Manx TT Superbike
Encyclopedia
Manx TT Superbike is a 1995 arcade
racing game
developed jointly by Sega-AM3 and Sega-AM4. It was later brought to the Sega Saturn
by Psygnosis and Tantalus Interactive
and then ported to Windows
by Perfect Entertainment
. It was the first motorcycle racing game built for the Sega Model 2 arcade board. Up to 8 players can race in this game if enough cabinets are linked together, following the similar mechanisms as Daytona USA
.
The game's setting is the Isle of Man TT
- the world-famous and demanding motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man
. There are two courses to race on; the Laxey Coast course for novices and the more difficult TT (for "Tourist's Trophy") Course for veteran players.
The arcade game was known at the time for its impressive graphics and innovative cabinet. Many arcade motorcycle games incorporated a bike-like machine that tilted so the player could maneuver the on-screen bike in a somewhat realistic fashion. However, most of them, until this game, still required that the player kept their feet on the floor. The Manx TT machine was unique in that it had steps on the side of the bike, allowing the player to keep their feet on the machine and use their body weight to control the on-screen bike; much like riding a real motorcycle. This helped make the game feel more realistic and increased the amount of skill required to fully master it.
Many of the unsold Manx TT cabinets were converted into Motor Raid
cabinets, a futuristic Model 2 motorcycle racing game released in 1997.
The Saturn and PC releases have the game soundtrack as standard Red Book audio
which can be listened to in any CD player.
This game featured a famous cheat code which had you ride the course on a sheep instead of a bike against a grid of unmanned other sheep. and a remixed version of Mary Had a Little Lamb.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
racing game
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
developed jointly by Sega-AM3 and Sega-AM4. It was later brought to the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
by Psygnosis and Tantalus Interactive
Tantalus Interactive
Tantalus Media is an Australian video game developer based in Melbourne, Australia, founded in 1994 by former Beam Software programmers Trevor Nuridin and Andrew Bailey. The company changed its name to Tantalus Media in 2007 following investment from private equity company Netus...
and then ported to Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
by Perfect Entertainment
Perfect Entertainment
Perfect Entertainment was a British computer game producer, which ceased production in 1999. It was created in 1994 as a result of a name change from Perfect 10 Productions, a company previously known as Beam Software ....
. It was the first motorcycle racing game built for the Sega Model 2 arcade board. Up to 8 players can race in this game if enough cabinets are linked together, following the similar mechanisms as Daytona USA
Daytona USA (arcade game)
Daytona USA is a 1993 racing video game by Sega. Considered one of the highest grossing arcade games of all time, Daytona USA was Sega's first title to debut on the Sega Model 2 arcade board, and at the time of its 1993 introduction, was considered the most visually detailed 3D arcade racing game...
.
The game's setting is the Isle of Man TT
Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
- the world-famous and demanding motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. There are two courses to race on; the Laxey Coast course for novices and the more difficult TT (for "Tourist's Trophy") Course for veteran players.
The arcade game was known at the time for its impressive graphics and innovative cabinet. Many arcade motorcycle games incorporated a bike-like machine that tilted so the player could maneuver the on-screen bike in a somewhat realistic fashion. However, most of them, until this game, still required that the player kept their feet on the floor. The Manx TT machine was unique in that it had steps on the side of the bike, allowing the player to keep their feet on the machine and use their body weight to control the on-screen bike; much like riding a real motorcycle. This helped make the game feel more realistic and increased the amount of skill required to fully master it.
Many of the unsold Manx TT cabinets were converted into Motor Raid
Motor Raid
Motor Raid is a racing video game released by Sega on its Model 2A arcade system board in 1997.-Overview:With its futuristic bikes and the rare ability to fight while racing the game bears obvious inspirations from both the Akira and Venus Wars manga and anime adaptation, psygonsis's Wipeout ...
cabinets, a futuristic Model 2 motorcycle racing game released in 1997.
The Saturn and PC releases have the game soundtrack as standard Red Book audio
Red Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
which can be listened to in any CD player.
This game featured a famous cheat code which had you ride the course on a sheep instead of a bike against a grid of unmanned other sheep. and a remixed version of Mary Had a Little Lamb.
Saturn to PC Conversion
The PC conversion, based on the Saturn game both ported by British studio Psygnosis, offered enhancements to the visuals and gameplay modes.- Full bike shadows instead of the mesh effect shadow in the Saturn version.
- Perspective correction to remove polygon warping.
- Increased draw distance.
- Higher resolution than the arcade version.
- 3dFx compatibility for filtered textures.
- 8 player multiplayer, like the arcade game.
- Newer voices.