 Hey thanks to A.S. Mueller for the request on my Patreon page. Rock and Roll Racing is known primarily for two things. Number one is that it's one of the all-time great multiplayer combat racing games, rivaling stuff like Biker Mice from Mars and the Road Rash series on Sega Genesis. Hell, some people prefer this one to Super Mario Kart and I can't say I blame them. The second thing Rock and Roll Racing is known for is the soundtrack. Sure it might seem gimmicky at first glance to have a game featuring 16-bit versions of old rock songs like Black Sabbath's Paranoid, Steppenwolf's Born to Be Wild, Deep Purple's Highway Star, Bad to the Bone by George Thurrowgood, Radar Love by Green Earring and the Peter Gunn theme, otherwise known as the theme from Spy Hunter. But the thing is, they sound awesome here. Sure they're not exactly CD quality, but it is seriously such a kick to hear this stuff in this kind of setting, and it really makes the game stand out as something unique. Anyway, as far as gameplay goes, if you've played RC Pro Am for NES, then you'll get the idea behind Rock and Roll Racing, it controls basically the same, giving the player the same isometric viewpoint, and you race against three computer-controlled opponents or two if you're playing against another player. You avoid mines and oil slicks while going off of jumps and blasting the hell out of your opponents with laser fire or missiles, and believe me, it's as fun as it sounds, especially with the second player. I should mention though real quick, if you do get yourself blown up, you're not out of the race, you just get left behind with a considerable distance to make up. You earn money throughout each race by collecting it on the track, blowing up other cars, or, you know, winning a race. You use this money to upgrade your car, whether it be the engine tires, shocks, or shielding, and you can upgrade weapons or your turbo boosts. It's a bit like how Top Gear 2 is laid out, really. You can also, you know, buy a new car entirely if you want to upgrade everything. There's a point system here too, accumulate enough points by placing in enough races, and you can move on to the next circuit, and you have eight races to come up with the necessary number of points to move on, at least with the first circuit, and man, this game gets pretty tough the further you progress. There's not a battery save here, but there are passwords, so you don't have to beat the whole game in one sitting. I already mentioned how great the music is, but in addition to that, there's also an announcer that hopefully informs you how the race is progressing for your opponents. This guy is fantastic, and adds a lot of personality to the game. He reminds me of the NBA Jam guy, I love the summary he gives at the end of each race. Also, if you have enough points to get to the next circuit, but the second player doesn't, the announcer guy will ask, you want to leave your loser friend behind? Now that's funny. Rock and Roll Racing also got a release on the Sega Genesis, but I mean, the big appeal of this game is the music, and it just doesn't sound as good there. So while the game may play very similarly, the music doesn't sound nearly as good. Listen for yourself. The same could be said for the Game Boy Advance port. The gameplay is just about the same, the visuals are great, but the sound just isn't as good. There's also a quote-unquote sequel on the PlayStation, released in PAL regions as Rock and Roll Racing 2, Red asphalt, and just as Red asphalt here in North America. But I'm not even sure you can call this a sequel. It looks and plays like just another racing game, and it doesn't feature anything that made Rock and Roll Racing stand out. Anyway, yeah, Rock and Roll Racing absolutely lives up to the hype, and of course it's worth playing today. And remember a few weeks ago when I reviewed a game titled Operation Logic Bomb? It's one of the worst titles for a game ever because it sounds generic as hell, and it tells you nothing about the game at all. Well, Rock and Roll Racing is the complete opposite of that. Everything you need to know is right there in the title. There's Rock and Roll, there's Racing. And the result of the two is one of the very best multiplayer games on the Super Nintendo.