Speed Race
| Speed Race | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Taito |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Tomohiro Nishikado |
| Series | Speed Race |
| Release | Speed Race Racer Wheels Wheels II |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Speed Race[a] is a 1974 arcade racing video game developed and manufactured by Taito. It was variously released under the titles Racer, Wheels and Wheels II in North America by distributor Midway Manufacturing in 1975. Players use the attached steering wheel to maneuver a car alongside a fast-scrolling road. The objective is to score points by driving past other cars without colliding with them; more points are awarded for driving faster. Players must do this under a 90-second time limit, which ends the game when it runs out. In 1975, Wheels and Wheels II sold 10,000 arcade cabinets in the United States, making it the best-selling arcade game of 1975.
Gameplay
Speed Race is a one or two-player racing video game where players controls a race car along a constantly-scrolling vertical road. The player uses a steering wheel to move the car left or right, and an accelerator to make it move faster. The objective of the game is to drive past other cars that scroll past the players under a 90-second time limit without colliding into them. The time limit and the player's score are displayed on an LCD panel placed above the monitor. Points are earned by driving past cars, with additional points being awarded based on how fast the car is moving. Colliding with a car resets the player's speed and starts them at the beginning of the track. The game ends when the time limit runs out, though the timer can be extended by earning a certain number of points. Two difficulty modes are available that increase the speed of the cars and the number of cars on the track.[5]
Reception
In 1975, Wheels sold 7,000 arcade cabinets and Wheels II sold 3,000 for a combined 10,000 sold in the United States, making it the best-selling arcade game of 1975, according to sales figures provided by Ralph H. Baer.[6] In March 1976, the first annual RePlay arcade chart listed Wheels and Wheels II as the second top-grossing arcade game of the previous year in the United States, in terms of coin drop earnings (below Atari's Tank and Tank II), while the Racer version was the year's eight highest-earning arcade video game.[7] In October 1976, RePlay listed Wheels as the third highest-earning arcade video game of 1976 in the United States, below Sea Wolf and Gun Fight (both manufactured by Midway).[8]
Notes
References
- ^ a b "Video Game Flyers: Speed Race, Taito (EU)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. International Arcade Museum. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Video Game Flyers: Speed Race, Leisure & Allied Industries (AU)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. International Arcade Museum. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ a b Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. pp. 40–1. ISBN 978-4990251215.
- ^ a b c Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 124. ISBN 978-4990251215.
- ^ a b Speed Race Operating and Maintenance Manual, p. 3
- ^ Baer, Ralph H. (2005). Videogames: In the Beginning. Rolenta Press. pp. 10–3. ISBN 978-0-9643848-1-1.
- ^ "The Nation's Top Arcade Games". RePlay. March 1976.
- ^ "Profit Chart". RePlay. October 1976.
Bibliography
- Speed Race Operating and Maintenance Manual (PDF). Taito. 1974.