Dr. Chien surpassed the 1,050,200 Donkey Kong mark set by Billy Mitchell, with an unbelievable score of 1,061,700 in 2 hours and 35 minutes according to Twin Galaxies officials, ending the game on the famed kill screen.

The Perezstart.com staff first met Hank early in 2009 at a Richie Knucklez competition in Flemington, NJ. We remember seeing Hank playing on the Donkey Kong arcade machine wearing his medical scrubs. We then saw Hank again at the Richie Knucklez’s Invitational, and noticed something special brewing after he broke the 900k mark. Hank is a cool and calm customer, he has nerves of steel and exudes brilliance with every move that he makes.

Hank began practicing Donkey Kong on the MAME version and then invested in his own Donkey Kong arcade machine. The game of Donkey Kong requires impeccable hand eye- coordination and precision. It is only natural that the steady hands of a Plastic Surgeon could attain this phenomenal feat.

Personally, Dr. Chien is a very pleasant and kind person to interact with. We had a chance to sit with him back in August and speak to him about his plans and goals. At that time, we saw the determination in his eyes and made the bold prediction of breaking the 1,000,000 mark and taking the holy grail of all video game records, the number one spot Donkey Kong!

Dr. Hank Chien hails from NYC where he practices plastic surgery in his office in Flushing, NY. He has a computer science/mathematics degree from Harvard, attended medical school at Mt. Sinai Medicine and completed his residency in Vanderbilt University.

Will the record be challenged by Wiebe/Mitchell? Hank is already positioned to increase his high score even further. We at Perezstart.com feel that his record will never be broken since Hank has brought the record to an unreachable level now.

Perezstart.com will be attending Richie’s Classic Arcade Game Tournament in Flemington, NJ taking place on March 18, 2010 – March 21, 2010. We expect to catch up with Hank and congratulate him personally on this gargantuan feat. We also expect to see some new records broken at this exciting annual tournament. If you are free next weekend and live in the tri-state NY/NJ/PA area, don’t miss this star-studded classic arcade event! Make sure to let Richie know that Perezstart.com sent you!

source

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Fans of the arcade and console classic NBA Jam are in for a treat today as EA Sports announced they’re remaking NBA Jam for the Nintendo Wii later this year.

The new NBA Jam promises to bring the original gameplay elements that we all know and love while some new game modes and characters will be included as well.  NBA Jam will also include “re-defining visuals” with true-to-life body types, updated physics, and visible player emotions.

That’s all well and good.  All I ask is that I still be able to play with Bill Clinton, or at least allow me to customize my player to have a goat head, just like my character in NBA Hangtime on the N64.  I think I named him Chupacabra.  I know.  I’m pretty sick.

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I could remember it now, lying on the floor of my parents bedroom watching the suspense as the Mets were 1 strike away from handing the Red Sox the 1986 World Series. I was only 10 years old at the time, but I can remember it like it was yesterday.  This had to be the single most suspenseful and thrilling baseball game every played. This video had been tossed around the web a few times, but I wanted to share it with our loyal Perezstart readers.

The creators of this video had to have some serious patience and a good video editing tool to make this a reality. Enjoy the video everyone…

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Today marks the official first day of CES, but last night, Microsoft’s press conference took place and revealed an upcoming Xbox LIVE update that will bring a tear to most old-school gamers’ eyes.

Microsoft unveiled the ‘Xbox Game Room’ last night.  The purpose of the Game Room is to allow players to relive the glory days of when arcades were the only way to get a decent gaming experience.  The sights and sounds of an old-school arcade are said to be represented in the Game Room.  When Game Room launches, 30 original and console classics will be available such as Centipede and Asteroids, but Microsoft promises a total of 1000 titles will be available in three years.  Each arcade cabinet will retail for 240 to 400 Microsoft Points, with a single-play option costing 40 Microsoft Points (think of it as putting two quarters into an arcade machine to play.)

Players can also create their own virtual arcade space where they can arrange their arcade cabinets as well as decorating each room to have a specific theme.  You can also challenge friends whether they play on the Xbox 360 or PC.  Your friends can even visit your virtual arcade to demo some of the titles that you have available or simply to stand in awe of your awesome Game Room.

The ‘Xbox Game Room’ will support full 1080p, voice chat, as well as online and local multipler for up to two players.  The current release date for it is ‘Spring 2010′.

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Growing up in the 80’s, sports and video games would go together like apple pie. My brothers and I were fortunate enough to be pretty good athletes and played the games at home as well. This article will cover the best of the best from the decade. It will cover all systems as well as arcades.   Rankings depend on realism, fun factor, replay value, graphics and sound.

10. Summer Games – Epyx – 1984

Summer Games, this was a classic. It had variety, excellent graphics for its day and was lots of fun to play. I particularly enjoyed the diving event, one would need to make the most moves in the air and try to straighten the diver up for minimal splash.  The judges always favored their home country diver, very realistic feature!

• Pole vault
• Platform diving
• Sprinting
• Gymnastics
• Freestyle swimming
• Skeet shooting
• Rowing

Epyx continued with this genre and created Summer Games II, Winter Games, World Games and California Games. These were all great games  worth playing again any day of the week!

9. Micro League Baseball -1984- Micro League Sports Association

Ok, this is the sleeper of my list. Micro league Baseball! This is the first baseball game licensed by MLB and the MLB Association which could include  actual team names and players. What an outstanding game! This game was also the first game to emphasize management and strategy.  Bring the outfield in, play in the infield at double play depth. It really changed the way we played baseball via video games. I remember also buying expansion packs in those days to include teams of yesteryear. This would allow you to play as the 1927 Yankees against the big red machine of the 70’s.  I played both the Atari 130 XE versions as well as the Apple II E port.

8. Blades of Steel – Konami – 1988

Growing up in an urban city for all of my childhood, ice hockey wasn’t a sport I had the pleasure of participating in, EVER! I mean,  I heard of Wayne Gretzky before and I knew we had the Rangers, the Islanders and the Devils but that was it! This being said, I was surprised to see how exciting and fun Blades of Steel was for the NES. I remember playing a game called ice hockey years prior from Nintendo. It was ok, but didn’t really grab my attention for too long.

Blades of Steel, introduced great graphics, sound bytes, teams from real NHL cities with realistic team colors (not licensed by the NHL) and…oh yeah, I almost forgot, THE FIGHTING MODE! Fighting in the game occurs when two players bump themselves three times without bumping another player. Once you drain your opponents power pellets with timed punches to the face or breadbasket, the  losing player gets sent to the penalty box. Then you have a 5 on 4 power play advantage. Fights close to the net will prompt the referee to call for a penalty shot.

Blades of Steel is tons of fun to play and is one of the top 10 80’s sports games!  It is available on the wii VC for all of us that want to play this classic once again!

7. Side Pockets – Data East – 1987

In the 80’s, bowling was pretty big, especially in our area. We had two bowling alleys within a 2 mile radius from our house, Colombia Lanes and Nungessors, both in North Bergen, NJ.  Sure, we loved to bowl, but between games or even between throws, we would sneak a quarter here and there on arcade games.

Side Pockets was amongst the favorites at the bowling alley. Perhaps because it attracted many older players as well. The controls were great! In the center a white trackball which you would have to roll in certain direction on the billiard table. It also included a jukebox in which you can select some favorite tunes to play in the background. One could play traditional style pool, 9 ball or even trick shots.

Overall the best pool simulation game of the 80’s which spurned sequels well into the 90’s.  Still lots of fun to play today and is considered a real gem!

6. Baseball Stars – SNK- 1989

Baseball Stars was the ” Zelda” for the baseball genre! This is the first baseball game that featured a battery pack which opened up many key features which are standard in today’s sports games. It allowed you to create your own players, name your players, accrue stats which would allow you to build up your team and allow you to purchase players with greater abilities.

This game is arguably the best baseball game on the NES.  It was such a fun game to play, had excellent repeat value and customization was revolutionary. Most importantly the fielding controls in this game was absolutely perfect. Throughout the 80’s baseball game designers struggled with how to control the fielders. This can be seen in earlier games like Real Sports Baseball, Home Run Baseball as well as the early NES version aptly named, Baseball.

These ease-of-fielding features are characterized by examples such as: off-screen fielders automatically drifting towards fly balls, fielders catching balls anywhere near them, the ability to jump and dive, infielders shifting to prevent extra base hits down the line when men are on base, etc.

5. Mat mania-  Taito – 1985

Who can forget the memorable referee count, ONE, TWO, THREEEEE!  I mentioned in a previous article about a recent revelation playing Mat Mania a few months ago at Richie Knucklez in Flemington, NJ. After being defeated by the cunning and feisty coco savage, a new player took over the controls. It was Jimmy Linderman, Mr. Do! Twin Galaxies World Champion. He put on the most amazing exhibition,  annihilating every opponent with ease! He was so good, that he had to walk away because he would’ve been there forever.

MM is loads of fun to play. It had excellent controls, a WWF WWE feel with the Golden Hulk as world champion. It had a fun cartoony look and feel which still stands the test of time. My favorite part of the game was the Semi-illegal fighting that could be accomplished. Jumping off the top turnbuckle, throwing people out of the ring, pile-driving your opponent onto the concrete floor and my favorite, giving yourself an Irish whip and monster splashing your opponent that is lying outside the ring! You could also win/lose by a ring count of 20, seems as if the developers wanted to give you 10 extra seconds to bash your opponent head in. Mat Mania was arguably the best wrestling game available at the time and is still revered as the best classic wrestling game ever!

4. Double Dribble – Konami – 1987

Basketball was very big in the mid- late 80’s, with players like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson,gracing the court!  Iit was truly the prime years for the NBA! Our very small NJ town was very big into basketball. We lived  and breathed basketball, that of course translated into playing it on the NES on off game-days and rainy days.

Double Dribble was very addicting. It was the first 5 on 5 basketball game available and its AI programming was second to none!  The controls really made the game so much fun, especially where you had to time your jump at the peak to obtain maximum shot percentage. The dunking cut screens was revolutionary in 1987! Just to have any character that large moving on a screen(even if the character was in black and white and you couldn’t technically control him) was very new to the gaming scene in 1987. We all can remember the full court press where a skilled player can limit the opposition to not even crossing half court.  Also, there was a cheat where the player easily banked 3’s at will from the top corners of the court. Another semi-cheat existed, where you can legally goal-tend by timing a shot just right and jumping towards the backboard while the ball is heading towards the basket. This game stands the test of time, is loads of fun and its on my wii VC library today!

3. HardBall! – Accolade – 1985

I remember visiting an Atari store years ago with my dad, and seeing the Hardball box on shelf. When I turned it around and saw the graphics, I almost lost it.  This is the first game that featured the center field view. As a pitcher, you could also control the movement of the catchers glove to indicate where you wanted the pitch to go.  As you can see, the pitcher had an assortment of pitches to choose from. As a hitter, you can see that he had an option to bunt or hit away!  Hardball combined the strategy features that Micro Baseball boasted and added arcade style revolutionary graphics!

The game was also very intuitive at the time. If you placed a pitcher at second base, he would almost surely commit an error. If you placed a position player on the mound, he would only have “fatpitches” as his 4 options of pitches. Good news for the offensive team of course!

The fielding control was excellent, cutting the field in half to give detail and also allow for tight controls. Accolade was known to make excellent games, why not, their programmers were ex-Activision employees! Overall, the best baseball game of the 80’s on home computers, arguable the best 80’s baseball game overall!

2. Tecmo Bowl – Tecmo – 1988

I wasn’t the biggest football fan back then or now for that matter, but how can one ignore this gem! Growing up, my friends and I would spend the entire weekend challenging each other in Tecmo Bowl. I particularly loved the 4 play, playbook. This gave you a 25% chance of guessing your opponents move and ensuring a sack or interception!

The game featured real NFL players including Bo Jackson, Joe Montana and Phil Sims to name a few. Players had realistic unique abilities, such as Lawrence Taylor being the fastest defensive player and would almost always secure the sack!

The game is the best Football game of the 80’s and it also spawned hits well into the 90’s. It is also available on VC for download! A Winner!

1. Mike Tyson’s Punchout – NES – 1989

Mike Tyson is back! 2009 version!

OK,  Mike Tyson isn’t back, but good thing he isn’t. If he was back he would look like a tanned, tatooed version of King Hipppo! Mike Tyson’ Punchout was introduced in 1987 by Nintendo by much hype via tv commercials and ads.  The game was the  “Sgt. Peppers” of the NES back in the 80’s. The multiple characters, their personalities, their boxing style and patterns all made this game a true winner.

The game featured a save option to save progress, cut scenes and secrets like holding down select to gain energy in between rounds.  We all know about the license expiring and the re-release of the game as Punchout featuring Mr. Dream which occurred after Mike endured life hardships. The game is available on VC and even spawned a new version on the wii a few months ago. Overall, this is hands down the best sports game that the 80’s produced!

Author notes and Honorable Mentions:

This top 10 list was one of the most challenging I’ve had to create. It is difficult to compare games that were released in 1980 with games from 1989. I tend to weigh the earlier games more with innovation and the latter games with graphics and fun. The list doesn’t include soccer, volleyball or tennis because there weren’t any notable games in these sports worth mentioning. I included numerous baseball games, because that was the big sport in the80’s and developers placed more resources to that sport.

Madden – Electronic Arts- 1989

The game spawned a football video game empire that reigns to this day. This early version wasn’t anything to brag about but the fact that it started it all, earns this title a top 10 honorable mention.

Ring King – Data East- 1985

Not nearly as good as MTPO, but lots of fun to play.  This game along with Super Punch out were the best arcade boxing games around.

Super Baseball Double Play Home Run Derby – 1987- - Leland Corp.

Remember this one? The game where you had to flick a mini-bat control to hit the pitch? This one I remember vividly!

Ok everyone, this completes my list of the top 10 80’s sports games of all times. Please comment and let me know what you think of the list and if I missed any games worth mentioning!

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Done in a Robot Chicken look, check out this YouTube video featuring original sound, visuals plus Master D’s exploding cranium… after the credits of course.  In glorious side-scrolling 2D LEGO!

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Majesco Entertainment dropped a gaming bomb on classic arcade gamers everywhere with today’s announcement of 15 classic Data East Arcade titles hitting the Nintendo Wii in early 2010. Wii players will finally benefit from online multiplayer as well as having your hi-scores linked to your Mii characters.

Data East Arcade Classics features 15 nostalgic titles, including: BurgerTime and its sequel, Peter Pepper’s Ice Cream Factory, Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja, Burnin’ Rubber, Heavy Barrel, Caveman Ninja, Magical Drop III, Side Pocket and many more.

Licensed by G-Mode and developed by G1M2, this compilation features 15 arcade favorites with full multiplayer support for only $19.99 and will hit shelves in early 2010.

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In a leaked document discovered on French website Objectif-sega.com that PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility could be coming to the PSN.  In the past, we reported other reports of BC but this “leaked” document listing games is more evidence of it happening.  We already know God of War and God of War 2 will be bundled on thier own Blu-Ray disc instead of PSN.  But it seems like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and a Sonic Game will make it’s way to the PSN.

Below is the document leaked in question:

SCEA Meeting Aug 5th Notes
Aug 6 2009 – DRAFT FOR COMMENTS

Objectives of Meeting
Dyer agreed to regular quarterly meetings with SOA

Sony PS3
SCEA reiterated plans to sell 13 million PS3s this year
Big announcement back half of year they can’t talk about (potentially price cut of PS3 to reach hardware goals)
SCEA commented on indexing between PS3 and 360 SKUs, should be around 2:1 to garner most favorable treatment.

Motion Controller
Spring 2010 launch (March in JP)
No bundle/pricing details yet, should come Sept 1
Plan on selling 4-5MM units WW
SCEA agreed to provide a list of Sega IP that would work well with the motion controller, Virtua Tennis was an example
Motion Controller support allows easy way to differentiate PS3 SKU
Other differentiation opportunities include PSP/PS3 interoperability – think of features that would make users want to buy both PS3 and PSP SKUs.

Alpha Protocol
Michael Foster, product evaluator, said AP felt barely RPG. Initial level too challenging for players. “Mass Effect felt more RPG.”
Review notes sent to John Merlino a few weeks prior. After meeting Gerald mentioned AP is a high priority for his team.

Planet 51
Sell in of PS3 SKU – SCEA noted that other movie titles on PS3 had underperformed as well (inc. Transformers) this cycle.
Dyer suggests contacting Susan at Walmart and asking what she wants in the pack to sell this SKU (movie tix etc)
Other possibilities are Hybrid movie disc (BD 25 or 50 with Game and Movie on same disc).

Bayonetta
Collectors edition with Bayonetta Action Figure
Novo recommended launching PSN demo around Xmas based off a Jan 5th Ship date with 2-3 week run out to launch.
3-4 weeks is usually ideal demo timing with fresh content every week leading up to launch (trailers, insider video about PG heritage, video blogs).

Vancouver 2010
HOME, Olympic destination would garner a lot of positive attention from SCEA
Should be doing same with Bayonetta, Marvel etc. Easy to launch in all territories.
HOME merchandizing opportunities (clothes etc).

Sonic Racing
Open to DLC to differentiate PS3 SKU – not ratchet and clank but other characters
maybe characters from Rare or Fable universes

Yakuza
Could put Japanese games directly on PSN for download in a special Japanese Import section (pricing $9.99 to $39.99 for full game).
Might need to localize menus at least with subtitles.
SCEA interested in helping on MKTG side if they can have period of exclusivity.

AVP
Another great HOME candidate
AVP avatars
Hybrid BD disc with movie

Iron Man 2
Great candidate for HOME space – explore Tony Stark’s lab etc.
Should have one for Marvel in general.

PSU2
Could do bundle at GameStop with PSP 30-35K units on UMD, Go, or both.

Valkyria 1937
Could bundle with PSP as well.

Vanquish and Aliens: CM
Opportunity for PS3/PSP interoperability (see Eidos Batman, Army of Two, Assassin’s Creed for good examples).
If we offer that SCEA would be really interested in having us at their booth next E3.

Thor
SCEA would like a look at the code soon.

Sonic Anniversary
Could put out collectors edition with all old sonic games on one BD disc.
“Best of Sonic” for around $99.
SCEA would love PSN exclusive power ups/different game modes (like Castlevania’s flip it over/backwards)

PS2 emulator for PS3 (confidential)
SCEA wants to sell all PS2 titles on PSN (GTA Vice City/Sonic/etc)
For co Marketing money show PS3 controller on TV ads – similar to EA Madden Spots, NCAA, etc…

London Olympics
Perfect opportunity for Motion Controller integration.

DC Digital Titles
If we provide a list of DC titles SCEA will let us know which ones they’re interested in having exclusively.
If we give them a long period of exclusivity they’ll give us more marketing support.

PSP Titles
For SKU differentiation it’s best to offer features that are slightly different from PS3 version.
Titles that are coming up on PSP are Assassin’s Creed II, GTA China Wars, Resident Evil, Little Big Planet – all massive franchises.
SCEA has a specific PSP deck which they can send up with their hardware director for a chat.

source

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X-Arcade Tankstick Joystick $249.95 $199.95

My very first  post on PerezStart.com, was the top 5 arcade style game controllers. It was a very successful article which garnered many hits and comments. I wanted to follow up with a new champion of ASGC’s, the X- Arcade! What an amazing piece of peripheral perfection!  Glad they didn’t go away.

It looks like someone ripped off the panel of a Street Fighter II machine and cleaned out the edges.! The professional joysticks, the soft, med and hard buttons for kick and punch, plus two more extra buttons. It even sports the rolling ball controller in the middle for all of sidepocket arcade fans.

What makes this device a step above the rest is the compatibility option.You can buy a bundle with all the adapters or just get the adapter that you need for the system that you have.

“The X-Arcade™ was built with internal electronics to be compatible with the major past, present and FUTURE game systems. Once you own the X-Arcade™controller, you will never need to buy another arcade joystick again!”

• Playstation 3™
• Nintendo Wii & Gamecube™
• Playstation One or Playstation Two ™
• Xbox™
• Dreamcast™
• Mac™
• Personal Computer
• Microsoft® XBOX 360™

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Growing up in the 80’s , I was always fascinated by driving. Especially since my Dad sported the racing gloves and drove a stick shift Corola throughout the decade.  Therefore,  naturally, I wanted to be just like him.  I knew that wasn’t going to happen until I became an adult, which was a bummer. However, I was part of the 80’s generation, where one was now able to drive a racing car via a video game. How cool was that? The following is a list of my favorite racing old school games of the 80’s!  Even Next-generation gamers will appreciate this list.

10.Ivan “Ironman” Stewart’s Super Off Road -  1989

I can remember the days, late 80’s Bigmouth Pizza on Bergenline Ave in North Bergen, NJ! They featured Ironman’s Stewart’s Super Offroad! This was a souped up version of Championship Sprint. It featured off road madness, water pits, mud pits, nitros and more!
This racing game was loads of fun and included up to 4 players of fun for everyone! For all of our Latino readers, how funny is the name of the track above? Guess you need grandes to get through this obstacle! LOL

A next-gen version of this game is available on WiiWare called Drifter..

Looks pretty good!

9. Super Sprint – Atari- 1986

Ahhhh, Super Sprint, how many quarters did I deposit into this bad boy? Super Sprint is a 1986 arcade game by Atari Games. The player drives a Formula One-like car on a circuit that is viewed from above.  From picking up wrenches, avoiding oil slicks, even using your evasive maneuvers on tornadoes, this game was a winner!

As in the aforementioned, Super Off Road, this game requires you to master the art of the everlasting steering wheel. This would allow one to perform hairpin turns at high speeds. Also, one would need to use the track efficiently by utilizing shortcuts and grabbing all of the power ups one can!

8. Chase HQ – Taito -1988

CHASE HQ! One of my all time faves! It wasn’t just about racing anymore! Now we could crash into Yellow Lamborghini’s and turn them into a fiery mess! You play a detective in this one, tracking down a fugitive with a ridiculously expensive car. The play controls are superb in this game, from driving off road, to racing over cacti in the sand. You have 3 Nitro’s, one has to ensure that they are used effectively to either make the checkpoint or catch up with your enemy Porsche! All in all a spectacular game that mixes, racing with crime fighting and expensive luxury cars.

7. Pitstop II – Epyx 1984

Ok, now is the time that my list separates the real old schoolers to the wanna be ones! This game was way ahead of its time. As you can see from the image below, you could play, head on with a challenger via a split screen view. Pitstop II is the  first 3D racing game to implement a split-screen simultaneous two-player game mode.

The paradigm shifter was the fact the actual pitstop mode! You had to watch your fuel and tires. When both needed work, you would pull over to a designated pitstop and then control your pitstop crew. Since you couldn’t control two crew people at the same time, you had to use them wisely. One would fill your gas and leave him there, while you switch your attention to the tire guys. But keep a watchful eye, if you overfill the gas tank you would have to start filling from empty!

Those of you who missed it or were just a twinkle in your dad’s eye at the time don’t fret,  you can catch this one the Wii Virtual Console  at a cost of 500 Wii Points.

6. Pole Position – Namco – 1982

Who can ever forget the famous scratchy woman’s voice stating, PREPARE TO QUALIFY! This game was really the first racing simulation super smash hit in the arcades! With its fancy cabinet, rear view racer format (which became the standard for many racing games) and very cool steering wheel, Pole Position became the most popular game of 1983!

Who can also forget the strategic product placement ads that the game featured. And you thought that American Idol over did it with the oversized coca-cola cup in front of the judges! This game had more ads then Harry and Kumar’s Trip to White Castles!

5. RCA Pro – Am – Rare -1988

We all love Mario Kart these days, but before Mario Kart, in the 80’s lived a little game called R C Pro am. It was a very popular game in its time selling over 2. 3 million copies in its day. It had all of the elements that made Mario Kart a hit, usage of weapons , obstacles and speed boost regions etc.
Collecting various weapons or tools helped increase your cars traction, engine or your turbo acceleration.

The real  fun factor of the game was that the player was not in the driver seat but actually on the sidelines controlling the car via remote control.  (Just like Doc controlled the Delorian in Back to the Future while Einstein was in the car!)

Overall, a very fun game that our family logged many many hours on!

4. RoadBlasters – Atari – 1987

The game, in a nutshell, is Spy Hunter crossed with Pole Position, thrown into the 21st century. It featured 50 tracks, a fuel gauge, great graphics and excellent play control.Main objectives were to keep a watchful eye of their remaining fuel, dodge enemies, manage the track and by the way shoot down others cars with a large cannon. Special weapons can be obtained through an overhead helicopter which drops it down to your vehicle. Be sure to line yourself up perfectly, or no weapon for you.

Refueling was a fun factor as well, you can refuel your main tank by picking up green globes that were all over the track. Red globes can also be obtained after destroying a vehicle and checkpoints garnered you some fuel as well.

All in all a great game which was ahead of its time in 1987!

3. Spy Hunter is a 1983

This has to be one of the best arcade racing games ever! The arcade game featured either a stand up or sit down cabinet. It boasted amazing music and sound quality, pinpoint controls and futuristic special purpose buttons.  Some of the most interesting features of the game where the wide array of weapons that one can use which could be obtained through the weapons van, the low gear or high gear option (driving in high gear all the time made the game very challenging) and the various types of traffic that you encounter.

The game has attracted worldwide fame because of its fun gameplay, futuristic arcade look and feel and of course who can forget the addicting musical arrangement. The game has spawned make sequels, ports and even an Easter Egg in Microsoft Excel 2000!

The ROCK, was contracted to play the lead role of s Spy Hunter Movie back in 2004. It has been delayed numerous times, however I am sure gaming fans would love to see a Spy Hunter the movie!

2. Enduro -Activision -1983

Enduro! YES!  This game has to be considered a miracle in software programming  with the anemic hardware constraints that the Atari 2600 had to utilize. Enduro, was based on long distance endurance driving.

On the first day, the player hits the road at sunrise and is given the task of passing 200 cars before the day is done. If the player manages that, he is to pass 300 cars, and the difficulty ramps up on each subsequent day.The simulation concept would also allow for various types of road conditions to arise.

You can drive in sunlight, snowy roads, night time, and the dreaded foggy condition.  To be successful the player to has to demonstrate  cat like reflexes to avoid cars that you have to pass to advance.   Icy conditions and very thick fog make this task very difficult, only an expert can navigate the upper levels successfully and then earn the crown of Roadblaster!

All in all, the best racing game on the 2600, arguably amongst the top 2 2600 games of all time, (the other is Pitfall which was also designed by Activision as well) and in my book, the 2nd best racing game that the 80’s produced!

1. Outrun – Sega -1986

Ok we have finally reached the number one racing game of the 80’s The choice is quite simple, Outrun was by far the best racing game the 80’s produced.

It revolutionized the gaming industry in so many ways. New scaling techniques in software engineering, gave the driver the impression of traveling at very high speeds. Players had a maximum of 16 options to complete the game, with forks in the road which included different routes along the way. A player had the option of choosing music, from soft soothing passing breeze to Crazy Taxiesque Offspring-like tracks. The racing experience featured lots of roadside detail and a camera angle that really captured the essence of racing. The player could also choose manual or automatic transmission if they wanted a real challenge!

Check out XBLA’s Outrun Online Arcade, I must have logged 40 hours last month playing that game, A Winner!

How can one not picture themselves, in a Ferrari Testarosa, with a hot blond beginning a drive in a beautiful coastal area? Need I say more!

Perezstart.com Honorable Mention – Rally X – Namco – 1980

I had a chance to play this game this past week and I was amazed by how much fun it was to play. Of course, while I was playing it, I kept saying to myself, this was released in 1980? Wow, it really stands the test of time. Fun to play, challenging and pioneered many concepts which other games utilized.  Here’s to Rally X, our Perezstart.com Honorable Mention!

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