8.6 /10 1 Votes
Genre(s) Arcade style racing Designer Larry Miller Platforms Atari 2600, ZX Spectrum | 4.3/5 Google Play Initial release date 1983 Mode Single-player video game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Release date(s) Atari 2600
NA: February 1, 1983
ZX Spectrum
EU: 1984 Developers Activision, Activision Blizzard Publishers Activision, Polyvox, QuelleSoft Similar River Raid, Keystone Kapers, Megamania, Seaquest, Frostbite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Enduro is a racing video game designed by Larry Miller and published by Activision for the Atari 2600 video game system in 1983. Miller previously wrote Spider Fighter for Activision. The object of the game is to be in an endurance race and to pass a certain number of cars each day as to continue the race the next day.
Contents
In 1985 Activision released The Great American Cross-Country Road Race, a home computer game that follows the design of Enduro, but with enhanced visuals, audio, and some additional gameplay elements.
Gameplay
Enduro consists of maneuvering a race car in the National Enduro, a long-distance endurance race. The object of the race is to pass a certain number of cars each day. Doing so will allow the player to continue racing for the next day. The driver must avoid other racers and pass 200 cars on the first day, and 300 cars with each following day.
As the time in the game passes, visibility changes as well. When it is night in the game the player can only see the oncoming cars' taillights. As the days progress, cars will become more difficult to avoid as well. Weather and time of day are factors in how to play. During the day the player may drive through an icy patch on the road which would limit control of the vehicle, or a patch of fog may reduce visibility.
Marketing
In 1983, Activision ran the "Enduro Race-For-Riches Sweepstakes". The grand prize was a Datsun 280ZX pace car and a trip for two to Caesars Palace Grand Prix Weekend. The second prize was a Datsun 200SX Hatchback SL, the third prize was a trip for two to Caesars Palace Grand Prix Weekend, the fourth prize was one of 50 radio controlled cars, the fifth prize was one of 500 Activision Grand Prix video game cartridges, and the sixth prize was one of 2,000 Datsun Racing posters.
Enduro was released on February 1, 1983 for the Atari 2600. On its release if a player succeeded to race five days or more, an on-screen racing trophy would pop-up on the screen. If the player sent a photograph of this achievement to Activision, they would receive a patch declaring them an "Activision Roadbuster".
Ports
The only port Enduro contemporary to the original release was for the ZX Spectrum, published by Activision in 1984. Several other 8-bit computers saw release of The Great American Cross-Country Road Race instead, a game based on the concept of Enduro but expanded to better suit the platforms' advanced capabilities.
Enduro was later released as part of Activision's Atari 2600 Action Pack 2 in 1995 and as part of the Activision Anthology collection in 2002. In July 2010, the game was re-released to Microsoft's Game Room service for its Xbox 360 console and for Games for Windows Live.
Reception
Enduro was well received, gaining the award for "1984 Best Sports Videogame" at the 5th annual Arkie Awards where judges praised it for "featur[ing] some of the best graphics presented by a 2600 and boast[ing] an intriguing concept". The online video game database Allgame referred to Enduro as "the best driving game available for the Atari 2600."