:Indy 500 (1995 video game)

File:Indy500videogamescreen.png.|left]]

Indy 500 is a racing game based on IndyCar,{{Cite magazine|date=October 1995|title=Prescreen: Indy 500|magazine=Edge|issue=25|page=39}} and possesses an official license from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.{{Cite magazine|date=November 1995|title=Coin Operated: The Indy-ans Are Coming|magazine=Sega Saturn Magazine|issue=1|pages=20–22}}{{Cite magazine|date=October 1995|title=Indy 500: AM1 takes to arcade racing|magazine=Maximum|issue=1|page=124}} Players can race one of three courses: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (called Indy 500 in the game), Highland Raceway, and Bayside Street,{{cite magazine|title=Arcade Storm Brews at AMOA|magazine=GamePro|issue=87|publisher=IDG|date=December 1995|page=23}}{{Cite magazine |date=September 1, 1995 |title=The Excellent Arcade Games: Indy 500 |magazine=Sega Saturn Magazine |language=ja |page=155}} the latter two being fictitious courses. The race commences after the user has made their choice of automatic transmission or manual transmission with a 2-position shifter, capable of selecting 6 speeds. Special features of the cabinet include a steering wheel with haptic feedback.{{cite magazine|last=Webb |first=Marcus |title=Arcadia|magazine=Next Generation|issue=11|publisher=Imagine Media|date=November 1995|page=26}} Similar to previous Sega arcade racing games, the game can be played from one of four different camera angles.{{Cite magazine |date=May 1996 |title=Esporte Total: Indy 500 |url=https://archive.org/details/SuperGamePower_Ano_03_No._026_1996-05_Nova_Cultural_BR_pt/page/n45/mode/2up |magazine={{interlanguage link|Super GamePower|lt=Super GamePower|pt|Super GamePower}} |language=pt |volume=3 |issue=26 |page=46 |access-date=December 28, 2020 |via=Internet Archive}}{{Cite magazine |last=Hardy |first=Steve |date=December 1995 |title=Indy 500 |magazine=Sega Pro |issue=52 |page=61}}

Each race begins with a rolling start, and players are tasked with racing against opponents and a timed event, which can be a standard 3-lap race or an extended (Long Race Mode) race, varying between 16 and 20 laps (depending on the course selected), needing to make it to the next checkpoint before the timer ends. Racing speeds are up to {{Convert|380|km/h|mph}}, and up to 420 km/h (260 mph) while in a slipstream. Up to eight players can compete in multiplayer,{{Cite magazine|date=December 1995|title=Video Drome|magazine=Computer and Video Games|issue=169|page=74}} via a feature where multiple arcade cabinets can be linked.{{Cite magazine|date=September 1995|title=Arcade race restarts|magazine=Edge|issue=24|page=15}} A hidden feature in the game allows players to race as the pace car.

Indy 500 was developed by Sega AM1,{{cite journal|title=1995 JAMMA Show Report|journal=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine|issue=2 |publisher=Emap International Limited|date=November 1995|pages=112–4}}{{Cite web|title=Indy 500 - Overview|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=10310|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114131222/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=10310|archive-date=November 14, 2014|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=AllGame}} an arcade research and development division of Sega led by Rikiya Nakagawa. The game was AM1's second project using 3D computer graphics, after 1994's Wing War. According to Nakagawa, Indy 500 was the first time AM1 was able to develop color textures and gave the team experience in developing games in 3D. For this reason, Nakagawa credits the game as his most memorable project with AM1.{{Cite magazine|date=August 2000|title=Sega New President's Story: Rikiya Nakagawa|url=https://www.sega-16.com/2019/03/classic-interview-rikiya-nakagawa/|url-status=live|magazine=Dreamcast Magazine|publisher=SoftBank Publishing|pages=93–96|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929123000/http://www.sega-16.com/2019/03/classic-interview-rikiya-nakagawa/|archive-date=September 29, 2019|access-date=April 7, 2020|via=Sega-16}} The game was originally developed for the Sega Model 3 arcade board, but due to delays in the board's development it was instead released on the Sega Model 2,{{cite magazine|date=November 1995|title=US Defense Corp Holds Key to Sega's Plans|url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-011/page/n13/mode/2up|magazine=Next Generation|publisher=Imagine Media|issue=11|page=14|via=Internet Archive}} specifically the Model 2B variant first used in Sega Rally Championship.

Indy 500 was released in Japan in July 1995,{{Cite book|title=Sega Arcade History|publisher=Enterbrain|year=2002|isbn=978-4-7577-0790-0|pages=137}} and to other regions by the end of the year.{{Cite magazine |date=December 1995 |title=L'arcade |magazine={{interlanguage link|Player One (magazine)|lt=Player One|fr|Player One (magazine)}} |language=fr |issue=59 |page=46}} The development team behind the Sega Saturn version of Sega Rally Championship were planning to do a Saturn conversion of Indy 500, and a Saturn port was announced, but due to fan demand they were taken off of the project and put to work on Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition instead.{{cite magazine|title=Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition|magazine=Sega Saturn Magazine|issue=12 |publisher=Emap International Limited |date=October 1996|page=13}}{{Cite magazine|date=May 1996|title=Sega Software Announcements|magazine=Game Players|volume=9|issue=5|page=16}}

{{Video game reviews

| rev1 = Super GamePower (BR)

| rev1Score = 5.0 / 5

| CVG = 3 / 5

| rev2 = Player One (FR)

| rev2Score = 90%

| rev3 = Sega Pro

| rev3Score = 75 / 100

| NGen = {{rating|4|5}}

}}

In Japan, Game Machine listed Indy 500 in their September 1, 1995 issue as being the second most popular dedicated arcade game of the month.{{cite magazine|date=1 September 1995|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - 完成品夕イプのTVゲーム機 (Dedicated Videos)|magazine=Game Machine|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|issue=502|page=25|lang=ja}} However, according to an article published in Edge a few months after the game's release in Japan, "... reaction to the game in Japan has been relatively muted so far, with Namco's impressive Rave Racer attracting a lot more players".

Critical reception to Indy 500 was mixed, but often compared the game to other similar arcade releases and focused on graphics and gameplay. French magazine {{Interlanguage link|Player One (magazine)|lt=Player One|fr||WD=}} praised the game's graphics and stated that Indy 500 continued a racing tradition with Sega that began with Virtua Racing and continued with Daytona USA and Sega Rally Championship. Brazilian magazine {{Interlanguage link|Super GamePower|lt=Super GamePower|pt}} praised the game in comparison to others, calling both Daytona USA and Sega Rally Championship an appetizer for Indy 500. In an article for Edge, the staff pointed out that Indy 500's graphics were not as high quality as those in Namco's Ace Driver, which had been released the previous year. Specifically, Indy 500's graphics lack Gourand shading. A reviewer for Computer and Video Games stated that Indy 500's main goal was to bring the fastest speeds ever in an arcade racing game, up to 380 km/h. They compared the game to Daytona USA and stated that Indy 500 is a more realistic game, but lacks in both graphics and gameplay compared to Daytona and Rave Racer. By contrast, a Next Generation reviewer praised the game's graphics and effective simulation of the unique qualities of IndyCar racing, calling Indy 500 "the fastest simulated driving experience ever", but also remarked that the infrequency of powerslides makes the game less fun.{{cite magazine|title=Indy-Scribable|magazine=Next Generation|issue=12|publisher=Imagine Media |date=December 1995|page=205}} Sega Pro reviewer Steve Hardy also praised the game's graphics, but was critical of the gameplay and suggested that players play Sega Rally Championship instead for more excitement. He expressed disappointment that Indy 500's course selection offered nothing out of the ordinary.

{{Portal|Video games

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• Daytona USA 2

{{reflist}}

• {{KLOV game|id=8189}}
• {{MobyGames|/arcade/indy-500___}}

{{Indy Racing League games}}

Category:1995 video games

Category:Arcade video games

Category:Cancelled Sega Saturn games

Category:Sega arcade games

Category:Video games developed in Japan

Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games