Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II

Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II
European cover art
Developer(s)	Sega
Publisher(s)	Sega
Series	Super Monaco GP
Platform(s)	Sega Master System Sega Mega Drive Game Gear
Release date(s)	Sega Mega Drive ‹See Tfd› NA: August 16, 1992 ‹See Tfd› JP: July 17, 1992 ‹See Tfd› PAL: 1992 Sega Master System ‹See Tfd› EU: 1992 Sega Game Gear ‹See Tfd› JP: August 28, 1992 NA: August 1992 EU: 1992
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player

Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II is an arcade-style Formula One racing video game developed and manufactured by Sega, and the follow-up to Super Monaco GP. The game was released for the Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, and the Sega Game Gear, appearing in the United States on 16 July 1992, Japan on 17 July 1992, and sometime later in 1992 in Europe. Along with boasting the most "realistic physics",^[1] it was the best received console driving game at the time of release, the game was also endorsed by the then Formula One champion Ayrton Senna, who won the race more times than any other driver, with six victories, and five races consecutively between 1989 and 1993. The game's development was also assisted by Senna, who supplied his own advice about the tracks featured in the game.

Gameplay

Super Monaco GP 2 focuses on either the player's attempts to win the Drivers World Championship, or to win the "Senna GP". There are three different modes of racing. In Senna GP, the player races one race, similar to the Super Monaco GP from the previous version of the game. However, in this version, there are three tracks to choose from: Senna's own farm circuit in Tatuí, São Paulo, and two other fictitious tracks, designed by Senna himself. The player must choose which track they wish to race on, and select whether they want to drive with an automatic, 4 speed manual, or 7 speed manual gearbox. A preliminary lap must be undertaken, the result of which determines the player's placement on the starting grid. The player must then attempt to win the Senna GP; a display of the player's lap times are given after the race.

In world championship, the player competes against 15 other drivers on the tracks which make up the 1991 Formula One season calendar, with the ultimate aim of winning enough points to become the Drivers World Champion. There is also a practice mode. Much like the warm-up in Championship mode, the player is given the option of training freely or simulating a race. However, in this mode, the player may choose the number of laps, starting position and, in some cases, the weather. An easter egg in the game allows selection of the motorbike from Super Hang-On.

In beginner mode, after the player enters their name and nationality, they have the choice of warming-up for the first by completing as many free laps of the track as they wish, or by going straight to the race mode. Selecting race mode will force the player to choose what type of gearbox they desire; the preliminary lap then begins, determining the player's place on the grid for the subsequent grid. Master mode is the same as the Beginner version except that the player can progress to better Constructors through challenging rivals. The player may, before each race, select a rival against whom to compete. If the player beats the same rival several times consecutively (from two to four times, depending from two factors : if the player raced without crashing on other racers, and on the level of the rival's team -an A-level team will need more wins than the B and lower-level teams-), then the player and the rival swap places; that is, the player assumes the rival's seat with their constructor, and the rival is relegated to the player's former constructor. This is not part of Formula One but something specific to the game. There are 5 different leagues of constructor.

Reception

Reception
Review score Publication Score MegaTech 90%[2]
Award Publication Award MegaTech Hyper

Mega placed the game at #5 in their "Top Mega Drive Games of All Time".^[3]

See also

• Ayrton Senna Kart Duel

References

1. "Senna's Super Monaco GP II". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 9 July 2007. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
2. MegaTech review, EMAP, issue 6
3. Mega magazine issue 1, page 76, Future Publishing, Oct 1992

External links

• The Game Gear version of Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive