Enduro Racer

[thund3r]

Sorry its over due guys, been very busy lately and will be for the next few months as im in the 2nd to last term of my degree!



Anyway enough excuses. This weeks game is......Enduro Racer!

One of the very first master system games i played as a child. I remember playing it in my younger years with a half beaten master system i purchased from a boot fair for £3 and i was chuffed to bits for days!

The Game takes an isometric view which differs from the Arcade and home computer ports, which makes this version of Enduro Racer some what unique. The object of the game is to finish each course within the set time limit, and you will have a plethora of obstacles in your way to stop you from finishing the level. Along they way you will also be constantly flying over jumps, dodging holes and rocks but there is no stopping for breath on this game! Oh no sir! After every level you will offered a screen where you can buy materials and engine parts to upgrade your lil' old motor to a flying beast which will help you finish the levels faster and clear those all important gaps later on in the game.

Having coming close to finish the game on many occasions it still frustrates me to this day because after you've completed the first set of levels you are then confronted with the same levels. So when you think to yourself "ah this is easy, ive done these levels before!" be warned, they get hectic!

So folks, this week lets all try and complete this masterpiece. I know i'm going to try!

[Aypok]

This game is pretty cool and possibly the easiest Master System game I have ever played (one of only three I have ever completed! This was the second). Despite that, it is fun - I think I'll play it some more later today.

Although the ending is... I'll let you see for yourselves. :)

[Estimated Prophet]

Nice one. I haven't played this game in almost 20 years, but I used to love it as a kid. I don't remember if I ever beat it back in the day, but it is going down now.

This finally gives me an excuse to try out the Japanese version too. Word on the street is that it is bigger memory wise. Does anybody know if it is really that different?

[playgeneration]

Its one of the first games I got, at £9.99 new, this together with The Ninja and Fantazy Zone are probably the best of the budget range of games. If you get the hang of pulling backwards just at the right moment on the ramps, you'll go much faster, and you shouldn't have too much bother finishing the game.
I love the graphics in the game, the isometric viewpoint and bright colours make it a great early showcase for the sms.
The Japanese version of the game is twice as big, both in terms of cartridge size, and the number of levels. The new tracks include ice levels with snowmen at the sides of the road, infact all the tracks have extra graphics in them.

[kungfukid]

lol, I'll play it because it's fun, but there's not much point - it's so easy it's bordering on ridiculous! I got to the last stage the first time I played it and completed it the second!

Nice game to throw in if you've only got 20 mins spare.

[thund3r]

kungfukid said:

lol, I'll play it because it's fun, but there's not much point - it's so easy it's bordering on ridiculous! I got to the last stage the first time I played it and completed it the second!

Nice game to throw in if you've only got 20 mins spare.

Maybe ive become so used to these easy xbox games... I swear i found it hard!

[playgeneration]

Just played through the Japanese version on my console, I'd only ever played it in emulator before. Its probably easier than the version we all got. I like the fact that none of the levels repeat, each of the ten tracks you race on is different, and the last two get pretty frantic. The end sequence is either better or worse depending your point of view, personally I liked the crazy inspirational text

Its easier to play with a joystick than the pad, as you can quickly flick to pull back the bike so you lauch yourself into the air faster and further.

[rupert]

I havent played this much - I remember my firend had it back in the day but I only really tried it out for a few mins befor deciding I wanted to carry on plying Castle of Illusion again

I will give it another go. Any chance of a time challange comp?

[Stan]

So are we including the Japanese version as part of the same game here? I think I want to play that version through.

[thund3r]

yea, i think i'll definatly give it ago now it has more levels!

[krooper13]

Great game, its so simple yet brilliant.

[Stan]

I guess you can kind of consider this an answer to Excitebike, but I like it a TON more. The controls are much easier to get into and the one thing I love is you don't have to worry about the damn 'overheat' problem, spending all of your time perfecting your score instead. Even though it's an added challene in Excite, it always used to get to me and I could never get anywhere in that game when I was younger. Enduro is much more user friendly. Anyone know why they canned the extra Jap levels? I think I heard before but I forget.

[playgeneration]

Because it uses twice the cartridge space, bigger rom size=more cost, and it was one of the games they sold at a lower price.

[martinlaw]

playgeneration said:

Its one of the first games I got, at £9.99 new, this together with The Ninja and Fantazy Zone are probably the best of the budget range of games.

Please, don't forget Action Fighter, I love that game!

Enduro is a funny game, but for a few time. I remember that I played a lot when I was a child, my cousin borowed me that game.

Some pics (I took these pics some months ago):

[grolt]

Great pick. I love ENDURO RACER, and the ending really just tops it off. It reads as if a motivational speaker was writing his thesis on "Mechanics and the Human Psyche". I was really into it a few months ago, but I'm going to give it a go here in a few days when I get the time.