Hard Drivin'

Hard Drivin' is a famous 3D racing coin-op created by Atari and released in 1989. The conversions for home computers, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum, and Mega Drive, were managed by Domark.

The arcade was revolutionary, not just because it was one of the first racing games to use full 3D polygonal graphics but because Atari built the cabinet like a real car. The experience for the players was fantastic. Of course, this could not be preserved in the home versions, as racing wheel controllers were unavailable then. But technically speaking, Domark did a great job porting the 3D engine to all computers and consoles, including the less powerful ones (like the ZX Spectrum). On Amiga, DOS, and Mega Drive/Genesis, the 3D engine works well, even if it's not faster than the arcade. Unfortunately, more playtesting would have been necessary because the controls are not perfectly tuned, and it isn't easy to drive the cars properly. Some users hated it because of this, while others were impressed by the fantastic 3D graphics.

Like many other early 3D games, Hard Drivin' has not aged so well, but it's a milestone in the history of video games. If you have never tried it, it's time to do it.