Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road (NES)

[Herschie]

This was a game I couldn't wait to play when I was a kid. Unfortunately my parents only sprung for Blockbuster instead of Toys R Us, but I had fun the weekends we did rent this. I remember inviting my friends over, and they actually wanted to hang out with me because my parents had recently put me on Ritilin and I started acting right. Funny how that works.

When it comes to good simple fun, you can't beat this game. You get a chance to upgrade your vehicle, and how quickly you can do it depends on how you did in the race. It makes perfect good sense that the better you do, the more money you get to spend. You can also spend money on nitro boosts, and as you race, you keep your budget in mind before you use them. So you want to be wise when you do. I only use them on straightaways when I get the most benefit from them, and I never use them when outcome of the race is no longer in doubt.

I remember that April afternoon in 1991 when I brought this game home for the first time. My friends and I played for about an hour and a half before a pillow fight broke out. Naturally the fun was ruined by me. I guess it was supposed to be common sense to not swing with the zipper part facing out. This kid started crying and they had to call his parents.

And that was about the end of my hour and a half of popularity.

[BlasteroidAli]

Great story. I played it on Genesis and was useless at it. The NES version looks interesting and it is a game that plays to the strengths of the console, rather than it's weaknesses.