Sega's Most Controversial Racing Game: Sega Touring Car Championship | Saturnology

[@jesseemullen]

The ironic thing is that the DTM/ITC cars of this time handled beautifully with their electric active suspension, anti-lock brakes, and traction controls. Drivers could probably push harder in real life than if they were playing the game based off of their series!

[@TheFalcoFanatic]

I actually looked through the files, It was also gonna include the Hornet from Daytona USA and the F1 car from Virtua racing unlocked via cheat codes, but it never did

[@CatGoneCrazy]

That's so cool, I wish they'd put them in. Virtua Racing was completely abandoned by Sega when they could easily have kept it as their tech demo franchise.

[@SwankeyMonkey]

6:20 Thanks for showing the Bonus cars! I've always loved that *SEGA* car graphic, and the memory of it from when I was younger playing STCC stuck with me-- that when Forza came around I decided to dress up some cars with a similar graphic to the best of my recollection.

[@uhm175]

Fun fact: That retro bonus car, is based on the Porsche 911 GT1

[@SwankeyMonkey]

@@uhm175 Really? Interesting. When I first played this I thought it was some type of a made-up prototype amalgamation of a McLaren F1 and an Acura NSX. Even seeing this again reminds me of the McLaren in Dreamcast's LeMans 24hrs, except for this car's widebar taillights similar to the NSX or the late 80s Prelude.

[@prehistoricpoodle]

@@SwankeyMonkey The back always reminded me of a McLaren F1, and the front lights as well. The overall silhouette / cockpit shape could remind of the 911 GT1,

[@LJW1912]

Refers to German Touring car championship Shows footage of BTCC

[@Davetona]

In my one lone defense, I searched for German Touring Car on KZbin and that clip showed up. Of all the ones I saw, that had the most 'usable' footage. I didn't really give much thought other than that, but now I know :)

[@jamestemple1300]

The reason u could find much is the championship the game is based on is the DTM, search that and its a world of awesome videos. Plus the Toyota Supra never raced in the DTM too, another little STC anomoly

[@franciscocarvalho3101]

This game was based on the DTM '95 series and ITC '96 series. It included the Opel Calibra V6 (Manuel Reuter, Yannick Dalmas, Ni Amorim and JJ Lehto), the Mercedes C-Class V6 (Bernd Schneider, Dario Franchitti and Jan Magnussen), the Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti (Alessandro Nanini, Nicola Larini, Michele Alboreto and Christian Danner) and the Toyota Supra from the JGTC '95 (Masanori Sekiya and Michael Krumm). The images are obviously from the BTCC, the great series that inspired the first two TOCA for the PS1. Great games too, by the way.

[@LJW1912]

@@franciscocarvalho3101 forgot about Yannick Dalmas haha

[@kaneda010]

I love when a review delves into the mechanics and seeks to look deeper into the gameplay, or to correct misunderstandings in games from the past. You just got yourself a new subscriber.

[@BeaugosseRiche]

I don't think it's a misunderstanding to call this game extremely mediocre. He's just showing that there's more to it than people realized back in the day, but it doesn't make it a good game in any way, especially in light of what was coming out on PC and PS1 at the same time. It looks terrible, still handles bad, still has low production value. There are very few non-trash games on the Saturn, if we want to be honest.

[@wonder-games3579]

@@BeaugosseRicheI may agree in regards to Sega Touring Car being quite poor compared to many other titles on Saturn by SEGA. But I cannot agree at all with there being very few "non-trash games" on the system.

[@THENAMEISQUICKMAN]

@@BeaugosseRiche You were making a good comment until you said "there are very few non-trash games on the Saturn", what the hell lmao. That's very much a "I get all my opinions from KZbin videos, most of whom are too busy still simping for the N64 and still don't know the Saturn was great"

[@BeaugosseRiche]

I'm likely older than you and I lived that era. I don't get my info "from YT". Even the list the guy before you gave is packed with 2D games/arcade ports. How was that going to impress anyone on the market from 1995 to 2000? How does the Saturn library even remotely hold a candle to the PS1? It's one thing to like your Saturn, it's another one to be one of the many Sega apologists who blindly defend that catastrophic machine. Same type of people who defend Star Citizen and VR. Even Sega execs back then knew they messed up.@@wonder-games3579

[@DandyDNA]

This video explains manual transmission better than driving schools haha

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

Superb review! I might have to actually try this out now.

[@andrewpantlin4850]

Also omg one of my fav music cds

[@PapanosZervoudakis]

Great video, very informative review. I've been playing this since day one and I had NO IDEA about the sega rally cars and a couple of other things. I do have a couple of points Rio make here: 1. Controls: I was able to kick AIs ass without any changes in the car settings, using AT, and a standard Saturn controller. It wasn't easy, but it's possible. Nowadays I can't even imagine how I was able to do it back then. 2. The graphics: Choppy, ugly, sloppy, whatever, this was THE FASTEST running racer ON ANY PLATFORM back in the day. The speed was really what kept me playing this game. 3. Simulation: I'm not sure if it was aiming to be the most realistic racer. Gran Tourismo came out on PS1 at about the same time and it completely set the pace for racing simulations. Sega touring car was an arcade racer, and a good port from the arcades all things considered. All in all, this my favorite racing game of all time probably because of some of the things people dislike in it.

[@Lightblue2222]

I just ordered this for PC. I'm going to love it. I don't mind re trying 6000 times for a perfect lap. Infact i love it. That's just how I am. Getting this under control will be very rewarding

[@Ryuhei64]

Thank you for talking about all the advanced features of the game. I had no idea there was so many unlockables and extras. Like most people, I was turned off by the ultra-fast speed and tough handling, but at the same time, to me it was the "next game" from the developers of Sega Rally, so I have always wanted to like it.

[@amerikanish07]

I've owned this one for years and never really gave it much of a chance with the difficult controls, but I think I want to try it your way and take a crack at some of those unlockables now. Awesome work!

[@agent109g8]

I got this game for my birthday back in '97 and still have that copy in my collection day. I really forced myself to play this game, but I ended up being hooked. Great soundtrack as stated, but it was hard to overlook the texture warping at the bottom of the screen although I was playing on a C64 CRT that really did make the image look much better than a standard tv.

[@NaviciaAbbot]

That soundtrack... before Initial D dropped Eurobeat into our earcanals, Sega was using Avex Trax as a source for some thumping driving music. I always drive MT. I still lose. It's fun though.

[@Tchelitchew.]

Nice review. This game is exciting and packed with content, but very hard. I love the soundtrack!

[@wrapdump]

It's not packed with content though it is.

[@Rocketknightgeek]

I got this game when a local rental place sold out it's Saturn stuff along with a wheel and having been a dumb kid that didn't touch manual outside of Daytona drifting, I can say that Automatic is actually playable, if still hard with a wheel due to the range it offers.

[@Guerreiro_da_Luz]

I played this game only with the original game pad, and I adapted fine to the game. I memory doesn't fails me (the has passed more than 20 years that I first played the game), I took me two to three days to win at the Urban Circuit. And saying that all cars fell the same, for me is very wrong. The Toyota Supra is the fastest car, bur with the poorer handling, the Opel Calibra is the slowest car but with the better handling, the AMC Mercedes is the all around and the Alfa Romeo is the one to forget...

[@PistNRods]

There is nothing realistic about this game, LOL. Less than Ridge Racer. After this vid, I finally gave it another shot after not playing it since the 90s. And while I don't have an analog controller anymore (I did at the time in the 90s), I did start playing with MT and 100% the game clicked. Full throttle, shift to slow down, no touching the brakes needed. Enjoying this game all over again. Thank you!

[@jollyrogerxp]

Excellent video! The only recommendation, if I may, would be to use footage from the DTM, instead of the BTCC, to keep a closer relation to the game. Great work anyway!

[@Davetona]

Thank you! So yes, I did use the wrong footage. When I searched for anything related to the series at the time, this was all I could find. I also didn't know any better hah, but I'm sure a lot of this stuff is much easier to track down now.

[@jollyrogerxp]

@@Davetona All good, I just happen to be a big fan of several touring car series, so it was apparent to me. The biggest difference is that the rulebook for the DTM was much more permissive, and the cars were much, much faster than the ones running in the BTCC :-)

[@Logan912]

@@jollyrogerxp The DTM cars (which were really ITC at the time) were the most advanced race cars in the world even compared to Formula 1. However, that was also part of the reason it flopped because it was so expensive to run, and the drivers hated it because those cars took a lot of skill away compared to the Group A spec cars they used to run in the early 90s.

[@l30S3UX]

I had this one, it was pretty impressive technically. I guess it went full hardcore? I remember enjoying it quite a lot but not was Sega Rally

[@ciredecgellar8232]

This game is excellent ! perfectly playable even with a pad, you just have to play a little bit to manage the playability well. And for an arcade port, it is super complete. Several game modes, Saturn side and arcade side. Grand Prix, championship etc, vehicles to unlock ...

[@JomasterTheSecond]

This is definitely one of the Sega racing games of all time, I'm not going to lie.

[@CatGoneCrazy]

I remember writing in to Sega Power magazine to tell them their review was wrong. I think they gave it 78%. I argued the way the cars handled over the kerbs was amazing, that the graphics had massive draw distances and that it was just so fast. As a professional games journalist today, I think I would have given it less than 78% even though I enjoyed it. The Saturn desperately needed high-quality software to keep it alive while the PlayStation steamrollered all opposition, yet this and The House of the Dead released around the same time were just so scrappy as to be unrecognisable compared to their arcade counterparts - criticism that could not be levelled at the earlier Sega Rally Championship and Virtua Fighter 2, and to a lesser extent Manx TT and Virtual On. Still, of all the Saturn games, this is still one of my favourites. It's absolutely bonkers, but then so was Sega :)

[@bluesrike]

The cars you showed at 1:23 isn't the same kind of touring cars that the game has. The cars in the clip are closer to the cars you see on the street while the cars in the game are built on tube frame chassis with nothing carried over from the road-going version other than the badging and basic shape. For example, the Castrol Tom's Supra has nothing in common with the road-going Supra. Not even the engine.

[@deckofcards87]

Are the controls any better with the Saturn Racing Wheel?

[@maxrichards5925]

Wow my perspective of this game was completely changed after watching this video. Also hey there’s a special net track on my birthday, February 13th!

[@sbummara]

I get what everybody is saying but I have torched this game multiple times with the regular Saturn pad and the 3D control pad on automatic with no problem. My trick is tapping the directional for steering not just laying on it.

[@pattespattes]

i had so fun with this game on my saturn, i want to play again but it's doesn't start on my recallbox 😢

[@franciscocarvalho3101]

This game was based on the DTM '95 series and ITC '96 series. It included the Opel Calibra V6 (Manuel Reuter, Yannick Dalmas, Ni Amorim and JJ Lehto), the Mercedes C-Class V6 (Bernd Schneider, Dario Franchitti and Jan Magnussen), the Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti (Alessandro Nanini, Nicola Larini, Michele Alboreto and Christian Danner) and the Toyota Supra from the JGTC '95 (Masanori Sekiya and Michael Krumm). Well... the images you show in the beginning of your video are neither from the DTM nor ITC. They are from the BTCC (British Touring Car Championship), the series that are the base for the two first TOCA Touring Car video games for the PlayStation 1. But now what real matters... I liked the video and the explanations. I have the game and played it countless times. At the beginning it is, as you have said, very hard, but with a bit of patience we can get there. Thanks for the video.

[@hardcoreep]

Good review, but I have to disagree. I have been able to play and beat this game with the standard controller (I hate analog controllers) and in automatic. This is an underrated game. Its one of my favorites and has a top ten Saturn soundtrack. So High is a top five sega track, and come on, a song with a Martin Luther Jr speech. The balls on Avex Trax.

[@MrJamesshipman]

I loved this game!!!... I don't remember the handling being so bad. ... I did have a premium steering wheel for my saturn. Analog pedals ect. And I remember having to feather the throttle out of each corner. And yes manual transmission. I totally remember flicking the up down gear button a lot! I got this game on pc and was crushed by the cars handling. Makes me think that wheel I had for the Saturn made all the difference.

[@SwankeyMonkey]

JiM, Do you remember the maker/model of the Saturn steering wheel that you had with the analog pedals? Saturn peripherals were minimal in variety and availability, though there were a few rare 3rd party odd-ducks that made PS1 peripherals to work with Saturns also, occasionally. I would love to have a good Saturn wheel w/ analog pedals, even if premium price. I was even thinking of making a custom Saturn wheel-- based off of the Saturn 3D controller, though figuring out implementation of the Hall Sensors is a little tricky, so if I could pick up one that is already available then the better. Here's a custom Dreamcast Racing Arcade Cabinet I made that you might find interesting. On this same video I also have a Saturn mini arcade cab, and other custom Sega cabs. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXOmiqJvgNNkeJI&t=37m40s

[@MrJamesshipman]

@@SwankeyMonkey I do not remember the manufacturer but it was one of those Saturn PlayStation 1 and in tendo 64 multi plugs on the controller. Your Sega driving arcade cabinet looks fantastic Sega GT European Edition was one of my favorite sega racing simulators ever. My current favorite racing game is still the original and very first Need for Speed Shift from 2009 honestly I just haven't played anything newer I think I might have played one of the Colin McRae dirt games but I don't remember. I was not overly impressed with project cars 2 although it was also made by slightly mad Studios and I know one of them we can go up Pikes Peak I think that's the last one I played I have not played assetto Corsa and the forza games to me or more of an arcade racer than a simulator.

[@AGwolf2097]

such a shame how unpolished it was, especially after daytona cce and sega rally not only looked beautiful but also still played fine with a standard controller. one more thing that might help with turning is to constantly have the thumb stick tilted forward and gently rock it toward the left and right for turns... it allows you to make much slighter and more subtle adjustments than trying to tilt it from vertical neutral center. I keep meaning to go back and give it a full shakedown, I got it in the mid or late 2000s and by then my life was more busy with work and friends and Doing Stuff, so games were sorta sidelined. I had wanted it for the longest time because I saw the promo for it on the back of the Sonic R manual whenever I pulled that out :P was in middle school when I got the saturn in 96 and was fortunate to get a handful of stuff from FunCoLand over the few years that followed

[@metalslugfest]

It's cool finding a rewarding time out of a not so popular game, especially with such cool modes added

[@tieradlerch.217]

The things i like is alt colour scheme of standard car, very cool!

[@Triumph._.]

What if playing in automatic, you just drifted around corners at top speed like it was initial d, or uh ridge racer?

[@btokin4twenty]

lol, love this game & great review man! =P i'm actually pretty decent with the automatic transmission in this game. it did take me quite a few races to get used to the controls though. pretty sure this is the 1st racer from sega with hit and run mode... they included it in outrun 2006, which was the 1st time i saw it, but cool to see an earlier version. like finding out there was a sega rally on game gear before there was an arcade game. XP

[@sb6482]

you said sega rally was later and i think was a mistake

[@AfterBurnerTeirusu]

I used to win with the Alfa Romeo in automatic mode back in the day. The Supra was harder to drive.

[@TheBN1soldier]

Thanks for explaining how to drive in this game, shame its 26 years too late for me haha

[@neko_samurai]

I always loved this game. Not quite as much as Daytona USA, but certainly over Sega Rally. I’d also put Sega Super GT above it, but of the 32-bit Model 2/Saturn era Sega racers, it’s up there among my favorites. And the soundtrack was hard!

[@el-karasu6070]

What's the song that plays in the beginning of this video?

[@Davetona]

It's the main menu music from Outrunners on the Genesis.

[@drunkensailor112]

Fantastic review! Thanks.

[@harrypothead42024]

I used to dominate Sager Rally Championship

[@RJTamm93]

Old review but, back when I used to play this game, I also found that yes, the 3D pad was the way to go. But did you try holding UP on the analog stick and rotating around the circumference like a steering wheel? That's the only way I could beat the game. It made steering input way smoother.

[@dandrawsit4915]

I saw this game at a used game shop and I regret not picking this up because the place closed down about a month later

[@wolftales5203]

Had this on demo back in 1998 😊 Im old

[@Zerofightervi]

I remember playing the arcade machine at the 96 NEC Motorshow, I think there was some competition on if you got a good time. Never had the Saturn version as a friend of mine bought it first, played it, wasn't impressed.

[@ps1746]

If you knew how to tune cars, playing on auto transmission is pretty solid. The suspension needs to be soft, as drifting is the easiest way to control your car

[@Chubbuluss]

Dude, your vids are amazing! Defo a new sub here!

[@lucasmacleod8761]

Cool review I'll give a try Many say bad things about this game but this is the first that someone dig the game to really understand Great 👏👏👏👏

[@THENAMEISQUICKMAN]

I don't think this is a very good racing game compared to what Sega's other racers had to offer, but it's got probably my favourite soundtrack out of all of them, at least.

[@NinjakX]

Here is the problem. I really wanted to fall in love with this game and so did everyone else but the issue is especially for PC users if you didn’t have the right controller for this game it was very difficult to manuever. Daytona and Sega Rally have easier controls and just more fun. Sigh. It’s tragic. But yes I have the game and thanks to your video it will be revisited.

[@heilong79]

IT was fine on the sega 3d controller, what was not ok was the choppy framerate.

[@Housestationlive]

now i realise how arcade cabinet made profits with unfair rules 😂 - on screen "automatic or manual" - game script "lose or win"

[@keepingwatch64]

Excellent info and review. I got subscribe!

[@ByteSizeThoughts]

Great review. Every other one I've seen stats that this a broken game and to be avoided because it's too hard or not fun. Your review makes me think twice (though first I need to get a 3d pad) - keep it up mate

[@timhouston8007]

I beat this using automatic... I was using a dual shock 3 via a converter though. But I was able to beat it on my first sit down with it.

[@joaornmarques]

Just ordered a 3D controller from ebay only to properly play this game. This one and Nights.

[@thefunnychiptuneman]

1:28 whats the song?

[@Davetona]

It's the song from the third course in the game on the default sound track. I honestly forget the name of it. There's a lot of music in the game.

[@thefunnychiptuneman]

@@Davetona when you gonna do a video on sega rally or just any outher sega racing game like daytona usa 2

[@littlemonkey993]

I beat this game on Saturn with automatic transmission. Not too hard. Just kept trying. I beat most of the Sega racing games at Arcade, though.

[@sushiboots]

Whats the intro song!

[@Davetona]

@@sushiboots this is the main menu music from Outrunners on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive

[@sushiboots]

@@Davetona thanks!

[@nightmisterio]

Cheat code? I had to earn them at the time 😕

[@peng9179]

Sadly the footage you have used is from the BTCC not the DTM, there is a huge difference.

[@wendigockel]

Yeah. That's like talking about Indycar and showing footage of USF2000.

[@jiiiiiib]

Does the PC version include all of the Saturn exclusive content?

[@strictlynineties]

I'd like to know the differences, if any, too

[@jakescartoons6045]

I know you said the controls for this game aren't that great, but... come on. Surely they can't be as bad as Super Mario Kart for the SNES, right? I'm curious now. Which game do you think controls better.

[@Davetona]

Personally, I'd actually prefer Super Mario Kart to this in terms of its ease of control. I suppose it can also be subjective, but that's just how I feel about it. I'd still choose to play this over Super Mario Kart though, just cause I'm into playing weirder obscure stuff more often than not.

[@jakescartoons6045]

@@Davetona Interesting viewpoint. I may not have played Sega Touring Car Championship yet, but since I'm obsessed with Sega's other racing games anyway, and the fact that I really dislike Super Mario Kart for it's really slippery controls and cheating AI opponents, something tells me that I'll like this game a hell of a lot more if I give it a try. And after getting used to the manual transmission in Daytona USA, it shouldn't be too hard for me to get used to.

[@jakescartoons6045]

@@Davetona Here's an update. I finally got to try the game, but through the Model 2 emulator. I did pretty terribly on my first try, but I'm sure I'll get used to the controls over time. However, I do not recommend emulating the arcade version, because for some reason, it has serious audio issues. I'm honestly surprised I haven't gone deaf yet. I think I'm just gonna wait and buy the Saturn version when I get the chance.

[@jakescartoons6045]

@@Davetona Here's another update. I finally got the Saturn version in the mail a few days ago, and I've been playing it ever since. I think the game is really good, especially for hardcore Sega fanboys like myself. However, one interesting thing I discovered is that, while I prefer manual transmission, the game is actually doable on automatic, despite what you've stated in your review. All you have to do is just slightly let go of the gas while making turns and resist the urge to brake (aside from the hairpin turn on the third track). I was able to get first place on the leaderboard while testing automatic transmission, and believe me, I was a bit surprised by that. Even so, I still prefer manual, and I'm sure most hardcore fans would prefer that anyway. I'm just saying that it's not impossible to win with automatic.

[@Pabloplays98]

Smk isn't difficult to control

[@Effect-Without-Cause]

2,48,927 Toyota AT.

[@rsouth454]

Man , your ntsc version runs faster than the pal / euro version .. which makes up a bit for the rough graphics . I played this alot in the arcades and much as i loved sega rally , touring car in arcade was exciting as f**k to play ! Let down by saturn port but it was ok

[@gamesretro16xd84]

Very good port

[@cocacolaholic]

Great review and totally agree, it's a good game

[@joseluki]

I doubt any other game of the 32 bit era had a sense of speed like this game, and the music is amazing. Sad that you have to devote so much time mastering the controls of this game to relaly enjoy it. I really don't get how this game passed testing by players, more considering Sega had already mastered arcade driving style with Sega Rally and Daytona USA.

[@andrewpantlin4850]

I still have this game alas no saturn 😔 i wish i could play it now. I remember playing f355 thinking whats going on... What button to change view angle why im so slow. Then a friend told me learn manual and i did. Same even with daytona usa you cant race fast in auto

[@yokotapioka]

Playing with auto it wasn't that hard (at least on the arcade). You just need to brake early-ish without Changing direction. Anyways, nice review

[@lucauva6576]

La versione Coin-Op era stupenda, sentire il sonoro tutta forza era un'esperienza unica!!!! Anche le musiche ispiravano velocità.... Peccato la realizzazione tecnica non all'altezza su Saturn, anche se è meglio di Daytona!!!!

[@DSMTheEditor]

This game was IMPOSSIBLE lol

[@metalboo8491]

I played this once.

[@coten]

a very cool, feature-rich home port for a total mess of a racing game

[@chattingesque372]

Avoid the PAL version of this game like the plague

[@disco4178]

OMG that's why i couldn't play this game. The music was fantastic though.

[@Trialwolf]

Touring Car isn't that kind of game for people who want to have fun....... okay got it :)

[@nostalgigamer]

😆 No wonder I didn't like it, I didn't know how to play it!

[@WWammyy]

After your review I thought to give the game another try but na still not into it.

[@iorch82]

Runs like shit , but looks really beautiful. A true classic

[@gurriato]

How could anyone look at this and say with a straight face that the developers went for realism?? This really blows my mind. This game makes Burnout 3 look like a serious simulator.

[@THENAMEISQUICKMAN]

The developers went for realism, they just failed spectacularly.

[@VoyageOne1]

The home ports were pure garbage compared to the arcade version.

[@ciredecgellar8232]

it's not actually the gameplay is exactly the same.

[@Vectormantudeoz]

No.

[@eliasnicolasmiranda4940]

This game is like the black sheep of Sega Racing Games Not only it controls so bad and broke everything about Touring Cars making the handling like a cheap Initial D cars but also has somehow the worst graphics of all seriously even the Arcade looks bad and this game came out after Sega Rally and Daytona USA

[@Vectormantudeoz]

Worse graphics than Daytona and Sega Rally? Don't talk nonsense.

[@eliasnicolasmiranda4940]

@@Vectormantudeoz yes i say i right i don't know why it just the game looks ugly like very ugly like it's the cars that looks like shoeboxes and this came out in 1997 the same year TOCA Touring Car Championship came out

[@gamesbloke]

The Saturn port is a broken mess. It's easily exploitable. MT is a part of it as you kindly pointed out. But... It's got something. I still look at it. I still play it. I still listen to the music. I still get goosebumps. Saturn port is like playing the game with beer goggles on. If you squint while you play. It's almost like the arcade... The extra content really helped... But its not easy to acquire. I had to work my ass off. It kept me playing though. Hope folks use MT and get the same experience you got from it. All the best.