Super Sprint

Super Sprint
Sales flyer promoting the game's 3-player feature
Developer(s)	Atari Games
Publisher(s)	Atari Games
Designer(s)	Robert Weatherby and Kelly Turner
Platform(s)	Arcade Amstrad CPC Atari ST Commodore 64 NES ZX Spectrum
Release	NA: 1986
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player Multiplayer (Up to 3 players simultaneously)
Cabinet	Upright
Arcade system	Atari System 2
Display	Horizontal, Raster, standard resolution (Used: 512 × 384)

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.^[1] The game is a successor to Gran Trak 10 and the Sprint series, which were black-and-white games from the 1970s. A sequel, Championship Sprint, was released later in the same year.

Gameplay

Super Sprint sample gameplay screenshot

Super Sprint is a racing game. Up to three players drive simultaneously on a circuit against opponents controlled by the computer. The circuits are viewed from above and always fit on the screen, so the game never scrolls. After three laps the winner advances to the next circuit. There are 8 circuits in total, but the game only ends if gamers can get to race 85 where the bonus Super Speedway circuit is played. As the player goes to higher levels, more and more obstacles appear on the track, like oil puddles and tiny moving tornadoes. If the car touches them, the player loses control over the car for a short time while it is sliding and spinning. Driving into a wall with high speed or falling from one of the bridges destroys the car, but a helicopter will appear to replace it.

The car can be customized by collecting wrenches that lie on the track. The player can exchange three of them for improved traction, better acceleration or higher top speed.

Ports

Super Sprint has been ported to the following home computers and video game consoles:^[4]

• Amstrad CPC
• Atari ST
• Commodore 64
• ZX Spectrum
• Amiga (2012)
• Nintendo Entertainment System
• PlayStation (part of the Arcade Party Pak)
• Game Boy Advance (released along with Spy Hunter in a dual-game pack in 2005 by Destination Software, Inc.)

Super Sprint was also released on the arcade collection game, Midway Arcade Treasures, for the Nintendo GameCube, the PlayStation 2, and the Xbox systems plus for the PC. Its sequel game, Championship Sprint, was also released for the same systems on Midway Arcade Treasures 2, and as a downloadable game for the PlayStation 3 available from the PlayStation Store. The game was also included in the 2012 compilation Midway Arcade Origins for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.^[5]

Reception

In 1996, Next Generation listed the arcade version as number 59 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time". They explained that while the massive understeer in the game is highly unrealistic, it adds a sense of urgency to the gameplay.^[6]

Legacy

Later in 1986 Championship Sprint was released which is almost identical, but with different tracks, and with a standard-size two-player cabinet instead of Super Sprint's wide 3P cabinet. It was ported to the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64.^[7] Championship Sprint is included in Midway Arcade Treasures 2, Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play, and Midway Arcade Origins,^[8] and was re-released as a downloadable game on the PlayStation Store .^[9]

In 2016, along with many other arcade classics, Super Sprint was re-released in the Lego Dimensions Midway Arcades Level Pack.^[10]

References

External links

• Super Sprint at the Killer List of Videogames
• Super Sprint at the Arcade History database
• Championship Sprint at the Arcade History database
• The Atari ST Port
• Super Sprint at SpectrumComputing.co.uk