SUPER MONACO GP

ARCADE, 1989

The tiny principality of Monaco is inextricably linked with F1 racing. In 1989, Sega took advantage of that fact, by avoiding licensing any official F1 teams or drivers and instead opting to slap the word Monaco on its brand new arcade cabinet and hope for the best.

Ironically, the seemingly inevitable legal action didn’t come from McLaren, whose car was ‘borrowed’ for the occasion, but from its sponsor, US tobacco company Philip Morris International. It was politely pointed out that not only had permission not been sought, but that perhaps advertising cigarettes to a bunch of videogame playing 12-year-olds wasn’t the most wholesome strategy.

Once the legal dramas were settled, punters were free to enjoy a searingly quick recreation of the pinnacle of motorsport circa 1989. While the visuals looked three-dimensional, they were actually constructed of hundreds of 2D sprites, fired towards the player at machine-gun pace for a remarkably effective pseudo 3D effect. Slippery ‘simulation’ handling was a revelation compared with arcade titles of the era, as was the steering wheel bolted to the cabinet, which featured authentic clicky F1-style paddle shifters. Finish on the podium, which was no mean feat, and you’d get to race again, this time in treacherous wet conditions. You know, as a treat.

Bizarrely, despite the game’s title, the one track in the game wasn’t even an accurate Monaco layout. Yes, it had a tunnel and a hairpin, but so does your local multistorey car park. At least the atmosphere was pitch perfect, from the crisp white yachts moored in the harbour to the crowds of tax-averse spectators lining the streets.

A Mega Drive release of the game couldn’t accurately recreate the arcade cabinet’s blistering pace and screen-filling detail, though the home version’s eventual sequel, Ayrton Senna’s Super

Monaco GP 2 apparently roped in some Brazilian chap to advise on the game. Wonder if it helped?