Genre: Racing (Top-Down)
Developer: APh Technological Consulting
Publisher: Mattel Electronics
Year: 1980
Platform: Intellivision
Auto Racing is a top-down racing game released in 1980 for the Intellivision and designed by Larry Zwick. Players choose from five distinct racecourses, with courses increasing in difficulty, and can compete either against the clock or against a second player in head-to-head mode.
The title is notable for pioneering the use of a scrolling, zoomed-in view of the track rather than displaying the entire course at once, creating a strong sense of realism and immersion. Players must carefully navigate curves to avoid sliding off the road into grass, trees, or water hazards—a dynamic more engaging than on many contemporary console racers.
Originally, the game featured directional steering that oriented the car based on controller input direction; this was revised in later cartridges to “realistic” steering, where left or right inputs turn the car accordingly, regardless of its current heading. An undocumented option exists in early versions to enable the more intuitive steering via a hidden input sequence.
