Speed Freak

Manufacturer: Vectorbeam
Year: 1978
Class: Wide Release
Genre: Racing
Type: Videogame

Monitor:

Orientation: Horizontal
Type: Vector
CRT: Black and White

Conversion Class: unique
Number of Simultaneous Players: 1
Maximum number of Players: 1
Gameplay: Single
Control Panel Layout: Single Player
Controls:

Steering: Wheel
Shifter: 4-position (1/2/3/4)
Pedals: 1

Sound: Amplified Mono (one channel)

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Speed Freak Description

The gameplay is timed and consists of controlling a car along a desolate road, avoiding oncoming traffic and police roadblocks and passing by cacti, cows, and hitchhikers. There are two different crash scenes, one with automotive parts flying (axle, wheel, etc.) and one with a simple cracking of the windsheild.

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Cabinet Information

The side-art consists of one sticker on each side, displaying the name of the game on one side of a road and a speeding red car, from a top-down perspective, on the other side. The marquee is metal and opaque, displaying the name in the same lettering as the side with no bulb fixture or lighting of any kind behind it. The monitor bezel does not contain any artwork. The control panel is black except for a yellow and red stripe curving around the wheel and shifter.

Game Introduction

This driving game is very intense. Your perspective is somewhat overhead and behind the hood of the car. A very fast game. In fourth gear you are moving extremely fast and control is difficult, making for exciting and hectic manuevers. The oncoming traffic is always the same car composed of 3-dimensional "wireframe" vector graphics -- very impressive and ahead of their time -- similar to the enemy tanks in Battlezone. The stationary objects are not as impressive and usually crudely rendered.

Game Play

A first-time player usually crashes twice in the first ten seconds of gameplay. The player is allowed unlimited crashes and plays until time runs out. Points are awarded for successfully passing objects and continuously driving without crashing.

VAPS Arcade Census

GAMES OWNED, WANTED, or FOR SALE BY MEMBERS OF THE VIDEO ARCADE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Uncommon - There are 10 known instances of Speed Freak owned by one of our 900 members. Of these, 10 of them are original dedicated machines

Of the 56,606 video games (3,411 unique) tracked by the Video Game Preservation Society, this game ranks a 2 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most commonly seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on ownership records.

Wanted - There is one VAPS member currently looking for Speed Freak.

Rarity is NOT necessarily an indication of value. Some common games show up as very rare here because collectors don't want them (they are common because arcade operators might be sitting on tons of them in warehouses), while some fairly scarce games are grabbed by collectors every time they show up. Additionally, some games made in the last 5 years are still making money for operators and are thus not yet affordable to the typical collector. For a clue to value, compare how many people have this game vs. how many people want this game and then click on the eBay links to help determine an accurate price range.

eBay Listings

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Speed Freak

1. Speed Freaks Coin-op Arcade Manual
Auction ends in: 2 days, 15 hours
eBay Stores (Fixed Price):
$6.99

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Manuals

Operation and Maintenance Manual 74 Pages, 6431 KB File.

Foto-Finder™

The Encyclpedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 69; Color photo;

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