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[Dave Long]

I know that a lot of folks never really got into Hang On GP for the Sega Saturn but it was always one of my favorite racing games from that generation and playing it today, it still holds up extremely well IMO.

The course designs are excellent for fictional racetracks. They don't look as nice as some of the stuff that was done in Ridge Racer or Sega Rally from the same time period, but they're extremely exciting, raceable tracks. Part of the reason the game was always disregarded was the control. IMO, that's always been because people didn't play it from the on-bike view. That's obviously where all the testing time went as it's absolutely perfect for digital gamepad control. If you try to race from the external views, it just doesn't work. With those as default though, most folks probably never knew that this game provided one of the best "you are there" experiences of racing games available at the time. On-bike racing can be controlled perfectly and features some of the fastest racing action you could get when the game came out.

So playing it has me excited about Hang On again, and wondering why this is now a completely neglected franchise by Sega. I don't care if they do something for arcades or the home, but they really ought to make a new game today. I recently played Hang On at our local arcade and it still holds up so well. (http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/community/misc/pressrelease/challenge_pr.asp <--The list here changes regularly. Games rotate in and out of there often.) No Dreamcast Hang On... nothing for the current consoles... it's just dumb. Like a lot of Sega's biggest names in the past, they seem to have turned their back on the series.

MotoGP for the Xbox is great. I love the Live play. But it's not like these old arcade-style games that provide both quick and long-lasting thrills. I want a Hang On 2005.

 

[nitewulf]

never played the saturn one, but the original SMS game was one of my first games. i played my SMS so much that i broke my controllers, and since replacements werent available where i was, i devised my own controllers using cardboards and tin foil, at the ripe age of 7. suffice to say, i want to see hang on getting the same treatment as outrun 2.

 

[Warm Machine]

Like a lot of Sega's biggest names in the past, they seem to have turned their back on the series.

Sorry man but that is a very false statement. the only real franchises that Sega hasn't remade in the last few years are Alex Kidd and Wonder Boy. I'm not talking Ages either, I'm talking real full on sequels/remakes like Phantasy Star Online, Out Run 2, Shinobi, Daytona, Space Harrier, etc. Sega keeps making these games and no one buys them because no one cares. The fanboys keep asking though and when Sega doesn't deliver another sales bomb they turn around and get pissy at Sega.

That said, Hang On GP was good especially with the analogue or wheel. The polys that game pushed was really impressive for the time.

Like Out Run, Hang On is a dinosaur game. A good sequel could be made but the format of the game would need a change or a serious modification. Playing the Xbox Out Run today reminded me of how shallow that game is and how the entire design has hardly changed since 1986. It is fun to play but compared to other racers which have raised the bar in the last 5 years it is pretty empty.

 

[KiNeSiS]

never played the saturn one, but the original SMS game was one of my first games. i played my SMS so much that i broke my controllers, and since replacements werent available where i was, i devised my own controllers using cardboards and tin foil, at the ripe age of 7. suffice to say, i want to see hang on getting the same treatment as outrun 2.

You lil Mc Guyver muthafucka!

PS HANG ON'S THE SHIT!!

 

[eso76]

Didn't Sumo Digital drop a hint about a new hang on being in development at Sega ?
I remember reading in an interview something like "Sega is planning to remake another classic racer by Yu Suzuki [after outrun 2], i can't tell you what it is yet, you'll just have to Hang On and see for yourself"

I also miss Hang On so much i had to use Outride a Crisis and Winning Run as custom soundtrack for Moto GP 2...: (

 

[Rlan]

SEGA have both Hang On and Manx TT Superbike though. They're pretty similar, aren't they?

They'd have to completely reinvent the franchise though. Customizable bikes, Real models, real destinations, and fantastic graphics. I mean, Manx TT had, like, two different tracks. That's just not acceptable nowadays.

How much have other Motorbike games sold anyhow?

 

[Warm Machine]

Sega also did GP Rider which was quite good once you got the hang of it.

Motorbike games generally don't sell well at all. That said, there has never been a good push to make one that is more mainstream and sexy.

A new Hang-On would need a circuit based season and RPG component as well as a open environment component. Visually, keep it moody and gritty like GP Rider or how Super Monaco GP was but combine that with some very nice Sega color and real style.

 

[Mr Nash]

I'd like a new Hang-On too. There was an old cabinet for one at our arcade at school almost 10 years ago, and the breaks didn't work on it, but my friend and I eventually figured out how to finish the entire game with no breaks on the thing. Good times.

 

[ram]

jester interactives upcoming ps2 motorbike game TT Superbikes could fill in -> http://www.gamekult.com/tout/jeux/fiches/J000020388.html

looks really promising to me.