Manx TT Super Bike

Manx TT Super Bike
Developer(s)Sega AM3, Sega-AM4
Tantalus Interactive (Saturn)
Psygnosis (Windows)
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Jun Uriu
Shinichi Fujii
Producer(s)Tetsuya Mizuguchi
Designer(s)
  • Takahiro Kajimoto
  • Kyoushi Ieizumi
  • Takeo Iwase
  • Satoru Okano
  • Masaru Takano
  • Nachiyo Kamogawa
  • Shinichi Fujii
Programmer(s)Takeshi Goden
Toshikazu Goi
Kazumasa Kondo
Platform(s)Arcade, Sega Saturn, Windows
Release
November 1995
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer
Arcade systemSega Model 2

Manx TT Super Bike[8] is a 1995 arcade racing game developed jointly by Sega AM3 and Sega-AM4. It is a motorcycle racing game built for the Sega Model 2 arcade board.[9] Up to 8 players can race in this game if enough arcade cabinets are linked together, following on from Daytona USA. It was later ported to the Sega Saturn by Tantalus Interactive and to Windows by Perfect Entertainment.

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 ("Tourist Trophy") Course for veteran players. While the TT Course is based on the actual course on the Isle of Man, the Laxey Coast is a fictional course designed by the game developers,[10] though its scenery is drawn from the Isle of Man.[11]

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 through the physical "bike" (pioneered by another Sega game, Hang-On); to do this, the player would need to push their feet against the floor. The Manx TT machine, however, was sensitive enough to tilt just from the rider shifting their weight, allowing the player to keep their feet on the machine and use their body weight to control the on-screen bike, making the game feel more realistic.[10][12] The game was a hit in arcades across the world.

Sega's decision to entrust the Saturn port of Manx TT Super Bike to an external developer, particularly one with no experience in porting arcade games, was controversial. However, upon release the game proved to be a major critical success for the Saturn. Motor Raid, a futuristic Sega Model 2 motorcycle racing game, was released as an arcade conversion kit for the Manx TT Super Bike arcade cabinet in 1997.

  1. ^ "News". 5 June 1997. Archived from the original on 5 June 1997. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  2. ^ "SEGA'S NEW AM3 GAME HITS ARCADES". 6 June 1997. Archived from the original on 6 June 1997. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Manx TT". Media Arts Database. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Maximum was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "START YOUR ENGINES ARCADE MOTORCYCLE RACING COMES TO SEGA SATURN WITH MANX TT SUPERBIKE [month mislabeled as "June"]". Sega Central. Sega of America. 29 July 1997. Archived from the original on 2 February 1998. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Software List (Released by Sega)". セガ 製品情報サイト (in Japanese). Sega. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Sega Press". 15 July 1997. Archived from the original on 15 July 1997. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  8. ^ Some later releases refer to the game as Manx TT SuperBike or Manx TT Superbike.
  9. ^ "Manx TT". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 93. Ziff Davis. April 1997. p. 39.
  10. ^ a b "You Little Manx!". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 3. Emap International Limited. January 1996. p. 18.
  11. ^ Hickman, Sam (March 1996). "You Know Nothing!". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 5. Emap International Limited. pp. 20–23.
  12. ^ "Coin-op Giants Reveal Latest at JAMMA". Next Generation. No. 12. Imagine Media. December 1995. pp. 16–17.