Rad Racer

In 1987, Square released "Rad Racer." This game had you race around the world while battling traffic and trying to clear the checkpoints in time. Easier said than done, right? Exactly. With a look at a classic NES title, I welcome you to "John's Race Space!"

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Rad Racer

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Rad Racer was released in 1987 by Square. Yes- the same Square that is nowadays Square-Enix. Your goal is to traverse through eight venues while avoiding commuter traffic and by clearing the checkpoints. You also have a time limit, so make sure to clear those checkpoints as quickly as possible. Can you clear all eight courses?

There were versions of this game made for 3D glasses and even one for the Nintendo Power Glove. This post will just stick to the good old NES controller version. This game is for one player only, so don't expect any multiplayer madness in this one.

Vehicles.

You can choose between two vehicles. Based on my own play, the choice is merely personal preference. You can race either a sports car that resembles the Ferrari 288 GTO (called the "328 Twin Turbo"), or you can race a formula racing car that resembles of the Lotus-Honda Formula 1 cars of the mid-1980s (called the "F1 Machine"). You start off in a low gear when accelerating. Just make sure to go to your high gear when you get enough speed going. After that, you have a turbo that seems infinite as long as you are in your high gear and have generated enough speed.

Don't want to listen to silence? You can turn on the radio by pressing Up (or Down as well?) and listen to one of the game's three different songs.

Locations.

The eight locations in Rad Racer feature eight different international locations. You get a general idea of what each location resembles once you encounter them. For example, the fourth stage ("Ruins of Athens") has you driving around Athens, Greece (obviously not Athens, Georgia, USA). Each track has commuter traffic you must try to avoid as well as objects on the outer sides of the road. Collide with those outside objects, and you will suffer a serious crash.

Strategy.

What you obviously want to do is clear each checkpoint as quickly as you can. When time runs out, you can still make any checkpoints you haven't cleared! You can still reach an upcoming checkpoint by simply coasting to it if within reach of one. If you crash your car and time runs out, forget about it.

There is a way to cheat to access later tracks and even the ending. I'll leave that up to you... cheater. :P

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Rad Racer: Final Thoughts

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Rad Racer is a simple, bare bones racing game. Just the simple basics of what makes almost any racing game fun is what this game is all about. No strategy or precision is involved- just floor the gas and try to clear each stage before time expires. Some of the racing can be a bit frustrating trying to deal with some of the traffic at times. However, it shouldn't be too difficult to weave your way through traffic. It takes concentration to try to avoid getting involved in heavy wrecks. Regardless, it's doable to clear all eight courses. So pick a car and get your speed freak on! :)

Video Preview.

Here is a simple game play video of Rad Racer...


^ Rad Racer - NES Gameplay


If you want to buy this game, you can probably look around on eBay or something.





That's all for this one. I hope you have a great day/night. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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