is a 1974

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

developed and manufactured 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. I ...

and released under the titles ''Racer'' and ''Wheels'' in North America by distributor

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'' ...

in 1975. Designed by

Tomohiro Nishikado is a Japanese video game developer and engineer. He is the creator of the arcade shoot 'em up game '' Space Invaders'', released to the public in 1978 by the Taito of Japan, often credited as the first shoot 'em up and for beginning the gold ...

, the gameplay involves the player using the attached steering wheel to maneuver a car alongside a fast

vertical scrolling A vertically scrolling video game or vertical scroller is a video game in which the player views the field of play principally from a top-down perspective, while the background scrolls from the top of the screen to the bottom (or, less often, from ...

road. The objective is to score points by driving past other cars without colliding with them; more points are awarded for driving faster. Players must do this under a 90-second time limit, which ends the game when it runs out. The gameplay concepts were adapted from two earlier driving

electro-mechanical games Electro-mechanical games (EM games) are types of arcade games that operate on a combination of some electronic circuitry and mechanical actions from the player to move items contained within the game's cabinet. Some of these were early light gun ...

: Kasco's ''Mini Drive'' (1958) and Taito's '' Super Road 7'' (1970). The original ''Speed Race'' and ''Wheels'' had an upright

arcade cabinet An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Mac ...

, while Midway's ''Racer'' introduced a sit-down cabinet. Taito released an updated version of ''Speed Race'' called ''Speed Race DX'' in 1975. Two-player versions followed with Midway's ''Wheels II'' and Taito's ''Speed Race Twin''. The game was a worldwide commercial success. ''Speed Race'' was a hit in Japan, establishing per play as the standard for arcade games there, while ''Wheels'' and ''Wheels II'' sold 10,000

s in the United States to become the best-selling arcade game of 1975. The ''Speed Race DX'' and ''Wheels'' versions were also among the top three highest-grossing arcade games of 1976 in Japan and the United States, respectively, while ''Speed Race DX'' was Japan's highest-earning arcade video game of 1977. The game spawned the ''Speed Race'' series of arcade racing games. The game's use of vertical scrolling was also influential on later games.

Gameplay

''Speed Race'' is a one or two-player

where players controls a race car along a constantly-scrolling vertical road. The player uses a steering wheel to move the car left or right and an accelerator to make it move faster. The objective of the game is to drive past other cars that scroll past the players under a 90-second time limit without colliding into them. The time limit and the player's score are displayed on an auxiliary LED display placed above the monitor. Points are earned by driving past cars, with additional points being awarded based on how fast the car is moving. Colliding with a car resets the player's speed and starts them at the beginning of the track. The game ends when the time limit runs out, though the timer can be extended by earning a certain number of points. Two difficulty modes are available that increase the speed of the cars and the number of cars on the track.

Development

Following the release of

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc., founded in Sunnyvale, Ca ...

's ''

Gran Trak 10 ''Gran Trak 10'' is an arcade driving video game developed by Atari through its subsidiary Cyan Engineering, and released by Atari in May 1974. In the game, a single player drives a car along a race track, viewed from above, avoiding walls of py ...

'' earlier in 1974, Taito employee

decided to develop his own racing video game the same year; he did not enjoy ''Gran Trak 10'', due to its twisting tracks and complex controls. Nishikado looked to two older driving

for inspiration: Kasco's ''Mini Drive'' (1958) and Taito's 1970 rear-projection driving game ''Super Road 7'', the latter in turn similar to Kasco's ''Indy 500'' (1968) and

Chicago Coin Chicago Coin was one of the early major manufacturers of pinball tables founded in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in 1932 by Samuel H. Gensburg to operate in the coin-operated amusement industry. In 1977, Gary Stern and Sam Stern purc ...

's ''Speedway'' (1969). ''Mini Drive'' and ''Super Road 7'' involved driving a car down an endlessly scrolling road, with ''Super Road 7'' also having the need to dodge cars in front of the player. Nishikado adapted these gameplay concepts into a video game called ''Speed Race''. In order to simulate the scrolling effect and give the illusion of a moving background, he animated a background road image and modulated the speed of oncoming computer-controlled cars based on the player's speed.

Reception

In Japan, due to the complexity of the hardware, Taito released ''Speed Race'' at a price point of per play, compared to the standard per play up until then. Despite this, the game became a major hit in Japan, establishing as the standard price point for arcade games in Japan over the next several decades. The updated versions ''Speed Race DX'' and ''Speed Race Twin'' were among the top ten highest-grossing arcade video games of 1976 in Japan, with ''Speed Race DX'' at number two (below Taito's ''

Ball Park A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...

'') and ''Speed Race Twin'' at number eight. ''Speed Race DX'' went on to be the highest-earning arcade video game of 1977 in Japan, and second highest-earning overall

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade vi ...

below

Namco was a Japanese 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, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiun ...

's electro-mechanical '' F-1''. In North America, the game became a hit when it was released by Midway there in 1975. ''Wheels'' sold 7,000

s and ''Wheels II'' sold 3,000 for a combined 10,000 sold in the United States, making it the best-selling arcade game of 1975, according to sales figures provided by Ralph H. Baer. In March 1976, the first annual ''RePlay'' arcade chart listed ''Wheels'' and ''Wheels II'' as the second highest-grossing arcade game of the previous year in the United States, in terms of coin drop earnings (below Atari's ''Tank'' and ''Tank II''), while the ''Racer'' version was the year's eight highest-earning arcade video game. In October 1976, ''RePlay'' listed ''Wheels'' as the third highest-earning arcade video game of 1976 in the United States, below '' Sea Wolf'' and ''

Gun Fight ''Gun Fight'', known as in Japan and Europe, is a 1975 multidirectional shooter arcade game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released by Taito in Japan and Europe and by Midway in North America. Based around two Old West cowboys armed ...

'' (both manufactured by Midway).

Legacy

The game's use of vertical scrolling was influential on later games. One of the games it influenced was

's ''

Hi-way ''Hi-way'', also known as ''Highway'', is a 1975 single-player arcade racing game by Atari Inc. Marketed with the slogan “Hi Way — All It Needs Is Wheels,” it was Atari's first game to use a sit-down arcade cabinet. Gameplay This is a gam ...

'' (1975), which added a sit-down cockpit cabinet like older electro-mechanical games.

Series

''Speed Race'' spawned numerous updates, variations and sequels released by Taito and Midway in arcades. In Japan, ''Super Speed Race'' was among the top ten highest-earning arcade video games of 1977. ''Speed Race Race V'' was the second highest-earning arcade video game of 1978, just below Taito's own

shoot 'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of charac ...

hit ''

Space Invaders is a 1978 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed shooter an ...

''. ''Super Speed Race V'' and ''Speed Race CL-5'' were the fifth and sixth highest-earning arcade games of 1979, respectively. ''Super Speed Race'' was then the ninth highest-earning arcade game of 1980.

Titus Software Titus Interactive SA,Contact
. Titus Interactiv ...

's '' Automobili Lamborghini'' (1997) for the

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...

was later re-branded ''Super Speed Race 64'' for its Japanese release, which was published by Taito in May 1998.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* {{Square Enix franchises 1974 video games Arcade video games Midway video games Nintendo 64 games Racing video games Square Enix franchises Taito arcade games Video games developed in Japan