The Super NES offered one of the most complete gaming libraries of any home console to ever hit the market. While the system is especially noteworthy for its stellar platform and fighting games, it also offered impeccable racing games, as well. Many of the system’s best offerings in the racing genre tend to be conceived and executed in a more playful manner than the top racing titles for the rival Sega Genesis console. This playful approach to racing games is what makes the best Super NES racing games so endearing and timeless.
10) Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament
This racing game offered a traditional overhead view which is very appropriate given the fact that you are racing Micro Machines. The game added helicopters and hovercrafts to the original’s list of vehicles and the vehicles handled differently on different surfaces which was a nice nod to realism. Well done execution of a simple classic makes this one of the most enjoyable racing games for the Super NES.
9) Super Off Road
The arcade classic of the 1980s was delivered to the Super NES with all of its thrills intact. This game does not push the technical envelope, but most of the top racing titles on the Super NES did not rely on graphical gimmicks to deliver their pure gaming experiences. This was not an exception to that rule.
8) Lamborghini American Challenge
Lamborghini American Challenge is one of the few top racing titles for the Super NES that leans toward the more realistic side of the racing genre. That by no means makes this a simulation but it is still a title that takes place in a relatively realistic racing world with actual Lamborghinis. The artificial intelligence is solidly developed for the time and the controls have an easy learning curve, allowing the player to focus on hitting the finish line.
7) Super Off Road: The Baja
This title was largely panned upon its release but many of the critic’s feelings seem a bit harsh if you view this game objectively. This title eschewed the overhead viewpoint of the original, giving the player a third-person behind the vehicle perspective. This made the sensation of speed believable and the rough terrain amplified that feeling. Super Off Road: The Baja offered adrenaline-filled racing with a lot of playability at a time when most racing games lacked a true feeling of speed.
6) Super Chase H.Q.
The level design is similar to Sega’s OutRun in that you must choose a path at given forks in the road, but the added chase element brings a new dimension to the game mechanics. The pursuits get gritty and that goal makes this one of the most engrossing racing games of its day.
5) Top Gear
The developers who brought Lotus to the Sega Genesis, brought Top Gear to the Super NES console and the gaming world should be thankful. The racing action is refined and strategic use of your limited nitro is the key to success in this world-class racing game.
4) Rock n’ Roll Racing
Combat racing games were nothing new when Rock n’ Roll Racing initially graced the Super NES console, but the game’s well-honed isometric view and addicting gameplay made this one of the best of the subgenre. The battles were intense and the intensity only grew as you learned more and more of the game’s crucial tactics.
3) UniRacers
A unicycle racing game, you say? Nothing embodies the free-thinking spirit and childlike creativity of Super NES racing games like UniRacers. The game sounds bizarre on paper but the meticulous attention to the control scheme and brilliantly devised game mechanics make this one of the most addicting racing games ever created.
2) F-Zero
The brainchild of the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto, the launch title F-Zero acted as a showcase of the abilities of the Super NES home console. The futuristic racing game made strong use of the console’s Mode-7 graphics which allowed for smooth scaling and rotation, giving the player a sense of being in a 3D environment even with the use of sprites. The epic soundtrack was the icing on the cake for this Nintendo classic.
1) Super Mario Kart
Character-oriented racing games have become a dime a dozen these days, but this is the grandfather of them all and still remains the best ever created. Nintendo managed to take its iconic characters to the racetrack without it seeming hokey and for that they deserve the appreciation of every gamer. The multi-player mode in Super Mario Kart is so addicting that they should offer counseling for it.
The contributor’s addiction to Super Mario Kart is so bad that he frequently finds himself playing it on his phone while waiting in line at the grocery store.
More from this contributor:
Top 10 Cars from ’90s Video Games
Top 5 Motorcycle Racing Video Games from the 8-Bit Era
The Top 5 Cult-Classic Video Game Consoles of All-Time
