Very old racing games

[primalclaws1974]

I have been playing video games since the early 80's. There are a couple very old racing games that stand out to me. One was the original Pole Position (1982) by Namco, and released to Atari. The other was the original Spy Hunter (1983) released by Bally Midway. Although the graphics are almost laughable by today's standards, back in the day we loved them!

 

[Ghost Rider]

The oldest racing game that I have every played dates back to the NES. I think the first and oldest racing game that I ever laid my eyes on is Road Fighter. It's a sort of racing game with a bird's eye view. The second oldest racing game that I played is Excite Bike. I don't know which of them was first released though.

 

[spectre456]

I think older games had their own appeal. Racing games nowadays are all about being as realistic as possible and having the greatest amount of cars. Back in the day it was all about the fun factor. I'm not saying modern racing games aren't fun, but games back then were a less competitive kind of fun, which was great.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Yup, you're right. Games nowadays seem to forget the essence of fun. Developers seem obsessed by making racing games as realistic as possible. That's not necessarily a bad thing though as some people prefer realistic. If you want simple racing games, you may just want to look at mobile games or Nintendo racing games. If you want a more serious approach, go with the PS 4 or Xbox One games.

 

[Sparkster]

I have been playing video games since the early 80's. There are a couple very old racing games that stand out to me. One was the original Pole Position (1982) by Namco, and released to Atari. The other was the original Spy Hunter (1983) released by Bally Midway. Although the graphics are almost laughable by today's standards, back in the day we loved them!

Yeah I remember Pole Position. If I remember correctly I think that was one of the very first racing games that I ever played. Isn't Spy Hunter the one where your car turns into a boat to skim across the water then into a motorcycle or car when on-road? My memory needs a jog lol.

 

[primalclaws1974]

I agree with people posting above. Old-school games were more simple, but more about the fun. You generally had one controller nob and maybe one or two buttons. You didn't have to figure combos that would make your DNA look simple by comparison. The graphics were not so good that you had to squint to make sure you weren't watching a reality show, and that was just fine. In my view video games should look at least a little cartoonish.
Sparkster, yes, "Spy Hunter" was a boat on some levels, and a car on others (unless it was two entirely separate games). The view was looking down, very similar to the original "Grand Theft Auto".

 

[Ghost Rider]

But in fairness to the developers today who are pushing for realism, they're just trying to flex the muscle of the available technology. Would you want to see a straightforward 8-bit or 16-bit game on your PS4? I think not. Developers want to give you your money's worth that's why they are making the games the way they are today.

 

[JoshPosh]

I use to play those games all the time. Most of it was in the arcades. The atari 2600 versions were lackluster and didn't give the arcade experience.

 

[Denis Hard]

Unfortunately for me [won't know what I missed] the oldest racing game I've ever played is Need For Speed II. I'm sure all of you played it at one time I won't say much about it. Given the chance though, I wouldn't mind taking a look at some of the games like Pole Position since I've heard lots of people say it was a really great racing game.

 

[primalclaws1974]

Thanks for the recent replies. I understand modern developers are giving people what they want, and that's graphics first. Old-school gamers generally look past graphics, and want good control, game-depth, and a game that doesn't crash on you. Denis, I have not met a "Need for Speed" game I have liked. I admit I haven't played them all, but they just have too much "race track" feel to them, and not much else.

 

[jurew2]

Yeah, the old games have their own appeal to the gamers, even if the graphics can't really be compared to the newest ones. I think that they had something like a fun factor that let you enjoy the games a lot even if it wasn't graphicly strong.

 

[primalclaws1974]

There is something to be said about being too realistic, in my view. I can't enjoy games like "Call of Duty" because I feel like I am moving through a video of real life. Although 1980's racing games were not about graphics (unless you were living it, then maybe it was), the nostalgia of playing them today still makes them interesting. It is like going to the place you grew up poor. It may be an old dilapidation, and you are used to living much better, but it still holds value you because it was apart of your childhood.

 

[Kamarsun1]

I have been playing video games since the early 80's. There are a couple very old racing games that stand out to me. One was the original Pole Position (1982) by Namco, and released to Atari. The other was the original Spy Hunter (1983) released by Bally Midway. Although the graphics are almost laughable by today's standards, back in the day we loved them!

I remember pole potion! I really liked that game. One of my favorites was RC pro am. I thought that game was ahead of it's time(at the time). Racing games has come along way but the classics are still fun!

 

[Sparkster]

I agree with people posting above. Old-school games were more simple, but more about the fun. You generally had one controller nob and maybe one or two buttons. You didn't have to figure combos that would make your DNA look simple by comparison. The graphics were not so good that you had to squint to make sure you weren't watching a reality show, and that was just fine. In my view video games should look at least a little cartoonish.
Sparkster, yes, "Spy Hunter" was a boat on some levels, and a car on others (unless it was two entirely separate games). The view was looking down, very similar to the original "Grand Theft Auto".

Maybe I'm thinking of a more modern version than the original Spy Hunter. The one I was thinking of had a classic 3D view from behind the vehicle. I was also sure the vehicle changed from a car to a boat to a motorcycle, etc during the race.

 

[GamerPerson]

I'm pretty sure I've played others, but the one that keeps coming to mind are two. One, of course, is Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo. I loved the pretty nostaliga it brings me with the music, the tracks and the skill you had to exert to win. (I was only 5 or so, I had no skill and just kept going off track. What can I say? I liked the sound the sand made when your kart hit it.)

The other one is a title I can't remember. I know that it had male and female racers and they raced on bikes, it was an old game for the Playstation, I THINK, one of the characters name was Blue Myst or something? It had awesome artwork that reminded me of the X-Men.

 

[Squigly]

The oldest title I really liked was Daytona USA. I feel that the very old racing games didn't give off a nice sensation of speed compared to later games, probably because the fps was much lower back then.

 

[Kamarsun1]

I have been playing video games since the early 80's. There are a couple very old racing games that stand out to me. One was the original Pole Position (1982) by Namco, and released to Atari. The other was the original Spy Hunter (1983) released by Bally Midway. Although the graphics are almost laughable by today's standards, back in the day we loved them!

One of the oldest games that I played was RC pro am on the super NES. I loved that game. I was wondering if they where going to do a reboot of that game. That's a classic game.

 

[teabwoi]

I think that the oldest game that I have ever had the opportunity to play has to be Mario Kart on the SNES. Man I remember that game and I still play it until this day and it never ever gets old.

 

[troutski]

The original Spy Hunter was a pretty addicting game, even though it wasn't all that complicated or anything. I'm sure I could put a few hours into it now and still get some enjoyment out of it.

 

[Wubwub]

I got to play some of the more ancient racing games as well. By that time the mechanics were already in place and they were basically just like the ones we have now but of course only with a massive deficit in realistic graphics. Still the same principles though, just racing in third person trying to be first but now there are a lot more complex mechanisms.