F1 ROC: Race of Champions Game Sample - SNES/SFC
0NEW VIDEO
A relatively nice, early SNES racing effort by Seta (known as Exhaust Heat in Japan) with music being provided by Opus Corp (Fighter's Destiny comes to mind), which is great btw, what little there is. The game offered a fair deal of customization for a racing game at the time with plenty of upgrades and decent Mode 7 graphics. One thing I don't like however is just how random some races are.
You can play the first track for hours and not place first on the first track if you're not lucky. When I very first played this game, I thought it was ridiculously easy because I was way ahead of first and even lapped two people, finishing almost fifteen seconds ahead of second place. When it came time for recording, I quickly discovered this was a fluke, as even the FAQs for the game state that the first circuit is very difficult to place first even with optimal equipment. Apparently, opponent times have a hugely random threshold. Sometimes first and second place disappear into the sunset in seconds (and beat you by ten seconds or more) and you have no hopes of catching them even with nitros and almost perfect driving. Other times (like in this video), you can come respectably close to first with minimal equipment.
Once you earn money and start upgrading your car, it's not such a big deal, but I find that to be really irksome. This video shows the first track in the game. Enjoy.