10. Night Driver

(Arcade/Various Home, Atari, 1976)
Night Driver is the original first person racing game.
Take a look at the screenshot above, now imagine that scrolling toward you for about ninety seconds, then dumping you back into the demo again, the lack of sound being the only clue that the game is over.

That, fellow gamers, is Night Driver completely summarised.

The player inserts a coin, hits the gas and turns a wheel to control the car as it "speeds" through the night. A very conveniently dark night at that, obscuring both the front of the car, any roadside buildings or, for that matter, other cars. It truly is the blackest night you've ever seen, can't the guy hit the headlights or something?
Unfunny cynicism aside, Night Driver is essentially the first real attempt to create the cockpit driving simulator we take for granted today, everything from Pole Position to Gran Turismo has roots in Atari's classic which rocked the arcades at the same time as other bare bones genre starters such as Outlaw, Pong and Stunt Cycle, all of which were very popular amongst the many gamers who themselves paved the way for you and I today.

It's very easy to take videogames for granted today. We cannot be blamed for being so quick to rubbish 90% of releases for the most pathetic of reasons when such an incredible abundance of software has been thrust upon us week after week since the 1970's. It is quite bizarre to imagine a time when less than a hundred games were even in existence. A lot of people are quick to complain about how gaming "Used to be better" but in actuality it isn't all that different, there will always be good games, exceptional games and terrible games, it is more a case of whether gaming remains true to itself and its dedicated fans.

Atari paved the way for a lot of the games you see today, to think that driving games have gone from Night Driver to Forza 3 in a little over thirty years is incredible and humbling. Night Driver is one of the few 70's games I have had the pleasure of playing in its original, dedicated cabinet form.
Today, the game has little to keep interest for more than a few seconds, but do not despair Night Driver, for you are one of the most trail-blazing games ever invented. You also have a damn cool cabinet.

I choose to believe that this dude is behind the wheel.