In addition to New Wave music, mainstream turbocharged cars, and deconstructed linen jackets worn over pastel t-shirts, the 1980s gave us 8-bit video games. A necessity to support the primitive but burgeoning home computer industry, it gave rise to classic racing games like Pole Position, Spyhunter, and Out Run. Capturing the spirit of that entertainment, the Fast and the Furious franchise has introduced an 8-bit game you can play called Fast X: The End of the Road Begins.
The simple gameplay involves dodging obstacles, including cars, explosives, and potholes, through the streets of Los Angles, Brazil, and Rome. Along the way, you can pick up NOS bottles, cash, and checkered flags to speed up your progress. The game includes vehicles like motorcycles and what are presumably Dom and Dante’s cars. However, it’s hard to tell which car is Dante’s Chevrolet Impala and which is Dom’s Dodge Charger by anything other than the purple and black colors.
Between levels, you can watch cut scenes from the Fast X movie trailers showing car chases and explosions. It’s a worthwhile diversion you can play on any web browser by visiting the Lets Race Fast X Movie site. The movie premiers Friday, May 19, and is the first of a two-part finale to the original Fast and the Furious franchise.
The movie itself centers on Dom and his “family”. It features an all-star cast of franchise characters played by Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, John Cena, Sun Kang, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jason Statham, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, and Rita Moreno. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will not make an appearance due to his longstanding friction with Vin Diesel.
While the central cast is not expected to return for other movies in the Fast franchise after Fast X, it is possible other standalone movies are in the works, like the return of Hobbes and Shaw or the creation of new characters similar to The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift.
