This Game is Good, Actually (Sega Touring Car Championship, Sega Saturn)

Sega Touring Car Championship has a reputation for being one of the Sega Saturn's most difficult and disappointing racers. When I first played this game, I thought: "This is like Sega Rally, if the cars were fitted with rockets instead of wheels and the tracks were layered with a thick sheet of ice." In fact, that playthrough was recorded on the channel about a year ago. I had fun with the game at the time, but I definitely understood the criticism. But after spending more time with it recently, I came away with a different impression. Dare I say it, this is a legitimately good game and even deserving of much of the same praise that other Sega racers receive on the console. I know this isn't some new revelation as I've seen a few other 'tubers say similar things, but I was shocked once it clicked for me. The biggest surprise was discovering how much the game changes once you start to understand how to use the manual transmission to your advantage, especially for gear braking and accelerating coming out of corners. The Toyota Supra seems to offer the best overall combination of speed and handling in my experience, although it feels a bit looser when compared to the others. It also looks pretty sweet and gives a little bit of that 'Sega Rally' vibe to it with all that Castrol logo branding. I also wouldn't want to play this game without the 3D Control Pad. I've seen Mark from Classic Game Room play it with a standard D-pad, and it looked awful enough to convince me that analog control is the only way to go. So, if you've played this game using a digital controller, do yourself a favor and grab the 3d control pad (or maybe even the Saturn Steering Wheel if you have one of those). I was also surprised by how the AI and physics engine react to well-timed bumps and collisions. The AI often appears to run nearly flawlessly when left alone, but a few friendly "nudges" can dramatically alter the outcome of a race. In several cases, collisions propelled my car forward while sending competitors into guardrails or other vehicles. This playthrough also shows how to unlock the special "Sega Prototype" car by clearing Championship Mode to unlock Exhibition Mode. Winning the Exhibition Race then unlocks the hidden Sega Prototype, which I then used to complete another Championship run so you can see it in action.