Rev Limit

Rev Limit[lower-alpha 1] is an unreleased sim racing video game that was in development and planned to be published by Seta Corporation in May 1998 for the Nintendo 64. It was also intended to be the first arcade title to use Seta's own Aleck 64 arcade board, and was planned for the 64DD as well. It was one of the earliest original third-party racing titles to be announced for the system. In the game, players compete against either computer-controlled vehicles or other human opponents across several tracks of varying thematic in order to reach first place and advance to the next course.

Rev Limit
Title screen
Developer(s)SETA Corporation
Publisher(s)SETA Corporation
Producer(s)Harada Noboru
Designer(s)Yasuhiko Kikuchi
Platform(s)64DD, Arcade, Nintendo 64
ReleaseUnreleased
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade systemAleck 64[1]

Rev Limit was previewed in 1996 and first showcased running in real-time at the Shoshinkai 1996 to mixed reception from the video game press and attendees of the event. Shown across various video game magazines, its release was constantly postponed as the game underwent numerous redesigns, with Seta facing financial difficulties that diminished their output and eventually lead to the game's cancellation for both the Nintendo 64 and arcades. Although it was never officially released to the public, a prototype cartridge surfaced in 2016.

Gameplay
Gameplay screenshot from the recently revealed 1999 build.

Rev Limit is a racing game similar to Ridge Racer and Gran Turismo, where the player must maneuver any of the cars to compete against either artificially intelligent opponents or another human opponent on various race tracks set across multiple locations.[2][3][4] The game features various modes to choose from at the main menu, such as Arcade, Time Attack, Championship and Versus Battle. Players can also change weather conditions, automatic or manual transmission for the vehicle, number of laps and more. The Option screen allows the player to configure the control settings and other options.[2][3][4] In Arcade mode, the courses are grouped into six different classes to choose before racing.[2][3][4]

History

Rev Limit was first previewed in the fourth quarther of 1996 in various magazines,[5][6][7] before being showcased running in real-time and playable for the first time to attendees at Shoshinkai 1996 where its visuals received praises, but otherwise it had a mixed reception.[8][9][10][11] It was one of the first original racing titles to be announced for the Nintendo 64, and was shown alongside other titles in development from Seta such as Chopper Attack and Eikō no Saint Andrews at the aforementioned event.[12][13][14][15][16] Early previews of the game mentioned playable game modes such as sprint, endurance and drag races but no support for multiplayer, and touted it for a 1997 release.[17][18][19][20][21]

Rev Limit was first developed for the Nintendo 64.

Yasuhiko Kikuchi was one of the designers involved with the project, while Harada Noboru served as the leader of the development team during production.[22] The title continued to be previewed in magazines and was demonstrated once again to the public at Nintendo Space World 1997, now touted for a 1998 release, and planned as the first title for Seta's own Aleck 64 arcade board.[23][24][25] Although the game falied to make an appearance at E3 1998, Seta reassured that the title was still on scheduled to be published despite kept being delayed.[26][27] However, despite being now planned for release on the 64DD,[28] Seta started to face financial constrains in the late 1990s that diminished their output as a result, which would eventually lead to the cancellation of the game for both Nintendo 64 and arcades.[2][3][4][29]

In 2016, a prototype cartridge containing a 1999 build of Rev Limit was sold off at Yahoo! Auctions in Japan, containing various differences compared to other previously showcased versions of the game, as well as grammatical errors.[2][3][4]

Notes
  1. Japanese: レブ リミット, Hepburn: Rebu Rimitto

References
  1. "Seta Aleck64 Hardware (Other)". system16.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-21. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  2. Charnock, Tom (September 4, 2016). "Unreleased Nintendo 64 Game 'Rev Limit' Discovered". retrocollect.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  3. McFerran, Damien (September 6, 2016). "Lost Nintendo 64 Racer Rev Limit Rolls Out Of The Garage – The Gran Turismo beater that never was". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  4. lolezno (September 6, 2016). "Rev Limit, juego cancelado para Nintendo 64 ve la luz años después". legadodelpixel.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  5. "News – Une Longeur D'Avance!". Consoles News (in French). No. 4. FJM Publications. October 1996. p. 33.
  6. "Next Wave – Rev Limit – International Protos". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 87. Ziff Davis. October 1996. p. 48.
  7. Hermellin, François (October 1996). "Japon News – Nintendo 64 – Rev' Limit". Joypad (in French). No. 57. Yellow Media. p. 25.
  8. Ogasawara, Nob; Shino, Naoki; Mike, Major (December 1996). "Overseas Prospects – An International View on Video Games – Rev Limit". GamePro. No. 99. IDG. p. 66.
  9. "Preview: Rev Limit – Seta's new racing game was turning some heads at Shoshinkai a few weeks ago". Next Generation. Imagine Media. December 11, 1996. Archived from the original on December 20, 1996. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  10. "News – Nintendo 64: Famicom Space World 1996 – Rev Limit". Computer and Video Games. No. 182. Future Publishing. January 1997. p. 11.
  11. "IGNews: Nintendo unveils the 64DD to an eager audience and old-time favorites Link and Yoshi return with a bang at Shoshinkai '96". Intelligent Gamer. No. 8. Ziff Davis. January 1997. pp. 14–15.
  12. G. Guzmán, Helio (1996). "Extra – Novedades – Este Mes, Muchas Noticias Buenas – Mas Titulos Para El Nintendo 64". Club Nintendo (in Spanish). No. 58. Editorial Televisa. p. 27.
  13. "Shoshinkai Special Feature – Third Party Licensees Games". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 90. Ziff Davis. January 1997. pp. 128–130.
  14. Davies, Jonathan (December 1997). "Planet 64 Previews – Revel in it". N64 Magazine. No. 9. Future Publishing. p. 28.
  15. G. Guzmán, Helio (1997). "Avance "Shoshinkai Show"". Club Nintendo (in Spanish). No. 62. Editorial Televisa. pp. 30–34.
  16. G. Guzmán, Helio (1997). "Reporte "Shoshinkai Show '96" – Los Juegos – Rev Limit". Club Nintendo (in Spanish). No. 63. Editorial Televisa. p. 29.
  17. Butt, Damian (February 1997). "64 Preview – Rev Limit – Seta pulls a surprise hit out of the bag – how do you feel about driving a REAL car?". 64 Magazine. No. 1. Paragon Publishing. p. 82.
  18. Team 64 (April 1997). "Coming Soon – Let's off-road! – Rev Limit". N64 Magazine. No. 1. Future Publishing. p. 18.
  19. Coulson, Pete (May 1997). "Preview – Rev Limit". 64 Extreme. No. 2. Quay Magazine Publishing. p. 81.
  20. "Previews – Rev Limit". Super Power (in French). No. 47. SUMO Éditions. Summer 1997. p. 31. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  21. "Breaking - Tokyo Catches Gaming Hysteria". Next Generation. No. 35. Imagine Media. November 1997. p. 18.
  22. Davies, Jonathan (September 1997). "Seta Speak To N64 About Their Brilliant New Rally Game! – Rev Limit – Roadrunner". N64 Magazine. No. 6. Future Publishing. pp. 10–11.
  23. McDermott, Andy (December 1997). "64 Sight – Rev Limit". 64 Magazine. No. 7. Paragon Publishing. pp. 22–23.
  24. "Salon – Nintendo Space World '97 – En vrac dans les allées – Rev Limit". Consoles + (in French). No. 72. M.E.R.7. January 1998. p. 41. Archived from the original on 2016-04-02. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  25. Davies, Jonathan (January 1998). "The Games – N64 Magazine At Nintendo Space World '97 – Rev Limit". N64 Magazine. No. 11. Future Publishing. p. 59.
  26. G. Guzmán, Helio (1998). "Continuacion Del Reporte Especial Al E3 – Seta USA". Club Nintendo (in Spanish). No. 81. Editorial Televisa. p. 31.
  27. monokoma (April 4, 2008). "Rev Limit [N64 – Cancelled]". unseen64.net. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  28. Schneider, Peer (December 15, 1999). "IGN64's Ultimate 64DD FAQ". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  29. Karels, Ralph (August 2000). "Special – Spiele aus der Gruft". Video Games (in German). No. 105. Future-Verlag. pp. 54–57.
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