...The More They Stay the Same (Pole Position (PC))

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Pole Position (PC)
Date:	17/06/04 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Original and enjoyable, A nice cheap thrill that's quick to load and play, Very amusing

Disadvantages: Pales in comparison to modern equivalents, Basic graphics and sound, Limited gameplay

It could be argued that the genre of racing games has altered very little since the introduction of the 1982 arcade game Pole Position, however it can also be argued that it has clearly improved loads; are you mad? In reality, or at least my version thereof, both statements are true as the general style and control of this Namco classic set the pole by which the position of all future racing games would be judged. Or something like that.


PREMISE


From the demo playing behind the “Insert Coin” screen it’s clear that this is a racing game, to some extent a simulator of a Formula 1 race. The car is fairly bland and non-descript and at the bottom of the screen, heading forwards in the groundbreaking three-dimensional looking environment. The player controls the car along the track, attempting to stay on the road as opposed to veering onto the grass or exploding on the billboards, with the ultimate goal of achieving pole position, which is also the title of the game as I’m sure you’ve noticed.

Essentially, racing games are still based exactly on this format. The car is situated in what is usually deemed the appropriate and best position, used in such games as Colin McCrae Rally, Gran Turismo and the Wipeout series, while the detrimental effect of increasing speed on the player’s ability to control the car is also a key feature.


GAMEPLAY


The controls are as expected, and again show how little has changed. The arcade joystick, or keyboard keys if you’re playing in the less exciting atmosphere of the home or office, can steer the vehicle left and right, the up and down directions adjusting acceleration and deceleration accordingly. There is a button to shift gear from ‘Low’ to ‘High,’ the High option being vital once the car has got going, which is adapted to the space bar on home computer versions.

As with all old games that appear three-dimensional this is not strictly the case, although it certainly feels like it is, and it’s easy to spin around and head in the wrong direction if that’s your kind of thing. A great deal of effort clearly went into making this game as realistic and lifelike as possible, under the constraints of the processor’s speed and memory and the obvious graphical and sound limitations, and Namco did an excellent job. It may be short-lived and repetitive, but it’s still very fun.

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE…


Compared to modern racing games, Pole Position has:

• The same control method
• The same layout
• The same difficulty and fun
• Sponsorship from premier racing companies

Compared to modern racing games, Pole Position does not have:

• Impressive graphics and sound
• Endorsement from real racers
• Multiplayer option
• Different game options


VERDICT


Obviously not a game you’d go out and buy unless you were looking for something very cheap, this deserves respect more than anything for pioneering the racing game industry. It’s not flash but it’s still fun, and my family has extracted plenty of enjoyment over the years from the incredibly poorly recorded female voice saying “prepare to qualify” and “prepare to race.” It’s also very fun to hit other drivers or sign posts and see your car immediately explode in a ball of flames before reanimating.

Namco came up with another coin-op winner here – it may not have Nigel Mansell on the cover, but it’s got irritating computer-generated engine noises aplenty. I'm aware that it's obviously not as enjoyable or fun as a modern racing game, I'm not that weird, but I do love these arcade classics. Perhaps I should seek counselling for these strange fetishes with games that were popular before I was even conceived, but in the meantime I’ll stick to PacMan, Dig Dug and Frogger.

Summary: