RC Pro-Am II (NES, 1992)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-7 Control-8 Challenge-8.5* Story-N/A
Level Design-8/6.5* Frustration-7/9* Fun-8/7* Originality-6.5
Overall Score-8
*1-player/SP mode
+
4-player vs (!)
Boost pads (RC Pro-Am 1) and jumps via ramps
Can get a boost bonus if you time your start well during the countdown
Shop for upgrades between courses (motor, tires - help with corners, weapons, extras (shield (protects against opponent fire only), ammo, oil slick, nitro/booster power up, continue)
Very good sense of speed
Course map before and during races (simpler during)
Some interesting hazards (bomb planes - you get a warning before they appear, shallow water after jumps)
Can gain new vehicles (collect the letters in the courses; Pro-Am 1) and the opponents don't automatically upgrade if you do here
Temporary invincibility (to crash damage) power ups - rollcage power up (looks sort of like a trampoline in-game)
Some interesting weapons (freeze attack (slows the opponent rather than freezing them in SP?), bomb - laid behind the car, shooting opponents with the buckshot weapon makes them drop money)
Don't have to come first every time to progress (3rd is enough to not lose a continue)
Tug-o-war and dragster mini-games after every 8th race or so (decent button mashers but the first is too easy and the second ends up too hard)
Less zoomed in than the prequel
+/-
Rubberband AI (doesn't seem to apply to you if you're behind the pack however)
Pretty expensive continues (3 by default)
1-up power ups=continues (rare)
Random upgrade power up (? symbol)
Can't simply buy a new vehicle with saved money (see Rock 'n Roll Racing)
Picked up nitros/boost power ups don't carry over to future races
No aim assist or homing weapon
In MP you get bounced forward if you fall behind enough to go outside the screen (no split-screen) - this keeps races more intense however
No weapon/item inventory so you can't switch to for example a shield or oil slick while carrying a nitro (the last one picked is used until you run out and then the one item/weapon picked before the race is used)
Can't destroy an opponent with the buckshot weapon
Limited effect from driving into other cars - can't really use it to knock them into bombs for example (doable in Micro Machines)
Nitros are a bit expensive to buy considering the rubberbanding and that you can only carry one to a race (can carry 10 oil slicks for example)
Pretty short invincibility time after blowing up means you can get hit twice by the plane (generally best to boost past it)
Missiles and onwards for the weapons are quite expensive - takes something like 10+ races to buy them unless you skip buying the motors and/or tires which will probably not pay off in the end (they are really good to get later on though)
Can't steer in mid-air (would've helped with obstacles on a few courses)
-
Limited shop supply for missiles and other weapons in SP (makes it basically impossible to beat the last course without having the best engine or knowing about it and saving the right weapons for it)
The AI sometimes cheats too much (from track 8 onwards (?) if the leading car goes off screen on the last lap they'll teleport to the goal and auto-win+one car can get a crazy boost in speed so even if you make them crash pretty close to the goal on the last lap they can still catch up with you and win, sometimes the boost pads don't even give you an advantage later on, can somehow pass through the log obstacles without slowing down at times)
Some interface/control issues (no "restart race" option in the pause menu, somewhat unresponsive shop menu, can't see how much of the currently equipped item/ammo you have in stock while racing, can't see how many letters you've collected nor which ones while in a race, )
Trollish countdown timer (uneven time before the "go" point at times) - however you can press right after hearing it and still get the boost
In some cases later on, even if you time the start boost right you don't get ahead of the AI as it starts off faster and puts itself in front of you
The gunplane sucks (chases you down while the AI just outruns it and you don't even gain a boost after surviving)
No save or password save (pretty long game)
There's a snowball effect to progression that you need to be wary of - if you get the right upgrades+get enough money and letters early on then it's easier to keep ahead and keep getting more money and letters than the opponents. If you fall behind on the letters, there's not enough of them after a certain point after you reach area 3/the dirt tracks for a while (you do seem to get some second chances once the environments start repeating)
Some trial & error (you end up a little too close to the edge of the screen in first place to easily react to things on your first go at a course, the bouncing after jumps can sometimes be bad - can miss certain power ups or land in water, neither of the course maps show hazards or boost pads, learning what all the in-game power ups do - some aren't in the manual, most bomb locations (sometimes you can see them when beginning a race), dollar bills are worth more than bags, can’t use the nitro on the short ramps in the dirt courses)
Some slowdown (generally minor)
So-so power up variety and/or amount on some courses and some later ones such as track 11 are a bit too short and simplistic
No music during races
Mega Pulse weapon isn't worth it?
The shield doesn't last long enough (just 3 seconds or so)
The color coded power ups are sometimes not placed in a fair way
The near constant boost pad sfx on some courses gets tiresome
No ending (just a rankings list without music)
No shortcuts (Micro Machines) though there are parts where the road splits into one higher and one lower track or there's a split in the middle of the road
Gets kinda repetitive after the third area (starts repeating environments and some courses are very similar to earlier ones)
Notes:
-Manual: https://www.thegameisafootarcade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/R.C.-Pro-Am-II-Game-Manual.pdf
-Enter your name as "NES" to start with $5k
Bugs:
-Glitchy physics/hit detection on the triple jumps on one of the dirt courses (player car bounces a bit above the jumps and the AI basically flies)
Level Design-8/6.5* Frustration-7/9* Fun-8/7* Originality-6.5
Overall Score-8
*1-player/SP mode
+
4-player vs (!)
Boost pads (RC Pro-Am 1) and jumps via ramps
Can get a boost bonus if you time your start well during the countdown
Shop for upgrades between courses (motor, tires - help with corners, weapons, extras (shield (protects against opponent fire only), ammo, oil slick, nitro/booster power up, continue)
Very good sense of speed
Course map before and during races (simpler during)
Some interesting hazards (bomb planes - you get a warning before they appear, shallow water after jumps)
Can gain new vehicles (collect the letters in the courses; Pro-Am 1) and the opponents don't automatically upgrade if you do here
Temporary invincibility (to crash damage) power ups - rollcage power up (looks sort of like a trampoline in-game)
Some interesting weapons (freeze attack (slows the opponent rather than freezing them in SP?), bomb - laid behind the car, shooting opponents with the buckshot weapon makes them drop money)
Don't have to come first every time to progress (3rd is enough to not lose a continue)
Tug-o-war and dragster mini-games after every 8th race or so (decent button mashers but the first is too easy and the second ends up too hard)
Less zoomed in than the prequel
+/-
Rubberband AI (doesn't seem to apply to you if you're behind the pack however)
Pretty expensive continues (3 by default)
1-up power ups=continues (rare)
Random upgrade power up (? symbol)
Can't simply buy a new vehicle with saved money (see Rock 'n Roll Racing)
Picked up nitros/boost power ups don't carry over to future races
No aim assist or homing weapon
In MP you get bounced forward if you fall behind enough to go outside the screen (no split-screen) - this keeps races more intense however
No weapon/item inventory so you can't switch to for example a shield or oil slick while carrying a nitro (the last one picked is used until you run out and then the one item/weapon picked before the race is used)
Can't destroy an opponent with the buckshot weapon
Limited effect from driving into other cars - can't really use it to knock them into bombs for example (doable in Micro Machines)
Nitros are a bit expensive to buy considering the rubberbanding and that you can only carry one to a race (can carry 10 oil slicks for example)
Pretty short invincibility time after blowing up means you can get hit twice by the plane (generally best to boost past it)
Missiles and onwards for the weapons are quite expensive - takes something like 10+ races to buy them unless you skip buying the motors and/or tires which will probably not pay off in the end (they are really good to get later on though)
Can't steer in mid-air (would've helped with obstacles on a few courses)
-
Limited shop supply for missiles and other weapons in SP (makes it basically impossible to beat the last course without having the best engine or knowing about it and saving the right weapons for it)
The AI sometimes cheats too much (from track 8 onwards (?) if the leading car goes off screen on the last lap they'll teleport to the goal and auto-win+one car can get a crazy boost in speed so even if you make them crash pretty close to the goal on the last lap they can still catch up with you and win, sometimes the boost pads don't even give you an advantage later on, can somehow pass through the log obstacles without slowing down at times)
Some interface/control issues (no "restart race" option in the pause menu, somewhat unresponsive shop menu, can't see how much of the currently equipped item/ammo you have in stock while racing, can't see how many letters you've collected nor which ones while in a race, )
Trollish countdown timer (uneven time before the "go" point at times) - however you can press right after hearing it and still get the boost
In some cases later on, even if you time the start boost right you don't get ahead of the AI as it starts off faster and puts itself in front of you
The gunplane sucks (chases you down while the AI just outruns it and you don't even gain a boost after surviving)
No save or password save (pretty long game)
There's a snowball effect to progression that you need to be wary of - if you get the right upgrades+get enough money and letters early on then it's easier to keep ahead and keep getting more money and letters than the opponents. If you fall behind on the letters, there's not enough of them after a certain point after you reach area 3/the dirt tracks for a while (you do seem to get some second chances once the environments start repeating)
Some trial & error (you end up a little too close to the edge of the screen in first place to easily react to things on your first go at a course, the bouncing after jumps can sometimes be bad - can miss certain power ups or land in water, neither of the course maps show hazards or boost pads, learning what all the in-game power ups do - some aren't in the manual, most bomb locations (sometimes you can see them when beginning a race), dollar bills are worth more than bags, can’t use the nitro on the short ramps in the dirt courses)
Some slowdown (generally minor)
So-so power up variety and/or amount on some courses and some later ones such as track 11 are a bit too short and simplistic
No music during races
Mega Pulse weapon isn't worth it?
The shield doesn't last long enough (just 3 seconds or so)
The color coded power ups are sometimes not placed in a fair way
The near constant boost pad sfx on some courses gets tiresome
No ending (just a rankings list without music)
No shortcuts (Micro Machines) though there are parts where the road splits into one higher and one lower track or there's a split in the middle of the road
Gets kinda repetitive after the third area (starts repeating environments and some courses are very similar to earlier ones)
Notes:
-Manual: https://www.thegameisafootarcade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/R.C.-Pro-Am-II-Game-Manual.pdf
-Enter your name as "NES" to start with $5k
Bugs:
-Glitchy physics/hit detection on the triple jumps on one of the dirt courses (player car bounces a bit above the jumps and the AI basically flies)