Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race

Nintendo

Nintendo

Racing

3500.00

One of Nintendo’s first racing games is Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race. This is similar to R.C. Pro Am, which was developed by Rare and released a few months later in the US, though it uses an overhead perspective rather than an isometric one. There are 10 different courses, each with four levels of difficulty. You naturally have to compete with other drivers, which have pictures and profiles in the manual. If you place high enough in the races, you'll be rewarded with cash prizes. Money is necessary in order to purchase better cars, which are required to advance through the levels. At first the vehicles are relatively cheap, but the later models get quite expensive, necessitating you to win multiple difficult races in order to afford them. Cars are ranked on their top speed, how much damage they can take, the grip of their tires, and whether they have Turbo boost ability or not. You can also pull off to the pit stop to repair all your stats before the finish line during a lap. It's almost mandatory to do this once per race, so you'll have to time it wisely. The 10 courses take place in different environments. Some are in deserts, others are grassy, while some will have been rained on, which will require wet tires in order to do well in the race. Some have very sharp turns that take a lot of practice in order to get the hang of, especially once you have to start using higher speed vehicles. The computer AI is ruthless, too, even at the first level. Unless you're going top speed most the time in a decent car, you'll have a very difficult time finishing in first place. If you drive off into the grass, your speed will plummet and your tires will also wear out much faster, so you need to try and avoid doing this. There are drone cars that aren't part of the actual race, but are quite annoying as they're great at getting in your way. If you crash into one too many times it’ll turn into an oil slick, which, if hit will naturally cause your car to lose control and spin out. Grass and oil slicks have no effect on the computer, which only makes the game tougher. Controlling your vehicle can be difficult, especially in tight turns, and if you try to go into upper gear without first maxing out your lower gear, you'll go extremely slowly. The game requires excellent precision on your part in order to do well. Overall, this is one of the harder racing games out there due to its AI and unforgiving ways. The game can be a grind, but as you get used to the courses and the feel of the cars, you'll start getting better and better.