Pitstop IIC64

racing games in general from this era don't age well and are pretty simplistic.

I'd have to agree, except RC Pro am is still good.

Ah, classic racing sounds! XD

me not want. dracula x would of been nicer

Sounds cool to me. I loved Pole Position, but the version I have doesn't have multiplayer, so this would be a pretty good buy, if we had C64 games out here. Personally, I find that these racers have aged well, and are a lot of fun. Sure they're simplistic, but to be honest, I just want to go fast!

I agree wholeheartedly Mickeymac. I just wanted to clarify as I generally see a lot of racing game fans griping about how goofy and overly simplistic these old-school racers are. It's just the way I like them, personally,

Yes, good solid game this, with unpretentious gameplay. I do think that the lack of bells and whistles does let it down a bit, but if all you want to do is some simple racing, then you could do worse. And it's not as if we've got a huge choice of racers on the VC right now.

The scrolling is pretty good. But i don´t have to download it - i got it on my original C64.
Are there any plans for you americans to get the C64 as additional hardware for the VC? How popular was it in the states back in the late 80s?

Taking the last curves on with white & red tires and low fuel was a real kick when I was younger. Loved this game, and managed to get really skilled with the pitstops .

What's up with not being able to control your pit crew in newer racegames?

The fun element is not changing the tires which combined with the tire sensitive collision, make every curve sweatier in the long run. Kinda like boosting in f-zero x! ; it's also the main element of the game that I think has survived the test of time next to plain multiplayer madness.

Also found a nice interview with the main programmer.:
http://home.arcor.de/cybergoth/gamesa/pitstop2.html

And hi, this is my first comment ever here .

I also loved the Pitstop games back during my Commodore 64 days. Between this and Jumpman Jr. I rarely saw the light of day on weekends.

@Falk - The Pitstop games were very popular here in the US during the Commodore 64 days. All of Epyx games were, to be honest. Anyone remember Breakdance or Temple of Apshai?

@vsync - Welcome to the site. Glad to have you here.

For those of us in the US, we may have to wait for Ferrari Grand Prix challenge( genesis) or Final Lap Twin (TG-16) for split screen racing.
I know everyone is holding their collective breath:) But I agree with Corbie, I enjoy the retro look of old racing games. On the other hand, games like Project Gotham racing, Rallisport Championship, Excite Truck, and Burnout are great too.

Wow, did anyone notice that the video runs 2.32 min. and at the end of the video they are still in the first lap. o_o

@Apocalypse. Actually, they were entering the second lap, according to the lower-right map screen, but it's hard to tell .

I agree with Mickey that old racing games are fun, as I love games like Pole Position and Excitebike. I think that many racers these days have become needlessly complicated. After all, I really don't need to customize my rear view mirror and tail lights to get full enjoyment out of a game. It's just better to keep it simple.
Though arcadey racers like Mario Kart and Burnout are still great too.

Speaking of Pole Position, does anyone else think this game looks suspiciously similar? They look exactly the same, except the cars are a different color and there's no billboards to run into.

@Mr. Cheez

When I first saw it, I thought it was Pole Position! Now we just need to know which one came first.

Just to mention, I don't own many racing games, but I do have GT4 and Wipeout Pure, yet I can enjoy games like Pole Position. Mario Kart(which, as has been previously noted, was hit & miss for me, but when I wasn't getting hit by 6 consecutive items, I was having fun). I think I ought to try Burnout though. Edit: Burnout is my new favorite series! Who knew there was a game that rewards you for driving agressively! I always drive agressively! It's my favorite way to play a racing game!

Is Pole Position on the VC already? Is it even capable of doing so?

This one was always about the two player mode anyways... and yeah Pitstop was inspired by the success of Pole Position.

Well, at least it has the one thing Pole Position doesn't, Two-player mode. I think racing games are the only thing my brother and I are both equally enjoy, so split screen is appreciated.

@ Mickey Mac
I am not sure if Pole Position was ever on the NES. I have it for the GBA retro collection. It looks good but does not play well with a GBA controller. IF they could do Pole Position with Wii Wheel functionality that would be great. Umm... Get on that Nintendo, Please!

This game doesn't interest me in the least bit, but I love that cover art style they used to use.

@Tony

Yeah, I have it on both a Gamecube collection, and on a specialized controller pack that looks like an arcade stick, but the joystick can be pivoted to turn like steering wheel, and it does play better on the joystick than with a D-pad, and don't even get me started about the Analog stick!

It's usually the quirky racing titles, like R.C. Pro Am, that really stand out from this era. Galaxy 5000 and Excite Bike are pretty good, but I never cared much for Mach Rider (both nes games). Nintendo should consider a contemporary remake of Mach Rider; there's a lot of potential with that one.

1st racing game i played... as far as i remember
awesome to see, my father was also surprised to see it back
i dont like it as much as mario karts, but i might even get it to re-live it
good old C64 times

I don't really care if it's a ripoff as long as it's fun to play. =P

Pitstop II is one of the best racing games on the C64.
Here is a good video of it, where you can actually see the "pitstop".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY1uiC9wHBg

Short review:
2 racers compete in lap races over 6 different courses.
Memorable when thinking about this classic, is not that it just was the first good racing game that had 2-player-splitscreen. It also had some early but innovative damage physics. You could damage all of your four tires. The more damage they took from hitting other cars or the track border, the more they changed in color and eventually one wheel blows. So there was strategy involving in not driving too fast in some particular hard curves, or you have your time wasted in the pitstop.

It's a bit early F-Zero like. Where you could fuel up your energy after each lap. But here comes the Pitstop! When you drive into it, you immediatelly have a wheel-cursor and you can take control over 2 men with it. Move the blue one around to change tires, and the other one to fill up your gas. It feels a bit clumsy in the beginning, but with some playing around you'll get everything down pretty fast. After you've done, you click on your car to get thrown back to the track and the race goes on. This pitstop itself makes the racing exciting.

3 laps on each track, so both have to at least fill up their gas in the pit. The first track is one of those rather stretchy courses. It will make a very good and fun 2-player head-to-head-racing game if you're new to it. Later tracks need driving skills.

Pure classic! This version is definately the best Pitstop game.
And it's nothing like Pole Position. It's more like Nintendos F1-Race. And it was so fast and smooth at the time, every racing-fan loved it. I think it has not lost its appeal for quick versus matches with friends. Remember it's a game from '85 that has aged a bit (well, the sounds weren't that good, the C64 could do way better) but it got the basics of a good game plus 2 or 3 innovative features and voila, another evergreen.

5 Stars - 1 for every dollar I paid for it

So I decided to give Pitstop II a try.
This has to be one of my most pleasant surprises on the VC so far. It's a very well-done racer mechanics-wise for it's time, with good controls, no silly "realism" to get in the way of your fun, and "obstacle cars" that, believe me, really act as obstacles, and do a fantastic job making 2-player mode really tense. The pit stop gimmick, though I suck pretty hard at it for now, is a fun and original addition to the game that really makes it stand out.
The VC doesn't have much in the way of racing games, with Cruis'n USA being it's only real opposition (Mario Kart 64 and the F-Zero games are very different from the norm, and Victory Run is pretty blah). Pitstop II is a very solid and unique racer, and great multiplayer fun.
Absolutely worth a download - don't make the mistake of looking at a screenshot and writing it off as generic. It's the kind of game pictures really can't do justice.

i have to say it always was more of a racing game than the mario kart series
even though i rather play those, this one still is a nice old survivor