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Power Drift
The Vault · 1988

Power Drift

Roller-coaster racing at the peak of the Super Scaler era.
DeveloperSega AM2
PublisherSega
Released1988
ArcadeRacing

Power Drift is an arcade racing game released by Sega in 1988, directed by Yu Suzuki. Players pilot small buggy-like cars around twisting, roller-coaster-style circuits built from steep climbs, sharp drops, and banked curves, jostling against a field of rival racers rendered as large scaling sprites. It marked one of the most advanced applications of Sega's Super Scaler approach: rather than a flat road receding to the horizon, Power Drift's tracks rose and fell dramatically in pseudo-3D, with the whole course twisting in view. The deluxe cabinet featured a moving hydraulic seat that tilted with the action. Coming near the end of the sprite-scaling era, just before Sega and Suzuki's AM2 moved toward true polygons, Power Drift is often seen as the high-water mark of what the Super Scaler hardware could achieve. It was ported to home computers and consoles of the period and remains a favourite among fans of Sega's classic arcade output.

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