Super Chase H. F-Zero, released by Nintendo in , was a pioneering game which effectively started its own sub-genre of futuristic racing games, and was a clear influence on many other game developers including the creators of the Wipeout series. The game is set in the far future, when the super-rich try to fight their ennui by indulging in dangerous and exciting races using high-speed hover cars.
Players can choose from one of four driver characters, each with their own hover car bearing unique attributes. The goal is to reach the finish line in first place and eventually earn your place in the most difficult competition, the King league.
The game also features jump pads and speed boosts spread liberally over the course of its 15 well-designed tracks. F-Zero was noted for its sense of speed and revolutionary graphics. As you might have guessed, this is an off-road racing game with players racing their truck around 16 different tracks, trying to reach the finish line first and collect the most prize money.
The action is watched from a static overhead viewpoint, which allows the whole track to be seen at once. Each circuit contains plenty of rough terrain and jumps, as well as hazards like bales of hay or pools of water. Super Off Road was one of the first games to allow players to upgrade their vehicle by spending some of their prize money on improvements, such as a faster engine, better tires for more grip, or extra nitro boosts. The gameplay could be pretty hectic, especially when trying to time your speed boosts correctly, and playing against friends through the multiplayer mode only made things more maddeningly chaotic and fun.
Super Off Road may not have received the plaudits of other classics on this list but we loved the game, with its excellent soundtrack and upgrade system being particular highlights. The game involves players racing a wide variety of toy vehicles around really original tracks — for example, driving tiny Formula 1 cars all over a snooker table, complete with chalk, cues, and pockets all acting as hazards. Or how about speeding through a circuit in a bubble bath with a toy powerboat?
The action is viewed from above as players compete against three AI opponents, with the aim being to finish first and move onto another one of the 21 fantastical tracks, such as a sandpit or kitchen table. As fun as this is, the multiplayer mode is by far our favorite part of the game. This features two players competing against each other over 9 select circuits, but had a non-traditional way of determining the winner.
Micro Machines received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with particular praise being reserved for its unique track environments and innovative multiplayer mode, and went on to produce many popular sequels. It even plays better than the 3D remake released on the PS3 and Xbox Plus, it came out well after the release of the Nintendo 64 , PlayStation , and the Sega Saturn — a console generation that introduced 3D graphics to gaming.
Those who stuck with the SNES to check out Harvest Moon found a charming life simulator about managing crops and livestock while making friends in a new town. Long before remasters were a regular occurrence, Nintendo took its already classic Super Mario Bros.
To top things off, the package included a then-rare save feature and the super difficult Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. The first three Super Mario Bros. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! If you do want to experience Secret of Mana again, or for the first time, just remember to stick with the SNES version. The title has been remade twice now, but neither of those versions has the same charm as the original.
Fun fact: Super Mario Kart started off as just a vague idea to create a two-player racing game to complement F-Zero , which was single-player only. It was only well into development that Nintendo decided Mario and the gang would fit the game, and thus Nintendo stumbled onto one of its biggest franchises.
While the racing and battle modes are still pretty fun, Super Mario Kart is best experienced as a piece of nostalgia as opposed to your go-to racer. At its core, ActRaiser is a fairly standard platformer, and its city-building gameplay is downright simplistic. Yet by combining those things with a unique take on Judeo-Christian mythology, the result is one of the best and most underrated games of the bit era. Games like Dark Cloud and Dragon Quest Builders have offered similar experiences, but even those lack the spark that made ActRaiser so beloved.
Add in a cast of instantly iconic characters from around the globe and a pumped-up soundtrack, and you have the recipe for one of the best fighters ever made. This was a Castlevania that was super in every conceivable way, with detailed graphics, a haunting soundtrack, and much smoother controls than the slightly clunky NES entries. Donkey Kong was the original face of Nintendo during the early arcade days, but by the time the SNES had rolled around, the big ape had been overshadowed by a certain Italian plumber.
Fortunately, Donkey Kong Country used then-revolutionary 3D sprites to bring new life to the character. At the time, no other game had the same level of detail. At times, the game can be downright frustrating, but DKC is still worth the occasional playthrough, as are its many sequels. It was a simpler time. The Super Nintendo is a very special console for me.
Not only did the system introduce the world to several racing game franchises, but it refined common racing mechanics and practically invented a few subgenres of its own! Sound like a plan? Imagine an entire game comprised of post-apocalyptic Mad-Max-style offensive vehicles. Now you can envision Battle Cars. Select your vehicle, then take it to the track and pit it out against your opponents. Battle Cars has nine different levels with two tracks in each location: one sprint and one circuit.
The game also features Boss characters with their own special vehicles that the player has to beat to progress to the next location. In my research for this piece, I discovered a lot and I mean a lot of Formula One racing games for the Super Nintendo and other consoles from the time.
Because it opts for simulation, F1 Pole Position 2 and subsequent games in the series may prove to be inaccessible for some due to their rigid controls and steep difficulty curve. That said, F1 PP2 is probably the easiest onboarding point for the games overall, and we highly recommend it above the rest.
Although rare, you may still be able to find copies on eBay. This is evident in the title, Street Racer. Street Racer features a roster of identifiable characters, each with their own signature power-up and unique stats. There are also various mode types, including a single-player campaign, multiplayer Rumble playing like a sumo wrestling match, but with karts , and multiplayer Soccer, a game type akin to Rocket League.
I may be showing my age, but I still remember the glory days of weekend cartoons growing up in the early to mids. While many of these animated series and franchises had their own games in numerous forms, Biker Mice From Mars was the only one that ventured into the racing genre thanks to its natural influences. After players complete their first lap, they receive a stock of three missiles to use, similar to how other racers reward players with limited turbos or speed boosts.
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