Final Lap
Final Lap[lower-alpha 1] is a racing video game developed by Namco and released in Japan in 1987. Atari Games published the game in the United States in 1988. It was the first game to run on Namco's then-new System 2 hardware and is a direct successor to Namco's Pole Position (1982) and Pole Position II (1983). A port for the Nintendo Famicom was developed by Arc System Works.
| Final Lap | |
|---|---|
 Arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) |
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| Composer(s) | Shinji Hosoe |
| Series | Final Lap |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Family Computer |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Cabinet | Upright, sitdown |
| Arcade system | Namco System 2 |
Final Lap was the first racing game to allow up to eight players to simultaneously race on the Suzuka Circuit in a Formula One race. This was, at the time, considered a revolutionary feature, and was implemented by linking together up to four two-player sitdown-style arcade cabinets. There was also a single-player mode, in which the player's score was based on how far the car traveled until time ran out or if the player completed four laps.
Gameplay
The player drives Formula One cars of the 1987 season and may choose between Williams-Honda, Lotus-Honda, McLaren-Porsche, or March-Cosworth. 1987 was the first year a Formula One grand prix was held on the Suzuka Circuit, the main track in the game. The track is reproduced very accurately for a 1987 video game, going so far as to include sponsor billboards. However, the track is greatly shortened, and it takes less than forty seconds to complete one lap in the game.
The Famicom version is mostly unrelated to the original arcade game, including more tracks and somewhat simpler game play. The Famicom version features both a single-player and two-player split screen mode. The game uses an upgrade system, rather than different cars. The game will slowly increase the computer controlled car's difficulty, requiring you to continuously upgrade your car in order to keep up. The upgrades consist of engine upgrades, brake upgrades, tire upgrades, and extra boost. The game was released in Japan on August 12, 1988.[1]
Reception
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In Japan, Game Machine listed Final Lap on their February 1, 1988 issue as being the most-successful upright arcade unit of the year.[4]
Legacy
Final Lap was followed by Final Lap 2 in 1990 which featured courses in Japan, the United States, Italy, and Monaco; Final Lap 3 in 1992, which featured courses in England, France, San Marino, and Spain; and Final Lap R in 1993, which featured courses in Belgium, Brazil, Germany, and Hungary.
There were also a number of spinoffs: the unusual racing-RPG Final Lap Twin released for the TurboGrafx-16 in 1989; and Final Lap 2000 and Final Lap Special, a pair of games released for the WonderSwan and WonderSwan Color respectively.
References
- "Final Lap International Releases". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
- Cook, Brad (1998). "Final Lap - Review". Allgame. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- Kelly, Nick (May 1988). "Arcades: Final Lap". Commodore User. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 325. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 February 1988. p. 23.