Final Furlong
| Final Furlong | |
|---|---|
 European flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release | 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Namco Gorgon |
Final Furlong is a horse racing video game developed by Namco and released in arcades in 1997.[1][2][3] The game is one of only two known games to run on Namco System 22.5 Gorgon hardware,[4] an early revision of the Namco System 23 hardware.
Gameplay
There are three tracks to choose from: 6+1⁄2 furlongs, 1 mile and 1+1⁄2 miles. Horses are classified according to where their best pace is: Leader (maintains highest speed when in first place), Front Runner (best pace is between second and fourth), Mid-Runner (best pace is when between fifth and seventh place), Strong Finisher (who is fastest at the end of the race), and two Almighty Runners (who keep their pace in any position).
Players sit in a "saddle" and must then rock the cabinet's horses back and forth, to urge their horses forward, pressing the "Whip" button to speed them up and pulling on "reins" to keep the horse from colliding with the fences or other horses.[5][6][7]
Reception
Gerald Lynch, writing for TechRadar, placed it among a list of "The 50 best arcade games of all time, ever," saying "This machine was brutal - popping you astride a giant plastic horse, you’d propel yourself forward by “geeing up” your steed, rocking manically forwards and backwards to speed the beast up. Best played with two players, the marathon-like events would last so long you wouldn't be able to walk for a week."[8]
Final Furlong was listed in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.[9]
References
- ^ "Final Furlong - Videogame by Namco". www.arcade-museum.com.
- ^ "Pacific Friend". Jiji Gaho Sha, Incorporated. November 15, 2000 – via Google Books.
- ^ Wolf, Mark J. P. (July 22, 2010). The Medium of the Video Game. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292786646 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Final Furlong Operators Manual" (PDF). Namco. August 10, 1997. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ Entertainment Computing: Technologies and Applications : IFIP ... International Workshop on Entertainment Computing (IWEC ...). Kluwer Academic Publishers. November 15, 2002. ISBN 9781402073601 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Funworld". IAAPA. November 15, 1998 – via Google Books.
- ^ Wolf, Mark J. P. (November 15, 2008). The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to Playstation and Beyond. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313338687 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The 50 best arcade games of all time, ever". 7 March 2017.
- ^ Mott, Tony (December 5, 2011). 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die: You Must Play Before You Die. Octopus. ISBN 9781844037155 – via Google Books.