Greatest 8-bit and 16-bit Console Racers

[timewarpgamer]

After much delaying, and lots of "researching," I finally added a new Top 10 list to my site, and as usual I'm interested in feedback from y'all.

http://timewarpgamer.com/top10s/racers.html

Enjoy!

[Rickstilwell1]

I really enjoy RC Pro-Am (probably both although I haven't tried II), Championship Pro-Am, Super Mario Kart, Top Gear, Top Gear 2, Super Off-Road, Super Off-Road: The Baja, Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2, Lotus, Lotus II, Biker Mice From Mars, and Rock 'n' Roll Racing.

I sort of enjoy Hang-On, Super Hang-On, Rad Racer and Rad Racer II but not as much as the ones above.

I haven't played enough F-Zero and Top Gear 3000 to know if I'd like them but I probably will. Those two are a bit more futuristic.

[Clownzilla]

F-Zero just never did anything for me. I could never get the hang of the controls and stay on the track.

[kupomogli]

This list is from a gaming site and not a very good list. Super Mario Kart is a good game but that's quite a bit of bias to even mention Excitebike in the top 10.

It's not a horrible list but in my opinion only, there is quite a bit wrong with it. Road Rash 2 being up there is good, but where is Top Gear 2 and why isn't it first place? Super Off Road for SMS is mentioned under honorable mentions, but the SNES version should have replaced Rock n' Roll Racing. Any version is better than RnRR aside from the music.

[A Black Falcon]

F-Zero is my favorite racing game of that entire generation... I am a huge fan of futuristic racing games, and F-Zero is an amazing one. Great graphics, great gameplay, great design, great music... the only possible complaints are that it could have more tracks and has no multiplayer, but oh well. What's there is outstanding.

My second favorite racing game of that generation would be Outrun 2019 for the Genesis, which is a really, really good game... I dislike the other Outrun Genesis games because of their bad, choppy scrolling, but 2019 is both smooth, great looking, and futuristic, which I love. It's not as hard as the original Outrun, but it's a great, great game that I have played over and over.

Third place... hmm. Top Gear, perhaps? I agree with the list, Top Gear is a highly under-rated game. It's actually a really, really good game... the second and third ones are great too, better than the original in some ways, and the third is even futuristic, but there's something about the first one I really love.

Micro Machines 2 or '96 would also have to be on my list. I've loved the Micro Machines series for a long time, and that game is one of the best of them. It really is too bad that both titles are import only, that's for sure.


As for 8-bit racing games... hmm, I don't know, I generally think that 16-bit ones are a bit better, but I do like the NES version of Super Off-Road (one of my all-time favorite arcade racing games) because it's a competent port and actually has four player support, making the NES version of the game the one and only version anywhere with a four player option, because the SNES and Genesis versions are inexplicably 2 player only. RC Pro-Am is alright, but simple and I lose interest. The second game is better, and one of the best NES racing games. Vs. Excitebike... yes, good game. I wish we'd gotten that over here... Galaxy Race 5000 is pretty good as well.

(I must correct you though, Excitebike did have saving... but only with the Japanese version, and the Famicom Basic Keyboard and Famicom Data Adapter (tape drive) add-ons, so that you could save levels from Excitebike, Wrecking Crew, and Mach Rider to tape. We never got the addon, so that function never worked here.)

As for Super Mario Kart, it's alright, but I find it quite hard and frustrating, and nowhere near as fun as Mario Kart 64 and beyond... it's my least favorite game in the series really, I think.

Oh, Uniracers is fantastic. Almost forgot to mention that one, but I like it a lot. Rock & Roll Racing... okay game, above average but not the greatest. I like the Micro Machines games much more.

[arcadecup]

How could we forget Cobra Triangle? That game is charm!
I don’t know if it falls in the racer category on an official level.

[Ze_ro]

Not a bad list. Good to see Uniracers get some love, as that's always been a favourite of mine. I never really saw the appeal in Road Rash myself, and Skitchin' always seemed like a spinoff of that.

I'm a little surprised Pole Position didn't manage to find it's way onto the list, seeing as it pretty much started the whole racing genre. Some others that maybe should be listed:

• Sprint (this series essentially started the whole "top down" sub-genre. Super Off-Road is another of this type that was a huge hit)
• Hang-On & Monaco GP (Sega had some of the best arcade racing games ever)
• Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge (Well, it was big in the computer scene, not quite so much on consoles, and I guess Top Gear sort of took over from it)
• Chase HQ & Road Blasters (Start of racing w/ combat?)
• Hard Drivin' (Yeah, all the home versions sucked, but the arcade game was a hit at the time)

--Zero

[TheClash603]

My top 7 favorite 8-bit or 16-bit racers are as follows:

1.) Ivan Ironman Stewart's Super Off Road
2.) Outrun
3.) Kyle Petty's No Fear Racing
4.) Moto Roader
5.) Hard Drivin'
6.) Skitchen
7.) Hang-On

Maybe not in that order...

Most overrated racer? Mario Kart for the SNES. On the N64 this game was awesome, and has been great ever since. That SNES game though... just never did it for me.

[Sinizar]

SNES and Genesis 1. Rock 'N Roll Racing
Genesis 2. Virtua Racing
SNES 3. Biker Mice From Mars
Genesis and NES 4. R.C. Pro Am
NES 5. Cobra Triangle

[hbkprm]

f-zero ftw
good music cutting edge in the graphics need i say more

[Arkhan]

rc pro am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!


and that super off road ironman stewart game.

[Emuaust]

I would like to make a mention of Domarks brilliant F1 game on the Megadrive/genesis, it was quite impressive at the time, along with Virtua Raving they where by far the biggest time suckers in terms of racers for me.

[DigitalSpace]

Top Gear 2 has the most awkward control options I've seen in any racing game. I tried each option and couldn't get comfortable with any of them. The biggest fail: If you prefer to use the B button to accelerate, there's an option for that... but there's a catch: you'll have to use the L and R buttons to steer instead of the control pad. WTF?

Fortunately, the controls aren't an issue in Top Gear or Top Gear 3000. 3000 is my personal favorite in the series.

A few games that weren't mentioned in the article that I think are worth a look:
Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat (NES)
Formula One: Built to Win (NES)
R.C. Pro-AM II (NES)
Super Cars (NES)
R.C. Grand Prix (SMS, also ported to the Game Gear)
OutRun 2019 (Genesis)
Biker Mice From Mars (SNES)
Dirt Trax FX (SNES)
F1-ROC II: Race of Champions (SNES)
Lamborghini American Challenge (SNES)

[kupomogli]

Dirt Trax FX (SNES)

Dirt Trax FX just reminded me of Stunt Race FX. I forgot about the game. This would definitely be in my top 10(Stunt Race FX, not Dirt Trax FX.)

[thom_m]

I'll never get the lack of love for RnRR. One of m all-time favorites. Biker Mice from Mars is an awesome game as well (although it's just RnRR on a different shell), and Top Gear 3000 kicks ass. And say whatever you want, but I deeply enjoy Outrunners (Genesis) and Nigel Mansell's F-1 Challenge (SNES).

Brazilians usually freak out about Super Monaco GP 2 (Genesis) because of Ayrton Senna, but I never played it enough to have an opinion about it. The first Top Gear for the SNES is also treasured amongst brazilian gamers.

[j_factor]

Sega CD is 16-bit too, you know. No love for Jaguar XJ220 or B.C. Racers? Final Lap Twin (tg16) is also greatness.

[dreamcaster]

My top 10:

1. Stunt Race FX (SNES)
2. Super Mario Kart (SNES)
3. Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament (SNES or MD version)
4. Micro Machines (SNES or MD version)
5. Top Gear 3000 (SNES)
6. Top Gear 2 (SNES version, MD version's music sucks)
7. Top Gear (SNES)
8. Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing (SNES, MD version once again loses awesome music).
9. F-Zero (SNES)
10. Super Off-Road (SNES)