This game has lived rent-free in my head for the past week as I have been going through it, and, having finished, I hope it never leaves. A lot of people have already written about what makes this game a masterpiece, so I’m just gonna bullet point random thoughts about why this game is one of my favorite games of all time:

I got the “In Water” ending, and I would have been satisfied if the game stopped after 3 different scenes. I’m so glad it continued until the very end. Maybe the best final hour in any game.

As someone who has been dealing with death and terminal illness hands on for the past 3+ months, I think this is the best interpretation I’ve seen about the grief held by loved ones (especially those choosing hospice or acting as patient surrogate in DNR decision making).

Actually a well-written examination of abuse that in (brief) instances empowers the victim while also remaining true to the ramifications of the act. Idk how so many games since have continued to fail in this regard.

The voice acting could not have been more perfect for this game, and I won’t have anyone tell me otherwise.

My favorite video game score of all time.

Some of the best sound design of any game I have ever played.

The fog.

Another gem and one of the best black box games. One of the many early NES games that took me a relatively long time to beat in comparison to its actual length. However, unlike the others, Kung Fu wasn’t long because it was unfair. Outside of one or two questionable hit boxes, all of the combat felt reasonably difficult and reliant more on obtainable pattern recognition and reaction rather than button mashing/praying. Also another gorgeous game with a great score and some of the first “voice acting” on the NES.

If you make any racer that plays like Outrun, you have my curiosity, but, if you give me a red Ferrari and the ability to choose my track on the radio, then you have my attention.

While it definitely takes heavy inspiration from Outrun, Rad Racer chooses to eschew the choose-your-route structure for a traditional checkpointed campaign with 8 courses. And, while I prefer that choice, many of these courses are absolutely stunning, especially Seaway in Typhoon, San Francisco Highway, and Lisa Angeles Night Way. Add on 3 great radio tracks to choose from, difficult but fair check pointing, and unnecessarily aggressive drivers, and you’ve got a game that stands on its own despite its inspirations being as clear as a passing breeze. Overall, Rad Racer is easily one of my favorite games I’ve played on the NES.