About the only problem with Sega's retro line of games on the Switch eShop is how it seems to take ages to localise each one. At the start of the year, Yosuke Okunari - one of the talents behind the revival of these classic games - said the team was aiming to roll out at least one title per month locally and keep the western releases as close to Japan's launches as possible.
Despite Okunari's comments, we can't resist keeping tabs on the Japanese release dates. The beauty of the Switch is you can also change your location and buy games that aren't necessarily available in your own region yet. With this in mind, Sega has announced Virtua Racing will arrive on the Switch eShop next week on 25th April for 925 Yen.
This is a particularly exciting release as it will support eight-player split-screen. You'll be able to do a five or 20-lap race, with everyone at the same time. There's also an online race mode, which plays out as a one-on-one battle. Below is a look at an in-game screenshot of the eight-player mode as well as the game's built-in replay mode, which was not included in the original arcade version:
Unfortunately, there's no word about when this game will be released locally, so if you are wanting to download it from your local eShop, you might have to wait a little bit longer.
Will you be buying this game from the Japanese eShop when it arrives next week? Let us know down in the comments.
[source archives.sega.jp, via twitter.com]
Comments 49
Can't wait for this one!
And please Sega, put Daytona USA in the pipeline too...
Virtua racing was an arcade classic that I'd happily travel miles to play! Imagine my excitement when it was annonced that it was coming out on the Saturn!!! Dashed to my local import shop on the day or release, drove back at 800MPH and popped the disc in as soon as I got home and.....oh.
This looks great, but now I want Stunt Race FX!
They really gave the draw distance some love. Amazing job M2!
@Sindark agreed - and if you already own another SEGA Ages game, you can tell them via the survey link in the online manual. It asks what other games you'd like to see, and I voted Daytona USA!
@GrailUK Yep, that's the first thing I spotted. I was hoping they would improve the draw distance and it seems like they have, by a lot
@JJtheTexan Yes, I already knew about that, but thanks for the tip. I just bought my second Ages game and will repeat my vote for Daytona USA. Who knows... they might even listen to us
Hope this doesn't take AGES to come to the west eshop
Love it, but kind of a race of screen real estate with 8 players. Why not move the bottom two screens all the way to the left and put the track map in the black part that remains?
So excited! 25 years later, and I still jump like a giddy kid when I think of this game.
The Switch morphed into my ultimate arcade machine. I hope to see the MK Classic collection on the Switch some day to round out that 90s arcade feel I remember so fondly.
I want this game.... sega rally would be nice too....
"About the only problem with Sega's retro line of games on the Switch eShop is how it seems to take ages to localise each one."
Yup, Sega Ages...
I hope M2 will include extra cars and race tracks from 32X, Sega Saturn and PlayStation 2 versions of the game.
Let's be patient. Everybody knows how difficult is to localize a racing arcade like this.
Really glad to see this. Was just trying it in the latest build of MAME and while it's not far off, there were some annoying issues that made it unplayable (A shaky camera, for the big one).
Someone in the other news piece about the Sega Genesis Mini asked what the big deal was about M2 being involved. All one has to do is post this link, in my opinion.
http://images.nintendolife.com/390f88e7c4006/virtua-racer-8.original.jpg
Any other developer would've stopped with just getting the game running. M2 instead multiplied that feat by 8 times on a single Switch system. It rather says it all for why M2 is special.
We will be 2 games behind when this releases next week, hope we get this at the same time as Puyo Puyo
I hope this plays like the Arcade and not like the PS2 Version. The PS2 was way too much oversteer, made it too twitchy
Wow, this release of the game looks fantastic
Hope this game reach NA soon, will be getting it day one.
8- player splitscreen?? sega does what nintendon’t! Maybe M2 can port Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to Switch and add the same feature.
I’m still waiting for Sega Ages: Typing of The Dead, so I can use that silly keyboard I bought that the Joy Cons snap onto
Day 1 purchase for this little guy
925 Yen is $8.26. That seems real cheap to me for this game. Might have to just pick it up on April 25th then. Or are they normally $7.99 in the US?
Yeah, I hope this comes West real soon! I also hope that M2 ports Daytona, Daytona 2, Sega Rally 1,2, and 3, Outrun 2, and SCUD race!
Oh, and Super Monkey Ball. It was an arcade game! It could be a fantastic Sega Ages release. They could include online multiplayer so we could play Monkey Target versus mode, or race in the regular levels!
@Agent721 Yeah, $8 or $9 for an awesome arcade game where M2 doubled the frame rate is an incredible deal. A must buy!
i will buy it day 1ish
Cannot wait!
I'm curious to see if 8-player split screen is playable.
@__Womble9 why?
Hoping for this one to come west, mostly because I always loved Sega's racing games. Use to play Daytona USA on Dreamcast, and I loved playing Sega Super GT (or SCUD Race outside the US) at the arcade.
I want house of the dead 1 & 2 so bad ! with the switch joy con - pointer controlls, it would be perfect for "lightgun" shooters <3
This will be my first AGES purchase. Second will be Sonic 2 or Shining Force 2 or Landstalker...
Would love to see this on NA and EU eShops as well as the Genesis Mini this Fall.
@jobvd I was a Nintendo kid, but I'd imagine it was like the N64, a console that was supposed to be equal to it's arcade counterpart in games (Cruis'n USA, World, Exotica and Killer Instinct). The Saturn was supposed to get ports of games like Virtua Racing and Daytona. They must have been pretty exciting back then even though they were no where near what the arcade offered. I still love playing Killer Instinct or any of the Cruis'n games on my N64.
@eRaz0r I agree completely. I'd easily pick them up on Switch.
@Stocksy omg yesss. Sega Rall and Manx TT
This was my fav 32x game. (Not that I played many ) Can't wait to try it out to see if it holds up.
Next game I'd love to see: Sega Rally 2.
Nice but M2 are still going after the low hanging fruit. I'd love to see some of the Sega arcade games which never left the arcades come home - Daytona 2, Scud Race, Planet Harriers, and the jewel in the crown - Golden Axe the Return of Death Adder.
@Nico07 so the saturn version was not as good as the arcade one? What is the switch version based on?
Why is there no western release date? I assume they want to test the online first?
One more that would love to see Daytona, Rally or GT although the licensed cars may be an issue on the latter 2
I'm hoping Sega includes the Mega Drive version of this in the Mega Drive Classic, just because it's a bit of a showcase for the system.
Also, I really doubt this has happened but it would be very cool if M2 has figured a way to increase the draw distance in the version of the game coming to Switch and remove most of the more obvious pop-in from the game.
This, Daytona USA and OutRun 2 would make my Switch the perfect arcade racing machine
@molkom Yep it was great on the 32x - probably one of the best games on there!
I Set up a Japanese account just for this, can't wait!
@__Womble9
Truer words have never been spoken. ❤️
@ClassSonicSatAm
@ThanosReXXX
I mean, it could be worse. The first time around, I had to wait on Working Designs to bring Sega Ages to the US.
yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
@jerkob yep who wouldnt rather play a clunky mess of a game over this masterpiece.
@robr I was just kidding, obviously. I'm not really following and/or collecting the Sega Ages games, but this was just an unmissable opportunity to make that comment...
@jerkob Good lord why?
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