Fastest 1

Human has just created the first MD 2 player head-to-head auto racing game. This was done by splitting the screen, and providing each player with his own view of the track. Unfortunately the graphics need more work as the current prototype more closely resembles Super Monaco GP for the Master System.

Rev' up your engines, and head for 16 international tracks in three different racing modes. Driving a custom-built car, you and a buddy can race with a behind-the-car, split-screen perspective view of the action. Eight different skill rankings will keep your adrenaline pumping through the turns. Get ready, set, go, because serious speed is about to hit the Genesis streets.

Fastest One is a video game released back in 1991 and featuring team and driver naves similar to the ones in the real life. The game's interface was in English, even for the version released in Japan. Actually, the game was released in Japan only, and just after few months was available for download on the internet in other countries. The game features most of the Formula One drivers from the 1990 Formula One season. However, due to either licensing problems, as sport simulators have today, or due to a poor Asian English, most of the games had slight variations from the normal spelling.

The players can take part in as many seasons as they want in the championship mode. However, the player has to start with a D level team, which is the worst one. There are four levels, A, B, C and D, with A being the best. As in the real life, players have to start from the bottom, so being only able to choose a D level team is quite realistic.

The player can go higher up in the ranks by winning races, but surprisingly enough not only. He also has to prove maturity and skills to be able to reach such a higher level. The players can modify the steering, gear box, tires, wings and color of their vehicle, which meant a lot back in 1991, when games were just started developing. Being able to tweak so many settings and imitate real life was a feature many gamers fell for.

Fastest One is not so easy to be played as many think. The corners were harsh and the player had to shift from neutral all the time, even if racing in a car with automatic transmission. Otherwise, the vehicle did not start moving.

The game can be played mostly in single mode, but there is an exception. The battle mode can have two players competing against each other. In order to start racing, the player has to get pass a practice round, which is not only how the F1 games are today, but also how the F1 is in real life. The player can even fail to qualify for the race, due to poor racing time. If this happens, he will have to watch the race from the stands, just like that.

Even more interesting, hitting advertising panels on the side of the tracks slow the progress of the racer. Bumping into such a billboard is not fun at all, the player has to get out of there and get back on the track like in the real-life racing.

As the game was only released in Japan, it is difficult to find ratings for it on the internet, but everyone knows this was both a commercial and a market success. The realism behind the game helped the publisher to sell lots and lots of copies, and I am sure that the following games were inspired by this first F1 game ever.

The game is the Races like F1, but the level of the game, putting it mildly, is low. It concerns the general layout of the game (the graphics) and game action.

You view your car from behind. The options of the car are available, but ordinary. It is possible to play test rides or the championship. There is also the mode "Battle" in which two players can play with the Split-screen. In general, the game is for fans of races only.