Pole Position

{{Infobox video game

| title = Pole Position

| image = Pole Position cover.jpg

| caption = Arcade flyer

| designer = Kazunori Sawano
Sho Osugi
Shinichiro Okamoto

| composer = Nobuyuki Ohnogi
Yuriko Keino

| programmer = Koichi Tashiro

| developer = Namco

| publisher = {{vgrelease|JP/EU|Namco{{cite web |title=Video Game Flyers: Pole Position, Namco (EU) |url=https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=6537 |website=The Arcade Flyer Archive |access-date=10 April 2021}}|NA/FRA|Atari, Inc.{{cite web |title=Video Game Flyers: Pole Position, Atari, Inc. (France) |url=https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=3898 |website=The Arcade Flyer Archive |access-date=10 April 2021}}}}

| platforms = Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, TI-99/4A, VIC-20, Vectrex, ZX Spectrum, Mobile phone

| released = {{vgrelease|JP|September 16, 1982|NA|November 30, 1982|EU|Late 1982}}

| genre = Racing

| modes = Single-player

}}

{{nihongo foot|Pole Position|ポールポジション|Pōru Pojishon|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a 1982 racing video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It was licensed to Atari, Inc. for US manufacture and distribution. Pole Position is considered one of the most important titles from the golden age of arcade video games. It was an evolution of Namco's earlier arcade racing electro-mechanical games, like F-1 (1976), whose designer Sho Osugi worked on Pole Position.

The game was a major commercial success in arcades. After becoming the highest-grossing arcade game of 1982 in Japan, it went on to become the most popular coin-operated arcade video game internationally in 1983. In North America, it was the highest-grossing arcade game for both 1983 and 1984 and still one of the top five in 1985.

Pole Position spawned ports, sequels, and a Saturday morning cartoon, although the cartoon has little in common with the game. The game established the conventions of the racing genre and its success inspired many imitators. Pole Position is regarded as one of the most influential video games of all time, and is considered to be the most influential racing game in particular. A sequel, Pole Position II, was released in 1983 with four tracks instead of one.

Gameplay

Image:Pole0000.png

The player assumes the role of a Formula One race car driver who is attempting to compete in a race at the Fuji Speedway. The first objective is to complete a one-lap time trial within a specified time limit in order to qualify for the race. A successful qualification awards bonus points and sets the player's starting position among seven computer-controlled cars, based on the lap time. The actual race consists of a set number of laps, with a set amount of time given at the start and more granted after each lap.

During both the time trial and the race, the player can briefly lose control of the car by running through puddles on the track, colliding with other cars, or driving around curves too quickly. Running off the track and into the grass will slow the car down. Billboards placed next to the track will destroy the car if it collides with one of them, resulting in a brief delay as a new car is put into play.

The game ends when the player either runs out of time during the qualifying lap or the race, or completes the final lap. The player earns bonus points for every car passed, and an additional bonus for any time left on the clock.

Pole Position was the first racing video game to feature a track based on a real racing circuit. It was also the first game to feature a qualifying lap, requiring the player to finish a time trial before they can compete in Grand Prix races. Once the player has qualified, they must complete the race in the time allowed, avoiding collisions with CPU-controlled opponents and billboards along the sides of the track. The game's North American distributor, Atari, publicized the game for its "unbelievable driving realism" in providing a Formula 1 experience behind a racing wheel. The game's graphics featured full-colour landscapes with scaling sprites, including race cars and other signs, and a pseudo-3D, third-person, rear perspective view of the track, with its vanishing point swaying side to side as the player approaches corners, accurately simulating forward movement into the distance.Bernard Perron & Mark J. P. Wolf (2008), Video game theory reader two, p. 157, Taylor & Francis, {{ISBN|0-415-96282-X}} While earlier three-dimensional arcade driving games emphasized staying on the road while avoiding crashes, Pole Position gives a higher reward for passing rival cars and finishing among the leaders.

Cabinet

Pole Position was released in two configurations: a standard upright cabinet and an environmental/cockpit cabinet. Both versions include a steering wheel and a gear shifter for low and high gears, but the environmental/cockpit cabinet featured both an accelerator and a brake pedal, while the standard upright one only featured an accelerator pedal.[http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9063 http://www.arcade-museum.com] - Pole Position - video game by Atari

Development

File:Pole Position in Computerspielemuseum, Berlin.jpg

Pole Position was created by both Shinichiro Okamoto and Galaxian designer Kazunori Sawano. Namco electro-mechanical game engineer Sho Osugi also assisted with development. Based on Namco's experience with producing coin-operated electro-mechanical driving games in the 1970s, notably F-1 (1976) designed by Sho Osugi, Sawano showed Okamoto rough sketches of his idea, who liked it enough to begin production of a video racing game. Okamoto wanted the game to be a true driving simulation game that used a 3D perspective and allowed the player to execute real-world techniques.{{cite book |author1=Video Game Museum Project |title=Terebi gēmu. |date=June 1988 |publisher=You B You |isbn=978-4946432316 |url=http://shmuplations.com/earlyarcade/ |language=ja}} He also chose to add the Fuji Speedway into the game to make newer players recognize it when they first played. Music was jointly composed by Nobuyuki Ohnogi and Yuriko Keino.{{cite book |last1=Szczepaniak |first1=John |title=The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers |date=11 August 2014 |isbn=978-0992926007 |pages=201 |edition=First |url=https://archive.org/details/TheUntoldHistoryOfJapaneseGameDevelopersVol.2JohnSzczepaniak/page/n361?q=cutie+q |access-date=12 August 2019}}

Development of the game lasted for three years. Okamoto recalls the most challenging part of development being to produce the hardware needed to run it, as the game was too "ambitious" to run on older hardware. The development team used two 16-bit processors to power the game, which Okamoto says was an unheard-of concept for arcade games at the time—for a while, it was the only video game to use a Z8000 CPU. Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani chose the name Pole Position as he thought it sounded "cool" and appealing, and he shortly after filed a trademark for it.{{cite web |title=バンダイナムコ知新「第1回ビデオゲームのはじまり後編」岩谷徹氏インタビュー |url=https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/asobimotto/page/videogame2.html |publisher=Bandai Namco Entertainment |access-date=13 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827174942/https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/asobimotto/page/videogame2.html |archive-date=27 August 2019 |date=6 March 2019}} The controls also proved to be a challenge, as Okamoto wanted them to feel realistic and to match up with the gameplay — Osugi remembers Namco president Masaya Nakamura becoming frustrated with them, having difficulty keeping the car moving in a straight line.{{cite web |title=バンダイナムコ知新「第2回カーレースゲームの変遷前編」大杉章氏、岡本進一郎氏、岡本達郎氏インタビュー |url=https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/asobimotto/page/carracinggames1.html |publisher=Bandai Namco Entertainment |access-date=13 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514132224/https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/asobimotto/page/carracinggames1.html |archive-date=14 May 2019 |date=25 April 2019}}

The game's arcade cabinet, a sit-down "environmental" machine, was chosen due to their popularity at the time. The development team had long fights over how fast the gear-shift should be, until it was ultimately decided to simply be either high or low speed.

Release

Pole Position was officially released in Japan on September 16, 1982.{{cite web |title=Pole Position (Registration Number PA0000184751) |url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov |website=United States Copyright Office |access-date=6 May 2021}}{{cite book|last=Akagi|first=Masumi|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/ArcadeGameList1971-2005#page/n53/mode/1up|chapter=ナムコ Namco|title=アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編 (1971-2005)|edition=1st|publisher=Amusement News Agency|date=13 October 2006|page=52|isbn=978-4990251215|language=ja}} It was licensed out to Atari, Inc. for release in North America, where it made its debut at Chicago's 1982 Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show, held during November 18–20,{{cite magazine | magazine = Video Games| volume = 1 | publisher = Pumpkin Press | issue = 6 | page = 66 | title = Top Ten Hits | date=March 1983 | url=https://archive.org/stream/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_06_1983-03_Pumpkin_Press_US#page/n65/mode/2up}} before receiving a mass-market North American release on November 30, 1982,{{cite web |title=Pole Position (Registration Number PA0000184750) |url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov |website=United States Copyright Office |access-date=6 May 2021}} while Namco themselves released the game in Europe in late 1982. After its release, Osugi stated that all of Namco's older electro-mechanical driving games were discontinued, as the company saw the future of arcade racers in the form of video games.

Advertising

The game is an early example of product placement in a video game, with billboards around the track advertising actual companies.{{cite web|url=http://qtchicks.hp.infoseek.co.jp/namco_pp.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220212702/http://qtchicks.hp.infoseek.co.jp/namco_pp.html|archive-date=2007-12-20 |script-title=ja:ポールポジション／II |language=ja |access-date=2009-07-03}}

The game was also featured in a TV commercial shown only on MTV. It was part of a series of TV spots that Atari created in the 1980s exclusively for MTV.{{cite web|url=http://digthatbox.com/classic_1980s_atari_mtv_commercials.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912015358/http://digthatbox.com/classic_1980s_atari_mtv_commercials.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 12, 2011|title=Classic 1980s Atari MTV Commercials|website=digthatbox.com}}

Reception

{{Video game reviews

|Allgame = {{rating|3|5}} (Arcade){{cite web |last1=Cook |first1=Brad |title=Pole Position - Review |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=10740&tab=review |website=Allgame |publisher=All Media Network |access-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114201835/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=10740&tab=review |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |date=1998}}

|CVG = Positive (Arcade)
34/40 (Atari VCS){{cite magazine|magazine=Computer and Video Games|title=Software Reviews|page=31|issue=26 (December 1983)|date=16 November 1983|url=https://archive.org/details/computer-video-games-magazine-026/page/n30/mode/1up}}
85% (Atari VCS){{cite journal |title=Complete Games Guide |journal=Computer and Video Games |date=16 October 1989 |issue=Complete Guide to Consoles |pages=46–77 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46}}

|EuroG = 6/10 (retrospective){{cite web |last1=Wild |first1=Kim |title=Pole Position |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/pole-position-review |website=Eurogamer |publisher=Gamer Network |access-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010111459/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/pole-position-review |archive-date=October 10, 2019 |date=October 29, 2007}}

|YSinclair = {{rating|4|5}} (Spectrum){{cite journal|title=Joystick Jury|journal=Your Spectrum| date=April 1985 |issue=13|url=http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=YourSpectrum/Issue13/Pages/YourSpectrum1300049.jpg|access-date=11 February 2012|page=49}}

|rev1 = Computer Gamer

|rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}} (Spectrum){{cite journal|title=Pole Position|journal=Computer Gamer|date=September 1985|issue=6|url= http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=ComputerGamer/Issue06/Pages/ComputerGamer0600064.jpg|access-date=11 February 2012|page=64}}

|rev2 = Computer Games

|rev2Score = Classic (home computers){{cite magazine |title=1985 Software Buyer's Guide |magazine=Computer Games |date=February 1985 |volume=3 |issue=5 |pages=11–8, 51–8 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Games_Vol_3_No_5_1985-02_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n13/mode/2up}}

|rev3 = Electronic Games

|rev3Score = Positive (Arcade)

|rev4 = Telematch

|rev4Score = {{Rating|6|6}} (2600){{cite web|url=http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_telematch_1983-06_seite24|title=Kultpower Archiv: Komplettscan Telematch 6/1983|website=www.kultpower.de|access-date=2015-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191343/http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_telematch_1983-06_seite24|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}
{{Rating|5|6}} (Vectrex){{cite web|url=http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_telematch_1984-03_seite28|title=Kultpower Archiv: Komplettscan Telematch 3/1984|website=www.kultpower.de|access-date=2015-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209002921/http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_telematch_1984-03_seite28|archive-date=2018-02-09|url-status=dead}}

|rev5 = Video Games

|rev5Score = Positive (Arcade)

|award1Pub = Arcade Awards (1983)

|award1=Coin-Op Game of the Year{{cite magazine|title=Coin-Op Game of the Year|magazine=Electronic Games|date=January 1984|volume=2| issue=23|url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGames/Electronic%20Games%20Issue%2023%20%28January%201984%29/page/n77|page=77}}

|award2Pub = Arkie Awards (1984)

|award2=Computer Game of the Year ({{nowrap|Certificate of Merit}}){{cite magazine|title=Coin-Op Game of the Year|magazine=Electronic Games |date=January 1985|volume=3|issue=35|url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGames/Electronic%20Games%20Issue%2031%20%28January%201985%29/page/n14/mode/1up|page=28}}

|award3Pub = Softline (1984)

|award3=Most Popular Program: Atari ({{nowrap|Fourth Place}}){{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1984&pub=6&id=16 | title=The Best and the Rest | work=St.Game | date=Mar–Apr 1984 | access-date=28 July 2014 | pages=49}}

}}

In Japan, Game Machine magazine listed Pole Position as the highest-grossing arcade game of 1982.{{cite magazine|title="Pole Position" No. 1 Video Game: Game Machine{{'}}s "The Year's Best Three AM Machines" Survey Results|magazine=Game Machine|issue=207|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=1 March 1983|page=30|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830301p.pdf#page=16}} Game Machine later listed it in their June 1, 1983 issue as the second top-grossing upright arcade unit of the month,{{cite magazine|title=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)|magazine=Game Machine|issue=213|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=1 June 1983|page=29|lang=ja}} before it returned to being the top-grossing game of the month in October 1983.{{cite magazine|title=Best Hit Games 25|magazine=Game Machine|issue=222|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=15 October 1983|page=35|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19831015p.pdf#page=18}} Internationally, Pole Position was the most popular game in 1983.{{cite book |chapter=Racing Games Roundup: Facts |title=Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition |date=2008 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/153 |publisher=Little Brown Books |page=154|isbn=9781904994213}} In Europe, it was a top-grossing arcade game in 1983.{{cite magazine |title=Drive a Laser Racer! Grand Prix |magazine=Computer and Video Games |date=16 October 1983 |issue=25 (November 1983) |page=31 |url=https://archive.org/details/computer-video-games-magazine-025/page/n30}}

In the United States, it sold over 21,000 arcade cabinets for an estimated {{US$|61 million|long=no}} (${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|61000000|1982}}}} adjusted for inflation) by 1983.{{cite web|last=Fujihara|first=Mary|title=Inter Office Memo|url=http://www.atarigames.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:atari-sales-estimates-for-other-manufactures-2&catid=5:atari-inter-office-memos&Itemid=5|publisher=Atari|access-date=18 March 2012|date=1983-11-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705035754/http://www.atarigames.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:atari-sales-estimates-for-other-manufactures-2&catid=5:atari-inter-office-memos&Itemid=5|archive-date=2015-07-05}}{{cite web|title=Atari Production Numbers Memo|url=http://www.atarigames.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:atari-production-numbers-memo&catid=5:atari-inter-office-memos&Itemid=5|publisher=Atari Games|access-date=18 March 2012|date=4 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120084806/http://www.atarigames.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47%3Aatari-production-numbers-memo&catid=5%3Aatari-inter-office-memos&Itemid=5|archive-date=20 January 2013|url-status=dead}} In addition, US coin drop earnings averaged {{US$|9.5 million|long=no}} ({{US$|{{inflation|US|9.5|1982}} million|long=no}} adjusted for inflation) per week{{cite book |last1=Lendino |first1=Jamie |title=Attract Mode: The Rise and Fall of Coin-Op Arcade Games |date=27 September 2020 |publisher=Steel Gear Press |page=220 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d6wCEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA220}} ($450 weekly per machine).[http://www.vasulka.org/archive/Writings/VideogameImpact.pdf#page=13 Video game mass impact] On the US RePlay arcade charts, it topped the upright cabinet charts for seven months in 1983, from March{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=March 1983}}{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=April 1983}}{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=May 1983}} through August{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=June 1983}}{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=July 1983}}{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=August 1983}} and again in December.{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=December 1983}} It also topped the US Play Meter arcade charts for six consecutive months from March{{cite magazine |title=The Top 15 Arcade Games: March 15, 1983 |magazine=Video Games |date=May 1983 |volume=1 |issue=8 |page=82 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_08_1983-05_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n81/mode/1up}}{{cite magazine |title=Play Meter's Equipment Poll: Top Videos |magazine=Play Meter |date=May 1, 1983 |volume=9 |issue=8 |page=16 |url=https://archive.org/details/play-meter-volume-9-number-8-may-1st-1983-600dpi/Play%20Meter%20-%20Volume%209%2C%20Number%208%20-%20May%201st%2C%201983%20%28Compressed%29/page/16/mode/1up}}{{cite magazine |title=The Top 12 Arcade Games: May 15, 1983 |magazine=Video Games |date=July 1983 |volume=1 |issue=10 |page=82 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_10_1983-07_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n81}} through August 1983,{{cite magazine |title=The Top Arcade Games: June 15, 1983 |magazine=Video Games |date=August 1983 |volume=1 |issue=11 |page=82 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_11_1983-08_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n81/mode/1up}}{{cite magazine |title=Top 15 Arcade Games |magazine=Video Games |date=September 1983 |volume=1 |issue=12 |page=82 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_12_1983-09_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n81/mode/1up}}{{cite magazine |title=Top 20 Arcade Games |magazine=Video Games |date=October 1983 |volume=2 |issue=1 |page=82 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_2_Number_01_1983-10_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n81/mode/1up}} and then topped the street locations chart in November 1983.{{cite magazine |title=Play Meter's Equipment Poll: Top Videos |magazine=Play Meter |date=November 15, 1983}} It ended the year as the highest-grossing arcade game of 1983 in North America,{{cite web|last=Gifford|first=Kevin|title=Final Lap Twin|url=http://magweasel.com/2011/03/16/i-love-the-pc-engine-final-lap-twin/|publisher=MagWeasel|access-date=28 April 2012|date=March 16, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630023458/http://magweasel.com/2011/03/16/i-love-the-pc-engine-final-lap-twin/|archive-date=2017-06-30}} according to RePlay{{cite magazine |title=Top Hits of Last 5 Years |magazine=RePlay |date=March 1987}} and the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA),{{cite magazine |title=Around The Route |magazine=Cash Box |date=26 November 1983 |page=32 |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox45unse_24/page/32 |publisher=Cash Box Pub. Co.}} and again became the highest-grossing arcade game of 1984 in the United States.{{cite magazine |title=Michael Jackson Sweeps AMOA Awards; 'Pole Position' Wins In Games Division |magazine=Cash Box |date=November 10, 1984 |pages=31, 33 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1984/CB-1984-11-10.pdf#page=31}} Several years after its release, it was still one of the top five highest-grossing arcade video games of 1985.{{cite magazine |title=AMOA Expo '85: 1985 AMOA Award Nominees |magazine=RePlay |date=November 1985 |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=62, 64, 66 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-11-issue-no.-2-november-1985-600DPI/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2011%2C%20Issue%20No.%202%20-%20November%201985/page/62}}

The console version topped the UK sales charts in late 1983.{{cite magazine|magazine=Computer and Video Games|title=Video Gaming: Top Ten|pages=40–1|issue=26 (December 1983)|date=16 November 1983|url=https://archive.org/details/computer-video-games-magazine-026/page/n39/mode/2up}} In the United States between 1986 and 1990, the Atari 2600 version sold {{formatnum:{{#expr:128682+194486+206406+33855+14852}}|}} units for {{US$|{{#expr:710102+1115886+1528926+239073+48259}}|long=no}}, the Atari 5200 version sold {{formatnum:{{#expr:9455+2993+44}}|}} units for {{US$|{{#expr:47416+14965+220}}|long=no}}, and the version for Atari 8-bit computers version sold {{formatnum:{{#expr:(140+36)+1157+7067+576+228}}|}} units for {{US$|{{#expr:(1327+341)+12154+84385+5711+2096}}|long=no}}, adding up to {{formatnum:{{#expr:578281+12492+9204}}|}} units sold and {{US$|{{#expr:3642246+62601+106014}}|long=no|1986|round=-5}} grossed between 1986 and 1990.{{Cite web|last=Vendel|first=Curt|date=May 28, 2009|title=Site News|url=http://www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206090952/http://www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html|archive-date=2010-12-06|access-date=2021-11-27|website=Atari Museum}}

=Reviews=

Upon its North American debut at AMOA 1982, it was reviewed by Video Games magazine, which listed it among the show's top ten games. They compared it favorably with Sega's Turbo (1981), referring to Pole Position as "Turbo Deluxe" in "a speedway, not a cross-country race". They called Pole Position the "ultimate test of driving skill" for racing players. Electronic Games reviewed the arcade game in 1983, writing that it "keeps the action on track from start to finish" with "challenging play", noting the gameplay is "reasonably faithful to real life" Formula One races. They also praised the sound effects and "solid, realistic graphics", stating it has "very rich color images" and "dimensional depth to the graphics".{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Games_Volume_01_Number_16_1983-06_Reese_Communications_US/page/n91 | title=Insert Coin Here | work=Electronic Games | date=June 1983 | author=Sharpe, Roger C. | pages=92–97}} They gave it the 1983 Arcade Award for Coin-Op Game of the Year, praising the racing gameplay, "beautiful graphics" and "breathtaking" scenery as well as "the two-heat format for the race itself".

Computer and Video Games reviewed the arcade game in 1983, writing that it "is simply the most exhilarating driving simulation game on the market". They compared it favorably with Turbo, stating that, while Turbo "featured better landscapes", it "can't match the speed, thrills and skill behind this new race game". They said Pole Position{{'}}s "graphics are sophisticated and believable", noting that cars "turning corners are shown in every graphic detail of the maneuvre". They also praised the gameplay, concluding that "trying to hold a screaming curve or overtake" offers "thrills to compare with the real racetrack".{{cite magazine |title=Arcade Action |magazine=Computer and Video Games |date=16 March 1983 |issue=18 (April 1983) |pages=30–1 |url=https://archive.org/details/cvg-magazine-018/page/n29/mode/2up}} It was considered the all-time best racing/driving game by InfoWorld in 1983{{cite journal |title=The Industry |journal=InfoWorld |date=5 December 1983 |volume=5 |issue=49 |page=155 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6C8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA155 |publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.}} and Computer Games in early 1985.

When reviewing the Atari 8-bit version, InfoWorld called it "by far the best road-race game ever thrown on a video screen" with "bright and brilliant" graphics,{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0C8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA73 | title=Electronic Antics | work=InfoWorld | date=1983-11-07 | access-date=15 February 2015 | author=Mace, Scott | pages=73–74}} and reiterated the recommendation in InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari Computers,{{Cite book |last=Mace |first=Scott |url=https://archive.org/details/InfoWorlds_Essential_Guide_to_Atari/page/n83/mode/2up?view=theater |title=InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari Computers |publisher=Harper & Row |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-06-669006-3 |pages=74}} but said the Commodore 64 version "looks like a rush job and is far from arcade-game quality".{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jC4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50 | title=Atarisoft vs. Commodore | work=InfoWorld | date=1984-04-09 | access-date=4 February 2015 | author=Mace, Scott | pages=50}} Computer Games magazine criticized the Commodore conversions for lacking various features from the arcade original, giving the C64 version a mixed review and the VIC-20 version a negative review.{{cite magazine |title=Conversion Capsules: Hit Games in New Formats |magazine=Computer Games |date=December 1984 |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=62–3 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Games_Vol_3_No_4_1984-12_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n61/mode/2up}} Computer and Video Games reviewed the Atari 2600 version, stating it is "the best driving game available" on the Atari VCS. When reviewing the Atari 5200 version, Hi-Res in 1984 found "the playability of the game to be limited and the graphics to be the strongest aspect of the game". The magazine preferred Adventure International's Rally Speedway to both Pole Position and Epyx's Pitstop.{{cite news | url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/hi-res/v1n4/reviews.php | title=Pole Position / Pitstop | work=Hi-Res | date=May–June 1984 | access-date=22 December 2014 | author=Reed, Stephen | pages=14}}

In 2007, Eurogamer gave it a mixed retrospective review, calling it "a simulation down to the core" and that those dedicated racing fans will be deterred by the game's difficulty. Entertainment Weekly called Pole Position one of the top ten games for the Atari 2600 in 2013.{{cite magazine | url=http://www.ew.com/article/2013/01/25/the-10-best-atari-games | first=Aaron | last=Morales | title=The 10 best Atari games | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | date=January 25, 2013 | access-date=April 17, 2016}}

=Impact=

Pole Position is regarded as one of the most influential video games of all time. Bill Loguce and Matt Barton listed it as one of the 25 most influential games of all time, calling it "arguably the most important racing game ever made".{{citation|title=Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time|first1=Bill|last1=Loguidice|first2=Matt|last2=Barton|publisher=Focal Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-240-81146-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M_bFdsP9L7oC|pages=195–6|ref=vintage_log}} In 1984, Electronic Games stated that, for "the first time in the amusement parlors, a first-person racing game gives a higher reward for passing cars and finishing among the leaders rather than just for keeping all four wheels on the road, thus making driving an art". In 1995, Flux magazine ranked the game 32nd on their "Top 100 Video Games".{{Cite journal |date=April 1995 |title=Top 100 Video Games |url=https://archive.org/details/flux-issue-4/page/n29/mode/2up |journal=Flux |publisher=Harris Publications |issue=4 |pages=28}} In 2015, Pole Position topped IGN's list of The Top 10 Most Influential Racing Games Ever. They stated it had "a drastically better-looking" third-person "chase cam view" than Turbo, was "the first racing game based on a real-world racing circuit (Fuji Speedway in Japan)", "introduced checkpoints, and was the first to require a qualifying lap", and that its success, as "the highest-grossing arcade game in North America in 1983, cemented the genre in place for decades to come and inspired a horde of other racing games".{{cite web|url=http://ign.com/articles/2015/04/03/the-top-10-most-influential-racing-games-ever?page=2|title=The Top 10 Most Influential Racing Games Ever|date=3 April 2015}}

Legacy

Pole Position was the most successful racing game of the classic era, spawning ports, sequels, and a Saturday morning cartoon.

The game spawned a number of clones, such as Top Racer from Commodore International, which led to a lawsuit from Namco against Commodore Japan that led to the seizure of Top Racer copies.{{cite magazine|title=Overseas Readers Column: Namco Sued Commodore Japan|magazine=Game Machine|issue=208|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=15 March 1983|page=26|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830315p.pdf#page=14}}

=Other media=

{{see also|Pole Position (TV series){{!}}Pole Position (TV series)}}

The title spawned a Saturday morning cartoon of the same name.

Parker Brothers published the Pole Position board game in 1983.{{cite web |url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2732/pole-position/credits |title=Pole Position (1983) | website=boardgamegeek.com |access-date=17 May 2022}}