Favorite Genesis Racing Games

[Wraith Storm]

Recently I have really got into the lineup of Genesis racing games.

I have always loved the Genesis port of Outrun and Virtua Racing (Although I prefer the 32x version). A year or two ago I also picked up Top Gear 2. TG 2 is a lot of fun but the port is fairly lackluster allowing only music OR sfx, but not both at the same time.

Recently I have been playing a ton of Chase H.Q. II and Outrun 2019. I can't believe I had never played them before. They are both a ton of fun and Outrun 2019 has a fairly impressive engine. I was really surprised to see how smooth the scaling was when you start off in the tunnel as the support beams start whizzing by. I was also really surprised to see that it uses some clever coding effects to generate overpasses that come into view and you pass under. It reminded me of some of the effects that Panorama Cotton used.

However nothing could prepare me for F1 World Championship and Kawasaki Superbike Challenge. I'm not sure if I actually think they are good games, but I have been playing them off and on to awe at the polygon engine they use. I never realized the Genesis could push so many polygons (especially in Kawasaki SC) and as smooth as it did without the SVP chip. Like I said, I'm not sure if I really enjoy either of these games but I can't help but play them and be impressed while analyzing them.

So what are some of your favorite racing games on the Sega Genesis? Any that you simply can't get enough of or any that impress you with their fancy coding?

[gcl1984]

it never got better than Super Monaco GP for me on the genny

[todesengel]

Super Hang On is still my favorite Genesis racing game.

[SpaceHarrier]

Road Rash II - Never get tired of this..

Outrun 2019 was a game I sadly dismissed back in its day, as the screenshots used in magazines made it look terribly dull. Not until a year or so ago did I finally get a chance to try it, and now it's on my to-purchase list. Very fun game and looks great (in motion).

[retroman]

For some reason i remember being very fond of Test Drive 2 The Duel when i was a kid..

[Leo_A]

Top Gear 2 was far better done on the SuperNes (although the original SuperNes game was a far superior game and my favorite racer from the 16 bit generation).

My favorites would be both Super Monaco GP releases (Seems a lot of people forget that there was an excellent sequel on the platform), F1 World Championship, Mario Andretti Racing, Super Hang-On (The missing engine sounds in particular make it hard for me to enjoy the Genesis Outrun port that's been mentioned already), Outrun 2019, and Lotus 1 & 2 (Played with engine sounds on and the music being played on my PC next to me for the best effect, since only one of the two can be played at one time on the Genesis).

An honorable mention goes to Nigel Mansell's World Championship. Only reason it's not on my list is because it was better done on the SuperNes, but the Genesis release is still excellent.

[MachineGex]

My top 3:
1. Micro Machines(Micro Machine 96 and Micro Machines 2 for mega drive are cheap to import)
2. Championship ProAm
3. Rock N Roll Racing

[hashiriya1]

Aryton Senna Super Monaco GP!

[Superman]

I love racing games on any console.

My favorite would have to be Outrun. You're a cool guy, with a cool car, and a beautiful woman as your passenger. What more can I say?

I also like Hard Drivin'. I loved playing Stunts on the PC and Hard Drivin was Stunts, but on a console.

I must say that I also like playing Outrun and Hard Drivin' at the arcade. So when they came out for the consoles, it was like heaven. I could play all I wanted and do whatever I wanted (run into things, go exploring, etc.), without spending any more money for these games at the arcade (or so I thought).

SpaceHarrier made a good mention as well. I've also had a fondness for the Road Rash series as well.

[Leo_A]

My favorite would have to be Outrun. You're a cool guy, with a cool car, and a beautiful woman as your passenger. What more can I say?

It's just too bad you can't hear the roar of your Ferrari's engine. :)

Still, it's a nice effort that holds up well today. I like it too.

[Haoie]

Hey you liked Outrun 2019 too? Apparently it began life as something totally unrelated to Outrun.

Got to love the music in it though.

[Wraith Storm]

Outrun 2019 was a game I sadly dismissed back in its day, as the screenshots used in magazines made it look terribly dull. Not until a year or so ago did I finally get a chance to try it, and now it's on my to-purchase list. Very fun game and looks great (in motion).

Yeah... I did the same. I saw it at the video store several times and glanced at the back of the case and it just didn't seem like it would be that cool. But after giving it a go... man, I am really digging the game.


Hey you liked Outrun 2019 too? Apparently it began life as something totally unrelated to Outrun.

Got to love the music in it though.
Interesting. I never knew it started out as a different game. Any info on what it was originally supposed to be?

Yes!!! The music is really good. I don't think any of it has that classic, timeless feel to it like "Magical Sound Shower", but there are some very good tunes in there, and I know I haven't heard them all yet.

[c2000]

Outrun 2019 was called 'Junker's High' before. (crappy name imo).

[Leo_A]

Interesting. I never knew it started out as a different game. Any info on what it was originally supposed to be?

As far as I know, its connection with Outrun doesn't really extend beyond the name and some vague similarities. So I think what you see is what it was originally supposed to be, just branded as a Outrun game.

[sheath]

Super Monaco GP all the way for me. Then I'd probably give a tie to Road Rash II and Virtua Racing.

[fahlim003]

Virtua Racing is my extent of Genesis racers - and I think it's pretty good in that regard. I also think Super Monaco GP is good despite not being that close to the original. Road Blasters is also quite good and runs at a great pace.

F1 World Championship surely looks more interesting than Kawasaki Superbike Challenge although KSC is a very impressive looking game.

As for OutRun, yeah it's ok on Genesis but it really cannot compare to Saturn or arcade. Same for OutRunners.

[sheath]

I was a little disappointed with the lack of trackside sprites in Super Monaco GP, but everything else about it might as well be as "Arcade perfect" as possible. I was so excited when the Arcade game got MAME support, but after playing it a bit with my Saturn pad I went right back to the Genesis port.

I bought Super Monaco GP II back when it came out, and then returned it. They tweaked something and I still don't like it as much as the first. Also, what did they do to the sound?

[Koa Zo]

I was a little disappointed with the lack of trackside sprites in Super Monaco GP, but everything else about it might as well be as "Arcade perfect" as possible. I was so excited when the Arcade game got MAME support, but after playing it a bit with my Saturn pad I went right back to the Genesis port.

I bought Super Monaco GP II back when it came out, and then returned it. They tweaked something and I still don't like it as much as the first. Also, what did they do to the sound?
Same here, I love Super Monaco GP, and was so psyched for SMGPII, but returned it to the store shorty after buying it, something just isn't right about the 2nd one.

As for my current favorite Sega Genesis racing game, that would be Championship ProAm, just such a great game in every way!

[Alianger]

Micro Machines '96, definitely.

[sheath]

Same here, I love Super Monaco GP, and was so psyched for SMGPII, but returned it to the store shorty after buying it, something just isn't right about the 2nd one.

As for my current favorite Sega Genesis racing game, that would be Championship ProAm, just such a great game in every way!

I can't put my finger on SMGPII either. I have played other technical pseudo 3D racers and liked them a bit more. Still, nothing back then has Super Monaco GP's gameplay that makes me feel like my car has weight, speed and control.

About Championship ProAM, I bought R.C. Grand Prix for SMS last year totally convinced it was a port of NES R.C. ProAM. It unfortunately did not live up to expectations, though it does have its merits. Is Championship ProAM a sequel?

[klausien]

It's already been said of course, but Virtua Racing is King for me. It is a jaw-dropping port of a quintessential Sega racer. I didn't get to play it in context because A) my friend was the one with the Genesis and B) it was $100(!), but its impact was not lost on me when I finally got my hands on it for a ten spot about a decade ago. Yes, it uses an extra processor, but when compared to say Stunt Race FX (which I'm not knocking) there's really just no contest. It also controls just as well as the even better 32X Deluxe version and looks especially cool on the Nomad.

The Genesis version of OutRun is quite good, though I still think the PCE version edges it out. The color palette just looks more like the original. I do like the MD soundtrack, but that's more because of my love for the sound chip than anything else. It hasn't really aged as well as the PCE port, but it's still an extremely competent, quality version of a true classic in the genre.

The Genesis did a decent job with Amiga ports overall, so both the Lotus games are certainly worth your time. They have classic Euro difficulty, but never feel like it's not worth the effort. They are also quite inexpensive and abundant.

Along these lines, Jaguar XJ220 is probably the best racing game on the system outside of VR. It's truly one of the best of the entire generation. I'm not sure if it counts however, as it is for Sega CD. I highly recommend it if you've got one. Great tunes, great graphics, great control, great racing.

Now I think it may be time to go give the X'Eye a spin. I need to play these games again.

[MachineGex]

About Championship ProAM, I bought R.C. Grand Prix for SMS last year totally convinced it was a port of NES R.C. ProAM. It unfortunately did not live up to expectations, though it does have its merits. Is Championship ProAM a sequel?

Championship ProAm is a sequal to RC ProAm on the NES. I think Championship ProAm(Genesis) is the same game as RC ProAM II(NES). Either that or it is really close.

[Scissors]

Championship ProAm is a sequal to RC ProAm on the NES. I think Championship ProAm(Genesis) is the same game as RC ProAM II(NES). Either that or it is really close.

It's actually an enhanced version of the original RC Pro-Am, not the sequel. It's also my favorite Genesis racing game.

I haven't played very many Genesis racing games though. I have Outrun 2019, but never played it. Since it's gotten a bit of praise here, I think I'll give it a try soon.

[MachineGex]

^Yeap, that's it. Both are great games. I still havent gotten a 4 player NES RC ProAm II game going yet. I would love to play against 3 other people in some RC racing fun. Sounds like a good tournament for CGE.

[Polygon]

There are a lot of really good racers on the Genesis. My favorites are:

Road Rash
Road Rash II
OutRun
Rock 'N Roll Racing

I'll have to check out some of these other games.

[Wraith Storm]

3. Rock N Roll Racing

Rock N Roll racing is an excellent Genesis game, but similar to Top Gear 2, the Snes version just seems to have that extra polish that I miss when returning to the Genny version. Although when it comes down to it, it plays just as good if not better then the Snes version and that's what really matters right?



I love racing games on any console. I also like Hard Drivin'. I loved playing Stunts on the PC and Hard Drivin was Stunts, but on a console.

I almost forgot about Hard Drivin'. Once Race Drivin' was released didn't it make Hard Drivin' obsolete? It included the Hard Drivin' track plus two new tracks, a track creator (which was awesome) and had 3 cars to choose from.

Hard Drivin' was a great game but Race Drivin' had everything it had and much more. Or am I missing something?


It's just too bad you can't hear the roar of your Ferrari's engine. :)

You know... I'm not sure that I ever noticed that and it's probably going to bug the hell out of me now. Thanks a lot. ;)

Well, i suppose that just gives me even more reason to hunt down the Working Designs Sega Ages collection on the Saturn. I have heard that it has the best port of Outrun.

[j_factor]

The best port is the Japanese Saturn stand-alone version. The only difference being the music -- in the Japanese version, you can select original or arranged, and in the Sega Ages compilation, they removed the original.

The Genesis port is great in its own right, though. I think I prefer the Genesis music.

[Drixxel]

Genesis racing games at their best have such a smooth sense of speed. Lotus II RECS is pretty cool and the track generator is a nice touch (even if the courses are never really that different). Micro Machines is great and Combat Cars is another quality overhead racer, even if the controls are overly touchy. Super Off-Road's a decent port but I would have preferred a Genesis Super Sprint, all in all.

Any fans of Street Racer? Is seems like a racing game met with far more love in Europe than North America.

[j_factor]

I like Street Racer, but while the Genesis version is pretty impressive for the system, it has a much better version available for Saturn.

[Emuaust]

the domark made racers, F1, F1 Championship Edition and Kawasaki Super bikes where super impressive racers in there day (and due to being made by a PAL software house ive noticed some odd scaling issues running thes games in NTSC), but I struggle a little going back to any 16 bit era racers that where going a sim route, the genre has evolved too much for me to enjoy these older examples.

Although, saying this, I find it still great fun going back and playing arcade racers like outrun, all four Micro Machines games and Virtua Racing.

[DigitalSpace]

Championship Pro-AM
Road Rash
Road Rash II
Road Rash 3
OutRun
OutRun 2019
Virtua Racing
Micro Machines

[fahlim003]

The best port is the Japanese Saturn stand-alone version. The only difference being the music -- in the Japanese version, you can select original or arranged, and in the Sega Ages compilation, they removed the original.

The Genesis port is great in its own right, though. I think I prefer the Genesis music.
This man speaks the truth. It all boils down to the fact as addressed in this (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133653) topic that 60fps run speed is unlocked making it even superior to the arcade original. The US version despite not having the arrange soundtrack is probably the better bet since it comes with Space Harrier and Afterburner 2 also.

[sheath]

This thread made me add Street Racer for Saturn to my ebay watch list.

[cyberfluxor]

My top 3:
1. Micro Machines(Micro Machine 96 and Micro Machines 2 for mega drive are cheap to import)
2. Championship ProAm
3. Rock N Roll Racing

Micro Machines is my #1 choice as well.

I had a friend in middle school who owned Hard Drivin' and all we ever seemed to do is go for crazy wrecks for replay value! I can not stand to play the game today, but at that time it was so enjoyable.

[Cafeman]

Same here, I love Super Monaco GP, and was so psyched for SMGPII, but returned it to the store shorty after buying it, something just isn't right about the 2nd one.

Yep, I agree with you two guys - I loved SMGp, got the 2nd Ayrton Senna one and didn't like it at all. It lost its magic somehow. I think they removed the awesome growling down-shift sound effect ... man did I love that sound in SMGP.

My favorite racer for Genesis was indeed Super Monaco GP - what a fun game, even with the tedium of saving passwords. Back in the day, I was so pleasantly surprised that they could fit so many unique tracks in one game.

Super Hang On rocks too! Its a fine port and seems to fit the Genny just perfectly. Outrun is great too but I prefer the Saturn version of course, so I don't play the Genny version much. Virtua Racing on Genny is also a fine and playable port.

[fahlim003]

This thread made me add Street Racer for Saturn to my ebay watch list.I had never heard of this game before and I'm surprised to see it's a competent looking SMK clone and then some. That's what it looks via appearances anyway. All the same, looks like a solid game on Genesis and Saturn.

[sheath]

I am definitely picking it up, it is very solid on SNES and Megadrive. On Saturn it looks like a next gen B.C. Racers/Mario Kart style game.

It's too bad that Superb Articles Japan is the only seller on ebay presently. They just don't seem like their usual selves lately (poor communication).

[c0ldb33r]

There was a YouTube video comparing different versions of street racer. It was pretty neat and iirc the genesis one was much different from other versions.

Top gear 2 wouldn't allow both music and sound? Wow. That's pretty ghetto.

[Breetai]

It's too bad that Superb Articles Japan is the only seller on ebay presently. They just don't seem like their usual selves lately (poor communication).
You mean of Street Racer?

[sheath]

Yes, of Street Racer for Saturn I only found Superb Articles Japan selling it for a low enough price for me to jump straight away. They list it as scratched and haven't responded to my question on that. Sorry, I wasn't clear in my first post.

[Trevelyan]

Road Rash
Road Rash II
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament

good times

[Cafeman]

I just picked up Genesis Mario Andretti Racing and played it a bit tonight. Its pretty impressive with its 3 different types of races (F1, stock, other) and its split-screen which can be a rear view, competitor's view, course map view, or opens up to be a huge sky so you can play full-screen. I haven't played it enough to determine how I'll like it yet.

Also picked up Nigel Mansell's racing for SNES, but haven't hooked up that system quite yet. Leo - why is the SNES version considered better?

[Leo_A]

The main reasons are superior sound effects and a nice cockpit view (With working mirrors) that the Genesis version lacked.

[old_skoolin_jim]

It's already been said of course, but Virtua Racing is King for me. It is a jaw-dropping port of a quintessential Sega racer. Yes, it uses an extra processor, but when compared to say Stunt Race FX (which I'm not knocking) there's really just no contest.

+1 to this. The incredible VR port is the reason I was so disappointed they never brought a respectable Virtua Fighter port to the Genesis. Yes, I know the 32x version was great, but "VF2" on the genny was like some sort of sick joke.


Micro Machines '96, definitely.

I recently found this COMPLETE (yes, with party invites and all) for a mere $5, and felt as if my childhood dreams had come true (as I never got to play it here in the US, except the PC port). Then, I played it. "Holy crap!" I never remembered MM1 being this insanely difficult! Big props for the track creator, but I just couldn't get into it at all due to the 1-player game's challenge.

Other favorites?
OutRun - Great arcade port, even without real scaling and a re-arranged course layout
Super Hang-On - "story" mode was an interesting addition for the time
Rock 'n' Roll Racing - Come on... do I have to say anything about this?
Road Rash 3 - Still my favorite in the series, even if it can be choppy at times. Music is nicely done, too!

[8bitgamer]

I like Road Rash II and Rock N Roll Racing.

[trinfryit]

racing schools (http://www.racingadventure.com/)



Don't forget to take Richard Petty Driving Experience home with our RPDE signature t-shirts, polo shirts, hats and other memorial reminder products. Other add-ons include our Race Keeper in-car video packages, state-of-the-art digital photography and photo plaques.


I was at the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School, it was fun.

[stalepie]

Probably Road Rash II. I had more fun with that than anything.

Didn't enjoy the ports of Out Run and Hang On. Did enjoy OutRun 2019 on a rental, though it's short and easy.

Remember liking Skitchin' too.

[PresidentLeever]

Rock N Roll racing is an excellent Genesis game, but similar to Top Gear 2, the Snes version just seems to have that extra polish that I miss when returning to the Genny version. Although when it comes down to it, it plays just as good if not better then the Snes version and that's what really matters right?

No mod support for the SNES version though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRdrXXiCLeU

[Emperor Megas]

Outrun was always my favorite Genesis racer. The Afterburner and Galaxy Force cameos you got at the third check point (if you didn't collide with anything) were pretty neat.

[Leo_A]

I was playing Super Hang-On today and forgot just how sluggish that port really was.

If anyone enjoys that game and wants something closer in feel to the arcade original, Sega Arcade Gallery for the Game Boy Advance has a much better port of Super Hang-On. It's missing the excellent original career mode that the Genesis game has, but for just racing the standard arcade mode, it's far superior and much closer to the arcade experience.

Also has a very nice port of Outrun, a poor port of Afterburner, and a port of Space Harrier (Unsure how well it turned out, I never really liked the arcade game so I'll avoid trying to grade how well the port turned out).

[ClassicGamePhreak]

I don't know why, but it was Outrun 2019 for me.

[stalepie]

oh my GORSH Road Blasters is great!!! did not know this game was on this system! buying it now

[allyourblood]

So many good racers on the Genesis, it's hard to pick a favorite. Here's a handful that I really like (yes, they've already been mentioned):

Micro Machines
Hard Drivin'
Road Rash, II, & III
Rock n' Roll Racing
Super Off Road
Outrun 2019
Virtua Racing (for the memories)

There's more, but those are the ones I can think of at the moment. Since we're talking about racing games, I'll sneak in a vote for the original Top Gear on SNES. That game's great -- except that my wife trounces me in it every time.

[Leo_A]

Top Gear for the Super Nintendo was the best 16 bit racing game, hands down.

[timewarpgamer]

Hmmm, I'd say:

Road Rash 2 (smacking people with weapons is too much fun)
Out Run (wish the port were a little better, but it's still pretty solid)
Skitchin' (runs on the same engine as Road Rash)
Micro Machines Turbo Tournament '96 (track editor!)

I like Rock 'N Roll Racing a lot, too, but only the SNES version, because the audio is so bad in the Genesis one.

If you're interested in the Top 10 Racing games across the 8-bit and 16-bit era, I did a feature about that on my website a while back.