Nintendo Famicom Final Lap SKUFM3

Nintendo Famicom Final Lap SKUFM3.  Final Lap is a racing video game produced by Namco.

Final Lap is Namco’s “spiritual sequel” to their earlier racing hit Pole Position. As with that game and its contemporaries like OutRun, the camera follows closely behind the player’s car and allows them to swerve left and right as turns in the road approach them.

The game uses Formula 1 cars and the player is able to upgrade aspects of the vehicle, such as the engine, tyres and nitro, to give them an edge in the following race. Though the number of points the player may invest in these aspects is limited initially, more unlock as the game progresses.

The game chart is packed with adrenalin pumping racing, bringing the F-1 experience to the Japanese homes in 1987. In my opinion, this is one of the best Motorsport games for the Famicom of all times. This game had a LOT of small little things in it to make it interesting for both hardcore F-1 fans and regular gamers. For instance, you have 8 tracks to race on, some of them are fictional and some are tracks modeled after the real tracks in Japan and the rest of the world. You can tune your F-1 car and enhance some of the car’s stats like:

Engine: Increases the car’s Top Speed!
Brakes: You brake faster!
Tier: Your car grips better in sharp turns!
Nitro: (the unrealistic one) By pressing “forward” you get a boost!

Each of the parts can be upgraded 4 times, but you only start with 5 points to spend so its up to you how to spend it

The player pilots Formula One cars of the 1987 season and may choose between Williams-Honda, Lotus-Honda, McLaren-Porsche, or March-Cosworth. 1987 was also the first time a Formula One grand prix was held on the Suzuka track. The track is reproduced very similarly to even down to sponsor billboards to the original track but greatly shortened, as it takes less than forty seconds to complete one lap in the game. The only music in the game (generated by the Yamaha YM2151 FM sound chip) are the theme when the race starts, which plays for three seconds and sounds like the Pole Position starting theme, a short fanfare if a record is broken and when the four laps are completed.

Throughout the single player mode, players must compete against a particular rival over 20 heats on 20 different race tracks. Before each race begins, the player may customize his or her driving experience by allotting points to different attributes of their car, include the top speed of the engine, the grip of the tires, the effectiveness of the breaks, and the amount of nitro boost.

Like the arcade game, this version allows eight players to compete against one another. However, unlike the arcade game, they can’t compete simultaneously. Rather, they must compete two at a time in an elimination-style tournament.

Actual item pictured

Awesome little retro machines.