Final Lap 3 (ファイナルラップ3, Fainaru Rappu Tsurī), as the name suggests, is the third title in the Final Lap series, released worldwide by Namco in 1992; like its precursors (as well as Four Trax, and Suzuka 8 Hours), it runs on Namco System 2 hardware, and allows up to eight players to play simultaneously when four two-player cabinets are linked together.
It features four new tracks set in England, France, San Marino, and Spain - and for the third time, the players must take control of either the Williams, McLaren, Ferrari or Tyrrell cars (which have again been redesigned; Ferrari and Tyrrell replaces March and Lotus from the previous games), in a Formula One race on one of the four tracks.
In the single-player mode, the player's score is again based on how far his car travels until the timer runs out or he completes four laps of the chosen circuit, and hitting another car or a billboard will again not cause a player car to explode, like it did in the two Pole Position games, but it can still send it (or the other car) spinning off the track, costing valuable time; in the multiplayer mode, up to eight players can again race simultaneously, which shall again allow for better lap times, as the plain green CPU-controlled cars (which have again also been redesigned) will appear less frequently.
Barcelona is the easiest one of the four and is recommended for the novice players - once a player has mastered it he is ready to move on to Imola, followed by Paul Ricard (which had been replaced in 1991 by Magny-Cours in F1). Silverstone (in 1987-90 configuration, without the 1991 overhaul) is the most difficult one of the four and is therefore only recommended for the expert players and the ones who had managed to master Suzuka in the twoprevious titles.
Reception
In Japan, Game Machine listed Final Lap 3 on their October 1, 1992 issue as being the third most-successful upright/cockpit arcade game of the month.[1]
References
^"Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 435. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 October 1992. p. 33.
