Street Racer Day (belated)

[starsabre]

Monday just past was (cx-)2/6/12. In keeping with a tradition that was started in rec.games.video.classic but that sadly few remember, I wish to commemorate the 2012 edition of Atari Day for cart cx-2612, Street Racer. In keeping, and belated, happy Street Racer day to all Atari collectors in the USA. The PAL version of this day hits on June 2, or rather 2 June 2012 (2.6.12).

 

jt

[jaybird3rd]

Funny enough, I was playing some Street Racer just the other day (though not on Monday the 6th). I picked it because I was testing some paddles I was refurbishing, but I found myself playing it for a while afterward. Larry Kaplan has said in interviews that this game was one of his worst and that it "just didn't work", but I don't think it's quite as bad as all that; some of the game variations have some interesting ideas. If nothing else, it seems to have had an impact on the industry. This old ZX81 clone had a "Street Racer car" built into its character set (and it was even mapped to the "A" key), and I used it to write my own little Street Racer game in BASIC years ago. Street Racer is also very similar to Speedway, one of the few games I had for my Odyssey^2. It's also included in the Atari Jakks 13-in-1 Paddle, released just a few years ago.

 

Giving the original 2600 games their own dates corresponding to their part numbers sounds like a fun tradition.

[Godzilla]

i love all the variety in street racer, myself and find it especially fun with a human

[+save2600]

I remember convincing my Dad to stop at the Toys 'R Us in Highland Park one day, so I could see what 2600 games I might be able to afford with my hard earned money. Back then, TRU had kick ass specials and closeout pricing on stuff. Perfect scenario for some impulsive buying. After browsing their selection for a bit, I thought Street Racer looked pretty cool for the dough - I *think* it must have been $9.98 at the time. After getting home and playing it a bit, I remember feeling slightly duped. lol I mean, it's a great basic game to be sure, but by '82-'83, was already starting to show its age. One of the first times I remember grasping the concept of 'you get what you pay for'.

 

BTW: Welcome JT! Good to see you here.