Pole Position II
Encyclopedia
Pole Position II is a racing
arcade game
that was released by Namco
in 1983 as the sequel to Pole Position, which was released the previous year. As with the original, Namco licensed Pole Position II to Atari
for US manufacture and distribution. Atari also released Pole Position II as the pack-in game for their Atari 7800 Prosystem
console.
There is a new opening theme, and in addition to the original Fuji racetrack
, there are three others to choose from: Test (resembling Indianapolis Motor Speedway
), Seaside (resembling Long Beach Grand Prix
), and Suzuka
. The graphics were improved; cars have a different color scheme and explosions show debris. Wheel spin has also been added to the game. One notable difference between the Japanese and U.S. versions is that while the timer is displayed as "TIME" in the Japanese version (as with the previous game), it is displayed as "UNIT" in the U.S. release.
collections, but presumably due to licensing issues, Fuji Speedway and Suzuka Circuit were renamed Namco Circuit and Wonder Circuit (after Namco's "Wonder" series of Japanese theme parks), respectively. In Namco Museum Virtual Arcade, they were renamed Blue and Orange respectively.
In 2006, Namco Networks
released the game on the mobile platform, paying attention to details to keep it authentic to the arcade original.
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
arcade game
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 1983 as the sequel to Pole Position, which was released the previous year. As with the original, Namco licensed Pole Position II to Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
for US manufacture and distribution. Atari also released Pole Position II as the pack-in game for their Atari 7800 Prosystem
Atari 7800
The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a video game console re-released by Atari Corporation in January 1986. The original release had occurred two years earlier under Atari Inc. The 7800 had originally been designed to replace Atari Inc.'s Atari 5200 in 1984, but was temporarily...
console.
Gameplay
Fuji Speedway
is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s and hosted the first Formula One race in Japan in 1976. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing...
, there are three others to choose from: Test (resembling Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
), Seaside (resembling Long Beach Grand Prix
Long Beach Grand Prix
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is an open-wheel race held on a street circuit in Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder and promoter which began as a vision while working at a travel agency in downtown Long Beach. It was the premier circuit in the Champ Car from 1996, and...
), and Suzuka
Suzuka Circuit
, Suzuka Circuit for short, is a motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Mobilityland Corporation, the subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..-Introduction:...
. The graphics were improved; cars have a different color scheme and explosions show debris. Wheel spin has also been added to the game. One notable difference between the Japanese and U.S. versions is that while the timer is displayed as "TIME" in the Japanese version (as with the previous game), it is displayed as "UNIT" in the U.S. release.
Legacy
Pole Position II appears in various Namco MuseumNamco Museum
Namco Museum refers to the series of video game compilations released by Namco for various 32-bit and above consoles, containing releases of their games from the 1980s and early 1990s...
collections, but presumably due to licensing issues, Fuji Speedway and Suzuka Circuit were renamed Namco Circuit and Wonder Circuit (after Namco's "Wonder" series of Japanese theme parks), respectively. In Namco Museum Virtual Arcade, they were renamed Blue and Orange respectively.
In 2006, Namco Networks
Namco Networks
Namco Networks America, Inc. is a developer and publisher of small-scale games targeting the mobile and casual game markets. The startup company based in San Jose, California was strategically acquired by Namco Bandai Holdings and renamed as Namco Networks to serve as its mobile games...
released the game on the mobile platform, paying attention to details to keep it authentic to the arcade original.
External links
- Pole Position II at Arcade History.com