Original Release: Namco/Atari, 1982, Arcade
Other Releases: Atari 2600 (1983), Atari 5200 (1983), C64 (1983), Vectrex (1983), PC (in Microsoft Return of Arcade – 1996), iPod (2008)
While it wasn’t the first racing game, Pole Position was the first to capture elements of realism in both the graphics and control scheme.
Pole Position (Atari, Arcade, 1982)
Where to Buy: KLOV, eBay
How to Emulate: Arcade Emulation Page
Review by: C. M0use
Pole Position was a high water mark for racing games considering that the previous champions of the genre were Night Driver, a game that featured two white blocks repeatedly coming towards you on a black background, and Turbo which was neat but lacked real scaling / faux 3D.
These days, Pole Position is horribly simplistic and even a bit of a pain to control (and not as much fun without the wheel and gas pedal in the arcade). But it still has decent overall gameplay and makes for a nice little trip down nostalgia lane.
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