Disney's Wreck-It Ralph is now in theatres (read the review here) and features a cavalcade of video game icons from throughout gaming history along with a slew of original characters from fictional games such as Fix-It Felix Jr., Sugar Rush and Hero's Duty.
However, one of the fictional game titles in the film has far closer similarities to real arcade game than some moviegoers may realize.
Among the fictional titles included in the film is a racing game called TurboTime. Without providing spoilers, suffice it to say that TurboTime ties into the plot of the film. While not a game that ever existed, the animated arcade cabinet, including the side art, control panel and main character closely resemble that of real-world 1980 arcade title Rally-X.
Created by Namco and released in North America through a license with Bally Midway, Rally-X was a challenging and colorful game where players tried to navigate through a maze in an indy-style racecar in an effort to collect all the flags within. Very aggressive enemy cars with incredible steering features attempted to stop you while giant rocks randomly appeared in the maze to block your path. You were armed with a smoke screen that could temporarily stun the enemy cars with the trade-off that it used up some of your limited supply of fuel. If you collided with either the enemy cars or the rocks you were treated with a cartoonish BANG graphic which was accompanied by a sound that echoed for moments after.
To say that Rally-X came into the arcade world with high expectations would be an understatement. During it's debut at the 1980 Amusement Machine Operators of America (AMOA) trade show, Rally-X was picked by most industry experts at the next big arcade hit. Citing the unique concept and incredible graphics for the time, the buzz around the game saw people expecting Rally-X to leave other games that debuted at the trade show, such as Pac-Man and Defender, in the dust.
It never came to be. Rally-X proved a modest success at best, far overshadowed by the very games it was expected to outperform in the coin box. Even at a time when Atari held home console rights to Namco's arcade titles and was happy to flaunt that fact, no official console version came out of the game until it was included in Namco Museum Volume 1 compliation disc for the PlayStation in 1995.
While it may have failed to make the impact it was expected to in 1980, Rally-X may finally be able to lay claim to leaving an impact on pop culture as Wreck-It Ralph racks up box office dollars by way of a plot point inspired by the game.
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The author of this article can be reached at PatrickScottPatterson.com and on Twitter @OriginalPSP.
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