Four 1980s arcade titles that changed the game
Cars are symbols of freedom. Problem is, you can’t drive them safely without following the rules. In the ’80s, after the ’70s really got things moving, computer-game technology finally started catching up with our inner hoons.Suddenly, all the gridlocked commuters and buckled-up kids were set free. You didn’t need access to a Porsche (or a lawyer), just a few coins or a console at home (if you were lucky) and a need for speed. Here are four of the most influential, or at least unique, games of the decade.
Pole Position, 1982, and Pole Position II, 1983: Consoles are coming
The racing game genre might not exist if it weren’t for Pole Position. It was the first arcade game to re-create a realistic racing circuit that you could drive from a third-person perspective. Most racing games have mimicked the format since. People call the ’70s the ‘me decade’. But in gaming, the meaning only really took shape in the ’80s, when arcade halls began being replaced by individual home set-ups. Pole Position II helped along this cultural shift because it was a stupidly popular game that came packaged with the Atari 7800 console. In 2015, Pole Position topped IGN’s list of the Top 10 Most Influential Racing Games Ever.
Out Run, 1986: Gordon Gecko meets Cannonball Run
Out Run looks like what would happen if Gordon Gecko entered the Cannonball Run. In fact, designer Yu Suzuki based Out Run’s Death Valley–esque levels on the Cannonball Run movie from 1981. The game let you open up your Ferrari Testarossa Spider on the highway, weaving in and out of regular sedans like they’re glued to the tar. The best bit was that you could choose your own driving route, which made it a lot less prescriptive than most games at the time.
GP World, 1984: Realistic graphics? Not yet
Ronald Reagan, a former Hollywood actor, used to be in the habit of quoting his own films during presidential addresses. He did it so often that people started saying he was trying to blur the line between fantasy and reality on a very grand scale. In 1984, driving GP World’s clunky 8-bit cars across the game’s lifelike, laser-disc-rendered tracks was a thrilling reminder that fantasy and reality were still safely assigned to separate realms.
RC Pro Am, 1988: Who is this Mario dude, and where is his kart?
Give any child who’s ever been driven somewhere against their will access to a remote-controlled car and they’ll feel like a god. Until the batteries run out. RC Pro Am gave kids RC cars they could drive across an isometric track until their thumbs bled. Plus, they could shoot missiles from the hood at other racers! Yes, it’s a frustrating, fiddly game to play by today’s standards, but RC Pro Am obviously gave Mario Kart (1992) some of its best ideas. And for that, we should be very thankful.
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