A sole developer making a game which is a love letter to old Sega racing classics and getting it over the line, finished and playable. Truly something to be celebrated. Keen to try this myself (I've already bought it). Great review here!
Nice preview, Dan. I agree with you about the "fisheye" camera effect, which I don't like (not only for this game, but for video in general, as it gets perspectives all wrong). I assume it was a design choice to enhance the sensation of speed. The mix of retro flat-shaded polygon design and higher detailed models is a bit weird. I'd rather have a full retro look or something completely modern looking. As is, the gameplay and car design make me think of a RC racing game, which is not what SEGA racers (and Virtua Racing in particular) feel like.
@@tarekwayne9193 What I really meant was some of the 3D models, actually. Some scenery elements are pretty much just squares and triangles, while other models (like the cars, for example) have many more polygons (round wheels and such). Still not as many polygons as in modern games, of course, but you got the idea : the polygon count is very different from a model to another, giving a weird mixed design, IMO.
the perspective is a deal breaker for me - it hurts my brain, a 3rd person Virtua view would be much better as a default. Also some of the colour choices make it hard to read the track - but that might have more to do with the camera.
I'm biased, and if you watched the video really attentively you'll work out why. Nonetheless I think this is absolutely on track to deliver what Rozz promised, while accepting this is an actual early access rather than how people normally seem to use that on Steam. I agree with your points though, it's never especially reminded me of VR below the surface, if anything there's a lot more F-Zero or perhaps even Rollcage without the stunts about it. It's got its own identity and given we're suddenly not short of things broadly like it, that's no bad thing.
I did see a few familiar banners while playing :) Yes, as I said I'm sure Rozz will fix everything I mentioned on the way to version 1.0. It's certainly it's own thing, and as I said in the video, that's not a bad thing given there's a few racers aiming for that same market, so it certainly distinguishes itself. I think it really comes down to how much players embrace the design choices in the end, but I've been enjoying my time with it.
I dunno if anyone here watches Pitch Meeting videos, but when you said "comparative beefy package" I just heard producer guy in my head saying "Comparatively beefy packages are tight!"
I think this game is shaping great! Of course "Super Retro GP" looks and feels more like a sega game than this. But still, this one is still a nice one to play.
Purchased and downloaded this yesterday, but not got around to trying it out yet. Sounds like you've got some good constructive feedback for Rozz there, hopefully these issues will get sorted. Game looks fab in your video.
@@SEGAGuysArse! Just realised my GPU doesn't meet the minimum specs - I didn't even think to check before purchase, what with the whole retro theme. It's playable if I turn the res down to 1080p, but the FPS are all over the place. Think I'm going to have to get Steam to refund it. My own fault, I didn't really consider how outdated my hardware is. A shame as I really liked what I saw, the graphics and music were all great and I liked the way the cars handled.
I like the dark muddy colours as they evoke the early VR screenshots that I saw in magazines. But I don’t like the clouds and lighting on some of the geometry.
I've been waiting for long for a graphical "upgrade" of Virtua Racing, but just with more polygons, as there was already various releases with more content, maybe a tad more on that side with the ability to create and customize one's own car (I don't know if it exists on the Switch version, but it doesn't look like it). With this one various things seems quite odd, the track seems narrower, the physics is very different, it is a lot more "nervous" nearly kart like but with more speed. The cars also look tinier. And the tracks have been changed quite much, making recognizing them not as easier as one might expect. And there is this perspective thing as already mentioned before. But something really noticeable for me is the graphic style, Virtua Racing was made with flat polygons, just enough to make the elements on screen seem like they should, with quite a sense of realism, here this sense of realism is missing. The repartition of polygons is uneven with the road and the cars being clearly focused on, and well it's kind of cartoonish. Not really for my taste. Still, it seems like it can be an enjoyable experience, as much as the price for it is really low. Nothing to lose there by playing it. Nice video by the way !
The dev is clearly inspired by games like VR and Daytona, but SPGP is it's own game, it really is a really enjoyable game that's getting better and better with each update and a ton of features on the roadmap. Worth considering if you've not already.
Great review, been playing it lots and there's been a TON of updates released for the game resolving virtually all the issues mentioned. The latest build is a huge improvement in terms of AI cars, physics and handling. If you love super playable racers it's definitely one to try.
You summed it up well.. There is good and there is bad. Considering it is early release and changes are abound, I have absolutely no issues with the bad. And the price point is good for what it is. If I would have paid 30 or $40 for this, I would be disappointed a little more.. For now.. it is a thumbs up.
The fact that he is also making a Daytona inspired game and being a sole developer rubs me in the wrong way. It should be the same game. Developing two different games with the same idea smells like a cheap asset flip or not enough development time on each. And I really want it to be good
Think you're talking about DDI racing, this dev is only working on this game, already released a ton up updates to SPGP, if you like fast, super playable racers with lots of features to come, it's worth checking out.
Rozz has said previously that he hopes to publish on Xbox and PlayStation. I'd chuck them a follow on Twitter to stay on top of those developments - Dan
