''F1 Pole Position'' is a 1992

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

for the

SNES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...

, developed by Human Entertainment and published by them in Japan, while the other versions were handled by

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', '' ...

. It is the first game in the ''Human Grand Prix''/''F1 Pole Position'' series, which features

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

licensing.

Gameplay

The sixteen actual race courses from the

1992 Formula One season The 1992 Formula One World Championship was the 46th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1992 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1992 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested ...

are used in the game. The opposition cars can pass through one another without crashing. There is also a bug for the

Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix du Canada) is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sports ...

where at the hairpin, the barriers have a gap enabling one to drive through and onto the grass. Vehicles can be customized to adapt to the different race tracks. Everything can be changed; including the steering, gears, brakes, and suspension. There is an option for pit work to be manual or automatic, along with the option for automatic/manual gear shifting.

Related Game Boy game

In 1993, Ubisoft used the "F1 Pole Position" name for a localization of the

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...

title ''Nakajima Satoru F-1 Hero GB '92: The Graded Driver'', a sequel to ''

Satoru Nakajima F-1 Hero GB World Championship '91 is a 1991 Japan-exclusive Game Boy Formula One video game published by Varie, endorsed by Satoru Nakajima, who was the first full-time Japanese racer in the history of Formula One. Apart from Nakajima, the actual names of the drivers are not used ...

''. Although the games were made by Varie instead and are part of the separate ''F-1 Hero'' series, Human developed the first two for the Super Famicom.

Development and release

The game was developed and published by Human Entertainment with co-operation with

Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba today is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially b ...

and FOCA. Michael Andretti was used in the game instead of Ayrton Senna because his contract was secured with

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

for their '' Super Monaco GP II'' video game (however, in the Japanese release of the game the no. 1 McLaren features Ayrton Senna); Senna's helmet is clearly visible in the no. 1 McLaren in the North American release. In the European version of the game tobacco sponsorship is missing from the cars. These sponsors appear on the Japanese version. The game was released on November 20, 1992 in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The Japanese release is single-player only. A multiplayer mode was added when the game was localized to North America.

Sequels

* '' F1 Pole Position 2'' * ''Human Grand Prix III: F1 Triple Battle'' * ''Human Grand Prix IV: F1 Dream Battle'' * ''

F1 Pole Position 64 ''F1 Pole Position 64'', released in Japan as , is a racing video game for the Nintendo 64 developed by Human Entertainment and published by Human Entertainment in Japan, and published by Ubi Soft for North American and Europe. It is the fifth an ...

Notes

References