![]() The biggest change ditching the 3D viewpoint for an isometric perspective. While the company prided themselves in offering consolized, scaled-back conversions of its arcade games, they didn’t really bother with trying to emulate the 3D gameplay of the arcade game, so instead they created a totally different game. Evidence points to one being in the works, but was cancelled.Įnduro Racer was also released for the Sega Master System, though it’s hard to really call it a port. While most Sega arcade titles were ported to the Amiga, Enduro Racer wasn’t one of them, which is odd. ![]() But otherwise, neither of these versions are particularly playable either, and they’re missing music. However, when driving over slopes, the view actually pans the whole screen downward, which looks quite cool. They’re still about as slow as the Commodore 64 version, though while the graphics are low color, they are more detailed. The Amstrad and ZX Spectrum versions are essentially identical, outside of some color differences. The music is pretty similar to the Atari ST release, at least. The way this version handles slopes is simply to move the motorcycle sprite slightly up or down on the screen. The Commodore 64 version, on the other hand, is far too sluggish to enjoy, and doesn’t look all that pretty either. Though the redrawn graphics aren’t quite as nice, and the scaling is quite choppy, it still maintains a sense of speed and is quite playable, plus the music is decent. Of the European computer ports, the best is the Atari ST version. Last but not least, may we sincerely congratulate you on a perfect run. This game is then dedicated to all of the “Life Riders” who have stated out on the solitary trip to find their own individual limits. There is no victor or loser in this test of endurance the only thing that really matters is that you make a commitment to begin the long and trying trek. Of particular importance are the lessons to be learned concerning one’s self from the various encounters you experience along the way. The results are insignificant and what really counts is competing. “Enduro” is a symbolic journey through life via the media of a race. The game does have an amusingly long-winded, overtly romantic text scroll at the end, though: The music is catchy, though not Sega’s best. ![]() A few areas have water on the side of tracks, causing you to sink if you veer off too far, though you’re still respawned to the track, just as if you’d crashed. There are only five sections of a single course. The rest of the change-ups from Hang-On are minimal. As with Sega’s other racing games, like (of course) Hang-On and OutRun, the tight time limit only tolerates one or two screw-ups before it becomes impossible to cross the checkpoint, ultimately making the game more frustrating than fun. But it’s also very difficult to do this without constantly crashing. It’s very difficult to play a game about dirt bikes and not want to fly into the air at every opportunity, because even in the low-tech mid-80s super scaler 2D sprite kinda way, it’s a lot of fun. ![]() The reason Enduro Racer is so widely overlooked is probably because the game actively punishes you for its most rewarding mechanic. It gave them some credibility that they were still playable as home games, even when separated from the ride-on cabinets or other gimmicks. Most of Yu Suzuki’s games have been ported to subsequent platforms, while Enduro Racer has not. There’s also bits of debris littered generously over the roads, which makes everything even more dangerous. As such, you really need to be careful at when and where you take your jumps, otherwise you’ll shoot off into a cluster of trees. The downside is that you have to remember to tilt forwards (lest you tumble when you hit the ground), and that you absolutely can’t move at all once you take to the air. If you pop a wheelie and hit them at high speed, you can go flying into the air, gaining an even more impressive speed boost. Wheelies become extremely important due to the numerous jump ramps strewn throughout the courses. This increases your speed slightly, at the expense of maneuverability. Additionally, you can also perform wheelies by holding backwards (or tilting backwards, if you’re lucky enough to play on a ride-on cabinet). The most prominent upgrade is that the roads now dip upwards and downwards, giving some more versatility to the flat courses of Hang-On. Enduro Racer uses the same underlying technology as the super scaler motorcycle racing game, just making some enhancements and tweaks to provide a sort-of sequel. Released in 1986, Yu Suzuki’s follow up to Hang-On is… well, it’s “ Hang-On on dirt bikes”. ![]()
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