Monaco GP (video game)


Monaco GP is an arcade racing game released by Sega in 1979. The game came in four cabinet styles, a vertical upright cabinet, a cabaret/mini, a cocktail table and sit-down 'deluxe' cabinet. A sequel, Pro Monaco GP, was released in 1980, and was later followed by Super Monaco GP and Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II. Monaco GP was ported to the SG-1000 in 1983.
All of the scoring information appears on various LEDs located on the cabinet, including the player's score, the high score table, and the timer. The main objective of the game, like many racing games made at the time, is to try to beat the clock. The attract mode consists solely of a static image of the track with cars passing by with the message "Game Over" flashing at the top, and the message "Deposit Coin" at the bottom.

Development

The game does not have a CPU; it was the final game made by Sega to use TTL-based discrete logic circuits. Images such as the cars and "game over" message are stored in small custom ROM chips. Sound effects, such as the cars' engines, a siren, and the sound of wheels slipping on the pavement, are generated by operational amplifiers and other analog circuitry.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Monaco GP on their July 15, 1983 issue as being the fifth most-successful upright arcade unit of the year.

Legacy

In 2003, Sega made a remake for the PlayStation 2, as a part of Sega Ages 2500 collection. This version was released outside of Japan as part of the Sega Classics Collection.