Sega Amusements Reports Shipping Showdown Auto Racing Game

DELUXE:Delivering the same gameplay as the larger Special Attraction model, the 42" deluxe version of Sega's Showdown is designed for a wide variety of sites.

"Showdown lets players unleash that primal desire for wanton destruction without having to call an insurance agent to find out if the damage is covered," said Sega Amusements president and chief operating officer Paul Williams. "You'll need to keep your head on a swivel or you're going to find your car pounded to bits in short order by your opponents. This is not a game where 'letting the other guy in' will score you any points. This is every man for himself!"

The player can choose any of 20 "high-octane wrecking machines" and one of four arenas within which to wreak havoc. "Race Off" most closely resembles a classic racing game -- it has a finish line -- but there aren't many races in which drivers are encouraged to leave a trail of destruction and wreckage in their wake, Sega said.

"Demolition" is not dissimilar, challenging the player to smash, bash and crush his or her way in a "take-no-prisoners, last-person-standing Battle Royale of attrition."

The "Knockout" proposition explores "what happens when you hold a demolition derby on a platform 40 feet off the ground, with no fences to keep you from being pushed off the edge."

And "Crossroads" sets the stage for berserk action by launching a pack of "high-speed instruments of annihilation" on a wide-open track with a number of figure-8s.

Sega's new arcade video is being released in two distinct cabinets, the multiuser Showdown Special Attraction, a motion-based and four-player model, and the single-player Showdown, a 42" deluxe sitdown format.

"Location-based entertainment center operators have been asking Sega for a new attraction game since we stopped producing the extraordinary OutRun 2 Special," Williams explained. "The growth of this market segment, and their desires to offer their guests unique, signature experiences, led us to the development of Showdown Special Attraction."

The Special Attraction cabinet seats each player in front of a 65" HD LED display that occupies the entire field of vision. Four player positions may be linked for head-to-head action. It features a signature LED-illuminated surround marquee housing two huge HD displays that show the player's real-time reactions during gameplay, and attention-getting "Showdown TV" during attract mode. Sega's Pivot Motion Technology cabinet design (the cabinet sways side to side as the player careens around turns or gets "T-Boned" by a competitor), and translucent rear fascia panels complement the simulation. Rounding out the experience are an authentic dashboard with race-ready working dials, warning lights and switches, a 5.1 surround-sound system to blasts the roar of the race at the player from all sides, and even a working "Wreckage Radio" that can be tuned to high-energy rock stations.

The Showdown 42" deluxe incorporates all the gameplay action of the Special Attraction in a footprint that allows access to many more locations, from "pizza-cades" and movie theaters to bowling centers, big-box retail outlets and more.

Showdown Special Attraction is 88" D. x 366" W. x 113" H. The deluxe single-player version is 71" D. x 51" W. x 81" H.

Both are available for immediate delivery. Information may be had from local authorized Sega distributors or Sega Amusements sales representatives. The company's products are detailed at its website, segaarcade.com.

Sega Amusements is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan's Sega Corp.

SPECIAL ATTRACTION:Accommodating four players with wide-field 65" monitors and attracting attention with two top-mounted screens, Sega's Showdown Special Attraction is optimized for site-based locations.