Al Unser Jr. Turbo Racing

I must gripe about this: Why are there no great racing games for the NES? Rad Racer and R.C. Pro AM were OK games but no way could compare with the likes of the OutRun games from Sega. Al Unser Jr. Turbo Racing had the potential to be great, but it falls short of the mark. The graphics are quite good: Al and various people are drawn nicely and the landscapes look good and change along with the time of day. The only problem here is some bad breakup during racing sequences that's unjustifiable. Sound and music are also very good; four great music themes and unusually well-created sound effects. Play control is nice, but the challenge has flaws: it's too difficult to compete with the other racers, to pass them exists as an insurmountable task. With the turbo feature, one would think the game would be easier to win, but the turbo is limited and is virtually the only way one can pass the other drivers to win.  The cart has a sweet game save feature, but that doesn't save this slightly disappointing racing venue.

The Verdict: As good as white basketball players in the NBA.

Graphics: B

Sound/Music B+

Play Control B+

Challenge B+

Fun Factor C+

Replay Value C+

Overall C+ links