''280 ZZZAP'' is a

racing In sports, 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 g ...

arcade video game designed by Jamie Fenton for

Dave Nutting Associates David Judd Nutting (December 26, 1930 – September 23, 2020) was an industrial design engineer who played a role in the early video game industry. He also designed the exterior of the Jeep Wagoneer. Career David Judd Nutting was born in 1930 to ...

. Based on

Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

's Datsun 280Z, it is one of the earliest games with authorized branding.

Gameplay

Players can drive up to while navigating a tricky

road course Road racing is a North American term to describe motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held on a closed circuit—generally, a purpose-built racing facility—or on a street circuit that uses temporarily closed publi ...

at night. Players must watch out for treacherous turns, nasty competitors, and the ever-present time limit.

Release

Midway demonstrated the game under the name ''Midnight Racer'' at the AMOA show in November 1976. It drew comparisons to ''

Night Driver Night Driver, Night Drivers, or, ''variation'', may refer to: Music * ''Night Driver Tour 2017'', a 2017 album concert tour by Busted * The Night Drivers, a band formed by Chris Jones (bluegrass musician), Chris Jones Albums * Night Driver (album) ...

'', demonstrated at the same show by Atari, Inc.. Both games are derived from the earlier German night driving video game '' Nürburgring 1'' demonstrated at the German IMA show in Spring 1976. Before release in February 1977, the game was re-branded ''280 ZZZAP'' after the US advertising campaign for

's Datsun 280Z.

Reception

On the US ''

Play Meter ''Play Meter'' (initially ''Coin Industry Play Meter'') was an American trade magazine focusing on the coin-op amusement arcade industry, including jukebox and arcade game machines. It was founded in December 1974 by publisher and editor Ralph C ...

'' arcade chart, ''280 ZZZAP'' was the year's ninth highest-grossing arcade game of 1977. On the US ''RePlay'' arcade chart, it was the tenth highest-grossing

arcade video game An arcade video game is an arcade game that takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. All arcade video games are coin-oper ...

of 1977. On Japan's '' Game Machine'' arcade chart, it was among the top 20 highest-grossing arcade video games of 1977.

References

1976 video games Arcade video games Arcade-only video games 280 ZZZAP Dave Nutting Associates games Midway video games North America-exclusive video games Racing video games Racing video games by vehicle brand Single-player video games Video games developed in the United States {{racing-videogame-stub