Road Fighter is an overhead view, arcade racing game produced by Konami of Japan and released in 1984. It was also was the first racing game made by the company. The game was later ported to the Famicom in 1985 and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1992 by PALCOM Software in Europe only.
This is that one game that is always included in every known released NES/Famicom/NES clones bootleg cartridges out there. Thanks a lot, China!
The Story
Go into the exciting heat of racing competition, as you head for the finish line! You will need all your skills in this furious road fight.
You drive a racing machine. As you start, the sound of your car roars through the suburbs. You have entered a tough race of limited time and fuel. So good luck in your race in different area roads!
The Graphics and Sound
Graphics are below average. Your crappy little red car drives along a road with other cars that are color-swapped replicas of it. A lone truck breaks up the monotony. Having Superman flying by when you are near the finish line is a good touch. The speed motion of the race has a nice framerate though.
The scenery is completely different on each of the 4 road levels ranging from a seaside highway to a rural road.
Music is missing for most of the game. The music plays before and after you finish a track. You do get some sound effects of tires screeching, trucks, and weird noises when other cars in your path try to hit you.
The Gameplay
Starting the game brings you to a top-down view next to some other racing cars. Once the race starts, those cars next to you race into the distance leaving you to catch up.
The controls are responsive, and the fact that the buttons, "A" and "B", are assigned to different gear shifts, is brilliant.
Accelerating is easy with the "B" button putting your car in low gear and the "A" button shifting it to high as you figure you have to start in low. As high takes slow to get moving. As your car moves upward, you have to dodge the slow-moving cars some of which make you click the directional pad left or right to avoid.
Hitting a car can make your car spin. The only way to stop that is to tap the directional pad in the opposite way. If you are too late, however, your car hits a wall or another vehicle.
A wall smash is not only annoying but wastes time and fuel. Hitting fuel cars on the road replenishes your fuel. This getting some fuel system while racing sucks. A standard checkpoint like in other car races works better.
When the race course is finished, you go again in 3 other, unexciting levels.
My Verdict
Road Fighter is really short and is so basic. It is a short taste of some good quality 2D racing. While the graphics are not great, but they are easy on the eyes even at high speeds. The lack of music is a drag but what's left is sufficient.
Road Fighter has good racing but there are better games out there. It is good only though for some short time fun.
Play it on the NES or on emulators. Try to test it for some racing video game roots.
The screenshot there made me want to go play Spy Hunter. It sounds like a similar enough game, only Spy Hunter gives you machine guns. :)
Spy Hunter seems cool. I think I Will try it out.