Fire Trucks and Cop Cars, still fun in the arcade - A 1UP classic from May 1, 2009

Next to Drag Race this was possibly my earliest arcade driving memory. Fire Truck, released in 1978 by Atari, was a very basic arcade driver where the purpose was to drive a fire engine as far down a road as you could before running out of gas. Yeah, times were really much simpler back then. We had yet to discover narratives in videogames. What made Fire Truck memorable was the unique cabinet design. There were two sets of steering wheels and gas pedals. The fire engine was based on the longer ladder truck, where a second driver had to steer from the back to make sure the truck could clear corners. My brothers and I enjoyed playing this game because we could take turns driving from the front or back. Each one of the controllers had an additional button as well, it sounded a horn or bell. This game represented a time where arcade designers weren't scared to try out new ideas.

Although Fire Truck never caught on with the crowd I was inspired by its creativity and clever cabinet design.

A decade later Atari would revisit the rescue services genre with another arcade driver. This time putting drivers in control of a patrol car. A.P.B., released in 1987, represented an era where political incorrectness, cartoon graphics and solid arcade gameplay went hand-in-hand.

The purpose of the game was straightforward. You were a rookie cop trying to earn your rank. You drove a patrol car around a city in a top down fashion, similar to the original GTA games, writing tickets to fill your quota within the time limit. You could gain additional time by going through donut shops and buy upgrades by visiting a speed shop. At the end of a day you'd be asked to pursue a wanted criminal. All of these villains were very ever-the-top. The entire game and purpose was a caricature of the daily life of a police officer. Chasing down drug dealers, gang members, snipers and speed freaks. Writing tickets for every violation, no matter how minor and "interrogating" the criminals by shaking the sh*t out of them before the police chief came into the interview room...

The game was anything but simple. Players had to constantly keep pressing the siren button or else be penalized with a demerit for nudging traffic. While this wasn't as distracting as the drive and gun gameplay of Night Stocker but it still required more concentration than the average driver. Fire Truck and A.P.B. represented a simpler time in the arcade, one where the designs were fresh and gameplay was brimming with possibilities. However those on the other side of the world didn't sleep while Atari was pushing the genre. These new studios would leave the comfort of the racing and puzzle genre with cars and make an epic "daily driver" game that was far more innovative than anything Atari could do. I hope to see you back for the last few driving games in the series.

Did you ever shake up a perp in A.P.B, or play an extremely rare arcade game? Let me know in the comments section please. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!