New Rally-X
Encyclopedia
New Rally-X is a maze arcade game
that was released by Namco
in 1981. It runs on Namco Pac-Man
hardware but uses a system similar to Bosconian
and, as the name suggests, is the sequel to Rally-X
, released in the previous year. The only differences are that it has slightly enhanced graphics, easier gameplay, a new soundtrack, and a "Lucky Flag" that gives the player extra points if collected. Some of the blocks in Rally-X have been changed into roads. It was manufactured in greater numbers and was much more popular (at least in Japan) than the original, though it was not as popular in the U.S. and has aged badly over the years.
While the original Rally-X released under a Bally Midway license was a moderate hit in the United States, Bally Midway only distributed this updated version as an upgrade kit for Rally-X cabinets. The game appeared quite frequently in mainland Europe and the United Kingdom, mainly in the form of uncredited bootlegs. It was at least as popular as Rally-X in these regions, if not more so, primarily due to the game's greater playability and abundance of bootleg board stock.
game Ridge Racer
. It was also included in Namco Museum Battle Collection
for PSP along with an entirely new "Arrangement" variant of it with updated graphics, music, and new gameplay features. The game was also released on the Microsoft
Xbox 360
Xbox Live Arcade
service on December 27, 2006 and on the Wii
Virtual Console
in Japan on October 6, 2009. In addition, it is available in several editions of the Namco plug-n-play game series from Jakks Pacific. A version called 'New Rally-X S' was released on Facebook. In November 2010, it was included in Namco Museum Megamix (only released in North America) for Wii
.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
that was released by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
in 1981. It runs on Namco Pac-Man
Namco Pac-Man
The Namco 8-bit Pac-Man arcade system board was first used by Namco in 1980.-Specifications:*Main CPU: Zilog Z80*Sound chip: Custom 3-channel 4-bit WSG *Video resolution: 224 x 288*ROM: 16 KB*Main RAM: 2 KB...
hardware but uses a system similar to Bosconian
Bosconian
is a free-roaming multi-directional scrolling shooter arcade game that was developed by Namco and released in 1981. In contrast to the more linear shooter games of its time, Bosconian allows the player's ship to freely move across open space that scrolls in all directions. The game also features a...
and, as the name suggests, is the sequel to Rally-X
Rally-X
Rally-X is a maze driving arcade game that was released by Namco in 1980. It runs on Namco Pac-Man hardware, and was the first Namco game to feature "Special Flags", which would become a recurring object in later games .It was the first game to ever feature a "bonus round." The object is to...
, released in the previous year. The only differences are that it has slightly enhanced graphics, easier gameplay, a new soundtrack, and a "Lucky Flag" that gives the player extra points if collected. Some of the blocks in Rally-X have been changed into roads. It was manufactured in greater numbers and was much more popular (at least in Japan) than the original, though it was not as popular in the U.S. and has aged badly over the years.
Legacy
A version of New Rally-X is the load-up game in the PlayStation PortablePlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
game Ridge Racer
Ridge Racer (PSP)
Ridge Racer for the PSP is an arcade racing video game developed by Namco. It is named after the eponymous Ridge Racer video game series to which it belongs. The game was released in Japan as...
. It was also included in Namco Museum Battle Collection
Namco Museum Battle Collection
Namco Museum Battle Collection is a collection of Namco arcade games such as Dig Dug, Pac-Man and Galaga. It was released for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on February 25, 2005 and contained eleven classic games from Namco's game history. The game was developed by Namco Tales Studio Ltd...
for PSP along with an entirely new "Arrangement" variant of it with updated graphics, music, and new gameplay features. The game was also released on the Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
service on December 27, 2006 and on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
in Japan on October 6, 2009. In addition, it is available in several editions of the Namco plug-n-play game series from Jakks Pacific. A version called 'New Rally-X S' was released on Facebook. In November 2010, it was included in Namco Museum Megamix (only released in North America) for Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
.