Hot Rod (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Hot Rod is an top-down arcade
racing game
by Sega
, released in 1988, it was later developed
and published
in 1990 by Activision
for the Amiga
, ZX Spectrum
, Commodore 64
and Atari ST
.
, released by Atari a few years earlier.
The concept of this game is fairly different from many other racing games. Every time a player falls off screen, they will be penalized by having gas subtracted from their gas meter. If the gas meter reaches "0", the game is over. The player can pick up flashing targets symbolized with a "G". By picking up the target, 20 units gas will be added to the player's gas meter. If the player successfully crosses the finish line, they will be rewarded additional units of gas.
After every race, the player will then go to the Parts Shop. From there, with whatever money they have earned from races, they can purchase upgrades for their car. The types of upgrades include three front or rear engines, three types of bumpers, three types of spoilers, and two types of tires. However, the selection of tires is abudant, and include radial tires, speed tires, spike tires, and snow tires. The player may equip either a front or rear engine, not both at once. It is also impossible to have a spoiler and a rear engine equipped simultaneously.
There are a total of 30 different races spanning across ten different environments, which includes busy highways, dirt roads, a beachside course, a mountain course, farmlands, snowy terrain, a desert, a construction zone, a shipyard, and city streets. There are 3 races per environment, with every third race taking the players to a stadium for a victory ceremony. Afterwards, the players find themselves in a new environment.
The home computer game music was made by Ben Daglish
. The catchy "Shop" theme used in this game would also be used in later Sega racing games including Turbo Outrun
, the Sega Genesis version of Super Hang-On
, and the Game Gear version of GP Rider
.
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
racing game
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, released in 1988, it was later developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
and published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
in 1990 by Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
.
Summary
It allows up to four players simultaneously, and the player competes in races with three other cars. It is possible to upgrade the car at a Parts Shop. The game is derived from a similar game, Super SprintSuper Sprint
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.-Gameplay:...
, released by Atari a few years earlier.
The concept of this game is fairly different from many other racing games. Every time a player falls off screen, they will be penalized by having gas subtracted from their gas meter. If the gas meter reaches "0", the game is over. The player can pick up flashing targets symbolized with a "G". By picking up the target, 20 units gas will be added to the player's gas meter. If the player successfully crosses the finish line, they will be rewarded additional units of gas.
After every race, the player will then go to the Parts Shop. From there, with whatever money they have earned from races, they can purchase upgrades for their car. The types of upgrades include three front or rear engines, three types of bumpers, three types of spoilers, and two types of tires. However, the selection of tires is abudant, and include radial tires, speed tires, spike tires, and snow tires. The player may equip either a front or rear engine, not both at once. It is also impossible to have a spoiler and a rear engine equipped simultaneously.
There are a total of 30 different races spanning across ten different environments, which includes busy highways, dirt roads, a beachside course, a mountain course, farmlands, snowy terrain, a desert, a construction zone, a shipyard, and city streets. There are 3 races per environment, with every third race taking the players to a stadium for a victory ceremony. Afterwards, the players find themselves in a new environment.
The home computer game music was made by Ben Daglish
Ben Daglish
Ben Daglish is a composer and musician. His parents moved to Sheffield when Daglish was aged one year old. He is known for creating many soundtracks during the 1980s for home computer games, including Commodore 64 hits as The Last Ninja, Trap, and Deflektor...
. The catchy "Shop" theme used in this game would also be used in later Sega racing games including Turbo Outrun
Turbo Outrun
Turbo OutRun is a arcade racing game released by Sega. It was released as a dedicated game, as well as an upgradable kit that could be installed on the original Out Run board.-Overview:...
, the Sega Genesis version of Super Hang-On
Super Hang-On
is a 1987 motorcycle racing arcade game from Sega, and the sequel to the acclaimed Hang-On. A version of this game, in the full simulated-motorcycle cabinet used by the original Hang-On was released in 1991 as Limited Edition Hang-On....
, and the Game Gear version of GP Rider
GP Rider
GP Rider is an arcade game developed and manufactured by Sega released in 1990. It was ported to the Sega Master System and Game Gear in 1992.-Game description:...
.
External links
- Hot Rod at Hall Of Light
- Hot Rod at KLOVKiller List of VideogamesThe Killer List of Videogames is a web site featuring an online encyclopedia devoted to cataloging arcade games past and present. It is the video game department of the International Arcade Museum, and has been referred to as "the IMDb for players."....