Continental Circus

Short description: 1987 video game

For the album, see Continental Circus (album).

Continental Circus

Commodore 64 Cover

Developer(s)| Taito
Publisher(s)| Taito
Composer(s)| Zuntata
Platform(s)| Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum
Release|

December 1, 1987

* Arcade

* JP: December 1, 1987[2]
* NA: Late 1987[1]
* EU: 1988[3]

Amiga[4]

* EU: 1989

Amstrad CPC[5]

* EU: 1989

Commodore 64[6]

* NA: 1989
* EU: 1989

MSX[7]

* EU: 1989

ZX Spectrum[8]

* EU: 1989

Genre(s)| Racing
Mode(s)| Single-player
Arcade system| Taito Z System[9]

Continental Circus is a racing arcade video game developed and published by Taito in 1987.[10] In 1989, ports for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, and ZX Spectrum were published by Virgin Games.

The arcade version comes in both upright and sit-down models, both of which use shutter-type 3D glasses hanging above the player's head. According to Computer and Video Games in 1988, it was "the world's first three dimensional racing simulation".[10] The home conversions of Continental Circus lack the full-on 3D and special glasses of the arcade version.

In 2005, the game was made available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC as part of Taito Legends.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 1.1 Hazards
* 2 Audio
* 3 Reception
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Gameplay

Arcade screenshot

The in-game vehicle is the 1987 Camel-sponsored Honda/Lotus 99T Formula One car as driven by Ayrton Senna and Satoru Nakajima. Due to licensing reasons, sponsor names such as "Camel" or "DeLonghi" are intentionally misspelled to prevent copyright infringement under Japanese law.

The player must successfully qualify in eight different races to win. At the beginning, the player must take 80th place or better to advance. As the player advances, so does the worst possible position to qualify. If the player fails to meet to qualify or if the timer runs out, the game is over. The player does, however, have the option to continue, but if the player fails to qualify in the final race, the game is automatically over, and the player cannot continue.

### Hazards

As in the real F1 races, the car is susceptible to damage from contact with another car. Once a player hits a car or a piece of the trackside scenery, they will be called into the pits. If they let the car smoke too long, it will catch fire, and the message "IMPENDING EXPLOSION" will appear. Either way, if they fail to make it back or hit another car, then they will crash or explode, costing several seconds.

Also, if the car reaches speeds in excess of 380 km/h, the speedometer will turn yellow as a warning to the player to let them know the car is going much too fast. If the car hits another car from behind, the collision will send the car into a devastating cartwheel until it explodes, costing several seconds.

In the same light, going too fast through a turn will cause the car to lose grip on the road. If the car loses grip, it will spin out of control. There's a low chance of a wreck happening, but this will definitely take several seconds off the clock. Also, from time to time, a thunderstorm will occur, causing the track to become wet, and causing the car to lose traction. In that case, the message "CHANGE TIRES" will appear, and the player must immediately get into the pits to change to wet-tyres. If the storm dies down, the road will be covered in puddles. This does not pose a threat.

## Audio

Continental Circus does not have music during the race, but plays intro/outro music for each race in the vein of Pole Position. Afterwards, the screen cuts to the start line of the race course, and the announcement, "Gentlemen, start your engines! 30 seconds before the start!" The spoken line was lifted from the 1972 French documentary, which this game bears the same name.

The entire collection of musical scores, sound effects, and voice clips were featured in a compilation soundtrack known as "究極TIGER -G.S.M.TAITO 2-". The musical score was composed by Zuntata, Taito's house band. The music in the home versions was composed by Ben Daglish.

## Reception

Reception

| Award

Publication| Award
Amstrad Action| Mastergame[11]

The game was commercially successful. Its arcade pre-orders surpassed Taito's previous hit Operation Wolf (1987).[12] In Japan, Game Machine listed Continental Circus on their April 15, 1988 issue as being the third most-successful upright arcade unit of the month.[13] In the United Kingdom, it reached number-two on the monthly Coinslot dedicated arcade game chart in 1988, behind Street Fighter.[14]

The January 1989 issue of Sinclair User gave it the award for 1988 "Cock-Up of the Year" because of the title Continental Circus appearing to spell "circuit" incorrectly.[15]

As a home conversion, the game went to number 2 on the UK sales chart, behind Sega's Power Drift.[16]

## References

1. ↑ "Continental Circuit". gamefaqs.com. http://www.gamefaqs.com/arcade/566867-continental-circuit. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
2. ↑ "Continental Circus (Registration Number PA0000410002)". https://cocatalog.loc.gov.
3. ↑ "The Arcade Flyer Archive". arcade-museum.com. http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=5654. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
4. ↑ "Release Information for Amiga". http://www.gamefaqs.com/amiga/645390-continental-circus/data.
5. ↑ "Release Information for Amstrad CPC". http://www.gamefaqs.com/cpc/940289-continental-circus/data.
6. ↑ "Release Information for Commodore 64". http://www.gamefaqs.com/c64/569460-continental-circus/data.
7. ↑ "Release Information for MSX". http://www.gamefaqs.com/msx/936600-continental-circus/data.
8. ↑ "Release Information for Sinclair ZX Spectrum". http://www.gamefaqs.com/sinclair/991020-continental-circus/data.
9. ↑ "Taito Z System [twin 68K with optional Z80"]. https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/drivers/taito_z.c. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Continental Circus arcade game review". solvalou.com. http://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/93/83/continental_circus_review.html. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
11. ↑ Game review, Amstrad Action magazine, Future Publishing, issue 50, November 1989
12. ↑ "Coin Ops". Sinclair User (United Kingdom: EMAP) (78 (September 1988)): 74–5. 18 August 1988. https://worldofspectrum.org/archive/magazines/sinclair-user/78#74.
13. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)". Game Machine (Amusement Press, Inc.) (329): 21. 15 April 1988.
14. ↑ "Sinclair User Magazine Issue 077". archive.org. August 1988. https://archive.org/stream/sinclair-user-magazine-077/SinclairUser_077_Aug_1988#page/n81/mode/2up. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
15. ↑ Cock-Up Of The Year, Sinclair User, January 1989
16. ↑ "The YS Rock'n'Roll Years - Issue 49". ysrnry.co.uk. http://ysrnry.co.uk/ys49.htm. Retrieved 18 May 2016.

## External links

* Continental Circus at Arcade-History
* Continental Circus at the Killer List of Videogames
* Continental Circus at SpectrumComputing.co.uk

* v
* t
* e

Video games based on the Formula One Championship

Final Lap|

* Final Lap
* Final Lap Twin
* Final Lap 2
* Final Lap 3
* Final Lap R

Satoru Nakajima F-1|

* Satoru Nakajima F-1 Hero
* Satoru Nakajima F-1 Hero 2
* F1 Grand Prix: Nakajima Satoru
* Satoru Nakajima F-1 Hero GB World Championship '91
* F-1 Hero MD
* Nakajima Satoru Kanshū F1 Super License
* Nakajima Satoru F-1 Hero '94

Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix|

* Formula One Grand Prix
* Grand Prix 2
* Grand Prix 3
* Grand Prix 4

F-1 Grand Prix|

* SD F-1 Grand Prix
* F-1 World Grand Prix
* F-1 World Grand Prix II

F1 Circus|

* F1 Circus

F1 Pole Position/Human Grand Prix|

* F1 Pole Position
* F1 Pole Position 2
* F1 Pole Position 64

Formula One|

* Formula 1
* Formula 1 97
* Formula 1 98
* Formula One 99
* Formula One 2000
* Formula One 2001
* Formula One Arcade
* Formula One 2002
* Formula One 2003
* Formula One 04
* Formula One 05
* F1 Grand Prix
* Formula One 06
* Formula One Championship Edition

Racing Simulation|

* F1 Racing Simulation
* Monaco Grand Prix
* F1 Racing Championship
* Racing Simulation 3

EA Sports F1|

* F1 2000
* F1 Championship Season 2000
* F1 Manager (2000)
* F1 2001
* F1 2002
* F1 Career Challenge

F1 (Codemasters)|

* F1 2009
* F1 2010
* F1 2011
* F1 2012
* F1 Race Stars
* F1 2013
* F1 2014
* F1 2015
* F1 2016
* F1 2017
* F1 2018
* F1 2019
* F1 2020

Other|

* F-1 (arcade game)
* Monaco GP (arcade game)
* F-1 Race
* Formula One
* Grand Prix Circuit
* Grand Prix Manager
* World Grand Prix
* Pole Position
* Pole Position II
* TX-1
* Chequered Flag
* Continental Circus
* F-1 Dream
* Al Unser Jr.'s Turbo Racing
* F-1 Spirit
* Winning Run
* Tail to Nose
* Super Monaco GP
* Software:Formula One: Built to Win
* Driver's Eyes
* Overtake
* Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II
* F1 ROC: Race of Champions
* F1 ROC II
* F-1 Sensation
* Aguri Suzuki F-1 Super Driving
* Final Stretch
* Grand Prix Manager
* Grand Prix Manager 2
* F1
* Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing
* Fastest 1
* F1 Challenge
* Formula One World Championship
* GP Challenge
* Grand Prix Legends
* Grand Prix World
* F1 World Grand Prix 2000
* Grand Prix Challenge
* F1 Manager (2019)

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental Circus. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Continental_Circus&oldid=4141103"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template