Movie/TV News

Racing Games Through The Ages

[ad_1]

Racing is one of the oldest competitive activities enjoyed by humankind throughout the ages. From the Hoplitodromos foot races of Ancient Greece and the chariot races of Egyptian royalty, to the first Daytona Beach NASCAR race in 1949, competing with others over speed and control has always been a part of human competition. When the thrill of racing paired with electronic gaming, it was like a match made on Tinder. A modern happily ever after. Beginning with mechanical racing games with upright cabinets, like the Indy 500 racing game from Japan, which was later released as Speedway in the United States and Canada in 1969, these fast-paced flyer arcade games inspired the founder of Atari to create one of the first racing games for home platforms.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

The Earliest Racing Games

racing-games-through-ages

In 1973, Atari released the game Space Race, second only to Magnavox’s silent home console racing game, Wipeout, a simple electronic dot that players moved around a racetrack. Atari’s arcade race game, Space Race, pitted two players against each other using joysticks to maneuver spaceships around obstacles on a black and white screen. A year later Atari released the first racing game with cars, Gran Trak 10. Then, in 1982, the first racing game by today’s definition of video games launched into arcades and changed history. Pole Position by Namco, later licensed by Atari in the U.S., was an early racing game that would be recognizable by today’s gamers because it was based on a real-life circuit with Formula 1 racing cars competing against computer-generated cars on the Fuji Speedway of Japan. This early racing game became the most popular video game in arcades during the early to mid-1980s, and inspired a Saturday Morning cartoon and a sequel arcade game, Pole Position II. The game was graphically advanced compared to its closest competitor, Rally X by Namco, which was popular partly because it was the first racing game to include background music. Pole Position was controlled with a steering wheel and provided an authentic driving feel that was unmatched at that point in time.

Bringing the Racing Home

racing-games-through-ages

Early competitors in home gaming consoles included the Magnavox Odyssey and Atari’s PONG. Coleco’s Telstar was also an early contender, but was only met with mild success. Because arcade patrons were already very familiar with the successful Pole Position racing game, it soon bypassed the competition for fans of the best racing games in their home consoles. Atari’s early successful racing games included Pole Position, Grand Prix, Enduro, Night Driver, and Street Racer, all popular on the Atari 2600 home gaming console.

Sega soon became another contender for the top choice in home gaming systems with several successful racing games for the Sega Genesis in the late 1980s, including Super Monaco GP. However, it wasn’t until Nintendo released its first gaming console that Atari first glimpsed some serious competition coming over the horizon … and the race was on. Nintendo released several popular early racing games including Rad Racer in 1987, R.C. Pro-Am in 1988, and Days of Thunder in 1990.

Advances in the Latest Racing Games

things-didnt-know-racing-games

Today’s best racing games offer thrill rides of realism in driving simulation racing games, fun and fantasy in arcade-style racing games, and action-packed kart racers. Futuristic racing games with Sci-Fi vehicles of all types are also growing in popularity among gamers.

Incredibly popular racing game franchises like Forza, Need for Speed, and Grand Theft Auto top the list of immersive and challenging racing games. These games offer stunning open-world environments, car collecting and modification, iconic racetracks, and realistic graphics, audio, controls, and effects. Gamers can enjoy the unmatched exhilaration of high speeds from the safety of their own sofas with any of the three most popular gaming platforms today. From the best Xbox One racing games to PlayStation favorites and new Nintendo Switch games, the latest racing games are the next best thing to being behind the actual wheel of a race car. Racing games offer some advantages to new drivers and continue the legacy that the early arcade games began but with a realism that would have stunned and enchanted an early gamer back in the golden era of arcades. So, it’s time to start your engines and enjoy!

[ad_2]

Share this news on your Fb,Twitter and Whatsapp

File source

NY Press News:Latest News Headlines
NY Press News||Health||New York||USA News||Technology||World NewsTimes News Network:Latest News Headlines
Times News Network||Health||New York||USA News||Technology||World News

Tags
Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
Close