Street Racer is a racing video game developed for the Atari Video Computer System, later known as the Atari 2600. It was programmed by Larry Kaplan[1] and released by Atari, Inc. in September 1977 as one of the nine Atari VCS launch titles.[2][3] The game was also published by Sears for their Tele-Games product line as Speedway II.[4]
| Street Racer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Designer(s) | Larry Kaplan[1] |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600 |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer (up to four players) |
Gameplay edit
Street Racer was one of the two launch titles programmed by Kaplan; Air-Sea Battle was the other. Street Racer offered 27 game variations, grouped into the following sub-games:[4]
- 1–6: Street racer
- 7–12: Slalom
- 13–16: Dodgem
- 17–20: Jet shooter
- 21–24: Number cruncher
- 25–27: Scoop ball
Each of the sub-games has roughly the same gameplay: the player controls a vehicle that must avoid or collect certain objects as they scroll down the screen. Between one and four players can compete simultaneously by using the paddle controllers,[5] which allow the vehicle to move left and right along the bottom of the screen. If a one-player game is selected, the player competes with a static computer opponent that allows objects to collide with it or pass by.[citation needed]
Development edit
As one of the earliest games written for the platform, Street Racer suffered from unattractive, blocky graphics.[citation needed] According to Kaplan himself, later racing games released for the Atari, such as Activision's 1982 games Barnstorming and Grand Prix, were able to offer improved graphics and gameplay.[6] In a 2007 interview with Digital Press, Kaplan was asked what he would change about any of the games he had written:
Street Racer is the game that lacks good game play. I took out the moving playfield because it didn't flow right (it tended to flicker). If I could change the game to have a smooth-scrolling playfield, it would make the game play better[7]
Kaplan went on to become one of the founders of Activision where he developed Kaboom!, one of the 10 top-selling games for the Atari 2600.[8]
Reception edit
Street Racer was reviewed in Video magazine as part of a general review of the Atari VCS where it was given a review score of 5.5 out of 10.[9]: 33 The game did not age well and modern critics have given it poor reviews as well. Gamasutra have described the "Number cruncher" sub-game as a highlight of the game.[10]
References edit
- ^ a b Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
- ^ Yarusso, Albert. "Atari 2600 - Atari - Text # Label Variation". AtariAge. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
- ^ Bogost, Ian; Montfort, Nick (2009). Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System. MIT Press. pp. 123, 163. ISBN 978-0-262-01257-7.
- ^ a b Yarusso, Albert. "Atari 2600 - Street Racer (Atari)". AtariAge. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
- ^ "AtariAge - Atari 2600 Manuals - Street Racer (Atari)".
- ^ "Larry Kaplan forum post on AtariAge". August 6, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
- ^ Stilphen, Scott. "Larry Kaplan interview". Digital Press. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
- ^ Buchanan, Levi (August 26, 2008). "Top 10 Best-Selling Atari 2600 Games". IGN. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
- ^ Kaplan, Deeny, ed. (Winter 1979). "VideoTest Report Number 18: Atari Video Computer". Video. 1 (5). Reese Communications: 30–34. ISSN 0147-8907.
- ^ Fulton, Steve (November 6, 2007). "The History of Atari: 1971-1977". Gamasutra. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
External links edit
- Street Racer can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive