Super Off Road

"A fun game, for a while"

Super Off Road is by far one of my favorite games for the SNES. It is a racing game that features, wait for it, off road tracks. The game is a fun experience and one that I still enjoy playing even today.

GRAPHICS

The graphics are decent. I mean they will not blow you away with the stunning amounts of detail. There are four cars and basically the only difference there is between the cars on screen is their color. The cars all drive the same way and look identical on the track.

The noticeable area of the graphics are the tracks themselves. Each track is highly detailed. There are rocks jutting out in one track that you must avoid, to a figure eight circuit. Each track has it's own look and feel. Each obstacle in the game including the hay bales and water are nicely animated. The best part of this area is when you repeatedly hit a hay bale and then it becomes misshapen. This cues you to the fact that the next time you hit it it's going to break and become straw, that in my opinion, was a genius move and lends itself to race strategy.

SOUND

The music is hit and miss for me. I mean it's the same tune over and over and over again. If you are like me and get annoyed by music that constantly repeats, you'll probably want to turn the T.V. down. The sound effects are not stupendous either. The only thing you'll hear is a bang sound if you hit another car, that's it. The music and sound effects are not this games strong point, and it shows.

CONTROLS

The controls are simple and easy to learn. Basically all you'll need in this game is the directional pad and the accelerator button. I mean literally you could teach a two year old how to play this game in two minutes. The cars are responsive to your controls, and only occasionally over responsive. There is no camera to worry about or anything, and it is a great game to bring out to a beginner gamer.

GAME PLAY

The single player game play is very tight. There is no story mode or anything like that. All you do is enter your initials and begin racing. From the very beginning you are asked about vehicle upgrades. You can purchase engines or nitrous, the choices are up to you. This lends itself to the strategy side of the game. You have to make tough decisions early on, on what to spend your initial money on. Once you make your decision, there is no turning back and if you take last place, you lose upgrades and money. Strategy in the game also dictates how you use nitrous, etc. against your opponents and at what time. It may seem like a simple game, but there really is a strategy element to it.

The next fun part is that it is two players. The game is even harder to play when 2 players are vying for first place out of four cars. Being that this used to be an arcade game though, it is not surprising that this is the case. The only thing I have a problem with is the challenge of one of the cars, specifically the grey car in my game. It always cheats to win. I mean literally it comes out of nowhere using nitrous galore and steals victory at the last second away from you. The game may frustrate players due to this, however as stated above, this used to be an arcade game and if you had no challenge then it would not be fun to play.

Eventually though this game becomes short on replay value. You will race the same tracks over again backwards or with hay bales thrown in, but it feels the same regardless. The game is fun for maybe thirty minutes, but after you get all the upgrades and beat every track, you'll grow tired of the game and turn it off. The only thing that keeps it interesting is if you have a two player battle going with a friend or sibling. That really is how this game should be played, two player style.

OVERALL

Overall, if you find a place that still rents out SNES games, then rent it. The game may not be for everyone, but if you want a quick fix of strategic racing action, then this game may be for you.

THE RUNDOWN- everybody's favorite segment right?

GRAPHICS-5/10 The tracks are nice at least.
SOUND- 1/10 Stupid song and sound effects still give me nightmares!
CONTROLS- 10/10 So easy to learn a toddler could master them.
STORY- What story?
GAME PLAY- 9/10 Boring single player, exciting with two players!
RENT/BUY- Rent if found, buy if extremely cheap.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/24/07