Super Sprint
System: NES
Release Date: July 1989
Developer: Tengen
Publisher: Tengen
Genre: Racing
Back to back racing games, but Super Sprint is more of a traditional car racer. Seven courses stand in the way between you and racing greatness! The view of the track is top down and you race against three other cars. The first racer around the track five times is the winner! You take control of the yellow car, with the white car being your greatest rival, and the red and blue cars mostly acting as filler. You accelerate by holding the A Button and steer by pressing left or right. You, or your opponents, can get knocked off of your intended path on crossover portions of certain tracks.
While racing, wrench icons appear on the track and should be collected whenever possible. Points icons also appear and are much less important, unless you’re going for a high score. The wrenches allow you to level up your vehicle between races. For two wrenches, you can increase your top speed, traction, or acceleration. Each level up is useful and makes for a more interesting race at the higher levels. The enemy drivers can also collect these icons, taking them away from you. A few tracks have shortcuts which can sometimes be helpful and sometimes cause you to get caught. Also, if you hit the wall under an overpass, good luck getting out!
Of course, this wouldn’t be a racing game without hazards on the track. Water puddles slow you down when you hit them. Mud puddles spin you out and cause you to slow down. Oil slicks spin you a lot. There are also exploding cones, which slow you down, and tornadoes that act as a moving oil slick. Take enough damage or hit the wall just right and you explode! You are allowed to lose three races before the game over is real.
Graphics: 1.0
You can tell what everything is, but graphics and animations aren’t anything spectacular.
Sound: 1.0
There is a minimalist approach to sound. You get a nice ditty between races, but sounds are engine noises.
Gameplay: 2.0
Driving works just fine, you need to learn when to lay off the gas.
Difficulty: 2.5
That stupid tornado seems to always cross the track when I’m hitting the same spot. If you drive smart, you should be able to keep winning.
Fun Factor: 2.5
I like Super Sprint. It’s simple and good for a quick run to see how well you can do.
Overall Grade: 1.8
Super Sprint earns a C. Totally give it a shot, it plays just like Ivan Stewart, which I’m looking forward to in about 175 games…