Here’s a BONUS EPISODE you should watch after finishing this long video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mLR3o7t4y6yphXU.html

This will be nominated for best documentary this year

Thanks for the enjoyable overview of the game. Being the resident racing nut/gear head at Time Warner, I designed the new tracks and extra vehicles trying my best to be true to Mr.Suzuki’s original vision. This was my first 3D project so obviously I still had a lot to learn. Fortunately we came together as a team and ended up with something we were proud of!

The grotesque thing is, that Model 1 Virtua Racing's physics and gameplay mechanics are far more satisfying than contemporary 3D racing games.

This is brilliant and I'm actively angry it doesn't have a bigger audience. Philistines.

Dang, it's only Virtua Racing and the videos are already 1 hour in length! Can't wait to watch 18 hours of Burning Rangers!

Most excellent video Sir, time really flew by watching!!! I found that short cut myself back in the day, thought it was odd you glitched through a wall at the other side. But never knew it was supposed to be removed. Was that Sega's decision to remove short cuts? Also, did anyone at this Time Warner work on the Sega Saturn port of Hard Drivin' as well? That was dumped in Japan.

I really hope Sega Lord X has seen this series by now. Continue to be absolutely floored by your work.

As someone who dedicated weeks of their life restoring a Twin and constantly being asked "why didn't you just get Daytona", this video is bliss.

Just a minute in and it's killer. Every new video you do is like a monumental leap over the last.

Imagine being told by your employer to port a piece of software without the original source code (though they have it!), no easy way to debug, and to hardware that you have no access to. Absolutely bonkers management. Bless the team at Time Warner for even getting this done in the first place!

The "Not to be confused with World Series Baseball" reference made me laugh. Great doc, you really put work in on this one.

I have to give you a lot of praise for how much "in depth" your reviews are getting and how you take the time to interview the original developers! Loved this video! Big fan of your channel!

i WAS NOT READY FOR THE STUDLER YTPMV AT THE END

This is probably the best Virtua Racing video.

This is insanely great documentary, well detailed, engaging, and fun to rewatch. Thanks for making this!

This is super interesting. Funny enough, Sega did the same with Star Wars Arcade on 32X. They had someone else port it and only gave a arcade unit as the source to base their work on.

Wow!! These are getting better and bigger every time!

Absolutely LOVED this. So thankful for your channel and all the work you put into it. Interviewing these devs is dream status

03:14 The transition from Race Drivin' and Final Lap 2 to Virtua Racer is something that can't be put onto paper in less than a thousand words. It blows you away, *and the thing's not even started moving yet*

I'd buy DVD/Blu-Ray seasons of your show bruh. No foolin'. This content is a gold mine for fans of Saturn.

These hour long videos always seem like daunting viewing tasks, but once I start watching the time flies by. Incredible work as always! I'm going to have to attempt to work my way through Grand Prix mode. I fired up the game a few months back, originally not liking it much in the late '90s, and to my surprise I ended up really enjoying myself. Like you said, when you get the hang of the controls and stop focusing on comparing it to other versions, it's a lot of fun.

One hour of one of my favourite games from my childhood? Yes please!

Well that was certainly a thorough synopsis of Saturn Virtua Racing! I appreciated the interview and otherwise lost-to-time information. I remember the game being super disappointing at first because it DID NOT feel like the arcade or 32X versions. I still played it but had a poor opinion of it for years. But over the years, I've come to see all its good qualities and content. I like it more than the PS2 60fps version. It isn't an accurate 'port' but it is a fun racing game with lots of content. The 10 laps thing was too much. If only SEGA had better dev/debug tools so they could have harnessed CPU #2. Thanks for the show!

The best and most in depth video on Virtua Racing for the Saturn!!! Fantastic!!!👍👍👍👍

Tbh I loved Saturn VR and still play it till this day. Brilliant video 👍

I just bought a copy of Virtua Racing for Saturn and while googling information about the game I found your video and your channel. Top-notch quality content! You got a new subscriber.

"Sega?" "Yeah?" "Where's the source code?" "Its right there, in the arcade cabinet" "You were supposed to give us the source code so we could have a launch title release, and accurate physics" "Okay, I'm gonna!" "So go do it!" ... "I think I see the problem" _"OH, DO YA?!"_

I think this channel is the embodiment of quality and quantity. Every saturn game? And with this amount of heart put into it? Makes sense it's only 41 videos in... Whatever, KEEP GOING! THIS IS SO COOL!!!!

This is unbelievably good to watch this video, I never thought I'd get to know what differences there is between the Saturn and all the other versions. Thank you so much!

55:40 Marty Chinn - I remember that guy. He was all over newsgroups in the mid to late 90's! Victor Ireland too.

I would love a definitive version of Virtua Racing with all of the exclusive content from every version put into one package.

A very interesting history about the saturn port of virtua racing on sega saturn,BUT the greatest part were those online reviews from 1995🤣🤣

Watching this again, because of course I am. I think the best way to describe Time Warner Interactive's V.R. Virtua Racing is just that: _Time Watner Interactive's_ V.R. Virtua Racing. Its not a port, a copy, its a remodel, and a love letter. It has its issues, sure, but they made a great game

This is absolutely tremendous, and one of the best hours I've spent on KZfaq. Brought back memories of playing it in the arcade and being absolutely floored by the graphics, pretty sure I later rented it on the Saturn too. It's not in my collection, but I will have to hunt it down.

I just wanna say this channel is the best, the Saturn is my favorite system of all time and it's so cool seeing how nightmarish the development cycles were working with Sega

That is such a good call on that one song being a Roseanne transition. Fits perfectly. Also I echo basically everyone who says your audience should be bigger. Your work reminds me of Gaming Historians but for a topic not a lot of people on youtube tackle. A billion nintendo videos but a trickle of sega ones. It's high quality stuff. Thanks as I continue to work through your backlog of videos!

The lift drops the car to the ground at 0.69 seconds. N I C E

I can't believe this is the first time I'm watching this. I thought I saw everyone of your videos at least once. I have watched several repeatedly because they're that damn good. Take this video for instance, unlike other channels on KZfaq that review retro games...you actually interview the actual people responsible for building them and that is incredible! At any rate, you spoke of Sega acting like helicopter parents and I have a few theories on why that is. Time Warner Interactive was a huge company that partnered with Sega in the past on some fairly big things. Like for example Time Warner helped to create The Sega Channel which at the time was huge. Further, I think Sega recognized that Time Warner was a very successful company and could be trusted with their IP. I would also think given how on the back foot Sega was at the time they probably counted Warner's support as vital for success. Considering how close to launch Bug and Ghen War were coupled with the IP's being virtually unknown they wanted full control. I also believe Sega didn't trust Bug's and Ghen War's developers either. I am really curious as to how Sega treated Bug 2's development. Were they just as controlling or did they let loose the reigns a little bit?

What a fantastic documentary about V.R. Virtua Racing! I had no idea and really enjoy playing this game still! The Pebble Beach remix at the end is the perfect cherry on top. Very well done. Subbed!

Man, this really was was an admirable effort from Time Warner. They managed to get a helluva product with their only base being eyeballing the original. That debugging story leaves me with nothing but respect for the devs. Also, I'm convinced the CREAMY 3D GRAPHICS lady is like this channel's second mascot behind good ol Stadler.

At this point I'm just going to watch all of your stuff to count how many times Craig Stadler shows up. Also great video.

I'm sorry. WHY DOES THIS VIDEO HAVE SO FEW VIEWS? This channel is amazing! Had me watching the full video till the end, and I wasnt even alive in the Saturn era! My only contact with VR is the switch port lol. Love your channel!

oh my god the roseanne transition

Phenomenal job. Great, pacing, editing, and script.

I cracked at "Not to be confused with World Series Baseball." I'm *still* trying to wrap my head around that naming convention!

This series has done a good job both at showing me how many cool Saturn games exist and why the console failed outside of Japan.

I can't believe this video only has 19k views when it's such high quality it could easily be a TV or streaming documentary. This is incredible work man. People just don't know what they're missing.

The only bad thing about your video reviews is that they end.. Keep up with the outstanding work!

AWESOME EPISODE!!!! I really enjoy the suff you make! Best YT-Channel

Brilliant video and excellent content. Fascinating interview with Mr Tolman. Incredible insights and amazing Easter Eggs. I’n so glad others are beginning to appreciate the Saturn’s version of Virtua Racing. While I loved the arcade (and am very grateful for the Switch port) and played the Megadrive version to death and got my 32X back in the day purely for Deluxe I still really appreciated the Saturn version. Unlike the others it added lots of content (funnily enough one of the sticks people often used to beat Sega with back in the day was the lack of extra content especially compared to arch rivals Namco who packed their arcade ports with additional content. I think looking back a lot of the disappointment was unrealistic expectations about the possibility of arcade perfect ports back in the day. Also many reviews somehow saw the game as “old” which I kind of understand as it didn’t fit into either the current/cutting edge or retro categories at the time of release. I always think of it as more like a “Cover Version” if the original. Similar with The second Daytona game - a cover version with some similar cars and tracks but additional content and a different handling model etc Certainly compared to many other Saturn racers it more than stands up. Cracking game taken on its own merits.

Always remember, when you play Virtua Racing, _Get you the Exciting Race._

Wow! What an epic treat of a review/documentary/retrospective/interview I love the passion shining through in your content and this one has definitely been the highlight so far :) I honestly had no idea the Saturn port of Virtua Racing had such an interesting history to it. It's what I love so much about gaming. There is always something new to uncover and discover. The only version I've had the pleasure of playing was the Switch port and while it seems to be pretty much arcade-perfect or even arcade superior, I really wish we could have gotten some additional content like new cars or tracks from the 32X or Saturn version. Fantastic video, mate!

1 hour? You are a mad man. Never stop. When you get to the end I'll fund new Saturn games.

Such fantastic work once again. This is the virtua racing deep dive I never knew I needed. You've outdone yourself once again panda. Thank you for your dedication to these videos. Kleemalt Lagto's infamous post made it into the video too?! There truly is no escaping that madman. Lol

What a heavy hitting interview.. the game was reverse-engineered! wow!

Great video Panda! It's a bit over an hour but nothing feels like its drawn out. Really like these interviews btw. It'd be cool to see an update video if somebody figures out that cheat code, kinda something like the rayman and mansion updates

I've seen a few other Saturn V.R. Virtua Racing documentaries in the past, but this is absolutely the best one ever made. Amazing job. Thanks PandaMonium Reviews.

This really feels like a broadcast quality documentary, wow, thank you so much!! I also love the saturn and this series is like a dream come true.

Wow, what a fantastic VR documentary. I uploaded a quick video of me playing on the Saturn version earlier in the week and asked in the description if anyone knew what the deal was with Time Warner handling the port. I had multiple replies linking me to your video. Really excellent work!

Whoa! Did you just make an hour video in just two weeks? That's incredible!

Excellent job, thanks for taking the time to interview the original programmer and give context around the port. I used to hate this version but came around over the last few years. It has its own charm.

This explains why I always preferred the 32x version out of the Genesis and Saturn versions. the Saturn Version always felt off

Obviously I haven't watched the whole thing but I love Virtua Racing. I'm a millennial so I didn't grow up with it, but I think it really holds up from a gameplay perspective.

Another amazing video! I feel that Daytona CCE gets similar criticism to this game, i.e. controlling/playing differently from the arcade original. Personally, I loved Daytona CCE and look forward to playing this someday too. Good to hear it emulates so well in Mednafen. I had my head turned by Sega Rally at the time, so never got to play Saturn Virtua Racing.

I’ll parrot what everyone else is saying. This was a fantastic video. It really makes me look forward to your future videos.

amazing video. btw, 'AMAZON FALLS' its a lovely track name

Love these documentary long form episodes, hope to see more!

Oh man I’m looking forward to this. Your reviews are the best I’ve come across on KZfaq. Thanks so much for the effort you put in.

Digi sent his audience to the right dude

That intro was so well done i subscribed

That description of how they developed the game without source code, how they had to do the equivalent of a CPU swap when ever they needed to debug their code, and the utter bonkers rugpull they experienced as the Abrupt Lauch at E3.. I would have cursed everyday I had to work on this project.

Amazing video, you just keep getting better and better. Keep up the great work Nick! As someone who has never played the Saturn port of Virtua Racer because of hearing how different and bad it is, I think you've successfully sold me on trying it out. It looks really good.

this is honestly my favourite video of yours, watched it 2 times and it was amazing both times! edit: now 3 times

I've watched this one 3 times, and the world series baseball bit still sends me. Almost to 10k!!

Fantastic to watch, loved every minute. Thank you!

Yo, one of the best reviews and takes on a game i ever seen. Great format, loved the interview and you really showed all parts of the game. Great work.

He did not have to go this hard for a review of Time Warner Interactive's V.R. Virtua Racing, but he did. Respect.

Sensational documentary You're one of the greats. Honestly, I just discovered your channel and watched a couple of videos, it's incredible. Keep up the great work!

Sent by Digi Valentine, amazing video. Definitely looking into the rest of this series

Friend, I do not know when I'll have time to sit down and watch this, so I'm here to boost your standing in the algorithm during the precious release window with a comment and a sight-unseen like, but from what I hear, this deserves it.

Very entertaining and informative history on the development of the Saturn version. I really enjoy how you break down the time period, the people involved, methods used, and limits and expectations of the time. I always look forward to your reviews and your amazingly well-created videos that are essentially their own time capsules!

Man, you deserve _WAAAAAY_ more subs. The amount of work you go through for your reviews - what with the interviews, magazine scans and history lessons - is insane and your videos are just too high-quality. I love Sega Lord X and whoever as much as anyone, but damn, this was a next-level deep dive on Virtua Racing Saturn. AWESOME job! Man, after putting in all the work on original code, I wonder if they ever considered doing their own original Saturn racer afterwards and improving on their work... they really did a Herculean job with this one.

Excellent video dude, I don't think Virtua Racing gets nearly the amount of attention it should

What's wild to me is my memories of early 3D arcade games have almost been replaced by thinking of their home versions. Arcade VR still looks damn good! It's clearly primitive but they did really well with what they had.

My God Pandamonium, you are on FIRE. The musical bit at the end was epic. Also, LOVE how when you utter 'freedom', of course the eagle must screech. Your videos are pure gold.

You can’t watch this without finding new respect for this game.

Really great video! Had so much fun watching this. Thank you very much!

This video is a tour deforce. Your series is reigniting my interest in the Sega Saturn. Stupidly I sold my modded V-Saturn and Action Replay cart 3 years ago. I've now bought another one and looking to get an ODE. Brilliant work!

Wow, the amount of attention and effort put in this review is incredible. You really dug deep in this game and the story behind it. Well done!

BLOODY GREAT!! Digital Foundry sent me here and they were not wrong about you :D

The Saturn renditions of the Virtua Racing original songs are legendary, that alone justifies this port existence! Fun Fact: Saturn V.R. has 2 remixed versions of the Mega Drive/Genesis opening song on the CD as redbook audio, but strangely neither one was ever used in the game. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/f7GijdmZkpqvqI0.html

My favorite port of virtua racing by far! And one of my favorite sega saturn racing games as well. Live virtua racing on my sega saturn. Excellent channel and excellent reviews man keep up the solid work !

what a cool documentary!! i’ll have to work my through your back catalogue :)

The quality of these reviews is incredible, they keep getting better too. And all for the console with the creamiest 3D graphics! Might be the best I've seen. Like everyone else I'm looking forward to seeing how this series progresses.

I subscribed to your channel after it was mentioned in a Sunday My Life in Gaming stream...watching this and not regretting it for a second. Awesome content, looking forward to enjoy the rest of your work.

I can't believe the amount of work that went into this. Much appreciated Dude!

Fantastic video. I will look forward to checking the rest of your vids out

This video is so well done, I feel like I'm watching an Icons documentary.

My freaking god dude, what an insane development story. Your videos are truly inspirational. The pacing and small jokes here and there to spice up the video play so well. Also crazy job at the ending. My god dude