View Full Version : Best racing game on SNES?
KWKBOX
06-29-2015, 03:37 PM
What is your favorite SNES racing game and why? This one is mine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhwyWx_cqy0
Aussie2B
06-29-2015, 03:40 PM
Probably Super Mario Kart. Traditional racers on the SNES and earlier systems don't really do it for me. It's probably the only genre that I think needed to go 3D to become truly great.
KWKBOX
06-29-2015, 03:42 PM
Probably Super Mario Kart. Traditional racers on the SNES and earlier systems don't really do it for me. It's probably the only genre that I think needed to go 3D to become truly great.
I actually felt Super Mariokart was too slow for me. It is even worse today so I really can not stand anything older than the N64 version to this day.
Aussie2B
06-29-2015, 04:29 PM
Yeah, the slowness makes me have no desire to touch its battle mode (also because it's limited to two players, while four-player battle mode in Mario Kart 64 is a blast), but I still like the single-player racing in Super Mario Kart, if only because it provides more of a challenge than pretty much any other Mario Kart.
Leo_A
06-29-2015, 06:27 PM
Without a doubt, it has to be Top Gear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9QJZSBpvg0
Satoshi_Matrix
06-29-2015, 06:32 PM
oh, F-Zero, without question. Super Mario Kart is the popular choice, but F-Zero is a much better game in every way except for multiplayer which of course it just doesn't have at all. I like Mario Kart just fine, but I'll always opt to play F-Zero when given the choice.
Tanooki
06-29-2015, 09:52 PM
Yeah, the slowness makes me have no desire to touch its battle mode (also because it's limited to two players, while four-player battle mode in Mario Kart 64 is a blast), but I still like the single-player racing in Super Mario Kart, if only because it provides more of a challenge than pretty much any other Mario Kart.
I'm curious how you feel like that about the single player? I find that most of them post-N64/GBA get respectively harder to win as they've more and more converted it into this cheap Mario Party on wheels type game where it's totally random if you actually can win depending if the AI decides to spike shell your ass into oblivion, or the AI like on the DS game is setup on 150cc to keep all 7 characters shooting at you, even not being in first they ignore the AI ahead. The SNES game was the only truly fair one based upon a good bit of driving skill and item use. I think if I had to choose though probably F-Zero because it's easier just to pick up and play into a fast round as Mario Kart while also on a 5 track circuit is slower and more with item tactics involved instead of course mastery and ai car dodging alone (and the sound track is very motivating.)
For me I don't know the answer to this question but it would either be F-Zero or Super Mario Kart. I've not touched Top Gear much but it didn't do much for me so I didn't try the other sequels to it, and Uniracers I never could get into, and I've tried a few times over the years.
Aussie2B
06-29-2015, 10:00 PM
Yeah, the later Mario Kart games are more random, but I feel they're still more forgiving, if only for track design alone. Like compare the challenge of the original Rainbow Road to the later ones. 150cc is pretty brutal in Super Mario Kart, and the other racers are relentless with their item usage when you're in the lead. You also have to worry about coin management in Super Mario Kart.
RP2A03
06-29-2015, 11:19 PM
The SNES game was the only truly fair one based upon a good bit of driving skill and item use.
If by "truly fair" you mean "the CPU karts are horrible cheating bastards and Mario will wreck your shit with his infinite stars of doom"; then yes, that is correct.
Rickstilwell1
06-29-2015, 11:19 PM
I definitely have to give it to Top Gear 2. It does what the first one does, only better.
retroman
06-29-2015, 11:30 PM
I have to give it to Super Off Road. Love that game.
Tanooki
06-29-2015, 11:42 PM
If by "truly fair" you mean "the CPU karts are horrible cheating bastards and Mario will wreck your shit with his infinite stars of doom"; then yes, that is correct.
I've never had that problem. I could kill it on 150ccs better than the other versions. Mind you I cleared it using Mario so maybe that's why?
Also that coin management was in the GBA game too, I kind of liked the speed boosts it gave. I did totally forget one racing game, don't have it anymore as the music does it for me not the gameplay but Rock n Roll Racing. I know it's highly appreciated and over the last few years I've gone between owning it on SNES and GBA but never keep it.
Jibbajaba
06-30-2015, 12:57 AM
Top Gear
F-Zero
Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing
A.C. Sativa
06-30-2015, 01:26 AM
If by "truly fair" you mean "the CPU karts are horrible cheating bastards and Mario will wreck your shit with his infinite stars of doom"; then yes, that is correct.
This is why I hate all the Mario Kart games, the cheap ass AI. F-Zero for me. "Normal" racing games just don't work for me with a D-pad.
Leo_A
06-30-2015, 02:02 AM
It's easy to overlook it, but Super Off-Road saw a fine conversion here.
About the only way it could've been any better is multitap support and including the dune buggy as a vehicle option. Even includes all of the Track-Pack expansion circuits.
Top Gear
F-Zero
Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing
Good list :)
Nice to see Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing get a mention. It's a fine classic that is usually overlooked. The masters at Gremlin, the developers behind the Top Gear and Lotus franchises, did a great job with this one.
I especially love the 16 bit national anthem renditions. Gremlin Interactive loved putting little details like that into their games.
celerystalker
06-30-2015, 05:19 AM
Not sure about the order, but my favorites are:
Super Mario Kart
F-Zero
Biker Mice from Mars
Rock & Roll Racing
Hashire Hebereke
I didn't care for any even sort of realistic racing games until Sega Rally Championship on Saturn.
Edmond Dantes
06-30-2015, 06:00 AM
No love for Uniracers, people?
Mayhem
06-30-2015, 06:14 AM
Super Mario Kart, Rock 'n Roll Racing, F-Zero and Top Gear. All for different reasons though.
Tanooki
06-30-2015, 11:10 AM
Amazingly enough I actually have an old plastic tall drinking mug for Nigel Mansell from the 90s games still, it's used to scoop up dog food. :D
Pr3tty F1y
06-30-2015, 06:03 PM
Top Gear 2 tops my list.
I love F-Zero, but Top Gear 2 is fantastic. Great gameplay, great music, full screen (compared to the first SNES Top Gear). Highly recommended.
Leo_A
06-30-2015, 07:05 PM
Top Gear 2 fell short of the mark for me. The soundtrack pales against that of the original and I don't really care for the graphical approach.
Surprisingly, the split-screen setup with Top Gear and Super Mario Kart worked fine and felt natural. Never had any complaints.
About the only way that I could even think to make Top Gear even better, is if the AI player during single player could use its turbos.
Atarileaf
06-30-2015, 07:21 PM
I love threads like this. It exposes me to games I've never played before. I believe I've played the genesis versions of top gear 1 and 2 (which is better - snes or genesis?) and I'll keep an eye out for Nigel Mansell as well.
BTW - F-Zero for me, hands down.
Tanooki
06-30-2015, 08:44 PM
There's also Top Gear 3000 which is futuristic, heard it's decent, but unlike the first two it commands a little bit more money.
Leo_A
07-01-2015, 08:50 AM
I love threads like this. It exposes me to games I've never played before. I believe I've played the genesis versions of top gear 1 and 2 (which is better - snes or genesis?) and I'll keep an eye out for Nigel Mansell as well.
Top Gear (And Top Gear 3000) are SuperNes exclusives. Only Top Gear 2 was multiplatform (Besides the Genesis port, it also saw an Amiga release as I recall).
The SuperNes version is definitely better for Top Gear 2. The audio is far superior (And sound effects and music play simultaneously, unlike the Genesis version when you can only select one or the other; A failing shared with other Gremlin Interactive titles on the Genesis). And the graphics certainly are better.
Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing, another Gremlin Interactive 16 bit racer that has been mentioned in this thread, is also better in its SuperNes form (As is the Nigel Mansell branded IndyCar title from the same developer). The Genesis effort is fine, but it really loses something with its chase view compared to the nice cockpit view of the SuperNes game. And I think its fine soundtrack is completely absent with only sound effects left in place.
Too bad the SuperNes didn't get any of Gremlin's Lotus games. The Genesis got ports of Lotus 2 and 3 from the Amiga, both of which were fine games (Although annoyingly, the audio limitation I've mentioned is present). But I bet that SuperNes versions would've turned out even better.
PizzaKat
07-01-2015, 09:11 AM
F1 Pole Position. It had actual racers from the time in Formula One. Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher and even Michael Andretti when he defected there for his brief stsy. I was huge in Cart racing at the time. It was also challenging. Rented it at Blockbuster 2 or 3 times. Great game.
Stunt Race Fx really did it for me back in 1994... truly loved that game :)
Nophix
07-01-2015, 01:51 PM
Without a doubt, it has to be Top Gear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9QJZSBpvg0
I second this motion! !
Tanooki
07-01-2015, 07:16 PM
I would have voted for Stunt Race FX, but the problem is that it's not even the slow frame rate issue, but the fact the controls are lagged behind what happens on screen as it makes it quite hard to do any really good and accurate turning on some corners. I thought it was a fantastic game, but the drag on it really knocks it down a lot. I've been contemplating buying it again lately but it gets annoying over that. I'd honestly be interested if someone pulled off a good overclock cart that made it run along like an emulator for SNES with fast forward button pushed down making it seem like a 30fps game or better. Nintendo was kind of sloppy releasing it as is, yet it still has plenty of charm.
adolescent
07-01-2015, 08:15 PM
I really liked Rock 'n Roll Racing. I always liked F-Zero but it was so difficult it wasnt fun to keep trying. I'll have to go try the Top Gear series.
celerystalker
07-01-2015, 08:48 PM
I really liked Rock 'n Roll Racing. I always liked F-Zero but it was so difficult it wasnt fun to keep trying. I'll have to go try the Top Gear series.
Rock & Roll Racing fans should play Biker Mice from Mars. Very similar, but faster and with a lot of variety.
Mayhem
07-02-2015, 06:23 AM
Too bad the SuperNes didn't get any of Gremlin's Lotus games. The Genesis got ports of Lotus 2 and 3 from the Amiga, both of which were fine games (Although annoyingly, the audio limitation I've mentioned is present). But I bet that SuperNes versions would've turned out even better.
Top Gear WAS effectively a SNES version of the Lotus games, same development team, the music is remixed from the Amiga games (the two or three, I can't recall) that were out by that point.
Leo_A
07-02-2015, 06:24 AM
Yeah, Top Gear is essentially Lotus 4 and was a continuation of this franchise, minus the Lotus license.
But while Top Gear is better in almost every way besides the lack of weather, the Amiga and Genesis Lotus games are still worthwhile experiences. I'd of loved to have seen Gremlin take an earlier crack at Nintendo's hardware with a conversion or two.
Edmond Dantes
07-02-2015, 11:52 AM
I do love how there's a video on youtube showcasing every racing game ever made for the Sega Genesis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5KZY3mTXhg), and yet I can't find a comparable effort for the SNES. What the hell, gamers?
Tanooki
07-02-2015, 02:51 PM
This is fascinating, hadn't even thought of it as I only have heard/seen (never played) Lotus before but that it was going right into Top Gear as like 4th game in the series given the team and designs.
It is sad if there is no compilation of racers for the SNES if the Genesis has one, really sad, given the big Nintendo community.
Leo_A
07-03-2015, 02:03 AM
I do love how there's a video on youtube showcasing every racing game ever made for the Sega Genesis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5KZY3mTXhg), and yet I can't find a comparable effort for the SNES. What the hell, gamers?
Too bad he left off a clip of the finished Indy Heat prototype.
Glad to have that one on my Everdrive these days.
Steven
07-10-2015, 02:29 PM
Super Mario Kart, hands down.
One of my most nostalgic and favorite SNES games ever. Love that shit!
Oh, and an honorable mention to SD F-1 Grand Prix. It's Japanese only, and is like SMK with Chuck E. Cheese rejects. It's fun and charming though. It doesn't play as well as SMK, but it looks better. It's a fun alternative. Check it out!
Finally, a huge guilty pleasure for me was Dirt Trax FX. Did anyone else enjoy that game? I don't know how I would feel about it today, but I remember renting it 20 years ago and absolutely loved messing around with it.