Road Fighter (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Palcom's 1992 arcade racing game for the NES, Road Fighter.
I played until I got a game over on Course 4 during the fourth loop of the game starting from Level 1. The game doesn't have an ending, so I figured that that was a good place to stop. There's nothing new to see beyond that point.
This video was recorded from the PAL version. Road Fighter remained unreleased in Norrh America until the end of the 90s when Konami included it as part of a few arcade compilation games.
The NES version of Road Fighter was originally released in Japan way back in 1985, so it seemed like a bizarre choice when it saw a rerelease in Europe under Konami's Palcom label in 1992. Did any of you guys play it one of those pirate multicarts? The ones that claim to be 10-in-1, or 75-in-1, or even 999999-in-one, where a glitched level of Super Mario Bros. or a single event from Track & Field constituted not just one, but several games?
It was through one of those that I gained my first exposure to Road Fighter. I was actually surprised years later when I learned that it was officially sold as an individual game.
I say it was a bizarre choice because, while Road Fighter met expectations for a "modern" game on a console in 1985, the same could certainly not be said for 1992. Coming out in the same year that Super Mario Kart and Street Fighter II appeared on the SNES, it's difficult to imagine that this would've been released as anything but a budget game - does anyone for sure know one way or the other?
But regardless of how primitive the presentation was seven years later, the gameplay still held up, just as it still does today.
There is no ending, and you'll see everything that there is to see within twenty minutes of turning it on for the first time, but a breadth of content was never the point. Like all arcade classics from the early/mid 1980s, Road Fighter encourages you to push for higher and higher scores as you improve with each successive play. The first loop of the game isn't representative of the entire experience - it is merely a taste of the challenges that await if you invest yourself.
The tracks are easily memorized, as are the placement of the vehicles and items on those tracks, but the real trick is learning how to make it past those vehicles without constantly wrecking your car. The farther you go, the denser traffic gets and the more erratic the cars' patterns become.
And this is where the game's real hooks lie. The first is the countersteer mechanic. Since hitting rails results in an instant, fiery death that costs valuable time, and since you have no option but to collide with something, hit a car that's in the way if you find yourself trapped. If can countersteer quickly enough to get your car straightened back out, you can often avoid being bounced straight into a railing. Just try not to hit another hazard if you go into a spin - the brake and a prayer are the only things that'll save if you if you lose control of the car.
The other notable mechanic, and one that is equally important to master if you plan to get very far at all, allows you to manipulate the cars ahead of you. Most of the time the red and the teal cars move in the same way that you are steering in, but they'll only react to your movement once you get close enough to them. The trick is to figure out the distance fron which they can read your movements - once you have it down, you can easily fake out an enemy car out by tapping one direction as you approach and then immediately hitting the opposite direction on the d-pad to go sailing smoothly past them.
It sounds simple, and it is. But like any number of Nintendo's early NES black box titles, there are enough nuances to Road Fighter to give it staying power. If you appreciate the likes of games like Donkey Kong, Popeye, or even Bump 'n Jump, you'll find a lot of old-fashioned fun and replayability buried in this one.
Random afterthought: though neither of them came close to capturing the magic of the original, Road Fighter had two sequels. The first was Midnight Run: Road Fighter 2 (released in 1995 in arcades and in 1998 for PS1, JPN & PAL only) and Winding Heat (1996 in arcades, JPN only). They're interesting relics for the curious, but they weren't particularly notable, nor interesting games. And the PS1 port of Midnight Run was... well, let's just say it wasn't the preferred way to experience the game. You can see it for yourself here: • Midnight Run: Road Fig...
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!

[@NintendoComplete]

It may not be much to look at, but this early NES classic is still a surprisingly addictive racer.

[@Collected-Light]

😮

[@Starfox1357]

I agree!

[@Starfox1357]

@Peck Man: Game Compares and More! 1984

[@NintendoComplete]

@Peck Man: Game Compares and More! It was a re-release of the Famicom game from 1985.

[@ruko9876]

Road Fighter is another one of those game that i remember playing in one of those NES multicarts.

[@elefsidi]

Loved this game, as a kid. This and F1 Race were my drug.😁

[@fastest159]

you're not alone bro ✌🏎🏁

[@bboyhanvzla]

This game drives me crazy, but even so, it doesn't let boredom get in the way.

[@CybernikTheHedgehog]

Isn't that the game that appears in every bootleg "255 in 1" games?

[@CybernikTheHedgehog]

Serious talk tho: The audio in this game makes my ears fucking bleed, I'm not kidding I have to mute the video to enjoy the gameplay.

[@OPP03]

That was part of Palcom's Action 52 class of 1992. It was originally a Japanese exclusive NES title when it was released in 1985. And for the record, Palcom is technically Konami's PAL-region alias.

[@Starfox1357]

I've never won with 000 fuel before. That was epic!

[@mojebi3804]

Thank you for reminding me of this game's existence. It's really taking me back wow. I think I'm gonna go play it. Decent game if I remember.

[@Surya-uj7re]

While I liked this game, this was my dad's favorite. He didn't really care much for video games, but loved this one for some reason. He was the first one in our family to finish the 4th stage and reach the goal.

[@bassbeat12]

Damn I remember that game when I was 5 and my bro sometimes played it on a bootleg DVD/VCD Game back then.

[@gameralreyes8347]

Wow classic I remember growing up with this game me and my older brother always fighting each others to see who better racing car

[@ELsub2930.]

Simple y divertido...!!! Extraño mi niñez carajo, se extrañan juegos asi

[@superpan218]

It's hard to imagine that a game like this would see a European release as late as 1992.

[@foxmulder4318]

I remember this popping up on one of those handheld hook to the TV game boxes my little cousin had.

[@EirinYagokoro]

This game is commonly installed in pirated famicoms. But if compared to the original arcade version, this version is more of a regular driving game while the arcade is a racing game

[@devill2312]

i remember this game when i was kid i play her so much it was funny in this time in the middle of the day i play her so much when outside is so hot day that backs me to this old day when i play it but now i play pc games and this old times with my nes before to i have pc was the best how much time i lose to play this fun game :)

[@ANIONEJM]

Memory unlocked 🥳😭🤯

[@usulordo]

I still have the German magazine Video Games 2/1992 in which this game was tested. It got 40% and was sold for 90 Mark! Approx. 45€ or 55 US-Dollars.

[@seriousnorbo3838]

Those blue and red lane-changing cars on beach level always game me anxiety.

[@ps-lover8380]

I played this game on 76 in 1 multi card as a kid this and F 1 race and exit bike are my favourite racing games

[@kabutops87]

America got TMNT 3 in 1992 and we got this instead.. Snm

[@phantomzone2725]

My childhood in a nutshell

[@PedroJaimeCostaPereira]

A hardcore video game with race... Good old times.

[@bumblebeegames4679]

This game is increible to play and challenge yourself in tracks too dsngerous with obstacles horribles, and a race fantastic.

[@hankwheels]

I loved this game as a kid, I always wished though it supported two-player with split-screen.

[@Aekslash]

15:03 Epic...

[@technnicalvapor007]

All cars in real Life Player: corvette ZR-1 Yellow: Aston Martin BD4 Blue: Corvette C2 Blue 2: Ford GT 40 Red: Dodge Challenger Truck: Truck. Fuel Car:?????????

[@marhansgamingchannel4732]

Actually, the blue car types are 3.

[@Marvel-Rogue]

Very freaking addicitve as of today 🕹🆒🤗 3/29/24

[@patriciahyungjungkook952]

I love so much road fighter when i has a kid i playing a lot

[@AleksandarIvanov69]

One of simplest and best games on the NES

[@shawnethegreatgamer]

Oh! You perform a playthrough on this classic racing game from on NES eh. Well I got this game. Not just a hack, is the original of the NES, as I order it. However......I'm just have 100 NES games in 1 from the TV Plug & Play system.

[@raulferro3998]

I prefer Rad Racer over this but back in 1984/85 I guess playing this was better than dying from boredom on a winter afternoon as a little kid.

[@sbsp83]

25 years ago it felt like 9000 km/h.

[@hamadhumaid1984]

1:01 Up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, IT'S SUPER KONAMI

[@wilddogtc2058]

Have you done the MSX version of _Road Fighter_ ? What are your thought on it?

[@hanchiman]

I remember when this old game was finally released in Europe in 90. NES was dying by then. Also they sold this game around 25 Euro at the time while a normal game was roughly 40 to 50 Euro.. In the 90's! Quite expensive even by today standard

[@NintendoComplete]

Wow it was that much? I mean, it's a good game, but for how old it was, I would've expected it to go for maybe £15, £20 max. I mean, for a tenner more you could've bought a fairly recent Mega Drive cart instead.

[@hanchiman]

@@NintendoComplete it was crazy in Sweden. But that was because it was a racket in Sweden operated by borderline criminals who overcharge games

[@NintendoComplete]

@@hanchiman Ah right, I forgot you were in Sweden. Ice read all sorts of stuff about the hijinks that went on with video games way back. Was there at least a decent black market with more reasonable prices?

[@hanchiman]

@@NintendoComplete there was mom and pop store back then that sell second hand. I remember the importer and distributor of Scandinavia called Bergsala, these guys later on was taken to court for monopoly racketeering in late 90's at the same time Sony Playstation took over the world

[@JonesDylan874]

To answer that, yes.

[@ultimagetsuga25]

This was our GTA during the 90s 😎😎😎

[@Peter_Morris]

What’s with that Superman cameo on the first level? Talk about random.

[@NintendoComplete]

That's Konami Man! He showed up in lots of games. He was in the Wai Wai World Famicom games, in Track and Field (and is even a secret playable character in International Track and Field!), you can find him in a secret room in The Goonies 2, and I think I remember seeing him as one of the memory card icons from Stmphony of the Night. I'm sure there's lot of other stuff he shows up in too, but that's all I've got atm.

[@Peter_Morris]

Ha that’s awesome! I never knew about Konami man.

[@aremafcxboboiboydaun6977]

@@NintendoComplete don't get crashed

[@eoghancullen]

Yeah I enjoy playing this one. Tried to beat it a few months ago but no luck.

[@NintendoComplete]

It doesn't have an ending, so take solace in that:)

[@eoghancullen]

@@NintendoComplete nesmania rules, beat 4 courses. =D

[@SDDmorais]

muito muito bom esse game play

[@johncolon4069]

I play that game when i was 4 on the fake famicom, everday i finish that game without crash

[@64retrogamer11]

1991? this game looks like it came out in 1987.

[@kangshomae_berht]

I still don't understand, why Superman? 🤔

[@NinjaXFiles]

Grand Theft Auto 6 looking lit. 🔥

[@sukunasseiyuufan]

Do the Earthbound Halloween Hack gameplay pls! (SNES, GBA SP, New 3DS, Wii U, SNES classic) Halloween Hack by TobyFox of course. Ps. Great video! Greets from Poland!

[@Dorian_Scott]

I doubt that's going to happen.

[@sukunasseiyuufan]

@Skin Puppet i know hehe

[@sukunasseiyuufan]

@@Dorian_Scottheg, i know, i know...

[@aremafcxboboiboydaun6977]

Don't get crashed, man

[@corkystorky]

Super Klabing!

[@ulutanbeyaz]

Play to FC version

[@emptyhead5433]

❤❤❤❤

[@miguelyantaschanca1947]

10:00 level clear

[@carlosponciano9856]

era un juego que no tenia fin solo aumentaba la dificultad pero buen juego

[@ElephantMariotheRHDNhater3293]

Rerez's least favorite Konami Game. It WAS FEATURED AND DUPLICATED TOO MUCH ON TOO MANY EVIL CLONE SYSTEMS!

[@Qvmmy]

back in the day,my first cartridge also includes this game along with various super mario bros levels *glitch levels* and pinball but even these days i dont like this game.İ found that game very annoying.

[@chriscruzA35O-9OO]

Shit I was a kid 3 o 4 years

[@YaneYagoOficial-te2ww]

17:36

[@brianmilmoe6527]

Theres no end to this game?

[@Seiko180]

nope

[@ebrio12345]

400 km/h es un Bugatti?

[@NintendoComplete]

Maybe it's a Daewoo Lanos

[@RolaelBeat]

Hi bro! Can you monetize this video?