Throwback Thursdays are our excuse to pick out retro games that hold a special rose-tinted place in memory, to plumb the depths of titles that we wished we’d never played, and indeed to peruse titles we never the chance to pick up on release.
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What was Super Sprint?
It was a top-down arcade racer famous for its three-wheel multiplayer cabinet and super-fast twitch racing.
Ported to practically every system known to man after its 1986 arcade début (the Amstrad CPC version remains a personal favourite), Super Sprint garnered a reputation for competitive multiplayer that lived long after the glory days of its arcade life had faded.
From its iconic figure-8 jump track to the oil spills and tornadoes that swept its asphalt, few people growing up in the 80s and 90s aren’t familiar with Atari’s classic.
Was it worth playing back then?
In the arcade, Super Sprint was a bona fide classic almost as soon was it was released. The responsiveness of the wheel and sturdiness of the cabinet (coupled with the fact that three of you could punch each other as you raced) earned it a place amongst the elite multiplayer games of the time.
The shift to home computers was largely successful also, with ACE magazine scoring each of the ports in the region of 80-90%, despite the inferior control scheme offered up in either keyboard or micro-switched joystick format.
Is it worth playing now?
Yep, and with the analogue stick of a modern controller proving a suitable workaround for most, it’s worth hunting down the means to give it a whirl.
Of course a steering wheel would be the ultimate setup, but given the physical thrashing that even a single lap would place on the technology, I’m not sure that a G27 or an MS Force Feedback rig would last for more than a few minutes:
Ah, super sprint. We had a copy on the PC that I think I spent HOURS playing. Still remember getting used to the steering. Constantly kept just blasting into walls as it turned so sharp. Happy days.
I absolutely loved this game! As a kid I must have spent a small fortune playing it in the arcades. The sound was absolutely superb and captured the gameplay wonderfully.
While the home versions are playable the arcade cab is where it’s truly at.
I never even knew the cab existed until now. I’m hoping Manny’s got one tucked away in the corner of his retro room for next time I’m over.
If my memory serves me correctly Atari had originally planned to have four wheels for the cab but discovered, due to the nature of how the game was played, players would keep accidently elbowing each other so they eventually decided on three wheels. At least I think that was the case hence there always being a fourth drone car on the track.