January 2
Game: Street Racer
Release Date: September 11, 1977
Platform: Atari 2600
Genre: Racing
Anecdotes: Looking at the list of Atari 2600 launch titles, the only ones I had played were Combat and Air-Sea Battle. There were seven other games on the list. Of those, two of them caught my interest; today, I’ll be reviewing the first of them, Street Racer. Unlike many of the older titles, this one I played blind in 2021.
Description: You control a car (or in some games, a skier?!) with varying objectives based on the game chosen. Up to four players can play.
Positives: The PS2 version nicely lists the games, and they look like they could be tons of fun in 2 player. Number Cruncher is exciting and fast paced, and will almost always end by hitting 99 points. The other games can hold my interest for a bit, but Number Cruncher is my favorite.
Negatives: There are 6 major concepts used here, but there is no consistency as to what the shot button does. In some games, it accelerates. In some it shoots. In some, it moves you up the screen. The objectives are also unclear. Do you shoot, pass, lap, or collect the objects on screen? It varies by game. I have to wonder why only even numbers are used in Number Cruncher.
Grade: C