Super R.C. Pro-Am
Encyclopedia
Super R. C. Pro-Am is a racing video game developed by UK-based video game company Rare for Nintendo
's Game Boy
handheld console. It was released in North America in June 1991 and in Europe on April 23, 1992; it was re-released in 1998 as part of Nintendo's Player's Choice series, which included all Game Boy titles which sold over one million copies. It is the follow-up to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
title R.C. Pro-Am
, in which players race remote control cars from an out-of-vehicle perspective on a series of 24 tracks, avoiding obstacles and collecting items to improve performance in order to finish in the top three and qualify for the next track. The game can be played solo against three computer opponents, or two to four players can play simultaneously via the Game Link Cable or the Four Player Adapter.
Super R.C. Pro-Am received moderate coverage from some video gaming magazines. It was praised for its graphics and sound, controls, challenge, and ability for up to four players to play the game simultaneously. Criticisms included repetitiveness in gameplay, lack of variety, and rapid scrolling on the Game Boy that may cause players to miss some items. It was featured on Nintendo Power
s "Top 20" Game Boy list for most of 1992.
that is similar to its predecessor, R.C. Pro-Am
, for the NES. In the game, players race remote control cars on a series of tracks. It can be played solo, with two-players via the Game Link Cable, or with three or four players via the Four Player Adapter. The game features 24 different tracks of increasing difficulty, and the object is to finish in the top three in order to qualify to race in the next track. Players who do not finish in the top three may use a continue
and retry the track; players get three continues, and the game ends
when the player fails to finish in the top three and has no continues remaining.
Each track is different and range from standard ovals to tracks with many twists and turns. The game includes many obstacles, such as oil slicks that send players spinning, puddles of water that cause players to slide out of control, sand traps and "slow cones" that slow players down, large cones that bring players to a complete halt, and walls of tires that players bounce off. If a player hits an oil slick and then hits a wall while spinning, the player's car is temporarily destroyed, which loses time. The tracks also has items that help players along the way: "zippers" (a series of chevrons on the track) give players a speed boost, roll cages allow players to hit walls without being destroyed and allow them to crash opponents by forcing them into walls, and missiles and bombs temporarily destroy opponents' cars. Also on the track are spare parts which help improve performance—tires improve traction, batteries increase acceleration, and engines improve speed.
Players have the opportunity to upgrade their vehicles by collecting letters, which are distributed throughout the tracks. By spelling "Nintendo" with the letters, players upgrade to a better vehicle; players can upgrade from the "Racer" to the "Speed demon" and then to the Spiker, each of which performs progressively better than the previous vehicle. If players spell "Nintendo" while racing with the Spiker, then they win the game.
's Game Boy
handheld console. It was first mentioned in video gaming magazine Nintendo Power
in February 1991, along with Game Boy versions of Nintendo World Cup
, Ultima: Runes of Virtue, and The Sword of Hope. It was mentioned again in the following issue in March 1991, along with Skate or Die: Tour de Thrash; they mentioned that Rare was attempting to recapture the same feel from its Nintendo Entertainment System
predecessor, R.C. Pro-Am
. It was released in North America in June 1991 and in Europe on April 23, 1992.
Nintendo Power praised Super R.C. Pro-Am for its graphics and sound, saying that "Rare has really captured the sounds of high-revving engines and tires trying to hold the track". They also praised the ability for up to four players to play the game simultaneously, saying that players cannot depend on their human opponents to do the same things computer opponents do, and that human opponents can fire back at them (while computer opponents cannot). It would be on the magazine's "Top 20" Game Boy list for most of 1992; it debuted at #6 on the January 1992 list, when the magazine switched from the "Top 30" list for the NES and "Top 5" list for Game Boy to "Top 20" lists for the NES, Game Boy and the Super NES
. It then went to #8 in February, #10 in March,, and back to #8 in April. From May through October 1992, it was in the teens on the Game Boy list, finishing at #11 in May, #18 in June, #17 in July and August, #18 in September, and #15 in October. It dropped off the list afterwards.
Super R.C. Pro-Am was reviewed alongside Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge in UK-based computer gaming magazine ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)
. Reviewer David Upchurch praised the game for its fluid graphics and scrolling, good controls, and "long-term challenge". He also lauded the ability to play simultaneously with two to four human players, saying that "this transforms the game from a fun diversion into an addictive obsession". Criticisms included lack of variety in the tracks and an "annoyingly grating sound". GamePro
praised the game for its easy-to-see graphics and multiplayer ability, but it criticized the lack of speed. German magazine Power Play primarily praised the game for the multiplayer features. The magazine criticized the game for its repetitiveness in gameplay and the rapid scrolling that may cause players to miss items on the track. Super R.C. Pro-Am was re-released in 1998 as part of Nintendo's Player's Choice series, which included all Game Boy titles that sold over one million copies.
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
handheld console. It was released in North America in June 1991 and in Europe on April 23, 1992; it was re-released in 1998 as part of Nintendo's Player's Choice series, which included all Game Boy titles which sold over one million copies. It is the follow-up to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
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...
title R.C. Pro-Am
R.C. Pro-Am
R.C. Pro-Am is a racing video game developed by United Kingdom-based company Rare. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Nintendo at North America in February 1988, and then in Europe on April 15 that year. Presented in an overhead isometric perspective, a single player...
, in which players race remote control cars from an out-of-vehicle perspective on a series of 24 tracks, avoiding obstacles and collecting items to improve performance in order to finish in the top three and qualify for the next track. The game can be played solo against three computer opponents, or two to four players can play simultaneously via the Game Link Cable or the Four Player Adapter.
Super R.C. Pro-Am received moderate coverage from some video gaming magazines. It was praised for its graphics and sound, controls, challenge, and ability for up to four players to play the game simultaneously. Criticisms included repetitiveness in gameplay, lack of variety, and rapid scrolling on the Game Boy that may cause players to miss some items. It was featured 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 "Top 20" Game Boy list for most of 1992.
Gameplay
Super R.C. Pro-Am is a racing video gameRacing 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...
that is similar to its predecessor, R.C. Pro-Am
R.C. Pro-Am
R.C. Pro-Am is a racing video game developed by United Kingdom-based company Rare. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Nintendo at North America in February 1988, and then in Europe on April 15 that year. Presented in an overhead isometric perspective, a single player...
, for the NES. In the game, players race remote control cars on a series of tracks. It can be played solo, with two-players via the Game Link Cable, or with three or four players via the Four Player Adapter. The game features 24 different tracks of increasing difficulty, and the object is to finish in the top three in order to qualify to race in the next track. Players who do not finish in the top three may use a continue
Continue (video gaming)
Continue is a common term in video games for the option to continue the game after all of the player's lives have been lost, rather than ending the game and restarting from the very beginning.-Arcade games:...
and retry the track; players get three continues, and the game ends
Game over
Game Over is a message in video games which signals that the game has ended, often due to a negative outcome - although the phrase sometimes follows the end credits after successful completion of a game...
when the player fails to finish in the top three and has no continues remaining.
Each track is different and range from standard ovals to tracks with many twists and turns. The game includes many obstacles, such as oil slicks that send players spinning, puddles of water that cause players to slide out of control, sand traps and "slow cones" that slow players down, large cones that bring players to a complete halt, and walls of tires that players bounce off. If a player hits an oil slick and then hits a wall while spinning, the player's car is temporarily destroyed, which loses time. The tracks also has items that help players along the way: "zippers" (a series of chevrons on the track) give players a speed boost, roll cages allow players to hit walls without being destroyed and allow them to crash opponents by forcing them into walls, and missiles and bombs temporarily destroy opponents' cars. Also on the track are spare parts which help improve performance—tires improve traction, batteries increase acceleration, and engines improve speed.
Players have the opportunity to upgrade their vehicles by collecting letters, which are distributed throughout the tracks. By spelling "Nintendo" with the letters, players upgrade to a better vehicle; players can upgrade from the "Racer" to the "Speed demon" and then to the Spiker, each of which performs progressively better than the previous vehicle. If players spell "Nintendo" while racing with the Spiker, then they win the game.
Development and reception
Super R.C. Pro-Am was developed by UK-based video game company Rare and was released for NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
handheld console. It was first mentioned in video gaming magazine 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...
in February 1991, along with Game Boy versions of Nintendo World Cup
Nintendo World Cup
Nintendo World Cup is a soccer video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy, developed by Technōs Japan and released in 1990. The NES version is a localization of , the fourth Kunio-kun game released for the Family Computer. Ports for the PC-Engine and Sega Mega Drive were also...
, Ultima: Runes of Virtue, and The Sword of Hope. It was mentioned again in the following issue in March 1991, along with Skate or Die: Tour de Thrash; they mentioned that Rare was attempting to recapture the same feel from its 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...
predecessor, R.C. Pro-Am
R.C. Pro-Am
R.C. Pro-Am is a racing video game developed by United Kingdom-based company Rare. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Nintendo at North America in February 1988, and then in Europe on April 15 that year. Presented in an overhead isometric perspective, a single player...
. It was released in North America in June 1991 and in Europe on April 23, 1992.
Nintendo Power praised Super R.C. Pro-Am for its graphics and sound, saying that "Rare has really captured the sounds of high-revving engines and tires trying to hold the track". They also praised the ability for up to four players to play the game simultaneously, saying that players cannot depend on their human opponents to do the same things computer opponents do, and that human opponents can fire back at them (while computer opponents cannot). It would be on the magazine's "Top 20" Game Boy list for most of 1992; it debuted at #6 on the January 1992 list, when the magazine switched from the "Top 30" list for the NES and "Top 5" list for Game Boy to "Top 20" lists for the NES, Game Boy and the Super NES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
. It then went to #8 in February, #10 in March,, and back to #8 in April. From May through October 1992, it was in the teens on the Game Boy list, finishing at #11 in May, #18 in June, #17 in July and August, #18 in September, and #15 in October. It dropped off the list afterwards.
Super R.C. Pro-Am was reviewed alongside Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge in UK-based computer gaming magazine ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)
ACE (games magazine)
ACE was a multi-format computer and video game magazine first published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing and later acquired by EMAP.-History:...
. Reviewer David Upchurch praised the game for its fluid graphics and scrolling, good controls, and "long-term challenge". He also lauded the ability to play simultaneously with two to four human players, saying that "this transforms the game from a fun diversion into an addictive obsession". Criticisms included lack of variety in the tracks and an "annoyingly grating sound". GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
praised the game for its easy-to-see graphics and multiplayer ability, but it criticized the lack of speed. German magazine Power Play primarily praised the game for the multiplayer features. The magazine criticized the game for its repetitiveness in gameplay and the rapid scrolling that may cause players to miss items on the track. Super R.C. Pro-Am was re-released in 1998 as part of Nintendo's Player's Choice series, which included all Game Boy titles that sold over one million copies.