R.C. Pro-Am
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''R.C. Pro-Am'' is a
racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...
developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in North America in February 1988, and then in Europe on April 15. Presented in an overhead
isometric perspective Isometric video game graphics are graphics employed in video games and pixel art that use a parallel projection, but which angle the viewpoint to reveal facets of the environment that would otherwise not be visible from a top-down perspective o ...
, a single player races a
radio-controlled car 'Radio-controlled cars'' (or RC cars for short) are miniature model cars, vans, buses, trucks or buggies that can be controlled from a distance using a specialized transmitter or remote. The term "RC" has been used to mean both "remote controll ...
around a series of tracks in
vehicular combat Vehicular combat games (also known as just vehicular combat or car combat) are a sub-genre of vehicle simulation video games where the primary objectives of gameplay include vehicles armed with weapons attempting to destroy vehicles controlled b ...
. Each track qualifies its top three racers for the next track. Collectible power-up items improve performance, hazards include rain puddles and oil slicks, and missiles and bombs can temporarily disable opponents. Originally titled ''Pro Am Racing'', it was
ported In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desi ...
to the Sega Genesis in 1992 as ''Championship Pro-Am'', an enhanced remake with enhanced graphics and additional features. ''R.C. Pro-Am'' spawned two sequels: '' Super R.C. Pro-Am'' in 1991, and '' R.C. Pro-Am II'' in 1992. As one of Rare's first successful NES games, ''R.C. Pro-Am'' was well-received for its visuals, sound, gameplay, and enjoyability. Its overhead perspective distinguishes it from earlier first-person racing games. It inspired subsequent games such as '' Super Off Road'', ''
Rock n' Roll Racing ''Rock n' Roll Racing'' is a vehicular combat-based racing video game developed by Silicon & Synapse (now known as Blizzard Entertainment) and published by Interplay Productions for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993 and the Mega Dr ...
'', and the '' Mario Kart'' series. It has appeared in many "top games of all time" lists and is regarded as one of the best of the NES library. It was re-released in Rare's 2015 '' Rare Replay'' compilation for the
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
.


Gameplay

''R.C. Pro-Am'' is a
racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...
in which a player races a
radio-controlled car 'Radio-controlled cars'' (or RC cars for short) are miniature model cars, vans, buses, trucks or buggies that can be controlled from a distance using a specialized transmitter or remote. The term "RC" has been used to mean both "remote controll ...
against three opponents around a track from an overhead
isometric perspective Isometric video game graphics are graphics employed in video games and pixel art that use a parallel projection, but which angle the viewpoint to reveal facets of the environment that would otherwise not be visible from a top-down perspective o ...
. The horizontal control pad buttons steer left or right, and the other buttons accelerate, fire weapons, and pause the game. Across 32 tracks, the top three of four racers qualify for each next race or reach a game over. Two continues can restart the previous race, losing all points. Each track gives a trophy, and a high score yields larger "High Score Trophies", leading up to the "Super Trophy". Twelve unique track configurations are repeated indefinitely. The original box art claims that the game contains "32 tracks of racing thrills" but the 24th track is unofficially the last because it is the largest. Each track after 24 is a repeat from track 1, but with additional features. At track 32, all computer-controlled opponents run at maximum speed and cannot be beaten without weapons. The game has no formal end; players eventually run out of weapons and are eliminated from the race. Track items are collectable by driving over them. "Tune-up items" include turbo acceleration, "hotter engines" for higher top speed, and "super sticky tires" for traction and cornering; these additional abilities are displayed on the "track conditions" screen between races. Collectable weapons can temporarily disable other vehicles; missiles stop opponents from the front, and bombs from the rear. Collectable ammunition appears as a star, and carries over to the next race. Collectable
roll cage A roll cage is a specially engineered and constructed frame built in (or sometimes around, in which case it is known as an exo cage) the passenger compartment of a vehicle to protect its occupants from being injured or killed in an accident, pa ...
s protect cars from crash damage, stationary zippers give cars an extra speed boost, and bonus letters give large point bonuses and an upgraded car when collecting all of "NINTENDO" ("CHAMPION" in the ''Rare Replay'' version). The standard truck upgrades to a faster 4-Wheeler and then to the fastest Off Roader. Hazards include oil slicks which spin cars out of control, water puddles and rain
squall A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...
s slow them down, pop-up barriers crash cars, and skulls decrease ammunition. Excessive use of projectile weaponry makes the yellow car accelerate to 127 mph, which cannot be matched by the player. The Sega Genesis version, ''Championship Pro-Am'', features some gameplay differences from the NES version. Players race against five other vehicles instead of three, but must still place in the top three to move to the next track. Race records are saved, and players are prompted to enter a name before the game start.


Background and release

The game development company Ultimate Play the Game was founded by brothers
Tim and Chris Stamper Brothers Tim and Chris Stamper are British entrepreneurs who founded the video game companies Ultimate Play the Game and Rare. They first worked together on arcade conversion kits, which were licensed to companies, but later became developer ...
, along with Tim's wife, Carol, from their headquarters in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in 1982. They began producing video games for the
ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...
throughout the early 1980s. The company was known for secrecy about operations and upcoming projects. Little was known except that they worked in "separate teams": one team worked on programming and the other concentrated on other aspects such as sound or graphics. This company later evolved into Rare, which in 1987 developed ''Pro-Am Racing'' and renamed it to ''R.C. Pro-Am''. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) by Nintendo in February 1988 in North America, and in Europe on April 15. It was converted to the Sega Genesis as ''Championship Pro-Am'', released by
Tradewest Tradewest was an American video game company based in Corsicana, Texas that produced numerous games in the 1980s and early 1990s. The company was the publisher of the '' Battletoads'' and '' Double Dragon'' series in North America and the PAL regi ...
in 1992. Its music was composed by David Wise, known for his work on '' Cobra Triangle'' and the ''
Donkey Kong Country ''Donkey Kong Country'' is a 1994 platform game developed by Rare (company), Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is a Reboot (fiction), reboot of Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong'' franchise and foll ...
'' series. ''R.C. Pro-Am'' received preview coverage in the Fall 1987 issue of '' Nintendo Fun Club News'' – the company's predecessor to ''
Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...
''. A more in-depth review in the proceeding Winter 1987 issue said that "this game is a must for RC Car (radio-controlled) owners". It is the cover feature of the February–March 1988 issue, with a full walkthrough. In ''Nintendo Power''s premiere issue in July 1988, ''R.C. Pro-Am'' is listed 6th on its "Top 30" NES games list, and as the top "Dealer's Pick". It went down to the 8th position in September 1988, and 12th in November.


Reception and legacy

Worldwide, 2.3 million copies of ''R.C. Pro-Am'' were sold. This unqualified success made Rare into a major developer for the Nintendo Entertainment System. '' Computer Gaming World'' called it "a compelling, innovating approach to car racing video games". Bill Kunkel found that it was distinguished from earlier racing games such as Sega's ''
Enduro Racer is an arcade racing game from Sega. It was released in 1986 with two arcade cabinet versions, a stand-up cabinet with handlebars and a full-sized dirt bike cabinet. It is often seen as a dirt racing version of ''Hang-On'', as it uses a simila ...
'', Nintendo's ''
Mach Rider is a vehicular combat racing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. It was first released for the Famicom in Japan in 1985, and for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in 1986 and for the PAL region in ...
'', and Atari's '' Pole Position'' by going from a more standard "pseudo-first-person" view to an isometric perspective. He praised its simplicity and controls, comparing them to that of an actual radio-controlled car. He criticized its lack of a two-player feature and for the instruction booklet's vagueness. He concluded by lauding its graphics and sound, saying that they "help make this the best game of its kind ever produced in any electronic game format". ''
Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
'' listed ''R.C. Pro-Am'', along with '' Cobra Triangle'', as Rare's most notable NES games. The game has continued to receive positive reviews.
Allgame RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...
's Chris Couper stated that ''R.C. Pro-Am'' is among the best NES games, due to its realistic nature. He praised its challenge and sound. ''
Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' soon became ...
'' saw the game as a precursor to ''
Micro Machines Micro Machines are a line of toys originally made by Galoob (now part of Hasbro) in the mid-1980s and throughout the 1990s. Micro Machines are tiny scale component style "playsets" and vehicles that are slightly larger than N scale. The toys ...
'' by
Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts. Founded by brothers Richard and David Darling in Oct ...
, and compared the action and variety of items to the later '' Mario Kart'' series. They hailed it as one of Rare's best early products, stating: "Radio-controlled car racing in videogame form was pretty much perfected here". The 2009 book ''Vintage Games'' compared it to ''
Spy Hunter Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
'', noting its emphasis on collecting power-ups and weapons and not just on racing, saying that the trend of combining racing with vehicular combat would reappear in future games such as '' Super Mario Kart'' and ''
Rock n' Roll Racing ''Rock n' Roll Racing'' is a vehicular combat-based racing video game developed by Silicon & Synapse (now known as Blizzard Entertainment) and published by Interplay Productions for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993 and the Mega Dr ...
''. Later in 2010, as part of Rare's 25th anniversary, the magazine said that it was Rare's first successful NES game and one of the first games to combine racing and
vehicular combat Vehicular combat games (also known as just vehicular combat or car combat) are a sub-genre of vehicle simulation video games where the primary objectives of gameplay include vehicles armed with weapons attempting to destroy vehicles controlled b ...
. Readers ranked it 22nd in a list of top 25 Rare games. In 2016, VintageGamer.com praised it for still being enjoyable and challenging 28 years after its release. ''R.C. Pro-Am'' has appeared many times on various "best games" lists. A survey by '' GamePro'' in 1990 ranked it the 10th-best sports video game. ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...
'' placed it the 52nd best console video game of all time in 1997. ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' placed it number 84 on its "Top 100 Games of All Time" list in August 2001. '' Paste'' magazine placed it as the 8th greatest NES game ever, saying that it is "way more fun than ''real'' remote-control cars, which never seemed to be equipped with missile capabilities".
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
placed it the 13th-best NES game of all time, citing its player popularity and good sales. Executive Editor Craig Harris said that it was one of the first games to introduce the concept of vehicular combat, inspiring other games such as '' Super R.C. Pro-Am'', '' R.C. Pro-Am II'', and the ''Mario Kart'' series.
1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conten ...
listed it as the 14th best NES game, citing its good graphics and gameplay elements, though the difficulty level was too high. As with other retrospectives, the website staff listed the game as inspiration for future series such as '' Super Off Road'' and ''Rock n' Roll Racing''. In a retrospective at Rare's 25th anniversary, ''GamePro'' listed ''R.C. Pro-Am'' as one of Rare's best games, calling the release "one of Rare's finest moments". Rare began work on a follow-up game for the
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...
, called ''Pro-Am 64'', which changed direction and became ''
Diddy Kong Racing ''Diddy Kong Racing'' is a 1997 racing video game developed and published by Rare for the Nintendo 64. The game is set on Timber's Island and revolves around Diddy Kong and his friends' attempt to defeat the intergalactic antagonist, a wizar ...
''. The NES version of ''R.C. Pro-Am'' is one of the 30 games in the
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
compilation '' Rare Replay''.


See also

* '' Eliminator Boat Duel''


References


External links

* {{good article 1988 video games Nintendo arcade games Nintendo games Nintendo Entertainment System games PlayChoice-10 games Rare (company) games Microsoft franchises Sega Genesis games Vehicular combat games Video games about toys Video games with isometric graphics Radio-controlled car racing video games Video games scored by David Wise Video games developed in the United Kingdom