Pole Position II

{{Infobox video game

| title = Pole Position II

| image = Pole Position II Cover.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption = North American arcade flyer

| developer = Namco

| publisher = {{vgrelease|JP/CHN/EU|Namco{{cite web |title=Video Game Flyers: Pole Position II, Namco (China) |url=https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=4081 |website=The Arcade Flyer Archive |access-date=May 10, 2021}}{{cite web |title=Video Game Flyers: Pole Position II, Namco (Spain) |url=https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=4505 |website=The Arcade Flyer Archive |access-date=May 10, 2021}}|NA|Atari, Inc.}}Atari Corporation (7800)

| released = {{vgrelease|JP/NA|November 1983{{cite book | title=アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編 (1971–2005) | trans-title=Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005) | last1=Akagi | first1=Masumi | publisher=Amusement News Agency | year=2006 | url=https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameList1971-2005/page/n53/mode/2up| lang=ja | location=Japan | isbn=978-4990251215 | page=52}}{{cite book | title=アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編 (1971–2005) | trans-title=Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005) | last1=Akagi | first1=Masumi | publisher=Amusement News Agency | year=2006 | url=https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameList1971-2005/page/n127/mode/2up| lang=ja | location=Japan | isbn=978-4990251215 | page=126}}|WW|1983}}

| genre = Racing (simulation)

| modes = Single-player

| platforms = Arcade, Atari 7800, Commodore 64, Epoch Super Cassette Vision, MS-DOS

| arcade system = Namco Pole Position

}}

{{nihongo foot|Pole Position II|ポールポジションII|Pōru Pojishon Tsū|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is the sequel to racing simulation game Pole Position, released by Namco for arcades in 1983. As with its predecessor, Namco licensed this game to Atari, Inc. for US manufacture and distribution. Atari Corporation released a port as the pack-in game for its Atari 7800 ProSystem console launch in 1986. Pole Position arcade machines can be converted to Pole Position II by swapping several chips.{{KLOV game|id=9064|name=Pole Position II}}

The gameplay is the same as in the original Pole Position with three additional tracks to choose from. Like its predecessor, Pole Position II was a major commercial success in arcades, becoming the highest-grossing arcade game of 1984 in the United States, and remaining among the annual highest-grossing arcade games in Japan and the United States through 1987.

Differences from the original

File:Polepos2.png

The player initially chooses one of four tracks using the steering wheel: Fuji Speedway (from the first game), Test (resembling Indianapolis Motor Speedway), Seaside (resembling the 1982 United States Grand Prix West circuit in Long Beach), and Suzuka Circuit.

The cars have a different color scheme, the explosions now show debris, there are several new billboards, and there is a new opening theme song. The timer is displayed as "TIME" in the Japanese version (as it was in the original game), and it is displayed as "UNIT" in the American release.{{Citation needed|reason=MS-DOS port still displays timer as "TIME".|date=September 2024}}

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Pole Position II on their November 15, 1983, issue as being the second most successful upright/cockpit arcade cabinet 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=224|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=November 15, 1983|page=29|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19831101p.pdf#page=17}} before topping the charts in December 1983.{{cite magazine|title=Best Hit Games 25|magazine=Game Machine|issue=225|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=December 1, 1983|page=33|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19831201p.pdf#page=17}} It was later Japan's third highest-grossing upright/cockpit arcade game of 1986 (below Sega's Hang-On and Space Harrier),{{cite magazine |title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: '86 上半期 |trans-title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: First Half '86 |magazine=Game Machine |issue=288 |publisher=Amusement Press, Inc. |date=July 15, 1986 |page=28 |lang=ja |url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19860715p.pdf#page=15}}{{cite magazine |title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: '86 下半期 |trans-title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: Second Half '86 |magazine=Game Machine |issue=300 |publisher=Amusement Press, Inc. |date=January 15, 1987 |page=16 |lang=ja |url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19870115p.pdf#page=9}} and fifth highest-grossing upright/cockpit arcade game of 1987.{{cite magazine |title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25: '87 |magazine=Game Machine |issue=324 |publisher=Amusement Press, Inc. |date=January 15, 1988 |page=20 |lang=ja |url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19880115p.pdf#page=11}}

In the United States, Pole Position II topped the RePlay arcade chart for software conversion kits in December 1983, with the original Pole Position topping the upright cabinet chart the same month.{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=December 1983}} It topped the RePlay software conversion kit charts for six months into 1984, through January,{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=January 1984}} February,{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=February 1984}} March{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=March 1984}} and April{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=April 1984}} up until May.{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=May 1984}} It also topped the Play Meter conversion kit charts for street locations during July–August 1984.{{cite magazine |title=National Play Meter |magazine=Play Meter |date=August 15, 1984}} Pole Position II became the highest-grossing arcade game of 1984 in the United States, just above the original Pole Position, which was previously the highest-grossing arcade game of 1983.{{cite magazine |title=Top Hits of Last 5 Years |magazine=RePlay |date=March 1987}} Pole Position II was later one of the top five highest-grossing arcade 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}} and the sixth highest-grossing arcade game of 1986.{{cite news |title=Top 20 of 1986 |work=Top Score |date=July–August 1987 |publisher=Amusement Players Association |page=3 |url=http://www.videoparadise-sanjose.com/ts-3.htm}}

Gene Lewin of Play Meter magazine reviewed the arcade game, scoring it 9 out of 10.{{cite magazine |last1=Lewin |first1=Gene |title=Gene's Judgements: Critiquing AMOA Show Conversions, Dedicated Games |magazine=Play Meter |date=January 15, 1984 |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=60–3 |url=https://archive.org/details/play-meter-volume-10-number-2-january-15th-1984/Play%20Meter%20-%20Volume%2010%2C%20Number%202%20-%20January%2015th%201984/page/60/mode/2up}} Computer and Video Games reviewed the Atari 7800 version, giving it an 84% score.{{cite journal |title=Complete Games Guide |journal=Computer and Video Games |date=October 16, 1989 |issue=Complete Guide to Consoles |pages=46–77 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46}}

Legacy

Pole Position II has been re-released as part of various Namco Museum compilations, but the two active permanent circuits were removed (because of licensing issues with both Toyota, which owns Fuji Speedway, and Honda, which owns Suzuka Circuit, but no licensing issues with the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach) and similar looking circuits, Namco Circuit and Wonder Circuit (after Namco's Wonder series of Japanese theme parks) were added respectively. In Namco Museum Virtual Arcade, they were renamed to Blue and Orange respectively, even though neither track features the colors, although the layouts were similar.

In 2006, Namco Networks released Pole Position II for mobile phones.[http://wireless.ign.com/articles/681/681565p1.html IGN review of Pole Position II cell phone game] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060316153018/http://wireless.ign.com/articles/681/681565p1.html |date=March 16, 2006}}