With the release of Star Fox back in 1993, Nintendo had proved to the world just what the Super Nintendo was truly capable of, bringing advanced 3D graphics to the console scene where their competition couldn’t, and it definitely paid off in the end. Sure, the game may look extremely primitive by today’s standards, but it was revolutionary for its time, and it managed to sell 4 million copies by 1998, so based on this success, it was clear that not only did Star Fox have a bright future ahead (or so they thought), but so did the Super FX chip. Plenty of devs would then use this chip to develop more games for the system, including Nintendo themselves, who would use it to develop another beloved classic from the SNES’s library… which we will talk about later, but for now, let’s do Stunt Race FX.
I have known about this title for quite a while now, but I haven’t really had any interest in playing it for myself. It looked fine enough from what I have seen on the cover of the game and some short gameplay clips here or there, but it just looked like “the SNES 3D racer” and nothing more, giving me no reason to play it over others. But hey, why not, it can’t be that bad right? I have had good experiences with these experimental titles from Nintendo on this system before, so this one can’t be that much of a downgrade from what we got before. So, I went ahead and played it for a good while, and I did actually end up liking it a lot. I wouldn’t say it is anything revolutionary, or even that much better than other racers on the system, but for what it sets out to do, it does a fine enough job, and I am glad to say that I finally got it out of the way.
The graphics hold the same level of quality as Star Fox did, and by that, I mean it is polygonal as shit and extremely primitive, but once again, it is really impressive for the SNES, and a lot is happening at once to where it is visually interesting to look at at times, the music is pretty good, having some enjoyable tracks that get you in the mood to be racing, but I couldn’t really pay too much attention to that when I am trying to steer this bathtub on wheels, the control works out well for the most part, but of course, given the graphics and the kind of game this is, it can get pretty frustrating to control in plenty of areas, and the gameplay is extremely typical, just being your average racing game… but in 3D!.......... even though that had already been done at this point, but shhhhhhhhhhhh.
The game is your typical racer, where you take control of one of three-four vehicles to race on the track with, each one with their own specifications and stats in terms of speed and durability, race along plenty of different prix and courses across plenty of environments, make sure to stay on the track while maintaining first place against your other competitors, gather several power-ups that can either give you a speed boost or help fix any damage that has been done to your car, and check out plenty of the other modes available, such as obstacle courses, a time attack mode, multiplayer modes, and the bonus stages that will make you tear your hair out. A lot of this is pretty standard for a racing game of this time, but once again, the main difference between this and all the other ones is that it is using ambitious 3D technology, and for the most part it works… well enough, and I had fun with it, despite how rough around the edges it is.
Unlike a lot of racers, where they are all about going fast and making quick turns to make sure that you can reach the goal before any of your opponents, this one takes things a little slower, not just because of the graphics are the frame rate, but also by having cars that feel much heavier to drive around with. This can even be seen whenever you collide with something, as the cars’ parts will jitter around all over the place, with you flopping about like a fish before you can get back on track and into the race again. Some may see this as a downgrade from other racers, and I can completely understand why, but for what it is worth, I think it works well enough for this kind of game. I can’t even imagine what playing this game would feel like if all of the cars were meant to go as fast as cars in other racing games go. It would probably feel like an absolute nightmare to try to get a handle on. Not to mention, this game gives the player plenty of things to do despite how simple its set-up is, so if you end up really liking what you get here, then the game will keep you busy with quite some time with all of the other modes and tracks that you can race on, each featuring plenty of detail and fun inclusions that spice the gameplay up.
Of course, with all that being said, this game leaves a lot to be desired in terms of a 3D racer, even at this point in time. At this point, we have had Virtua Racing, Ridge Racer 1/2, Daytona USA, and even by the end of the year, games like Sega Rally Championship and Cruis’n USA would be released, all of which manage to be great early 3D racers that don’t need to sacrifice speed in order to maintain proper gameplay. Sure, this one has the benefit of being able to be played at home, but not only could it be doing a lot better to keep one’s attention for much longer, but there were also much better racers on the console to check out like F-Zero or Super Mario Kart, making one question why they would bother playing this over others.
Not to mention, while most of the game works well enough to where I didn’t have too many problems with it, the turning on the tracks can definitely give you a hard time, especially when you are taking control of specific vehicles. One instance I had that was really hard to get a proper handle on is with the bonus stages in the prix, where your car would go inside this trailer truck, and you would have to drive it through all of these gates, and let me tell you, trying to turn with this thing is beyond impossible if you are hoping to have a smooth and clean turn. They were trying to make it so that the turning on this thing was as realistic as possible, which I guess I can appreciate for a game like this, but considering that this is the same game where all of the cars have goofy-ass eyes on them, I’m clearly not playing this for realism, and I would just like to have a much smoother race.
Overall, despite there being many better options out there and having the turning be a pain in the ass in plenty of moments, for being the first racing game to take use of the Super FX chip, Stunt Race FX did a pretty decent job with what it had, providing plenty of enjoyable races, modes to try out, and yet another showcase of what this console can really do, and while it certainly doesn’t reach the same levels of other racers that came before and since in terms of quality, it still does a good job with what it has. I would recommend it for those who are big racing fanatics, as well as those who like the more experimental titles on the SNES when it comes to presentation, but for everyone else, again, I would stick with any of those other titles I mentioned earlier before playing this. But hey, I guess if anything, the game is much more memorable than other racing games that used the Super FX chip, like Dirt Racer or Dirt Trax FX. Yeah, bet you don’t know what either of those games are, don’tcha? Don’t feel bad, I didn’t either until I looked it up 2 minutes ago.
Game #548
I have known about this title for quite a while now, but I haven’t really had any interest in playing it for myself. It looked fine enough from what I have seen on the cover of the game and some short gameplay clips here or there, but it just looked like “the SNES 3D racer” and nothing more, giving me no reason to play it over others. But hey, why not, it can’t be that bad right? I have had good experiences with these experimental titles from Nintendo on this system before, so this one can’t be that much of a downgrade from what we got before. So, I went ahead and played it for a good while, and I did actually end up liking it a lot. I wouldn’t say it is anything revolutionary, or even that much better than other racers on the system, but for what it sets out to do, it does a fine enough job, and I am glad to say that I finally got it out of the way.
The graphics hold the same level of quality as Star Fox did, and by that, I mean it is polygonal as shit and extremely primitive, but once again, it is really impressive for the SNES, and a lot is happening at once to where it is visually interesting to look at at times, the music is pretty good, having some enjoyable tracks that get you in the mood to be racing, but I couldn’t really pay too much attention to that when I am trying to steer this bathtub on wheels, the control works out well for the most part, but of course, given the graphics and the kind of game this is, it can get pretty frustrating to control in plenty of areas, and the gameplay is extremely typical, just being your average racing game… but in 3D!.......... even though that had already been done at this point, but shhhhhhhhhhhh.
The game is your typical racer, where you take control of one of three-four vehicles to race on the track with, each one with their own specifications and stats in terms of speed and durability, race along plenty of different prix and courses across plenty of environments, make sure to stay on the track while maintaining first place against your other competitors, gather several power-ups that can either give you a speed boost or help fix any damage that has been done to your car, and check out plenty of the other modes available, such as obstacle courses, a time attack mode, multiplayer modes, and the bonus stages that will make you tear your hair out. A lot of this is pretty standard for a racing game of this time, but once again, the main difference between this and all the other ones is that it is using ambitious 3D technology, and for the most part it works… well enough, and I had fun with it, despite how rough around the edges it is.
Unlike a lot of racers, where they are all about going fast and making quick turns to make sure that you can reach the goal before any of your opponents, this one takes things a little slower, not just because of the graphics are the frame rate, but also by having cars that feel much heavier to drive around with. This can even be seen whenever you collide with something, as the cars’ parts will jitter around all over the place, with you flopping about like a fish before you can get back on track and into the race again. Some may see this as a downgrade from other racers, and I can completely understand why, but for what it is worth, I think it works well enough for this kind of game. I can’t even imagine what playing this game would feel like if all of the cars were meant to go as fast as cars in other racing games go. It would probably feel like an absolute nightmare to try to get a handle on. Not to mention, this game gives the player plenty of things to do despite how simple its set-up is, so if you end up really liking what you get here, then the game will keep you busy with quite some time with all of the other modes and tracks that you can race on, each featuring plenty of detail and fun inclusions that spice the gameplay up.
Of course, with all that being said, this game leaves a lot to be desired in terms of a 3D racer, even at this point in time. At this point, we have had Virtua Racing, Ridge Racer 1/2, Daytona USA, and even by the end of the year, games like Sega Rally Championship and Cruis’n USA would be released, all of which manage to be great early 3D racers that don’t need to sacrifice speed in order to maintain proper gameplay. Sure, this one has the benefit of being able to be played at home, but not only could it be doing a lot better to keep one’s attention for much longer, but there were also much better racers on the console to check out like F-Zero or Super Mario Kart, making one question why they would bother playing this over others.
Not to mention, while most of the game works well enough to where I didn’t have too many problems with it, the turning on the tracks can definitely give you a hard time, especially when you are taking control of specific vehicles. One instance I had that was really hard to get a proper handle on is with the bonus stages in the prix, where your car would go inside this trailer truck, and you would have to drive it through all of these gates, and let me tell you, trying to turn with this thing is beyond impossible if you are hoping to have a smooth and clean turn. They were trying to make it so that the turning on this thing was as realistic as possible, which I guess I can appreciate for a game like this, but considering that this is the same game where all of the cars have goofy-ass eyes on them, I’m clearly not playing this for realism, and I would just like to have a much smoother race.
Overall, despite there being many better options out there and having the turning be a pain in the ass in plenty of moments, for being the first racing game to take use of the Super FX chip, Stunt Race FX did a pretty decent job with what it had, providing plenty of enjoyable races, modes to try out, and yet another showcase of what this console can really do, and while it certainly doesn’t reach the same levels of other racers that came before and since in terms of quality, it still does a good job with what it has. I would recommend it for those who are big racing fanatics, as well as those who like the more experimental titles on the SNES when it comes to presentation, but for everyone else, again, I would stick with any of those other titles I mentioned earlier before playing this. But hey, I guess if anything, the game is much more memorable than other racing games that used the Super FX chip, like Dirt Racer or Dirt Trax FX. Yeah, bet you don’t know what either of those games are, don’tcha? Don’t feel bad, I didn’t either until I looked it up 2 minutes ago.
Game #548
Say whatever you want: delayed controls and FPS probably lower than Star Fox. This game is still a dope racing game and I love how it tries to prove the SNES 3D graphics capabilities.
This is the worst game I've ever had nothing but fun playing.
Frames per second? In this game it's seconds per frame.
Star Fox had da Super FX so only a matter of time before I tried this one.
This is the most disjointed game I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Never again.
I don't remember much from this game but I remember it being very hard to control and even understand what was going on half the time.
Mi primer videojuego y un amor a primera vista como experiencia con el medio.
Creo que fue decente este juego, pero con gráficos 'confusos' que hacían el recorrido de la carrera algo mareante, por así decirlo. Al menos cuando lo jugué de crío, claro.
Igualmente, muy buena OST.
Creo que fue decente este juego, pero con gráficos 'confusos' que hacían el recorrido de la carrera algo mareante, por así decirlo. Al menos cuando lo jugué de crío, claro.
Igualmente, muy buena OST.
pretty good racing game, feels very 80's with the polygonal designs. feels kinda slow compared to something like an f-zero but fun nonetheless.
While it's true that this game has not aged well, this was a fun racing game that stood out when it originally came out in the mid 90s. The number of cars is limited and so are the number of tracks but both manage to showcase that typical Nintendo charm in terms of easter eggs (Arwings flying on the background, Mario posters in some circuits, etc) and personality with cars having "life" with eyes and reacting to how you drive them.
Controls are a bit on the tricky side and require heavy usage of trigger buttons to help steer the vehicle. Depending on the car you select, the physics and attributes are vastly different which makes up for good variety and replay value.
Unfortunately, performance is not great with low frame rates courtesy of the FX chip graphics. Overall, this is a fun racing game with personality and a rare off-shoot from Nintendo that I hope gets revisisted at some point.
Controls are a bit on the tricky side and require heavy usage of trigger buttons to help steer the vehicle. Depending on the car you select, the physics and attributes are vastly different which makes up for good variety and replay value.
Unfortunately, performance is not great with low frame rates courtesy of the FX chip graphics. Overall, this is a fun racing game with personality and a rare off-shoot from Nintendo that I hope gets revisisted at some point.
Played on modded SNES Classic
Hardcore relic of it's time.
This game has some neat things going for it. I like the aesthetic of the game and the different types of cars are nice. The maps seem decent enough.
This game is just kinda obsolete now though. It suffers from a terrible frame rate and the actual screen of game play is super tiny you can hardly see anything at times.
This game is an interesting relic and nothing more, there is countless other racers that you should play rather than this.
Hardcore relic of it's time.
This game has some neat things going for it. I like the aesthetic of the game and the different types of cars are nice. The maps seem decent enough.
This game is just kinda obsolete now though. It suffers from a terrible frame rate and the actual screen of game play is super tiny you can hardly see anything at times.
This game is an interesting relic and nothing more, there is countless other racers that you should play rather than this.
Kinda fun once you get used to the graphics, but it's also pretty damn easy
Really horribly made and it probably deserves like one star but that somehow made it more fun then most of these old games
motion sickness simulator
Virtua Racing: The Movie: The Coloring Book: The Children’s Board Book: The Game
This game is strange, but fun. It struggles to run sometimes on the SNES but its a functional racing game and has a unique appeal to it with its very primitive 3D graphics.
What a weird fucking game that lowkey controls kinda well
I see a lot of harsh reviews for this game, and tbh most of them are fair critcisms. I played this game more than most would because A) I liked monster trucks and you could play as one and B) I didn't get an N64 until almost 1998 so 3D racing games were basically nonexistent for me.
Looking at this game objectively though, it did some pretty cool stuff. While your Top Gears and Pole Positions were fixed on the distant horizon and only let you follow a fairly narrow track, this was a truly three-dimensional racing game, complete with jumps and and hills and shortcuts. It even had minigames and bonus courses specifically for stunts. If nothing else it's an interesting and impressive demonstration of the FX chip and SNES hardware. Yes the frame-rate ranges from meh to abysmal, yes it's a little easy, but the controls really aren't bad once you get used to them and when you get rolling this game really gives you a sense of speed that isn't present in other 16 bit titles.
Yeah it's a bit janky, but if you appreciate retro games and seeing how tech capabilities evolved, this is worth a visit. It's no Mario Kart or F-zero, but you could far worse on the SNES.
Looking at this game objectively though, it did some pretty cool stuff. While your Top Gears and Pole Positions were fixed on the distant horizon and only let you follow a fairly narrow track, this was a truly three-dimensional racing game, complete with jumps and and hills and shortcuts. It even had minigames and bonus courses specifically for stunts. If nothing else it's an interesting and impressive demonstration of the FX chip and SNES hardware. Yes the frame-rate ranges from meh to abysmal, yes it's a little easy, but the controls really aren't bad once you get used to them and when you get rolling this game really gives you a sense of speed that isn't present in other 16 bit titles.
Yeah it's a bit janky, but if you appreciate retro games and seeing how tech capabilities evolved, this is worth a visit. It's no Mario Kart or F-zero, but you could far worse on the SNES.
The low framerate makes the controls feel sluggish and unresponsive. Hasn't held up well.
Huge failure of an early 3D racing game. Horrendous to play and looks terrible. But any goodwill the game could've gathered was destroyed by the presence of a time limit. WTF is up with that timer??
When it comes to Super FX games, I think I'm gonna stick with the Star Fox duology.
When it comes to Super FX games, I think I'm gonna stick with the Star Fox duology.
Everyone's favourite SNES title, Stunt Race FX, was okay. In terms of today's standards, this game runs pretty badly as the FX chip makes the game stutter a lot. But the gameplay is decent for a racing title, so there's that. Stunt Race FX car for Smash 6.
Wait... You mean to tell me THIS has secretly been the best SNES racing game all along?? I was put off by F-Zero and Super Mario Kart as a kid since the N64 versions were so much better, but if I had owned Stunt Race FX, I would have played the heck outta this. Forget about the framerate issues, they don't stop this from having superior and more intuitive handling than its peers, none of which look as charming as this adorable truck with its animated eyes and Rayman-esque limbless movements. If you can get past the choppiness, there is a KILLER racing game in here!
Anyone that believes that developers releasing games in unfinished states is a new phenomenon needs to play this game. The frame rate is abysmal.
This AI rubberbands like a mother fucker and the time limit is one of the worst ideas ever implemented in a game. Without rewind I couldn't have beat it. Time just wasn't nice to this game, but it's fun for a bit. Still not good though.
SNES Online (Switch)
imagine buying f-zero on launch day and then three years later getting this
A cute little racing game made with that nifty super fx chip, but unfortunately time has not been kind to it.
The low poly look of this game in itself is appealing as usual for me, but what kills the game is the single-digit framerates it hits constantly. The framerate is actually so bad that it works against your controls and makes you feel like you're driving through molasses.
I had a good time with this game as a kid, but games like Burnout 3 Takedown and Wreckfest have spoiled me immensely. I for sure don't recommend it for the younger lads, at least as is......murmurs something about overclocking and retroarch and makes sure the nintendo cops don't beat the shit out of him
It'd be great if this game got a remake of sorts, preferably with the clay looking models of the cars from the box art. Unfortunately Nintendo gets irritable and goes into fits of old man rage at even the mention of F-Zero, let alone single entries they made back on the SNES.
Shame.
The low poly look of this game in itself is appealing as usual for me, but what kills the game is the single-digit framerates it hits constantly. The framerate is actually so bad that it works against your controls and makes you feel like you're driving through molasses.
I had a good time with this game as a kid, but games like Burnout 3 Takedown and Wreckfest have spoiled me immensely. I for sure don't recommend it for the younger lads, at least as is......murmurs something about overclocking and retroarch and makes sure the nintendo cops don't beat the shit out of him
It'd be great if this game got a remake of sorts, preferably with the clay looking models of the cars from the box art. Unfortunately Nintendo gets irritable and goes into fits of old man rage at even the mention of F-Zero, let alone single entries they made back on the SNES.
Shame.
This game runs at like 5 frames per second and that's really all that needs to be said imo. 1/6
Definitely extremely rough to come back to in 2021, but I think there's some fun to be had here. Memorizing the tracks and getting a decent handle of controlling the vehicle is fun in the Stunt Trax courses, but really as soon as you put all those mechanics in a race, which is what most of this game is, it becomes way too demanding and reflex-based considering the frame rate of the game. Like, this stuff requires being able to immediately see how your car reacts to your inputs, and that's not happening here. I don't hate it, but I definitely don't feel like trying to finish all the races (managed to beat Novice and Expert got two tracks into Master and gave up).
Runs, looks and plays like crap. No reason to play this in 202X