Pole Position
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| Pole Position | |
| Missing image Pole0000.png Screenshot Pole Position screenshot | |
| Developer: | Namco |
| Publisher: | Atari |
| Release date: | 1982 |
| Genre: | Racing |
| Game modes: | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Cabinet: | Standard, Sit-down and cocktail |
| Controls: | wheel, shifter, 2 pedals |
| Monitor | |
| Orientation: | Vertical |
| Type: | Raster, standard resolution |
| Notes | |
| Set new standards for photo-realistic graphics; Pioneered the popular "rear-view racer"; Developed during the Golden Age of Arcade Games | |
Pole Position is a video game that was first released in 1982 by Namco, also the creator of Pac-Man. In Pole Position, the player had to complete a lap in a certain amount of time in order to qualify for an F1 race at the Fuji Racetrack. After qualifying, the player had to face other cars in a championship race.
Pole Position was the leading game in arcades worldwide due to its breathtakingly realistic graphics at the time. It pioneered the popular "rear-view racer format" found in many games today, and many imitators of the format appeared after its release, most notably Sega's Out Run in 1986, which took driving games to the next level of realism.
For release in the United States, Namco approached Bally Midway with a choice of two games in 1982. Bally Midway chose Mappy while Atari was forced to go with Pole Position — which turned out to become the most popular game of 1983.
Pole Position II was released in 1983, and added to the original Fuji track with three additional courses: Seaside, Test and Suzuka.
While many considered the three-screened racer TX-1, released in 1984 by Atari and designed by Tatsumi to be a sequel to Pole Position II, the true sequel arrived in 1987 with the release of Final Lap, which may be considered an unofficial Pole Position III.
In the late 1990s Pole Position made a comeback on the Sony PlayStation system, alongside Pac-Man and other Namco games, in a game collection named Namco Museum.
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External links
- Pole Position (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=P&game_id=9063) entry on the Killer List of Videogames
- Arcade History Database entry (http://www.arcade-history.com/history_database.php?page=detail&id=2000)
- [1] (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=T&game_id=10004) TX-1 entry on the Killer List of Videogamesja:ポールポジション (コンピューターゲーム)