Super Off Road
Up to three players race off-road trucks on indoor tracks.
Ivan 'Ironman' Stewart's Super Off Road is a 1989 arcade racing game developed and published by Leland Corporation. It was endorsed by professional off-road racer Ivan Stewart and designed by John Morgan, who also served as lead programmer. The game is notable for being one of the first to allow players to upgrade their vehicle using earned points or money.
Quick Facts
- Designer
- John Morgan
- Programmer
- John Morgan; Earl Stratton
- Genre
- Racing
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The Super NES version features the Toyota brand and its logo on tracks, with pre-race music inspired by the 'I love what you do for me Toyota' jingle.
- The NES version has the Toyota label on its cartridge art but no in-game ad.
Gameplay
Up to three players (four in the NES version with the NES Satellite or NES Four Score) compete against each other or the computer on top-view indoor off-road truck tracks. There are eight tracks in the arcade version, with 99 races in most versions; the SNES version loops through 64 races without ending. First place awards points for the championship and money for truck upgrades or additional nitro. The goal is to finish the season with the most money. Continues are available, but home versions reset the player's money to zero.
Development
Super Off Road was developed and published by Leland Corporation, which was acquired by WMS Industries in 1994. The red, blue, and yellow CPU trucks are named after development staff: Sam Powell, Earl Stratton, and John Morgan. The Track Pak added Steve High and John Rowe. Using staff names avoided additional licensing fees.
Reception
Replay Magazine ranked the arcade version number one in its 1989 Best Videos and Pins Special Report. Sinclair User gave it an 8 out of 10, calling it 'Super Sprint with dirt'. The Spectrum version placed 47th in Your Sinclair Readers' Top 100 Games of All Time, and Amiga Power ranked it the 35th best game ever. MegaTech scored it 83%. Electronic Gaming Monthly rated the Lynx version 3.75 out of 10, citing choppy animation.
Legacy
The arcade version and its Track Pak upgrade appear in Midway Arcade Treasures 3 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, where the Ivan Stewart license is dropped and the white car is driven by Kevin Lydy. Super Off Road is also included in the 2012 compilation Midway Arcade Origins. A home sequel, Super Off Road: The Baja, was released for the SNES in 1993, using a third-person camera. An arcade sequel, Off Road Challenge, was released in 1997, followed by Offroad Thunder in 1999.
More in Racing Games of the 1980s
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