is a

Sega Mega Drive The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a motor racing, racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more re ...

video game released in 1991 exclusively in Japan. During the release of this video game, other Formula One video games like '' Super Monaco GP'' had caused a general increase of demand for Formula One video games. While most of those games were poor simulations of the races, ''Fastest One'' proved to be the most realistic of the era. The game was based on

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

racing and featured team and driver names similar to the real life namesakes. A choice of up to 18 playable vehicles could be used in every mode provided. Six vehicles in the game used Ford engines, displaying American ingenuity during the 1990 Formula One season. The language of the game was English. Most of the Formula One drivers who participated in the 1990 Formula One season were represented, with slightly altered names (e.g.,

Satoru Nakajima is a Japanese former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Born and raised in Okazaki, Aichi, Nakajima began his racing career at the Suzuka Circuit in 1973. He progressed to Japanese Formula Two in ...

made an appearance as "S. Inakajima").

Gameplay

A player could participate in as many seasons as desired the championship mode. The player started out the first season with a "D" level (least desirable) team. Only by winning races did the player get promoted to the more desirable teams of the "C", "B", and "A" levels. A player could modify the steering, gear box, tires, wings, and color of their chosen racing vehicle. ''Fastest 1'' emphasized simulated Formula One action over arcade-style gameplay. The cornering was harsher that most games released at that time and the player had to shift from neutral, even in cars with

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...

, in order for the vehicle to start moving. All modes of the game can accommodated only a single player (except for battle mode which could have up to two players play against up to two computer opponents). In order to race, the player had to attend free practice followed by qualifying in the eight positions (although the player was given two chances to do so). If the player failed to qualify for the race, the player had to instead watch the race as a spectator. A player could also watch four computer opponents face off in the battle mode of the game. There was a battery save for all progress that is made during the game. Generic

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

s appeared as obstacles that the player must avoid.

Reception

References

External links

Game review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fastest 1 1991 video games Formula One video games Human Entertainment games Japan-exclusive video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Sega Genesis games Sega Genesis-only games Sports video games with career mode Video games developed in Japan