your car. Transmissions run from Automatic to three different manual speeds. Automatic takes forever to accelerate, but is easier to control. 3-speed, 5-speed, and 7-speed allow for quicker acceleration, but are more difficult to steer. Wings range from light to heavy. The heavier the wing, the more traction you’ll have, but the harder turns will be to make. There are four types of engines with differing top-speeds and weights. And the softness/hardness of your Tires will affect both traction and durability.

If you choose an automatic transmission, you accelerate and brake with the face buttons, like you would any other racing game. Selecting a manual transmission means that you shift gears with the face buttons in order to accelerate and brake. This actually makes acceleration easier, since the game all but does it for you. Braking, however, is a nightmare. Rather than you having complete control over the brakes as you veer around a sharp turn, you have to deduce when to downshift based on how quickly your car decelerates. The time it takes for your car to decelerate differs based on the parts used to assemble your car. This makes for considerable guesswork just to turn and little enjoyment of the race proper.

All the D-pad does is steer and poorly, at that. Even if you make your car as light as an aluminum derby racer, it’s next to impossible to emerge from a sharp turn without sliding onto the grass or crashing into a sign. I’ve taken turns where I’ve slowed down and jammed the left/right buttons down as hard as I possibly can, and my car still drifts onto the grass like I’m not even controlling it.

The poor controls are unfortunate, since Super Monaco GP has a lot to offer for an 8-bit racing title. The Grand Prix mode has 16 races, more than enough to keep you occupied. If you just want to get a feel for the different course layouts or only have time for one race, VS. Battle has you covered. Assembling your car adds some light sim touches. While the game could have a touch more detail in the course layouts (it’s hard to tell Spain from Japan from England), from a technical standpoint, I appreciate that Sega didn’t even try to replicate the first-person view from the arcade and the Genesis, nor did they overload the Master System with more on-screen action than it could handle.

Your ability to enjoy Super Monaco GP depends solely on how difficult the game is for you to control. Some might argue that the Genesis version’s controls are just as unforgiving, but at least in the latter, I had full control over my racer. Here, it feels like the game and I share responsibility over my car, and the game has no intention of letting me succeed. Keep your crooked races, Monaco, I’m going home.

D-

PLAYERS: 1-2 simultaneous

PUBLISHER/DEVELOPER: Sega

GENRE: Racing

NEEDS: Gear-to-Gear Cable for multiplayer

RELEASE DATE: 10/06/90 – (JP), 04/91 – (US)

Despite running on a handheld with the same processor as the Master System, Super Monaco GP for the Game Gear moves faster and controls better than its home console counterpart. Even at high speeds, the tight controls allow you to turn sharply without careening off the raceway, unlike the Master System version. Whether you’re using an automatic or a 7-speed transmission, your car soars down the track, like you just threw a gram of cocaine into the gas tank. This fix turns Super Monaco GP from an unplayable title into an enjoyable one.

Both versions share the same features, save for some minor changes. While you can still assemble your car – tires, wings, transmission, motors – there are fewer options to choose from. The Grand Prix mode returns, complete with all sixteen courses. The VS. Battle is back as well, but only if you have a Gear-to-Gear Cable. In order to play any two-player mode, you’ll need to have two Game Gears, two copies of the game, and a cable to make the magic happen. A ridiculous setup to be sure, but in 1990, that’s just the way things were.

I wouldn’t like playing such a fast game on a small, blurry screen, but there’s no denying that the portable Super Monaco GP is the better of the two 8-bit versions. Why Sega couldn’t make the Master System version run this well is beyond me.

B