Nintendo Driving Games
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8-Bit Burnouts & Brilliance: The Best Retro Nintendo Driving Games

There was a quite startling video game crash in 1983! This was the year after Tron was released, and the Atari craze had invaded living rooms nationwide. Several companies went bankrupt as there were simply too many game titles flooding the market. The best retro Nintendo Driving games can still captivate modern fans for hours. 

Game Boy Games

The Best Retro Nintendo Driving Games

Nintendo became so popular because it was familiar and accessible. Super Mario Bros introduced gamers to a fantastic side-scrolling world of colorful fun. The driving genre on the NES system offered no shortage of diverse variety. Here are some of the best titles from yesteryear that situate you behind the wheel.

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R.C. Pro-Am:

R.C. Pro-Am offered a very appealing twist to the standard racing format. Here you navigate remote-controlled models on tracks with unique obstacles. This game was NES’s official introduction to the isometric perspective. Shooting competitors with missiles was also satisfying and memorable!

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Excitebike:

Excitebike offered a simple form of play but was incredibly addictive. Once users discovered they could design their own tracks, they didn’t want to quit! Cheerful graphics and very appealing gameplay immediately rendered it a must-have. Excitebike was also one of the earlier titles that offered the benefit of racing solo.

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Rad Racer:

Rad Racer saw success with a pov much like Namco’s Pole Position. Many players spent hours enjoying Rad Racer with the included red/blue 3d glasses! Its 3D visuals and visually satisfying mountain landscapes were first-rate for the times. Games from this era were amazing at not taking themselves too seriously while offering hours of fun.

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Super Off-Road:

Super Off-Road offered an excellent top-down perspective. Placing well in a race provided the ability to score sweet upgrades such as nitrous! The arcade version featured four steering wheels and true multiplayer appeal. The races had a very chaotic quality to them, which added to the frantic feel and addictive nature. 

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Super Sprint:

Super Sprint did not possess the rabid popularity of Rad Racer, but is an example of top-down perfection! The wrenches left along the course were easter eggs of sorts to provide cool upgrades. Super Sprint’s mechanics are very straightforward, and the variations in tracks is attention-grabbing. This is not a game that moves slowly, and it is good for weekends of fun on end.

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RoadBlasters:

RoadBlasters has a very wide sense of perspective, and the tracks are quite hazardous! The art style was very distinct, with green power-up pellets forming curved lines. Racing and combat were not always yet mixed well together, and RoadBlasters handled the challenge like a boss. The turning here is extra wide, and explosions from kills are meant to thrill.

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Paperboy:

Paperboy took a common all-American daily task and made it quite exciting! Its isometric viewpoint calls for a consistent 45-degree angle propulsion. Throwing the newspapers out to the left was incredibly challenging due to the building detail. For a suburban route, the occupants were quite hostile, making things quite tough to master. 

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Spy Hunter: 

Spy Hunter was a top-down that at first seemed a bit simple to some. The very straightforward line of fire proved to be quite satisfying. One of the power-ups from the weapons van is an oil slick, allowing you to rid enemies behind you. Spy Hunter was incredibly challenging due to how fast your initial time runs out! 

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Super Cars:

Super Cars may not be as straightforward or as instantly appealing as Rad Racer, but its competitive spirit shines through. This title brought very high-octane top-down arcade racing to the gray box. Super Cars’ power-ups offered nitro boosts, oil slicks, and missiles to improve your odds of a successful run. Its format feels a bit like “Super Spy Hunter.” 

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Formula One: Built to Win:

Formula One: Built to Win was a game that bore the noticeable effect of 8-bit limitations. Some diehard players thought that this game’s ambition could simply not shine through. This game is often overlooked for some of the NES’s more well-known titles. These tracks are all based on their real-world equivalents, and the backgrounds’ depth offers a rich retro experience.

Nintendo Driving Games

8-Bit Burnouts: A Look Back at Top NES Racers

Which one of these Nintendo driving games was YOUR favorite? We know we may be dating ourselves a bit, but a few writers on our staff may remember one or two of these titles in passing! Excitebike remains an all-time favorite, as well as Rad Racer. The original NES system had a very distinct way of grabbing attention in a cartoon-like and quite warm manner. Let us know what you think in the comments below, or check out another article about the classic Pole Position game.

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Jon Weirman
I am a freelance writer in the Midwest who specializes in vehicles built for expert-level off-roading, and anything with a staggering amount of horsepower. In my first life I worked in broadcasting for Starz Network and Discovery Channel. I also love retro video games and sci-fi movies. Everything from the loud and burly muscle cars of the late 1970s to new crossover SUVs with futuristic tech features have populated my inbox!

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