Pole Position

1982 video games Atari games

arcade gamesracing games

Devised by Namco for arcade systems Pole Position was one of the most successful games of the era - with mixture of Formula One and street racing the game was a huge hit.

On a single track (Fuji Speedway that was at that time Formula One track) we drive in qualifying round and later in race against 7 rivals, but in practice the both parts are the same - while during the race we can overtake all the cars soon after the start and we will have to pass the cars that are for some reason on the track in front of us.

Back in early 1980s advertised as having "unbelievable driving realism" now is hardly impressive - only two gears (high or low), only one track (although called Malibu in US version), lack of any realism (no centrifugal force in the corners) and time limit to finish a lap (with no clear reason) - still it was a huge deal to play it on arcade machine.

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