''Cyber Speedway'' (''Gran Chaser'' in Japan) is a 1995 racing video game developed by Nextech and published by

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

for the

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it is the successor to the succes ...

. The game was originally called ''Grand Racer'', but was renamed to avoid confusion with another early Saturn game, '' Gale Racer''. It is a

spiritual sequel A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous product or work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue th ...

to the 1993 computer game '' CyberRace''; the two games share a similar theme, and vehicles designed by

Syd Mead Sydney Jay Mead (July 18, 1933 – December 30, 2019) was an American industrial designer and Neo-futurism, neo-futurist concept artist. Initially known for his influential futuristic design work for industrial clients such as U.S. Steel, Phili ...

Regional differences

The game has different soundtracks depending on the region: one by Nextech's Kohji Hayama in Japan and Europe, and another by rock band Bygone Dogs in the United States.

Reception

''Cyber Speedway'' received generally mediocre reviews. While critics remarked that the graphics are good and that the two-player split screen mode is a welcome treat, especially given that the Saturn's flagship racer ''

Daytona USA is a 1994 arcade racing game developed by Sega AM2. Inspired by the popularity of the NASCAR motor racing series in the US, the game has players race stock cars on one of three courses. It was the first game to be released on the Sega Model 2 ...

'' is single-player only, they found fault with the gameplay, particularly the hovercraft handling. Rad Automatic of ''

Sega Saturn Magazine ''Sega Saturn Magazine'' (originally known as ''Sega Magazine'') was a monthly magazine from the United Kingdom covering the Sega Saturn, a home video game console. It held the official Saturn magazine license for the UK, and some issues incl ...

'' argued that the vehicle's lack of traction is an inaccurate depiction of hovercraft physics, while a reviewer for ''Maximum'' felt that the hovercraft concept was a poor one to begin with, since hovercraft handle identically on all surfaces, making for "a predictable, tedious ride." A ''

GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...

'' critic commented that the game was fun to play but lacked longevity, since all the tracks are easy to master and elements such as the crude cinematics in story mode limit the game's replay appeal. American magazine ''

Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...

'' reviewed the Japanese version as an import, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "''Gran Chaser'' is good fun, if not all together great."

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Cyber Speedway''
at

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1995 video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nex Entertainment games Science fiction racing games Sega Saturn games Sega Saturn-only games Sega video games Split-screen multiplayer games Video games developed in Japan