MSR beta pics

The strange thing about the Saturn conversion of Indy 500 is that no screenshots were ever released, and few people even knew of its existence back when it was in development. However, it's not as if Interplay can be compared to Sega when it comes to security around its prototypes, so unless all code was passed back over to be put in the same vault as the likes of Virtua Fighter 3 then perhaps this one may leak some day.

Also, on the subject of handing over production duties to outside teams, did you know that AM2 was originally given the task of "remixing" Daytona USA? Due to a busy work schedule (including Saturn versions of Virtua Cop 2 and Fighting Vipers), responsibility for what later became the Championship Circuit Edition fell into the hands of the CS team behind Sega Rally. Considering how nearly perfect AM2's original console treatment of Daytona was, things could have been so different. Instead of a total remake of this once classic into a generic racer with tracks and vehicles familiar to the series, we almost ended up with something that looked and played like Daytona - only much better, presumably the only real improvements being a split-screen mode, some minor graphical touching up and maybe even network features as a bonus. In other words, gamers could have received something by the winter of 1996 that was more like the high resolution Daytona tech demo AM2 showed off before the Saturn's launch, which had to undergo serious compromises thanks to Sega's rush release strategy.

For the record, it was claimed by AM2 programmer Keiji Okayasu that Virtua Striker would be near-impossible to achieve on the Saturn at a playable frame rate unless the player models were replaced with sprites, and since Victory Goal already had this base covered (albeit unsuccessfully - the later polygonal Worldwide Soccer titles were a massive leap forward) the project never got off the proverbial ground. I don't have my collection of old Sega magazines at hand, but I distinctly remember a brief look at the research and development into such a conversion being mentioned quite early into the console's life, though I'm sure it would have been more than possible just a year later once SGL2 was introduced. Anyway, that's pure conjecture on my part...

 

Sorry for this bump but as the first link to the gallery at IGN is now down, does anyone have the fullset of MSR beta images?

 

http://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/10/metropolis-street-racer-dc-beta/

 

So the version on those pics is a pre-E3 2000 version, where do they come from exactly? E3 1999?