Sport Of Kings is, to this day, about the only “horse racing” game I’ve ever “played” on any sort of personal computer or console, with very good reason. It’s about the only game I’m aware of that simulated horse racing. Funny that.
For the uninitiated, Sport Of Kings was a niche Commodore 64 title that took you to the track to bet on horses. In the game it was all fake money, but you could go have some fun with your mates with some real life bets if you so chose.
It’s that rare that it proved tough to find any sort of footage. I ended up finding this vid of this bloke playing it for the first time. Be warned, he’s not that into it but don’t let that affect your judgement.
WATCH:
The game was pretty much what you see above. You were encouraged to consider all the elements to a race before picking your winner. You’d then place your bet and watch the race unfold.
As always, reactions to these Retro Rocks Review games we take a look at have to be tempered with a consideration to the time that it first appeared on our screens. In the mid ’80s, to have a 5 person multiplayer game was unheard of, let alone a game where you could have some (responsible) gambling fun with your mates.
My mates and I had some epic times with this game.
As I mentioned before, the horse racing genre is not one that’s ever been that well represented in gaming. I sort of get why that is, after all, it’s a pretty niche pastime.
That said, it’s a popular pastime with many people so there may be a market out there? Who knows?
I do know that this game influenced us so much back in the day that on one of our many trips to Vegas, we got wind of a “tabletop” version of horse racing at MGM Grand.
Now, for anyone reading who’s ever been to MGM Grand, trying to find that machine on the gaming floor was the definitive needle in a haystack situation, but bugger me, we found it.
And we still lost. Funny that!
Written by: @dantheinternut
