''Final Furlong'' is a

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

video game developed by

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

and released in arcades in 1997. The game is one of only two known games to run on Namco System 22.5 Gorgon hardware, an early revision of the Namco System 23 hardware.

Gameplay

There are three tracks to choose from: furlongs, 1 mile and miles. Horses are classified according to where their best pace is: Leader (maintains highest speed when in first place), Front Runner (best pace is between second and fourth), Mid-Runner (best pace is when between fifth and seventh place), Strong Finisher (who is fastest at the end of the race), and two Almighty Runners (who keep their pace in any position). Players sit in a "

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...

" and must then rock the cabinet's horses back and forth, to urge their horses forward, pressing the "

Whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

" button to speed them up and pulling on "

reins Reins are items of horse tack, used to direct a horse or other animal used for riding. They are long straps that can be made of leather, nylon, metal, or other materials, and attach to a bridle via either its bit or its noseband. Use for ...

" to keep the horse from colliding with the fences or other horses.

Reception

Gerald Lynch, writing for '' TechRadar'', placed it among a list of "The 50 best arcade games of all time, ever," saying "This machine was brutal - popping you astride a giant plastic horse, you’d propel yourself forward by “geeing up” your steed, rocking manically forwards and backwards to speed the beast up. Best played with two players, the marathon-like events would last so long you wouldn't be able to walk for a week." ''Final Furlong'' was listed in the book ''

1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die ''1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die'' is a video game reference book first published in October 2010. It consists of a list of video games released between 1970 and 2013, arranged chronologically by release date. Each entry in the list ...

''.

References

External links

*{{KLOV game, id=7796 1997 video games Arcade video games Arcade-only video games Horse racing video games Namco arcade games Racing video games Video games developed in Japan Multiplayer and single-player video games