History VideoGame / RadRacer

* DownToTheLastPlay: If the timer expires, your car will slowly lose speed (your car rolls) and you can't step on the gas. If you can crawl towards the checkpoint / finish line, you'll be safe. But if the car comes to a complete stop, your game will be over!

* MarketBasedTitle: The first game was known as ''Highway Star'' in Japan. The second game isn't known as anything there since [[NoExportForYou it was never released there.]]

* CoolCar: The player can choose to drive either a Ferrari 328 or a Formula One machine. If you play as the Ferrari the other vehicles on the road will change every level. To wit:

* ProductPlacement: As getting the licenses from car manufacturers was much less onerous back then, each car is a real vehicle. Even to the extent of averting {{Fauxrrari}} - one of the two player vehicles is a Ferrari 328, and the cars in the final stage are Ferrari Testarossas. Somewhat amusing in the third stage, which takes place at the Grand Canyon in a course filled with Citroën [=BXes=], well after Citroën pulled out of the American market due to regulatory issues (even today, when Citroën models are sold in the US, they're badged as Mitsubishi cars).

* ProductPlacement: As getting the licenses from car manufacturers was much less onerous back then, each car is a real vehicle. Even to the extent of averting {{Fauxrrari}} - one of the two player vehicles, as well as the drones in the final stage - are Ferrari Testarossas. Somewhat amusing in the third stage, which takes place at the Grand Canyon in a course filled with Citroën [=BXes=], well after Citroën pulled out of the American market due to regulatory issues (even today, when Citroën models are sold in the US, they're badged as Mitsubishi cars).

! Rad Tropes:

* DownToTheLastPlay: If the timer expires, your car will slowly lose speed (your car rolls) and you can't step on the gas. If you can crawl towards the checkpoint / finish line, you're still in the game. However, if the car comes to a complete stop, you're out.

''Rad Racer'' was one of Creator/{{Square|Enix}}'s early releases for the NintendoEntertainmentSystem, and their second 3-D game after ''VideoGame/The3DBattlesOfWorldRunner''. The game is similar to ''VideoGame/OutRun'', in that you drive a car from point A to point B, dodging traffic and roadside obstacles on your way to the finish line.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Often considered to be Nintendo's answer to ''OutRun'', even though it wasn't developed by them.

* DownToTheLastPlay: If the timer expires, your car will slowly lose speed (your car rolls) and you can't step on the gas. If you can crawl towards the checkpoint/finish line, you're still in the game. However, if the car comes to a complete stop, you're out.
* FragileSpeedster: At top speed, your car exceeds 200 km/h, faster than any other car on the road, but is apparently lightweight enough that hitting another car causes you to careen out of control while the other car doesn't even ''budge''.
* MadeOfIron: On the other hand, instead of exploding after a crash like in ''Pole Position'', you'll either flip in the air (first game) or spin out of control (second) and have to work your way back up to top speed, often from an undesirable position on the road.
* MarketBasedTitle: The first game was known as ''Highway Star'' In Japan. The second game isn't known as anything there since [[NoExportForYou it was never released there.]]
* NintendoHard: You often have just enough time to get to the next checkpoint, and later on, even braking too much from dodging traffic or trying to make it through turns will make you run out of time.

* TotallyRadical: The very name of the game, ''Rad Racer''. A game that was, fittingly enough, produced by a company named Square.

* NoExportForYou: Inverted with ''Rad Racer II'', which was specifically made for the American market and never got a Japanese release.

* MadeOfIron: Your car. Instead of exploding after a crash like in ''Pole Position'', you'll either flip in the air (first game) or spin out of control (second) and have to work your way back up to top speed, often from an undesirable position on the road.

''Rad Racer'' was one of Square's early releases for the NintendoEntertainmentSystem. The game is similar to ''OutRun'', in that you drive a car from point A to point B, dodging traffic and roadside obstacles on your way to the finish line.

* NoExportForYou: Inverted with ''Rad Racer II'', which was specifically made for the American market and never got a Japanese release.