Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II

{{Infobox video game

| title = Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II

| image = Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II Coverart.png

| caption = European cover art

| developer = Sega{{efn|Master System version co-developed by Arc System Works{{cite book |title=Arc System Works 25th Anniversary Character Collection |publisher=ASCII Media Works |date=October 22, 2013 |page=246 |url=https://archive.org/details/akushisutemu25shnenki/246.jpg}}}}

| publisher = Sega

| programmer = Takahiro Hamano
Masahiro Wakayama

| artist = Kaki
Rieko Kodama
Kazuyoshi Tsugawa

| composer = Tokuhiko Uwabo
Haruyo Oguro (GEN/MD)
Masaru Setsumaru (MS, GG)

| series = Monaco GP

| platforms = {{cslist | Sega Genesis | Master System | Game Gear}}

| released = {{vgrelease|JP|July 17, 1992|PAL|July 1992|NA|September 1992}}

| genre = Racing

| modes = Single-player

| alt = Ayrton Senna wearing his racing helmet in the background, and a separate image of him holding a trophy in the foreground.

}}

{{nihongo foot|Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II|アイルトンセナスーパーモナコGP II|Airuton Sena Sūpā Monako GP Tsū|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is an arcade-style Formula One racing video game developed and manufactured by Sega for the Sega Genesis, Master System, and the Game Gear in 1992. It is a follow-up to Super Monaco GP. The game was also endorsed by, and had technical input from, the then-Formula One champion Ayrton Senna. Gameplay includes a World Championship season featuring recreations of the tracks in the 1991 Formula One World Championship, along with a three-race "Senna GP" mode set on fictional tracks.

The game was initially suggested by Sega's distributor in Brazil, Tec Toy, but developed by Sega in Japan. The game's development was also assisted by Senna, who personally supplied his own advice about the tracks featured in the game. Reception to Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II was mixed to positive, with reviewers praising the gameplay and the graphics but criticizing too few changes from Super Monaco GP.

Gameplay

File:AyrtonSennaSuperMonacoGPIIscreen.jpg

Based on Formula One,{{Cite magazine|last=Vialli|first=Giancarlo|date=August 1992|title=Lo más nuevo: El señor de la velocidad|magazine=Hobby Consolas|language=es|issue=11|pages=62, 71}} Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II features 19 race tracks: unnamed recreations of the tracks in the 1991 Formula One World Championship, and three fantasy tracks in the Senna GP mode.{{Cite magazine|last=Mellerick|first=Paul|date=June 1992|title=Reviewed! Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II|magazine=Sega Force|issue=6|pages=10–11}} Players take control of a race car from the driver's seat view, with a rear view at the screen top. The display also includes a map, tachometer, and speedometer. Six individual save slots are included to save games.{{Cite web|last=Marriott|first=Scott Alan|title=Super Monaco GP II - Overview|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=56|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114131301/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=56|archive-date=November 14, 2014|access-date=July 24, 2020|website=AllGame}}

In the game's World Championship mode, players have a choice of Beginner or Master difficulty. In addition to the difficulty of the competition, Beginner races take three laps while Master races take six. Each season takes place over sixteen races, in which the player races against fifteen computer-controlled opponents. Players can also enter their name and nationality when starting the mode. Before a race, players can choose their car's transmission: automatic, 4-speed semi-automatic, or 7-speed manual. While automatics are easier to control, manuals provide greater speed. Players must qualify before each race or else start in 12th place. Additionally, the Senna GP mode features races on three tracks, completion of which will earn the player an Ayrton Senna Super License. A Free Practice mode is also available.

Development

The initial pitch for Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II came from Tec Toy, Sega's distributor in Brazil. Tectoy approached Sega with the concept of developing a game starring Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna, who was the 1988, 1990, and 1991 World Champion.{{Cite news|date=November 20, 2012|title=Formula 1's greatest drivers. Number 1: Ayrton Senna|work=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/20324109|access-date=27 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621005204/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/20324109|archive-date=21 June 2019|url-status=live}} Sega executive vice president Shoichiro Irimajiri personally knew Senna, having previously been an executive at Honda with its F1 division, the engine provider for Senna's team at McLaren, under his oversight. As development of the game began, Senna was personally involved in providing direction for the game and ensured he saw to changes he suggested. Among Senna's suggestions was a lack of speed reduction when driving over stripes in the corners, which the first game had done.{{Cite news|date=July 17, 2020|title=Super Monaco GP II – O clássico de corrida de Ayrton Senna completa 28 anos!|website=Blog Tectoy |url=https://blogtectoy.com.br/super-monaco-gp-ii-o-classico-de-corrida-de-ayrton-senna-completa-28-anos/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718162007/https://blogtectoy.com.br/super-monaco-gp-ii-o-classico-de-corrida-de-ayrton-senna-completa-28-anos/|archive-date=July 18, 2020|access-date=July 23, 2020|publisher=Tectoy|language=pt}} A visit Senna made to Sega's Japanese headquarters shortly before the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix resulted in a three and a half hour visit, with developers flocking to meet with him. Senna also recorded voice segments commenting on each of the F1 tracks in the game, except for still under construction Circuit de Catalunya, which had not opened at the time. Segments about that circuit were recorded after the Gran Premio Tío Pepe de España, which opened the circuit to major competition.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sega-16.com/2015/11/interview-stefano-arnhold-tectoy/|title=Interview: Stefano Arnhold (Tectoy)|last=Sponsel|first=Sebastian|date=November 16, 2015|website=Sega-16|publisher=Ken Horowitz|access-date=June 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004161631/http://www.sega-16.com/2015/11/interview-stefano-arnhold-tectoy/|archive-date=October 4, 2018|url-status=live}}

The game was announced in Japan by October 1991.{{Cite magazine|date=December 1991|title=News & Information|magazine=Beep! Mega Drive|language=ja|page=35}} Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II was released on July 17, 1992 in Japan,{{Cite magazine|date=October 1992|title=Monthly Hit Chart|magazine=Mega Drive Fan|language=ja|page=67}} July in PAL regions,{{Cite magazine |date=June 1992 |title=Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II - MegaDrive Review |url=http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/pdf/supermonacogp2md.pdf |magazine=Mean Machines |issue=21 |pages=20-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403014804/http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/pdf/supermonacogp2md.pdf |archive-date=2014-04-03}} and September in North America. For an article in their magazine, Mega Drive Advanced Gaming had F1 racing driver Johnny Herbert play the game.{{Cite magazine|date=November 1992|title=Star Play: Formula One Driver Johnny Herbert|magazine=Mega Drive Advanced Gaming|issue=3|pages=12–14}} In 1994, an article in Computer and Video Games called the game "easily the biggest selling driving game for the Mega Drive".{{Cite magazine|date=May 1994|title=Top Gear Group Test: What's the Best Driving Game Ever?|magazine=Computer and Video Games|issue=150|pages=108–113}}

Reception

{{Video game reviews

| BMD = 7.25/10 (SMD){{Cite magazine|date=August 1992|title=GP II|magazine=Beep! Mega Drive|language=ja|page=26}}

| CVG = 88% (SMD){{cite magazine |title=All-Formats Racing Games: Comparison Chart Ratings |magazine=Computer and Video Games |date=15 April 1994 |issue=150 (May 1994) |page=113 |publisher=EMAP |location=United Kingdom |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/d/dd/CVG_UK_150.pdf#page=113}}

| GP = 7/10 (GEN)

| GamePro = 4/5 (GEN)

| HC = 90/100 (SMD)

| JS = 88% (SMD){{cite magazine|title=Super Monaco GP II|date=July 1992|magazine=Joystick|language=fr|issue=29|page=170}}

| PO = 80% (SMD)
40% (SMS)

| VGS = 67% (SMS)

| rev1 = Mean Machines

| rev1Score = 87% (SMD)

| rev2 = Mega Drive Fan

| rev2Score = 21.4/30 (SMD)

| rev3 = Power Play

| rev3Score = 70% (GG)

| rev4 = Sega Force

| rev4Score = 88% (SMD)
94% (SMS)

| rev5 = Sega Power

| rev5Score = 53% (SMS)

| award1 = Hyper Game Award{{Cite journal |date=June 1992 |title=Super Monaco GP 2 Review |url=https://archive.org/details/UneditedUK_marktrade/MegaTech_06/page/n33/mode/2up |journal=MegaTech |issue=6 |pages=34–37}}

| award1Pub = MegaTech (1991)

}}

GamePro praised the speed of the Genesis version and highlighted its improvements in graphics and sound over Super Monaco GP.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_039_October_1992/page/n53/mode/1up?view=theater|title=Genesis Pro Review: Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II

|magazine=GamePro|issue=39|publisher=IDG|date=October 1992|page=52}} Player One gave the Mega Drive version a positive review, but posed that owners of the first game would have difficulty understanding why to purchase the sequel.{{Cite magazine|date=September 1992|title=Super Monaco GP II|magazine=Player One|language=fr|issue=23|pages=64–65}} Two reviewers for Mean Machines praised the game as being one of the best racing games on the console but as too similar to Super Monaco GP;{{Cite web|last=Julian and Rad|date=June 1992|title=Super Monaco GP 2 review - Sega Megadrive|url=http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/pdf/supermonacogp2md.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403014804/http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/pdf/supermonacogp2md.pdf|archive-date=April 3, 2014|access-date=July 22, 2020|website=Mean Machines|pages=20–21}} the same sentiment was echoed by Tim Boone of Computer and Video Games.{{Cite magazine|last=Boone|first=Tim|date=July 1992|title=CVG Review: Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II|magazine=Computer and Video Games|issue=128|page=68}} Vince Matthews of Game Players was critical of the lack of improvements compared to the original game, focused mainly on control pad issues.{{Cite magazine|last=Matthews|first=Vince|date=October 1992|title=Reviews: Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II|url=https://archive.org/details/Game_Players_Sega_Guide_Vol_03_Issue_05_October-November_1992/page/n67/mode/2up|magazine=Game Players|volume=3|issue=5|page=66}} In reviewing the game for Hobby Consolas, Giancarlo Vialli gave high praise for the game's improvements over the original, but found the lack of setup adjustments that were present in the first game as a negative. Mega placed the game at #5 in their "Top Mega Drive Games of All Time".{{Cite magazine|date=October 1992|title=Top Mega Drive Games of All Time|magazine=Mega|issue=1|page=76}}

In reviewing the Master System version, German magazine VideoGames gave praise to the game's controls while also critical of the lack of perception of speed.{{Cite magazine|date=February 1993|title=Kampf dem Meister Super Monaco GP II|magazine=VideoGames|language=de|page=107}} Reviews for Player One and Sega Power shared the same criticism of the Master System version.{{Cite magazine|date=September 1992|title=Super Monaco GP II|magazine=Player One|language=fr|issue=23|page=122}}{{Cite magazine|date=July 1992|title=Power Review: Super Monaco GP II|magazine=Sega Power|page=30}} For the Game Gear version, German magazine Power Play praised the improvement of the graphics over the first game.{{Cite magazine|date=December 1992|title=Computerspiele/tests|url=https://archive.org/details/powerplaymagazine-1992-12/page/160/mode/2up|magazine=Power Play|language=de|page=160}} In 2017, GamesRadar+ ranked the game 25th in their "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time".{{Cite web|last=GamesRadar Staff|date=2017-06-21|title=Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/best-sega-genesis-games-all-time/|access-date=2022-02-24|website=gamesradar|language=en}}