Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off Road

Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off Road from 1989 bears the name of real off-road racer Ivan "Ironman" Stewart, and from developer Leland Corporation it brought a top-down view of four off-road buggies competing on muddy tracks full of jumps, turns, and obstacles to arcade machines. The game supported up to three players at once on a single machine, which made it a popular social experience in arcades, drawing whole groups of friends together to compete for the title of fastest driver.

A key element was the upgrade system between rounds – after finishing a lap, a player could insert more coins and use the "Buy Parts" button to purchase a turbo, better suspension, tires, or other equipment, meaning the chances of winning could be actively influenced by money put into the machine, not just skill at the joystick. This model motivated players to come back to the game again and again, since every round offered a chance to upgrade the vehicle and better handle the track's demanding jumps and bumps in the next race, letting even weaker drivers gradually build a competitive car.

The controls were simple – a joystick and gas – but the fight for the ideal racing line in tight turns, collisions between vehicles, and the need to also watch opponents' moves made the races a tense spectacle for both players and the onlookers who often gathered around the machine. Super Off Road became one of the most successful racing titles of the late 1980s and inspired a number of later off-road games, which further developed and adopted its upgrade-purchasing system as a standard part of the genre.

Why play it: Wild off-road racing for up to three players at once, with the ability to buy vehicle upgrades right between laps, remains fun even after all these years.