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Post by gliptitude on Dec 10, 2014 14:27:08 GMT -5
Has any one ever seen and played the arcade Night Driver? .. Or any of its predecessors, Night Racer, 280 Zzzap or NURBURGRING??? I enjoy the 2600 version a lot and I love the effect of depth and speed created with very simple and minimal sprites. .. In fact all the extra stuff in the 2600 version, (trees, houses, other cars, color..) significantly detracts from the visual appeal for me. All of the arcade versions have a more minimalist look, and I'd love to see them in person. There is a pretty interesting series of blog entries on the subject from The Golden Age Arcade Historian (allincolorforaquarter): allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-pre-history-of-night-driver-part-6.html.. All four of these games are VERY similar and Night Driver was only the last of them to be produced. Nurburgring was the first and possibly the most interesting, with TWENTY EIGHT PCB's, and all analog components. |
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Post by Mayhem on Dec 10, 2014 15:51:30 GMT -5
Yeah, I've played a genuine Night Driver, it was at CGE one year. Big sitdown thing in fibreglass iirc, like Computer Space.
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Post by gliptitude on Dec 10, 2014 15:53:10 GMT -5
Well, did you like it? Do you like the 2600 version?
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Post by VectorX on Dec 10, 2014 16:36:44 GMT -5
I played the original in arcades, last at a car expo in '88. Pretty big deal back then. I had the 2600 version, but it got old after a while. Quite a few people, as I've seen on the net, have stated it's one of their "zone out" games to play occasionally though. I enjoy the 2600 version a lot and I love the effect of depth and speed created with very simple and minimal sprites. It's well-suited for the platform. In fact all the extra stuff in the 2600 version, (trees, houses, other cars, color..) significantly detracts from the visual appeal for me. I always liked the way the oncoming cars looked, with just the two taillights though. It looked fairly realistic (at the time) at a glance, but when you stopped moving the instant you heard the horn and saw the rectangles, you could see they didn't look real at all! All of the arcade versions have a more minimalist look, and I'd love to see them in person. Especially since Night Driver never had an onscreen car, just a huge car decal attached to the screen (which you probably already know). |
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Post by Mayhem on Dec 10, 2014 19:29:08 GMT -5
Well, did you like it? Do you like the 2600 version? Yeah, I did enjoy it in short bursts. I haven't played the 2600 version much admittedly, but I have played the Vic20 version a fair bit heh. |
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Post by VectorX on Dec 10, 2014 20:30:45 GMT -5
I take it that's a clone? I couldn't imagine Atari Soft releasing a game that old once they came out.
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Post by Mayhem on Dec 11, 2014 6:17:30 GMT -5
I'm not certain if the Vic20 version is a conversion or a clone. It looks really like the original, and was programmed in Japan by HAL Labs (like many of the early Vic20 carts) so who knows. Released by Commodore. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mMmywu_UdU |
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Post by sj on Dec 11, 2014 10:37:49 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure I played it as a kid probably mid/late seventies in an arcade at Broadstairs.
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Post by akator on Dec 11, 2014 14:48:39 GMT -5
Night Driver was one of the first arcade games I played as a kid. I was a sickly scrawny short thing so my father had to lift me up to play the upright while he operated the pedals. It was an amazing experience for a kid in the 70s, the closest I could get to driving as a kid.
The simple and stark graphics of the arcade machine were part of the charm. When I got the 2600 version a few years later, I was massively disappointed. I liked the oncoming cars, but even as a kid the elegance of the arcade game was destroyed by the crappy sprites of "scenery" that passed by on the side of the road. Many years later I was able to appreciate the 2600 version more for what it was.
A few years after being disappointed by the 2600 cart I played VIC-20 Road Race, a much closer interpretation of Night Driver. It's still one of my favorite VIC-20 games.
I have always loved the arcade racers including Monaco GP, Turbo, Pole Position/2, OutRun, Hang On, and Ridge Racer.
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Post by TrekMD on Dec 11, 2014 16:17:13 GMT -5
When I recently went to FreePlay Florida in Orlando, they actually have a Night Driver machine available to play. It was cool seeing an original, working Night Driver sit down cabinet.
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Post by gliptitude on Dec 11, 2014 18:11:55 GMT -5
The simple and stark graphics of the arcade machine were part of the charm. When I got the 2600 version a few years later, I was massively disappointed. I liked the oncoming cars, but even as a kid the elegance of the arcade game was destroyed by the crappy sprites of "scenery" that passed by on the side of the road. Many years later I was able to appreciate the 2600 version more for what it is. These are almost my exact sentiments, except that I have only ever played the 2600 version. "Elegance" is the perfect word for such a resourceful technique and it is exemplary of what I love most about "retro" gaming. The simplicity of it makes it seem like magic. .. The extra graphics in the 2600 version really are an abomination in my opinion. .. I'd rather not even see the car if the game is still playable that way. .. I think the german game which originated the concept had more dynamic sound effects though. As it has been described in the stuff i read, the sound seemed to add a lot to that game. |
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Post by TrekMD on Dec 11, 2014 23:44:56 GMT -5
I've always thought the 2600 version should be hacked to improve the graphics. The car design can certainly be made to look better. The trees and houses can be removed or, at least, be made to scale properly.
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Post by VectorX on Dec 11, 2014 23:46:55 GMT -5
I've always thought the 2600 version should be hacked to improve the graphics. Odd, it doesn't seem to have any hacks! People need to do something about that. |
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Post by TrekMD on Dec 12, 2014 8:04:52 GMT -5
Odd, it doesn't seem to have any hacks! People need to do something about that. I've always though the same thing. I even made a comment about it needing a hack on my review of the game. |
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Post by gliptitude on Dec 12, 2014 17:20:59 GMT -5
I remember you mentioning this in a past thread Trek. .. I think I said at the time my ideal hack would just be to make the houses and trees invisible. Hacking out the other cars and maybe even the player's car would be good too.
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