Rad Racer came from Japan, and Square and was released in October 1987. It is fondly remembered as one of the best racing games on the Nintendo. Time to dive into the vault and get reacquainted with this classic!
The original Rad Racer is just as linear as a lot of other games of the ilk at the time: speeding along as fast as you can manage while trying to win the race going on. These older race games didn’t do a very good job of informing you of where exactly you were in the race though, this one being no exception. No, where it stands out is the variety of scenic backgrounds in each different stage, the pulse pounding rhythmic soundtrack, the insane car crashes if you veer off the road and the dangerous vehicles literally trying to knock you out of your lane.
Each stage did have it’s own theme, whether it’s city night life, a drive through a canyon, or a scenic empty valley with the blue sky hovering above; they are great environments to scan on the horizon as you maneuver through the streets but yes, they are repetitive. The music is also the same in every level- it’s great music but no variety. And while the tracks are tough to determine where exactly you are, there is a strategic gameplay to the actual racing: just because you veer off the road (like in other games at the time) you do not auto crash: you can avoid it as long as you don’t hit an object on the side of the road. Likewise when ramming into another vehicle, it’s not an auto wreck either, both of which options I liked.
For it’s tougher and more forgiving gameplay, pumping music and great backgrounds, I give this a 68%
Rad Racer II doesn’t drift far from it’s predecessor, as you can see. Beautifully animated backgrounds, long open roads and pesky competitor cards dot your pixelated screen in the serviceable sequel. There are some noticeable changes: for one, you can go faster. Much faster. Also, you get your laptimes right on your console so you can somewhat keep track of how fast you are going.
There’s a variety of music this time but unfortunately, wrecks aren’t nearly as dramatic. There’s a cleaner, smoother ride as you play along and you don’t feel as if you are in a race this time or if you are, everyone’s friendly and there doesn’t seem to be as much urgency as in the original.
There are improvements and drawbacks, as it’s a much more polished product but the originals’ kick down the door approach to speeding along feels safer, somehow.
My Score: 62%
bobombblast 