Road Fighter (1991)

This racing game is top fun in a minimal amount of time. Road Fighter is included in the 256 in 1 cartridge, that amongst others also included Tetris and Super Mario Brothers. The game is too limited to be bought separate, but it’s a great extra. It’s good fun though, for a short while. If only because you drive 400 km/h. And who needs breaks anyway?

Graphics

This is as simple as it can get, even for an 8-bitter.

Sound

Bzzzzzzz..

Playability

Gas up to 200 km/h with B, then up to 400 km/h with A and avoid hitting cars that are going in the same direction. It’s formula is that of Outrun and many other arcade racing games: get to the finish line before your fuel is out. Only with a top down view. Some cars will stay in the same place, some will constantly move, others will react to your movement. It’s actually more of a memory game than a racing game. Remembering where the cars are that move and keeping the speed not constantly at top speed, and you’ll manage. Until you have finished all four tracks and pretty much everything seems to be moving. Still too easy? Try level 2.

Instant Fun Factor

Road Righter is a fun game, a true arcade game. It does not try to do something that work: making 8-bit racers that attempt to look good, Outrun excepted. Win your race, get some happy music. The End.

Long Term Fun Factor

There is not really a long term to this, unless you have someone at home who keeps breaking your high scores.

Graphics: 10/20

Sound: 10/20

Playability: 20/20

Instant Fun Factor: 20/20

Long Term Fun Factor: 8/20

Total score: 68/100

Excitebike (1984)

This game is probably the most instant fun the Nintendo Entertainment System can offer. Being as old as the machine itself, it offers a very simple feature that made this game way ahead of his time: you can build your own tracks.

Graphics

You see your bike sideways, riding from left to right. You can also move up and down five lanes to avoid certain obstacles. The graphics are simple even for a NES-game, but that’s no surprise since the game is 26 years old.  

Sound

The main theme might be one of the best known of the system. During the game you can only hear your bike, which is a lot better than hearing some annoying theme over and over again, like in some other NES-games

Playability

You can control Excitebike pretty much instantly. You can go up or down the lanes, you can accelerate normally or you can push your bike harder, risking overheating it. That’s pretty much it. The only that can go wrong is that you tumble over or your bike overheats. When playing “Selection B”, you have opponents that might run you over. Trying the same to them becomes the next challenge.

Instant Fun Factor

I have never met anyone that didn’t like Excitebike instantly. The first two tracks are easy enough to get how the game works. Then the fun can start.

Long Term Fun Factor

Because you can create your own tracks, the number of possibilities are endless in this game. And that’s something for a game that was released back in 1984. You can build a track with choosing from 19 obstacles, and make the race up to 9 laps long. Saving and loading a created track is also possible, although it takes a while. If you haven’t played this game for twenty years and decide in a nostalgic mood that you might try if you still like playing this: I assure you, you will.

Graphics: 12/20

Sound: 14/20

Playability: 20/20

Instant Fun Factor: 20/20

Long Term Fun Factor: 20/20

Total score: 86/100