Racing / Racing - Formula One · 1983

Pole Position

Published by Atari · Developed by [n/a]

atarimania.com — atari-400-800-xl-xe-games-pole-position-4042

Information

Genre: Racing - Formula One
Language: Machine Language
Controls: Joystick
Players: 1, Demo
Programmer(s): [unknown]
Graphic Artist(s): [n/a]
Sound: [n/a]
Cover Artist(s): [unknown]
Year: 1983
Publisher: Atari
Developer: [n/a]
Country: USA
License: Commercial
Medium: Cartridge
Rarity: 5
Serial: RX8034

Votes / Statistics

Rating: 7.7/10 · Votes: 600 · Downloads: 17,542 · Hits: 52,814

Screenshots (7)

Cover Art (6)

Instructions (4)

Ads (3)

Dealer Ad Template - Pole Position · 1983

Dealer Ad Template - Pole Position (XE) · 1987

Book / Magazine Reviews (1)

Electronic Fun · March, 1984 · Rating: 3 / 4

Some of us do not care to take our lives into our hands. Or feet, for that matter. This is why we would never consider race car driving seriously as a career. Let's face it, race car drivers court death every time they get into those flimsy little cars that are so low to the ground they're practically underneath it. Never mind that you get to wear helmets and sit beneath roll bars, etc. This is a dangerous sport. One false move and you're up in flames. This is not the sort of blaze of glory we had in mind as a dramatic exit. For us cowards, there's Pole Position.

This Pole Position is good / very good but it's not all that it claims to be.

Although there are four courses, they are all the same. You're never shown an overhead view of the tracks. Playing each of them, you'll find the same billboards and curves on every one. That sham aside, the game plays and looks almost exactly like the 5200 cart, which is a stripped-down version of the arcade.

There are no oil slicks and no ads on the billboards, but otherwise the features are complete. The clouds remain, as does the blimp which signals the start of each game. Your blue-and-yellow racer, though not up to arcade graphics, is far better than the VCS version.

As in almost every other version of this racing game, you begin with a qualifying run. Based on how well you do while racing around the course, you are then assigned a position in which you will race against other drivers.

You accelerate automatically at the start of each heat. To shift into second gear, pull the joystick toward you. Tap it from side to side to steer. Your fire button is your brake. A self-centering joystick makes steering easier but requires you to hold the stick down to stay in gear. It's not the most logical controller for a driving game, but it'll do.

The allegedly different courses are the Atari Grand Prix, Namco Speedway, Malibu Grand Prix and Practice Run. Mt. Fuji must be one heckuva high mountain to be visible all the way from Malibu.

As long as the machine is on it will store your high score. Current score, time, lap and speed are also clearly displayed at the top of the screen.

The sounds are faithful to the original, from the revving engines to the honking horns.

What's known as the Centipede turn in the arcade is marked by a red billboard here. You'll know it's coming up immediately after the pink-blue-yellow-and-black billboards. To get past the hairpin, you must brake or downshift.

Comments (10)

Monk — 16 Feb 2021
This is a really good version, and beats the C64-version easily in all possible ways. I find mysef playing this on my XL from time to time, but the C64-version almost never. The Commodore computers did enjoy many other racing gems, like Super Cycle, LeMans and Death Race, though. Not sure which version of 'Death Race' is the best (the arcade 'Turbo' is pretty good, but hard to adjust the controls so the car is actually controllable), but Atari version is certainly great. Pole Position is a great arcade conversion and has a wonderful feel and good playbility to it. I also love the powerfully immersive sounds and the polish. The cars look a little blocky, but that's true of any non-arcade version of this game. I recommend this game for sheer playability, oldskool fun and good atmosphere - this is what racing games are all about.
AbbotKinneyDude — 18 Nov 2020
Please note that, except for the copyright text, the 1987 re-release of POLE POSITION by ATARI Corp. is re-using the European packaging previously conceived by ATARI Inc.'s International Division in 1983. Unlike the 1983 European version which was exclusive to the European market, the 1987 re-release was distributed worldwide and cannot be qualifed as an European exclusive title (packaging wise).
Auntie Pastie — 17 Jun 2019
That "Thermonuclear Soft" release looks a little... odd. I wonder if it was officially licensed? *cough* A quick search turns up little except a page elsewhere in Italian suggesting they pirated/reissued(!) "Pharaon’s [sic] Curse", "Flip & Flop", "Preppie II", "Spy’s Denise [sic!]", "Oil Swell [sic!!!]", "Bristless [sic!!!!!!]" and more...
eppy2000 — 9 Dec 2018
Scott, I know what you're referring to with garbled graphics of the flag since it's evident in all file versions (but not say, Pole Position Race Designer or similar hacks). But playing the original cartridge version, the aforementioned "curse" words appears *after* the checkered flag flashes as you're in reach of, but never cross the finish line.
Scott Stilphen — 11 Nov 2018
@eppy2000 There's no Easter egg at the finish. You're playing a corrupt version of the game where the checkered flag is glitched. There is a real glitch in the game in that you never actually reach the finish line at the end of a race! You also will finish the race even if you crash right before the finish line! https://youtu.be/5D6jZvRsmss
eppy2000 — 15 Oct 2015
Received this cart for X-mas in 1983. Sure, the graphics are blockier than the arcade version, but it played very well and saved me many quarters. The game isn't that watered down, aside from not having voice synthesis or graphics on the signs, and a few minor bits that didn't detract from the enjoyment. I guess there's a bit of an Easter egg in the game, but it's nothing major. If you fall short of the finish line when it's in sight on your final lap, you see "curse" words. It's just random characters like you in the comic strips when a character swears (e.g., @#*!$@^!). Playing this on an emulator has a quirk, when you turn off the collision detection. Each completed lap gives you bonus time, but it's possible to get "too much" bonus time when added to your already padded time remaining. It screws up and you end up with even LESS time to finish the race, to the point where you can't finish. The other thing about the game that brings back memories is that when I started playing it for the first time, both my mom and aunt berated me saying I would make a lousy driver because I couldn't maintain my lane. (They didn't realize it was a RACING game, not a DRIVING game). :)
Punkydudester — 18 Dec 2014
A really good classic. I remember the signs having Atari symbols on them in some of the versions.
Gwobby — 14 Dec 2010
Checkout the new (2010) PAL file version of Pole Position at http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/173793-poleposition-pal-fix/ Finally the europeans' have a challenging version of this classic game.
JSUK — 10 Sept 2007
Are the Atari and Datasoft/US Gold versions the same, apart from the superficial details given?
Cesar — 19 Oct 2006
Its a pleasure to introduce you my favorite atari game::::: POLE POSITION.....nostalgie driving in this car.