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Omega Race

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Arcade

This is a remake of a Bally-Midway arcade game. You control a spaceship and shoot down the enemy "Droid" ships that attack you. Your ship must survive Droid-dropped mines too--but you can shoot them too. The last ship of the Droid flights goes into a spiraling pattern. There is no end to this ...

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Developer
Midway Manufacturing

Released on
1981

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

This is a remake of a Bally-Midway arcade game. You control a spaceship and shoot down the enemy “Droid” ships that attack you. Your ship must survive Droid-dropped mines too–but you can shoot them too. The last ship of the Droid flights goes into a spiraling pattern.

There is no end to this game. Rather, it is a game in which you try to get the highest score, or complete the highest number of levels.

You control a small triangle that is your ship. The ship can turn, move forward (with thrusters) and fire. Movement is one of the games challenges; once the ship is moving, it can only be slowed by turning the nose in the opposite direction and use the thrusters. While doing that, the ship is unable to fire toward anything it is in motion toward.

Bouncing also comes into play during movement. When the ship hits the side of the screen, a wall of force appears, and the ship bounces. You don’t have control over where the ship bounces, and must take time to regain control, before you run into an enemy ship and die.

Omega Race

Overview & History

Released in 1981 by Midway, Omega Race represents a pivotal moment in vector-graphics arcade history. Set in the distant future, the game's sparse storyline casts the player as the elite commander of a sub-light fighter vessel, tasked with eradicating a rebellious mechanoid syndicate known as the Empire. Unlike the flat expanses of Asteroids or the enclosed mazes of Tron, Omega Race unfolds within a unique, glowing perimeter track called the "Race Course." Visually striking for its time, the game utilized high-intensity monochrome vector lines that glowed with an ethereal amber or green hue against the pitch-black void of deep space.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core gameplay centers around relentless combat and high-speed navigation. Players pilot their ship inside a dual-walled rectangular arena, continuously looping around the track to hunt down enemy ships, command ships, and deadly bouncing mines. Movement features realistic inertia; your vessel drifts continuously in the direction of its momentum, requiring skillful use of thrusters to counter-steer while maintaining an aim on fast-moving targets. Enemies are relentless: the target-seeking Commander ships deploy deadly mines and fire precision lasers, forcing players to master the art of blind-spot positioning and rear-guard firing. Scoring heavily rewards risk-taking, particularly when players successfully shoot down mines right as they spawn or thread their ship through narrow gaps in enemy crossfire. It stands out as one of the few vector games of the era to support simultaneous two-player cooperative play, adding a frantic tactical layer to survival.