Hard Drivin' (Game)

Hard Drivin'

GAME » on February 1989

Amiga (Platform)Amstrad CPC (Platform)Arcade (Platform)Atari Lynx (Platform)Atari ST (Platform)Commodore 64 (Platform)Genesis (Platform)PC (Platform)ZX Spectrum (Platform)

One of the earliest 3D polygonal racing games, Hard Drivin' combines simulated car handling with a fantastical stunt course with jumps, banked turns, and a full loop-de-loop.

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Overview

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Hard Drivin' is a cockpit-view racing game developed and released by Atari for arcades in February 1989.

One of the earliest racing games where everything is 3D-rendered, including the environment and the cars themselves, Hard Drivin' has players driving a red sports car through a looped roadway that's split into two paths: a long-winded "Speed Track" full of curves and straightaways and a fantastical "Stunt Track" with a draw-bridge jump, a banked turn, and a loop-de-loop.

Along with an attention to detail regarding the car's handling and physics, the game was known for its sit-down arcade cabinet that enhanced the simulation of driving a real car, with force feedback steering, an optional 4-speed shifter (with clutch pedal), and an "ignition key" switch for starting the car. It is also known for its cinematic "instant replay" system for car crashes and for its "Championship Lap" mechanic, which makes use of a "ghost racer" that tracks the path of the fastest racer through the lap on the machine.

It received several home conversions in 1989-1991, including the Sega Genesis, Atari Lynx (Platform), Amiga (Platform), Atari ST (Platform), Amstrad CPC (Platform), Commodore 64 (Platform), ZX Spectrum (Platform), and DOS PCs. These ports were mostly handled by Tengen (Company), while most of the computer versions were released by Domark. The original game was later included in the 2004 compilation Midway Arcade Treasures 2 (Game).

It later received two separate sequels in 1990, one for computers (Hard Drivin' II: Drive Harder) and one for arcades (Race Drivin').

Gameplay

In Hard Drivin', players race laps around a looped roadway, earning score based on progress. Players start with a limited amount of time (which is operator-specific, anywhere from 72 seconds to 102 seconds) and can earn bonus "extended play" time for passing through checkpoints (which is also operator-specific).

Although there is AI-controlled traffic to dodge, there is no "racing" and it is instead a "time trial". Players must take care to measure their speed at certain obstacles, as crashing causes them to waste their time starting the car back up (after watching an instant replay of the crash).

If the player finishes a lap at a quick enough time, they are challenged to a "Championship Lap" race against the "ghost" of a rival blue sports car, where they must take the Stunt Track, cannot crash, and cannot off-road for more than 10 seconds. One of the earliest games to feature a "ghost racer', the opponent cannot be collided with and follows the exact path of the fastest player in the machine (which is defaulted to "Phantom Photon").

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