R.C. Pro-Am II continues the beloved remote-controlled car racing game, arriving in 1992 with improved graphics, new tracks, and an expanded range of weapons and bonuses the player can use to sabotage opponents mid-race. The top-down view with a slight camera offset is retained, as is the signature combination of racing and tactical item collection scattered across the track, which turns a plain race into a fight for survival as well.
Compared to the first game, the sequel offers more vehicles with different acceleration, handling, and top-speed characteristics, so choosing a car affects how the player tackles the tracks. Weapons such as missiles, mines, or slowing obstacles turn what would otherwise be a clean race into a chaotic scramble for first place, which was after all the signature of the original game from Rare's studio. The split-screen multiplayer mode remains one of the main draws, since it's precisely in battles against a friend that all the tactical sabotage possibilities shine, where a well-aimed missile can decide the winner right before the finish line.
R.C. Pro-Am II confirms Rare's reputation as one of the most skilled teams of the late NES era, capable of coaxing a surprisingly smooth and colorful racing game out of limited hardware, one that holds up even years later and technically ranks among the best the console offered in its twilight. The combination of racing and fighting for survival on the track also still gives it a distinct identity among the other racing titles in the NES library.
Why play it: For chaotic races with remote-controlled cars full of weapons and tactical sabotage against opponents.
Game 110 of 120 for Nintendo NES
