VR Virtua Racing

Get ready to take to the track with the best racing game to ever come out of the arcades.

Sega ported this game over to the Genesis and the 32X, and now they've sold the rights of the game to Time Warner Interactive. The people at Sega have gone under the hood to add some features and tweak this fast-paced game. They will be bringing this game out as V.R. Virtua Racing.

It's out in Japan now and will be ready to head to the track as soon as the Sega Saturn is given the green light in September.

The game stays true to Sega's arcade classic, but is different enough to make it an option for the racing fans. The three-dimensional polygon cars are back, and you go up against 15 ruthless opponents with four different views of the action. A new Grand Prix Mode adds four more cars to the competition and seven more tracks have been added.

You can also take part in a 10-round World Championship before taking the ultimate challenge. Choose from one of 15 competitive teams. In this mode, you use Formula cars and the standings are based on the World Championship system.

There's also a Practice Mode that lets you familiarize yourself with the cars and the tracks so you can get up to speed.

Cinematic sequences provide information and an introduction to some of the new aspects of the game. Expect some tips on the new tracks as well as some shrewd commentary on your racing abilities.

I had a chance to try this game when I visited the Time Warner offices in California, and I found this to be a well-tuned game. The programmers have been working hard to give Virtua Racing fans enough new twists and turns to make this game a real arcade driving experience for your home.

They've left no coconut unturned by adding a lot of details. For example, if you run into a palm tree (if you make your way off of the track), coconuts will fall from above. When racing in Australia, if you bump into the trees, a cute little Koala bear will slide down the tree then climb back up.

There are even polygon-rendered kangaroos that hop around the track, but they're hard to hit. (In other words, you don't have to worry about kangaroo road kill!) If you already own a Genesis and/or a 32X version of V.R. Racing and are wondering whether or not you should bother spending money on this version, burn rubber to the bank. This game looks great and plays even better.