Rad Racer
Encyclopedia
Rad Racer, known in Japan
as , is a racing game
developed and published by Square
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
in 1987. It was programmed by Nasir Gebelli
, designed and supervised by Hironobu Sakaguchi
, and featured music by Nobuo Uematsu
, all of whom later contributed to Final Fantasy
in similar roles.
By 1987, few racing games existed for the NES, and Rad Racer was seen as Square's answer to Sega's
Out Run
. In Japan, it is one of the few titles for the system designed for use with Nintendo's Famicom 3D System
peripheral for 3D
experience. In 1990, Square followed up with an exclusive North American sequel, Rad Racer II. It differed little from the first version, and players considered the gameplay
inferior; as a result, it was not as successful as the first version.
The game appeared in an infamous scene in The Wizard
, where Lucas Barton (Jimmy's rival) uses a Power Glove
to play through the first stage of the game, a feat in itself considering the much noted unreliability of the device.
Rad Racer is Uematsu's 15th work of video game music composition. One of its songs was used, with vocals added, as the theme song for Stinkoman, the anime
-parody version of the character Strong Bad
from the Homestar Runner
Flash cartoon.
The idea of Rad Racer is to rally through a course, and make it to check points before the timer runs out. If a player hits a road sign or tree at any speed the car crashes. Hitting another car severely slows the car down, but does not cause a crash. Crashes take time and make it more difficult for the player to reach the check point. There are eight different levels of increasing skill. Even if time runs out, the vehicle can continue to coast for a while; if the vehicle reaches a checkpoint before running out of momentum, the game continues.
Rad Racer came packaged with 3D glasses, which could be worn to give the player the illusion of three dimensions (Square had previously incorporated the usage of 3D glasses in 3-D WorldRunner
). You can activate the 3D mode during play by pressing the "Select" button.
At the car selection screen, the player can pick one of two cars: a Ferrari 328
or an F1 racing machine
, similar in appearance to the 1987 Camel-sponsored
Honda
/Lotus 99T Formula One
car.
Although officially there is supposedly no performance gain by choosing the F1 racing machine over the Ferrari 328, this is debated by race fans. Debate aside, a frame by frame comparison of the cars shows definitively that they are identical, at regular and turbo velocities. The player cannot clear the course faster. The maximum speed is still 255 km/h (255 is the highest integer
representable within 8 bit
s).
, Rad Racer was met with favorable reviews and enjoyed modest commercial success; it ranked 8th on Nintendo Power
s player's poll Top 30. It was condemned, however, for its extreme similarity to Sega's Out Run, released the previous year. In their article The History of Square, GameSpot
conceded that "Rad Racer bears more than a passing resemblance to Out Run," but went on to say that "it's more than just a clone" and credited the game with "effectively convey[ing] the proper sense of speed." The article concluded that the game "stands on its own as a fine racing game."
Nearly twenty years after its release, Rad Racer continues to garner impressive player reviews.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a racing game
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
developed and published by Square
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in 1987. It was programmed by Nasir Gebelli
Nasir Gebelli
Nasir Gebelli is an Iranian-American programmer and video game developer. Gebelli co-founded Sirius Software, created his own company Gebelli Software, and worked for Square .-Sirius Software:...
, designed and supervised by Hironobu Sakaguchi
Hironobu Sakaguchi
is a Japanese game designer, game director and game producer. He is world famous as the creator of the Final Fantasy series, and has had a long career in gaming with over 100 million units of video games sold worldwide...
, and featured music by Nobuo Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
, all of whom later contributed to Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy (video game)
is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series...
in similar roles.
By 1987, few racing games existed for the NES, and Rad Racer was seen as Square's answer to Sega's
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
Out Run
Out Run
is an arcade game released by Sega in 1986. It was designed by Yu Suzuki and Sega-AM2. The game was a critical and commercial success. It is notable for its innovative hardware , pioneering graphics and music, a choice in both soundtrack and route, and its strong theme of luxury and relaxation...
. In Japan, it is one of the few titles for the system designed for use with Nintendo's Famicom 3D System
Famicom 3D System
is an accessory for the Family Computer that was only released in Japan in 1987. The 3D system consisted of a pair of liquid crystal shutter glasses that received video signals through dual 3.5mm jacks on a special adapter. It gave compatible games the illusion of 3D depth, like the Sega Master...
peripheral for 3D
Three-dimensional space
Three-dimensional space is a geometric 3-parameters model of the physical universe in which we live. These three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth , although any three directions can be chosen, provided that they do not lie in the same plane.In physics and mathematics, a...
experience. In 1990, Square followed up with an exclusive North American sequel, Rad Racer II. It differed little from the first version, and players considered the gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
inferior; as a result, it was not as successful as the first version.
The game appeared in an infamous scene in The Wizard
The Wizard (film)
The Wizard is a 1989 adventure dramedy film starring Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, and Jenny Lewis...
, where Lucas Barton (Jimmy's rival) uses a Power Glove
Power Glove
The Power Glove is a controller accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and the first peripheral interface controller to recreate human hand movements on a television or computer screen in real time. The Power Glove was not popular and was criticized for its imprecise and difficult-to-use...
to play through the first stage of the game, a feat in itself considering the much noted unreliability of the device.
Rad Racer is Uematsu's 15th work of video game music composition. One of its songs was used, with vocals added, as the theme song for Stinkoman, the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
-parody version of the character Strong Bad
Strong Bad
Strong Bad is one of the major characters of the Homestar Runner series of animated Flash web cartoons. He is portrayed by Matt Chapman, the principal voice actor and co-founder of the series. Strong Bad enjoys pranking the other characters of the series, along with his ever-diligent lackey pet...
from the Homestar Runner
Homestar Runner
Homestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. It mixes surreal humor with references to retro pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music.The cartoons are nominally centered on the title character, Homestar Runner...
Flash cartoon.
Gameplay
Rad Racer came packaged with 3D glasses, which could be worn to give the player the illusion of three dimensions (Square had previously incorporated the usage of 3D glasses in 3-D WorldRunner
3-D WorldRunner
is a third-person rail shooter platform video game developed by Square in . In Japan, the game was released on the Famicom Disk System as Tobidase Daisakusen, and was published by DOG, a now-defunct label of Square...
). You can activate the 3D mode during play by pressing the "Select" button.
At the car selection screen, the player can pick one of two cars: a Ferrari 328
Ferrari 328
The Ferrari 328 GTB and GTS was the successor to the Ferrari 308 GTB and GTS. While largely based on the 308 GTB and GTS respectively, small modifications were made to the body style and engine, including an increase in engine displacement to 3.2 L...
or an F1 racing machine
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, similar in appearance to the 1987 Camel-sponsored
Camel (cigarette)
Camel is a brand of cigarettes that was introduced by American company R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in the summer of 1913. Most current Camel cigarettes contain a blend of Turkish tobacco and Virginia tobacco. Early in 2008 the blend was changed as was the package design.-History:In 1913, R.J...
Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
/Lotus 99T Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
car.
Although officially there is supposedly no performance gain by choosing the F1 racing machine over the Ferrari 328, this is debated by race fans. Debate aside, a frame by frame comparison of the cars shows definitively that they are identical, at regular and turbo velocities. The player cannot clear the course faster. The maximum speed is still 255 km/h (255 is the highest integer
Integer
The integers are formed by the natural numbers together with the negatives of the non-zero natural numbers .They are known as Positive and Negative Integers respectively...
representable within 8 bit
Bit
A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
s).
Reception
As one of the NES's premier racersRacing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
, Rad Racer was met with favorable reviews and enjoyed modest commercial success; it ranked 8th on Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
s player's poll Top 30. It was condemned, however, for its extreme similarity to Sega's Out Run, released the previous year. In their article The History of Square, GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
conceded that "Rad Racer bears more than a passing resemblance to Out Run," but went on to say that "it's more than just a clone" and credited the game with "effectively convey[ing] the proper sense of speed." The article concluded that the game "stands on its own as a fine racing game."
Nearly twenty years after its release, Rad Racer continues to garner impressive player reviews.