Speed Freak is a monochrome vector arcade game created by Vectorbeam in 1979. Along with Atari, Inc.'s Night Driver and Bally Midway's Datsun 280 ZZZAP–both from 1976–it is one of the earliest first-person driving games and the first such game known to use vector graphics.[2]

Speed Freak
Developer(s)Vectorbeam
Publisher(s)Vectorbeam
Designer(s)Larry Rosenthal
Platform(s)Arcade
ReleaseMarch 1979[1]
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player
Arcade systemVectorbeam hardware

Gameplay

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The game is a behind-the-wheel driving simulation where the driver speeds down a winding computer-generated road past other cars, hitchhikers, trees, cows and cacti. Occasionally a plane will fly overhead towards the screen. One must avoid crashing into these objects and complete the race in the allotted time.[3] The player can crash as many times as he wants before the time runs out and players were treated to two different crash animations. The first was a simple cracked windshield effect, the second was a crash where the car explodes into car parts that fly through the air.[4]

References

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  1. ^ (Gaming History 2009)
  2. ^ (Yu 2002)
  3. ^ "1". Speed Freak Operating Manual. 1979. p. 2.
  4. ^ "2". Speed Freak Operating Manual. 1979. p. 3.
Sources
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