"Takeshi Onda Doesn't Mince His Words!"

Super Hang-On was one of the first games I ever played in my life, and it has always been one of my favourites. While it was not the arcade perfect port that many thought it would have been (at the time), it was a fantastic conversion nonetheless. It also added an Original mode that (I thought anyways...) really made the game much more appealing. The idea of going through a series, with bike upgrades aplenty... awesome, just like the game play.

Game play: 10/10

The epitome of pick up and play. This game is super easy to get into, and just as enjoyable. As I already mentioned, there are two modes; arcade and original. Arcade mode is nearly identical to the arcade version of the game, whereas original is much different. Original mode has you starting out at the bottom of the motorcycle racing ranks, and as you beat opponent after opponent, your rank goes up and up, until you face the top ranked racer in the world. You must beat your opponent five times before you can move on to the next opponent (as you face new opponents, you get a new sponsor. All sponsors vary in payout, and conditions). As you win and gain more money, you can also upgrade your bike with newer parts, and you can also upgrade your mechanic (which to this day, I still have no idea what the mechanic does). Saving is done by password, and this is inputted when you select original mode from the main menu. The game play is perfect, how about the story?

Story: N/A

While you complete a semi-story in the game, there really is not a story for Super Hang-On, thus we will exclude it from the review. Graphics will be next.

Graphics: 8/10

While not as good as its arcade counterpart (obviously), Super Hang on is in the 20 percentile of the Genesis games. The backgrounds pop up (which can sometimes be hazardous to your driving to say the least, as anything you touch slightly will cause you to crash, or go flying), but that can be expected from a first year Genesis title. Your bike and rider look great, and you stand out from the opponents clearly. The arcade interface is very easy to read, as well as the original interface. Sounds are next, and they are as good as ever.

Sounds: 10/10

The awesome music from the arcade is back, and just as good. The entire classic soundtrack in found in this game, with the highlight (in my opinion) being Sprinter. The sounds are also fantastic, and they also have returned from the arcade version. Once you get the turbo running, and you hear your engine running at high performance... nothing sounds like it. This game is not a super replay-able game though.

Replay ability: 7/10

Once you have beaten the original mode, and beaten all of the stages in arcade mode (which should not take too long, to be honest with you), there will not be much else to do in this game. It is alright though, as you will probably come back to this game quite a bit, as I have throughout the years.

Buy or rent?

This would not be a renting game, especially since it is a Genesis classic, so go out and buy it if you do not have it!

Super Hang-On was one of the first games I ever played, both on the Genesis, and in the arcade (my uncle helped me out in the arcade since I was too small at the time). To experience this game in its two greatest incarnations is a video game blessing, one that I am thankful to have received. Kudos to you Yu Suzuki! "Top Condition!"

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/09

Game Release: Super Hang-On (US, 10/06/89)