| Speed Freak | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Vectorbeam |
| Publisher(s) | Vectorbeam |
| Designer(s) | Larry Rosenthal |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release | March 1979[1] |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Arcade system | Vectorbeam hardware |
Speed Freak is a monochrome vector arcade game created by Vectorbeam in 1979. Along with Atari, Inc.'s Night Driver and Bally Midway's Datsun 280 ZZZAP–both from 1976–it is one of the earliest first-person driving games and the first such game known to use vector graphics.[2]
Gameplay
The game is a behind-the-wheel driving simulation where the driver speeds down a winding computer generated road past other cars, hitchhikers, trees, cows and cacti. Occasionally a plane will fly overhead towards the screen. One must avoid crashing into these objects and complete the race in the allotted time.[3] The player can crash as many times as he wants before the time runs out and players were treated to two different crash animations. The first was a simple cracked windshield effect, the second was a crash where the car explodes into car parts that fly through the air.[4]
References
- Sources
- "Speed Freak: The [Coin-Op] Arcade Video Game". Gaming History. 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
- Speed Freak: Operation and Maintenance Manual (PDF). Union City, CA: Vectorbeam. 1979.
- Wolf, Mark J. P. (2008). The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to Playstation and Beyond. Westport, CT: Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-33868-7.
- Yu, Andrea (2002-01-24). "Pedal To The Metal: From arcade classics' sparse graphics to today's lifelike games, racing titles have come a long way". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
External links
- Speed Freak at the Killer List of Videogames
- Speed Freak at the Arcade Flyer Archive