About: F355 Challenge

F355 Challenge is a racing simulation arcade video game based on the actual race car and Ferrari event.

It was developed by the AM2 division of Sega for the Sega Naomi Multiboard arcade system board under the direction of Yu Suzuki, and was later ported to the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 video game consoles under the names F355 Challenge: Passione Rossa and Ferrari F355 Challenge respectively for both American and European releases. The only model of car featured in the game is the Ferrari F355 Challenge model. The game was considered the most accurate simulation of the F355 possible up until that time.

Some versions of the arcade cabinet are noteworthy for having three screens, allowing the player to look through the side windows as they would in a real car. The three-screen cabinet version also features an H-shaped gear stick and three foot pedals, and presents a tough challenge to any player who decides to use them. The cabinet itself is composed of four NAOMI units: one for each of the three screens and one to sync them all. The game also allows the player to use an automatic transmission or paddle-shift the gears. It also uses a real-time “Magic Weather” system similar to Shenmue.

The Dreamcast version has link cable play for direct competition, however as of Jan. 2006, the online servers for F355 Challenge are now offline, and the website has gone offline.

The game features an original soundtrack featuring Genki Hitomi and Minoru Niihara that mimics the style of 1980s hard rock/heavy metal which is integrated into a radio station format during gameplay (some music was later reused for another AM2 game, Shenmue). The radio DJ and the announcer are played by Alan J (Alan John Peppler), an American DJ who works at the Japanese radio station Bay FM.

Yu Suzuki is a keen Ferrari enthusiast who allegedly used data from his own Ferrari 355 at certain tracks to implement in the game during its development. [WIKIPEDIA]

Circuits (Arcade):

• Motegi (Oval Circuit)
• Suzuka (Short Configuration)
• Monza (1998 configuration)
• Sugo
• Suzuka (Full Configuration)
• Long Beach

Circuits (Console) – the console versions included five extra unlockable circuits:

• Atlanta
• Nürburgring
• Laguna Seca
• Sepang
• Fiorano

Release date & Platforms:

• Arcade – 1999
• Dreamcast – 2000
• PlayStation 2 – 2001

About: EA Sports NASCAR (series)

The EA Sports NASCAR series, alternately known as the NASCAR Thunder Series, was a series of NASCAR video games published by EA Sports.

After the kart racing game was released 2009, EA announced that the series would be discontinued due to budget cuts and the expiration of EA Sport’s contract with NASCAR.

Polyphony Digital has since bought the rights to develop official NASCAR cars and tracks in their simulation video game Gran Turismo 5, marking the end of the series under the EA Sports label.

Eutechnyx later acquired the license, starting the NASCAR The Game series with NASCAR The Game: 2011.

• NASCAR 98 – 1997 – PlayStation, Sega Saturn
• NASCAR 99 – 1998 – PlayStation, Nintendo 64
• NASCAR Revolution – 1999 – PC (Windows)
• NASCAR 2000 – 1999 – PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, PC (Windows)
• NASCAR Rumble – 2000 – PlayStation
• NASCAR 2001 – 2000 – PlayStation, PlayStation 2
• NASCAR Thunder 2002 – 2001 – PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox
• NASCAR Thunder 2003 – 2002 – PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PC (Windows)
• NASCAR Thunder 2004 – 2003 – PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC (Windows)
• NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup – 2004 – PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube
• NASCAR SimRacing 2005 – PC (Windows)
• NASCAR 06: Total Team Control – 2005 – PlayStation 2, Xbox
• NASCAR 07 – 2006 – PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox
• EA Sports NASCAR Racing – 2007 – Arcade
• NASCAR 08 – 2007 – PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
• NASCAR 09 – 2008 – PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
• NASCAR Kart Racing – 2009 – Wii