Wikipedia

Head On(video game)

Head Onis anarcade video gamedeveloped bySega/Gremlinand released bySegain 1979. It was the firstmaze video gamewhere the goal is to run over dots.[5]Designed by Lane Hauck at Sega/Gremlin in the United States, it was the fourth highest-grossing arcade game of 1979 in both Japan and the US.

Head On
North American flyer
Developer(s)Sega/Gremlin
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Lane Hauck[4]
Platform(s)Arcade,Commodore 64,VIC-20,Game Boy,PC-8801,Sharp MZ[2]
ReleaseHead On
Head On Part II
Genre(s)Maze
Mode(s)1-2 players alternating turns
Arcade systemDual

Sega released a sequel,Head On Part II,later the same year. The original inspired a number of clones, as well asNamco'sRally-X(1980).

Gameplay

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Arcade screenshot

Two cars continuously drive forward through rectangular channels in a simple maze. At the four cardinal directions are gaps where a car can change lanes. The player goal is to collect all dots in the maze while avoiding collisions with the computer-controlled car that is travelling in the opposite direction.

Development

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The game was developed bySega/Gremlinin the United States, designed by Lane Hauck. He brainstormed the concept in 1978, roughly around the time thatSegapurchasedGremlin Industries.After the acquisition, veteran Sega engineer Shikanosuke Ochi had a look at a prototype ofHead Onand suggested a change. Originally, the rounds inHead Onwere dictated by a timer as most games of the 1970s were, butTaito'sSpace Invadersintroduced the concept oflives.Ochi suggested to Hauck that he should get rid of the timer and replace it with a lives system, which Hauck implemented and later said was "key to making the game big".[4]

The game has two different orientations for horizontal and vertical monitors. In Japan, the game was released with a vertical orientation to suit the cocktail tablearcade cabinetspopular in Japan. In the US, the game was displayed horizontally inside of a standard upright cabinet.

Reception

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Head Onwas a commercial success in arcades. In Japan, it became Gremlin's most successful export and a highly influential game in the period after theSpace Invadersboom.[4]It was Japan's fourth highest-grossingarcade game of 1979,belowSpace Invaders,Galaxianand Sega'sMonaco GP.[6]Head Onwas also the fourth highest-earning arcade video game of 1979 in the United States, belowSpace Invaders,FootballandSprint 2.[7]

Legacy

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Head On's relation toPac-Man(1980) as a game about collecting dots inside of a maze-like structure has been noted by commentators and historians.[8]Though there has not been direct confirmation on its influence, the importance ofHead Onin Japan around the time ofPac-Man's development suggests a correlation between the two. Several evolutions on theHead Onformula released in 1979 includingSpace Chaser(1979) andCar Hunt(1979) bare further resemblance toPac-Man.

Ports ofHead Onfor theCommodore 64andVIC-20were released in 1982. In Japan, the game was released for thePC-8801andSharp MZcomputers.[2]Head Onlater appeared in theSega SaturncollectionSega Memorial Selection Vol.1and in thePlayStation 2collectionSega Ages Vol. 23.

Sequels

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A sequel was released the same year as the original:Head On 2(1979), also known asHead On Part II.[8][2]The sequel added side lanes which let the car turn itself around and more complex AI.

Sega'sCar Hunt(1979), informally known asHead On III,added elements to the game such as a more complex maze, elevated roadways, the ability to turn in any direction, and enemy vehicles of varying aggression towards the player. TheSG-1000gamePacartook elements ofCar Huntand merged them withPac-Man.

A mobile phone version ofHead Onwas released exclusively in Japan through the Sonic Cafe, Puyo Puyo Sega, and Sega Ages portal during the 2000s.[9][10][11][12]

Clones

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Crash(1979) byExidywas announced a month afterHead Onwas released in the United States.[13]This led to Sega/Gremlin contacting Exidy and having the game discontinued.[14]Despite this,Crashwas the seventh highest-grossing arcade game of 1979 in the United States and Exidy followed it up with similar games such asTarg(1980).[15]

Licensed clones were developed based onHead-Onin Japan. Licensees includedIremandNintendowho modified and released their version asHead On N(ヘッド・オン・Ｎ,Heddo On N).[16][17]

Namco'sRally-Xwas heavily inspired byHead On.[18][19]Konami'sFast Lanearcade game, released in 1987, highly resemblesHead Onwith improved graphics and some additional features.

Head Onproved a popular concept to clone for home systems. Clones includeTunnels of Fahadfor theTRS-80,[20]Car Warsfor theTI-99/4A,Killer CarforSpectravideo,[21]Car Chasefor theZX Spectrum,[22]Dodge 'Emfor theAtari 2600,andDodge RacerforAtari 8-bit computers.The number of lanes in these games varies from 3 to 6.

References

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  1. ^abcAkagi, Masumi (13 October 2006).アーケードTVゲームリスト quốc nội • hải ngoại biên (1971-2005)[Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 131.ISBN978-4990251215.
  2. ^abcdef"1979".Sega Arcade History.Famitsu DC(in Japanese).Enterbrain.2002. pp. 37-39 (38).
  3. ^ab"Head On Video Game Flyers".The Arcade Flyer Archive.Retrieved31 May2021.
  4. ^abc"San Diego's Gremlin: how video games work".San Diego Reader.1982-07-15.Retrieved2020-10-25.
  5. ^Horowitz, Ken (2018).The Sega Arcade Revolution: A History in 62 Games.Jefferson, North Carolina:McFarland & Company.p. 26.ISBN978-1-4766-3196-7.OCLC1041854216.
  6. ^"ベストスリー bổn giấy điều tra"[Best 3 Paper Survey](PDF).Game Machine(in Japanese). No. 136.Amusement Press, Inc.February 1980. p. 2.
  7. ^"Video Games".RePlay.November 1979.
  8. ^abSmith, Alexander (2020).They create worlds: the story of the people and companies that shaped the video game industry.Boca Raton, [Florida] London New York, [New York]: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis group.ISBN978-1-138-38990-8.
  9. ^"Webpage of Sega Games portal (October 2002)"(in Japanese). 2002-10-03. Archived fromthe originalon 2002-10-03.Retrieved2023-02-14.
  10. ^"Webpage of Sonic Cafe Portal edition of Head On (October 2002)"(in Japanese). 2002-10-04. Archived fromthe originalon 2002-10-04.Retrieved2023-02-14.
  11. ^"Webpage of Sega Ages portal for Willcom (July 2006)"(in Japanese). 2006-07-14. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-07-14.Retrieved2023-02-14.
  12. ^"Webpage of Puyo Puyo Sega (February 2008)"(in Japanese). 2008-02-12. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-02-12.Retrieved2023-02-14.
  13. ^"Exidy Brings You Crash".RePlay Magazine.Vol. 4, no. 9. June 1979. p. 27.
  14. ^"Exidy appoints factory distributors".Play Meter.Vol. 5, no. 21. 1979-11-15. p. 97.
  15. ^"The Winners of '79: Top Videos".Play Meter.1979.
  16. ^Gorges, Florent (2010).The History of Nintendo,Pix'n Love Publishing
  17. ^"Forgottendo: 10 Nintendo Games You've Probably Never Heard Of".USgamer.net.25 July 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-06-25.Retrieved2016-02-14.
  18. ^Smith, Alexander (November 19, 2019).They Create Worlds.CRC Press. pp. 587―589.ISBN9780429752612.
  19. ^ザ・ベストゲーム nguyệt san ゲーメスト7 nguyệt hào tăng khan(in Japanese) (Volume 6, Number 7 ed.).Gamest.July 1, 1991. pp. 175―266.ASINB00BHEECW0.
  20. ^Liddil, Bob (March 1981)."Captain 80".U.S-80.Vol. 4, no. 2.
  21. ^"Killer Car for Spectravideo".Video Games Museum.
  22. ^"Car Chase".Spectrum Computing.
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