GP Rider

GP Rider
Japanese flyer showing a two-player sit-down version of the arcade cabinet
Developer(s)Sega AM2
Publisher(s)Sega
Producer(s)Yu Suzuki[5]
Composer(s)Hiroshi Kawaguchi
Takenobu Mitsuyoshi
Platform(s)Arcade, Master System, Game Gear
Release
October 1990
  • Arcade
    Master System
    Game Gear
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, two player
Arcade systemSega X Board

GP Rider[a] is a motorcycle racing game developed and manufactured by Sega, released in as an arcade video game in Japan, North America and Europe. It came in a two-player motion simulator cabinet and a standard upright cabinet.[6] It was ported to the Master System in 1993 and then Game Gear in 1994.

Ports

The Master System version is played in split-screen mode (similar to the Genesis port of OutRunners) regardless of if one or two players are playing. If only one player is racing then the second player is replaced by a computer opponent called "Wayne" (possibly a reference to Wayne Rainey), who plays like a human player in that his performance varies from race to race, in contrast to most racing games of the era, where the main opponent is programmed to always finish in the same position.

The Game Gear version is essentially a rebranded port of Super Hang-On, featuring assets and gameplay from that game.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed GP Rider on their November 15, 1990 issue as being the fourth most-successful upright arcade unit of the month.[14] It went on to be Japan's sixth highest-grossing dedicated arcade game of 1991.[15]

The arcade game received positive reviews upon release. The One in 1991 called it a "realistic motorcycle simulation" and praised its graphics, expressing that GP Rider has "amazingly smooth scrolling" and "great new gradient effects". The One also praised GP Rider's motorcycle controller hardware as "realistic" and adding to the game's atmosphere. The One noted GP Rider was "the first motorcycle game that lets you race against another player", and expressed that this competitive "head-to-head excitement with a superb implementation and ultra realistic bike handling" made GP Rider a good major coin investment.[13]

Notes

  1. ^ Japanese: GPライダー, Hepburn: Jī Pī raidā

References

  1. ^ a b "Snazzy at Sega: simple technology provides hi-tech effets in Laser Ghost; GP Rider offers built-in head to head player competition". RePlay. Vol. 16, no. 4. January 1991. pp. 102, 104.
  2. ^ a b Rignall, Julian (16 November 1990). "Arcade Action". Computer + Video Games. No. 109 (December 1990). p. 156. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  3. ^ "Prodates" (PDF). Sega Pro. Paragon Publishing. July 1993. p. 18. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Software List (Released by Sega)". セガ 製品情報サイト (in Japanese). Sega. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Works of Yu Suzuki Archived 2015-06-27 at the Wayback Machine, Ys Net
  6. ^ "GP Rider". RePlay. Vol. 16, no. 3. December 1990. p. 9.
  7. ^ Anthony Baize. "Allgame - GP Rider Review". Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  8. ^ "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ドラゴンボールZ 武勇烈伝". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 280. ASCII Corporation. April 29, 1994. p. 38. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Cook, John (18 November 1990). "Coin Ops". Sinclair User. No. 106 (December 1990). United Kingdom: EMAP.
  10. ^ "Video Games Issue 4/93". Video Games (4/93). Markt & Technik: 103. April 1993. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  11. ^ Cooke, John (November 1990). "Arcades: Coin-Op Crisis". CU Amiga. No. 10 (December 1990). United Kingdom: EMAP. pp. 102–103.
  12. ^ "Sega Master Force Issue 2". Sega Force (2): 24–25. September 1993. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Cook, John (28 March 1991). "Arcades: GP Rider". The One. No. 31 (April 1991). EMAP Images. p. 87.
  14. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 392. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 November 1990. p. 25.
  15. ^ ""Final Fight II" and "Final Lap 2" Top Videos: Video Games of The Year '91" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 419. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 February 1992. p. 26.

See also

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