Famicom Grand Prix II - 3D Hot Rally [Model FSC-TDRE]

Famicom Grand Prix II - 3D Hot Rally © 1988 Nintendo Company, Limited.

3D Hot Rally is the sequel to Famicom Grand Prix II - R1 Race but they share little in common. The top-down view was replaced here by a more traditional 3D view enhanced by Nintendo's official 3D goggles support (although they are not required to play the game). Mario and Luigi are two rally racers and the challenge is to push their driving skills to the limit and get them to cross the finish line. But it is way harder that it seems - tracks are really long and most of the time branch out passed each check points in a way similar to Sega's Out Run. Before jumping in the race, our two heroes need to pick a car from a list of three. Each one has of course different strengths and weaknesses, with a fine balance between speed and handling efficiency. They then have to chose a location for a Repair Area along the track - this is probably one of the most important aspect of the race. The car has a Damage bar and collisions slowly eat it up. So strategically positioning the Repair Area is essential. Like with Famicom Grand Prix II - R1 Race, this sequel was part of a contest organized by Nintendo.