Rock and Roll, and Combat Cars Racing - Originally published on 1UP - March 30, 2009

In the early 90's I was finishing high school and looking for new challenges in gaming. The arcade scene was still growing steadily but some of the best times I had were on the consoles. The Super Nintendo and Genesis split my time evenly. Two of the more memorable racers were in the combat genre, years before Twisted Metal was even announced. Rock and Roll Racing (RnRR) had a number of things going for it. The characters were a mashup between mutants and heavy metal gods. The cars they drove were equally intimidating, sports cars with monster truck tires or jet cockpits on tank treads. The game was established around an intergalactic competition so the rides could be as eccentric and intimidating as any science fiction movie. Tracks consisted of grades and jumps, not really explored in RC Pro Am or most other console racers. The mix of rock music, bright graphics and monstrous protagonists said this was a boys game. Even "the voice" of motor sports, Larry "Supermouth" Huffman lent his talents to this 1993 title by Silicon & Synapse, before they became Blizzard Ent.

Rock and Roll Racing was an isometric car combat game. Not quite as fast paced and frenetic as RC Pro Am but whose graphics and sound effect were absolutely top-notch. The digital covers of many rock standards made it stand out to many gamers.

A year later the Genesis saw its own car combat game named, what else, Combat Cars. The game by Accolade seemed kind of dated. It was presented in the overhead view rather than isometric. The characters seemed like the usual assortment of ugly guys and mutants. The music was some odd type of electronica, rock music was out. There was no air of authenticity to this game, no connection to the racing world as there was with Rock and Roll Racing. That was with the exception of the cover art. Car art legend Ed "Newt" Newton was the person that designed the box art. That little detail was enough to get me to pick up the title.

These differences between this game and Rock and Roll Racing didn't amount to much as the game was very well made. The racing element in particular was very solid. In addition to being mindful of the track players had to line up shots and avoid opponents. The tracks were diverse, upgrade options numerous and the gameplay very fast paced. The design of the combat buggies even grew on me, more so than the three basic car types in RnRR. To many it was graphically inferior to Rock and Roll Racing but the play experience was anything but lacking. It was proof that a studio could create a fun experience with the overhead format. Make the player handle multiple elements in a racer and they will step up to the challenge. Provided that the balance is there, the controls are dialed in and the multiplayer mode isn't lacking. Combat Cars had all of the above.

Ten years earlier I would have never thought that a memorable overhead racer was possible, let alone on a console. Bally published a racing game, not one year after the amazing Spy Hunter, which almost killed the momentum of the overhead genre. I hope to see you back tomorrow to find out which game it was.

Were there any rare games that you enjoyed? Let me know in the comments section please. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

The little big world of RC Pro AM - Originally published on 1UP - March 24, 2009

RC Pro Am is the definitive combat racing game for those that grew up with the NES as their first console. Just ask my friend Jai about his experiences and memories of the game. For those that are unfamiliar with the Rare gem from 1988, it was an isometric racing game with weapons thrown into the mix. Unlike the Sprint series where players could see the entire track RC Pro Am would scroll across the track depending on the players position. This made guessing twists, turns and obstacles very hard. It was crucial for players to learn the course or at the very least keep an eye on the map to find their position. Of course while trying to race players also had to keep an eye on opponents and fight them off with an assortment of missiles.

The game was frenetic. The racing element was hard by itself, when combined with weapons then it became insane. Like many of the classic games it was the challenge that also made it memorable. If it were difficult because of the controls then it would have been forgotten. But the control was dialed in, the graphics were as good as any other NES racer if not better and the balance amazing. Rare had truly crafted a title that was head and shoulders above many combat racers of the day. RC Pro Am predated Atari's Badlands by two years and to many, if not all, it was a superior experience. I know my friends on 1UP have much love for this game. The isometric racer has rarely been done better since. Although the racing and combat genres have all gone 3D since every now and then we see some really fun isometric racers.

The spiritual successor to RC Pro Am was created by David Jaffe and the good folks at Eat Sleep Play (former Incog Inc. and SingleTrac employees). Calling All Cars was an isometric car combat game that owed a lot to Rare's influence. They ditched the track in favor of an open world environment where players tried to return escaped prisoners back to jail. Players could use weapons on each other in an attempt to steal the ragdoll-like prisoners. It was very fast-paced with point leaders changing pace from moment to moment. The cel-shaded graphics were a nice touch, helping keep the theme light and arcade-like. If you're on PSN then you owe it to yourself to check this game out. Just talking about it makes me want to go over the cousin's house for some more matches.

The spirit of RC Pro Am continues even in the Flash game market. RC Rally is a simple racing game, no weapons in the title, but the look of this isometric racer owes a lot to Pro Am. I tool around with the game from time to time at work and wish that perhaps some day Rare might think about resurrecting the game. Of course once weapons were added to cars things would never be the same. The light hearted feel of Pro Am would give way through the grim 90's. David Jaffe and his crew defined the genre years before Calling All Cars with a dark series that was a macabre comedy. You might have heard of it, it was called Twisted Metal.

Did you ever play a classic NES, PC, or arcade car combat game? I'd like to hear about it. Let me know in the comments section please. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!