R.C. Pro-Am II

Like some sequels to classic video games this one ridden a little under the radar. This was one of the games that came out near the beginning of the twilight years of the NES which is one of the reasons this sequel wasn't a best seller. But personally, I felt this one made the system go the distance one last time.

Not much to say it's pretty much the same kind of racing. This game does have a few improvements and add ons which make this sequel a little different from its predecessor. I like there are a lot more tracks each unique and are slightly different as there are some different hazards like water, an oncoming airplane that bombs the racetrack for no particular reason. There are some hills which are useful if you want to execute a jump.

You can play four players in this game which increase the fun, racing games are always even more fun when more people are involved. But one big thing that's really unique is it has an RPG element to it, where when you collect money on the track or gain a big sum depending on where you place. You actually have a shop where you can purchase what you need to upgrade your car to make it run better than before, so I thought that was cool.

Unfortunately, despite a modification or two this game isn't quite up to the speed of the original in my book anyway. One of the screws looses are the graphical presentation, it's not bad it's actually good don't get me wrong but I don't feel it's quite as good. It just looks and feels a slight rpm down from the animation of the first, in the first game it had isomorphic animation which gave the game a full 3D effect from the cars to the tracks, the animation in this game not so much it just looks and feels like standard 2D video game animation. Even the cars aren't as impressive or memorable looking like the old cars.

But the biggest problem with the game is that it's doesn't offer enough new on the table, it feels at times like it's the same game but dressed up differently. Maybe the game would have benefited if we had a choice of different kinds of cars, variety with different kinds of races like may 'be an R.C. air, Dune Buggy, or speed boat race.

But also, some sort of feature where you can customize your vehicle to make it look different than before or as you upgrade your car you car starts to turn to something else. I know asking for a lot which is why I can't help but feel this sequel would of benefited more being a SNES game which it wasn't which I felt was a lost opportunity, though I couldn't understand why as the Genesis has "Championship Pro Am" which is a story for another time.

Overall, it's a solid sequel even though it doesn't have a much millage as its predecessor, if you're a fan of the first game or even just vintage racing games this sequel is worth a test drive.

Rating: 3 stars