''Datsun 280 ZZZAP'', also known as ''Midnight Racer'' or ''280 ZZZAP'', is a 1976 arcade racing video game released by

Midway Manufacturing Midway Games Inc., known previously as Midway Manufacturing and Bally Midway, and commonly known as simply Midway, was an American video game developer and publisher. Midway's franchises included '' Mortal Kombat'', '' Rampage'', ''Spy Hunter'' ...

, designed by Jamie Fenton. Based on

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

Datsun 280Z The Nissan S30 (sold in Japan as the Nissan Fairlady Z and in other markets as the Datsun 240Z, then later as the 260Z and 280Z) is the first generation of Z GT 3-door two-seat coupés, produced by Nissan Motors, Ltd. of Japan from 1969 until ...

, it is one of the earliest games with authorized branding. An unbranded version was released as ''Midnight Racer'', originally in November 1976. The branded version ''Datsun 280 ZZZAP'' was then released in Japan by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

in February 1977, and then in North America by Midway in March 1977.

Gameplay

The title was named after the US advertising campaign for

. Players can drive up to while navigating a tricky

road course Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

at night. Players must watch out for treacherous turns, nasty competitors, and the ever-present time limit.

Release

Midway demonstrated ''Midnight Racer'' at the AMOA show in November 1976. It drew comparisons to '' Night Driver'', demonstrated at the same show by

Atari, Inc. Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry. Based primarily around the Sunny ...

In turn, both games drew comparisons to an earlier German night driving video game (''

Nürburgring 1 ''Nürburgring 1'' is an arcade game developed by Dr. Reiner Foerst and released in 1976. It was first demonstrated at the German IMA show in Spring 1976. It is recognized as the world's earliest first-person racing video game and inspired the d ...

'') demonstrated at the German IMA show in Spring 1976. The branded version ''Datsun 280 ZZZAP'' was later released in Japan by

in February 1977, and then in North America by Midway in March 1977.

Reception

On the US ''

Play Meter ''Play Meter'' (initially ''Coin Industry Play Meter'') was an American trade magazine focusing on the coin-op amusement arcade industry, including jukebox and arcade game machines. It was founded in December 1974 by publisher and editor Ralph C. ...

'' arcade chart, ''280 ZZZAP'' was the year's ninth highest-grossing arcade game of 1977. On the US ''RePlay'' arcade chart, it was the tenth highest-grossing

arcade video game An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an arca ...

of 1977. On Japan's '' Game Machine'' arcade chart, it was among the top 20 highest-grossing arcade video games of 1977.

References

1976 video games Advergames Arcade video games Arcade-only video games Midway video games North America-exclusive video games Racing video games Video games developed in the United States 280 ZZZAP {{racing-videogame-stub