Freeway
1981 · Action · Atari 2600
Overview
Freeway (1981) is David Crane's Activision game about getting chickens across a ten-lane highway, alone or against a second player, in two minutes and sixteen seconds.
Deep Dive
Each chicken that reaches the far side scores a point. On difficulty A a chicken that is hit goes back to the kerb; on B it is only pushed back a lane. The game's freeways are based on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive, New York's Long Island Expressway and San Francisco's Bayshore Freeway.
Developer Story
Crane said he based the play on Space Race (1973), and his first version had two men racing up the screen. Activision CEO Jim Levy suggested chickens instead, for the old joke and a marketing idea involving a chicken costume.
Did You Know?
- Reviewers compared it with Frogger, but Crane said the two were made independently at about the same time.
- It received an Honorable Mention for Most Innovative Game at the 1982 Arcade Awards.
Sources & further reading
- Freeway (video game) — Wikipedia
