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F1
Circus
エフワン サーカス
(1990) |
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There's
something not quite right about F1 Circus.
Maybe it's the fact that the track only ever goes upwards
- like a seemingly endless stream, a constant straight
line that never ends. Maybe it's the fake names, deliberate
distortions of famous racing legends like 'A.Semna',
'A.Plost' or 'N. Manserr'. Hard to say.
No wait: it's the SPEED. Hot damn this game is fast!
Gone are the days of slowly plodding around short overhead
circuits à la F1
Dream (1988); here the game will propel you along
at speeds you never thought imaginable. As soon as you
pass third gear the backdrops become a blur, and your
fate completely uncertain... Will you reap victory and
carve your name alongside those of motor sport legend,
or simply plough your tin-box speedster into a solid
concrete wall and finally find out what 'DNF' stands
for?
F1 Circus came as a complete shock to those
fortunate enough to experience it back in 1990. Although
it may be completely unrealistic in terms of a sporting
simulation, what it does do is provide a gut-wrenching
insight into the sheer adrenalin of F1 racing - that
incomparable high of holding on for as long as possible,
riding the crest of that high wave known to the privileged
few as 'The Edge'.
A single mistake and it's over: crashing into an opponent
damages the car (a pitstop will cost you at least a
place or two) whereas sliding off trackside will see
your car immediately 'Retire'. Off. Over. Nil points.
Next race. Brilliant. |
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The
game was an immediate success, and proved a very valuable
cash cow for struggling developer Nichibutsu. The old
masters hadn't really delivered much since the glory
days of Crazy Climber (1980) and Terra
Cresta (1985) so it was good to see F1 Circus
and its innumerable sequels keep them on track for just
that little bit longer.
The tragedy though, is that they blew it - following
superbly playable 'fixed 2D' iterations they made the
strange decision to use 'Mode 7' for the SFC Super
F1 Circus, completely destroying the fluidity of
the gameplay. In Super F1 Circus 2 they scrapped
the overhead viewpoint altogether for a standard 'behind
the car' perspective similar to Exhaust Heat
(1992), except nowhere near as good. That was the death
knell for the series: if the early games were masterful
arcade-style racing games, the later 3D titles are just
plain awful.
Oh well, no bother. At least you have the early overhead
titles games, and as F1 games go they are some of the
finest games the sport has ever inspired. |
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Super F1 Circus (1992) |
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Super F1 Circus 2 (1993) |
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Super F1 Circus 3 (1994) |
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F1
Circus
エフワン
サーカス
PC ENGINE |
DETAILS
| Format |
PC
Engine |
| Released |
14
Sep 1990 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
NB90002 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Behold:
the fastest overhead racing
game in the West. Or the East
for that matter.
A truly stunning game for
its time, and a massive PC
Engine landmark.
Standard PCE case, 4Mbit HuCard,
monochrome booklet. |
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F1
Circus '91
エフワン
サーカス'91
PC ENGINE |
DETAILS
| Format |
PC
Engine |
| Released |
12
July 1991 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
NB91004 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Perfection:
F1 Circus gets itself
the best upgrade you could
wish for: the front-end is
superb, the gameplay is smoother,
the visuals more colourful,
and the racing is even tougher.
Strap in.
Standard PCE case, 4Mbit HuCard,
booklet. |
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F1
Circus MD
エフワン
サーカス
エムディ
MEGA DRIVE |
DETAILS
| Format |
Mega
Drive |
| Released |
20
Dec 1991 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
T-71013 |
| Size
(cm) |
17.8
x 12.8 x 2.5 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.18 |
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Near-direct
port of F1 Circus '91
for the Mega Drive.
Many players rate this version
as the best: it features a
really handy 'track radar'
on the right hand side of
the screen, making a lot of
courses more manageable.
Standard MD case, 4Mbit cartridge
w/ battery backup, colour
booklet. |
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F1
Circus
エフワン
サーカス
FAMICOM |
DETAILS
| Format |
Famicom |
| Released |
7
Feb 1992 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
NBF-7F |
| Size
(cm) |
14
x 9.5 x 2 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.12 |
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The
Famicom gets itself a late
but surprisingly efficient
version of Nichibutsu's F1
classic, featuring cover art
from the first game and content
closer to that of '91.
Standard FC cardboard packaging,
3Mbit cartridge, 22-page monochrome
booklet. |
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F1
Circus Special - Pole to Win
エフワン
サーカス・スペシャル
ポールトゥウイン
PC ENGINE SUPER CD-Rom² |
DETAILS
| Format |
PC
Engine |
| Released |
26
June 1992 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
NBCD2002 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Right:
if you had to choose one version
of F1 Circus, then
this is the one to go for.
It has everything: smooth
playability, detailed interface,
and enhanced sound & music.
No joke: this is a phenomenal
game.
CD case, PC Engine Super CD-ROM²
disc,
20-page colour manual, spine
card. |
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Super
F1 Circus
スーパー
エフワン
サーカス
SUPER FAMICOM |
DETAILS
| Format |
Super
Famicom |
| Released |
24
July 1992 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
SHVC-FC |
| Size
(cm) |
19
x 10.5 x 3 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.16 |
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This
is the moment when everything
started going wrong in the
world of F1 Circus:
the SFC's 'Mode 7' rotating
backgrounds reduce one of
the smoothest and most playable
overhead racing games ever
into a horrible jerky mess.
Such a shame.
Standard SFC cardboard packaging,
8Mbit cartridge, colour booklet. |
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Super
F1 Circus Limited
スーパー
エフワン サーカス リミテッド
SUPER FAMICOM |
DETAILS
| Format |
Super
Famicom |
| Released |
23
Oct 1992 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
SHVC-FD |
| Size
(cm) |
19
x 10.5 x 3 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.16 |
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So-called
'Limited' re-issue of the
SFC Super F1 Circus,
with only a few minor differences
of note.
Standard SFC cardboard packaging,
8Mbit cartridge, colour booklet. |
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F1
Circus '92
エフワンサーカス'92
PC ENGINE |
DETAILS
| Format |
PC
Engine |
| Released |
18
Dec 1992 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
NBCD2007 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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F1
Circus returns for one
last outing on HuCard, in
a near-direct port of the
Super CD F1 Circus Special.
It's almost exactly the same
in fact (i.e. brilliant!)
but without the CD-Rom polish.
Standard PCE case, 6Mbit HuCard,
booklet. |
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Super
F1 Circus 2
スーパー
エフワン サーカス2
SUPER FAMICOM |
DETAILS
| Format |
Super
Famicom |
| Released |
29
July 1993 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
SHVC-N2 |
| Size
(cm) |
19
x 10.5 x 3 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.16 |
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It's
all over for F1 Circus...
For some inexplicable reason
Nichibutsu have completely
turned their back on what
made the series such a success
in the first place, producing
a pisspoor 3D racing game
instead.
Standard SFC cardboard packaging,
8Mbit cartridge, colour booklet. |
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F1
Circus CD
F1サーカスCD
MEGA-CD |
DETAILS
| Format |
Mega
Drive |
| Released |
18
Mar 1994 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
T-71014 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Whoops.
Looks like Nichibutsu tried
way too much with this one.
On the surface, a sprawling
motor racing RPG for Mega-CD
with 3D gameplay, tons of
different setup options and
a great historical context.
Technically, a disaster of
the highest order.
One of the worst driving games
EVER.
CD case, Mega-CD CD-ROM disc,
colour booklet, spine card. |
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Super
F1 Circus 3
スーパー
エフワン サーカス3
SUPER FAMICOM |
DETAILS
| Format |
Super
Famicom |
| Released |
14
July 1994 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
SHVC-N3 |
| Size
(cm) |
19
x 10.5 x 3 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.16 |
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The
carnage continues with a third
F1 Circus turkey
on SFC.
It's a better game than part
2, but still a complete and
utter mess.
Standard SFC cardboard packaging,
16Mbit cartridge, colour booklet. |
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Super
F1 Circus Gaiden
スーパー
エフワン サーカス外伝
SUPER FAMICOM |
DETAILS
| Format |
Super
Famicom |
| Released |
7
July 1995 |
| Publisher |
Nichibutsu |
| Product
ID |
SHVC-AN4J-JPN |
| Size
(cm) |
19
x 10.5 x 3 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.16 |
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Nichibutsu's
final F1 Circus release
is another ambitious catastrophe
similar to the Mega-CD F1
Circus CD: RPG setup,
different types of cars, tons
of options, messy gameplay,
confused visuals, shoddy finish.
Oh well.
Standard SFC cardboard packaging,
16Mbit cartridge, colour booklet. |
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'F1
Circus' and 'Nichibutsu' are registered trademarks of Nihon Bussan
Co., Ltd.
'PC Engine' and 'NEC' are registered trademarks of NEC Corporation
'Mega Drive', 'Mega-CD' and 'Sega' are registered trademarks of
Sega Corporation
'Famicom', 'Super Famicom' and 'Nintendo' are registered trademarks
of Nintendo Co., Ltd.
F1 Circus TM & © 1990 Nichibutsu All Rights Reserved
Page content, design & layout © 2008 www.Jap-Sai.com |
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