R.C. Pro Am is a strange one when it comes to my memories of it. I both love and hate the game for numerous reasons. As one of the first isometric racing games it immediately stood out. R.C. Pro Am nails its premise to a degree not many games managed back then and was a joy to play. That feeling lasts about five rounds. Ultimately the game’s egregiously bad AI quickly ruins what is in all other respects a fantastic game. This is still worth playing but does come with a warning.
Between its isometric viewpoint and its controls the greatest triumph of R.C. Pro Am is that it near perfectly captures the feeling of controlling a radio controlled vehicle. Just about every other racing game at the time was first or third person and had simplified controls. Here the viewpoint allows you to see exactly how far you’ve leaned into a turn as well as a decent portion of the upcoming track. Managing the controls is tricky at first. Most will constantly crash into walls at first because they haven’t turned far enough. Once you get the hang of it you can glide through each course smoothly. This has one of the earliest instances of drifting and it is a crucial technique to master.
The initial course is simple but the rounds after that begin to introduce new elements. R.C. Pro Am wasn’t the first game to introduce vehicular combat; Death Race preceded it. But it probably played a larger role in popularizing the concept. Around the courses are missiles and bombs to temporarily crush opposing cars. Bombs are trickier to use as they are dropped behind you but are no less satisfying. In addition the roll cage grants temporary invincibility, allowing you to plow rival cars into walls and such.
You won’t be purchasing vehicle upgrades but they do exist. Scattered around each track are one of three upgrades: tires for traction, engines for top speed, and gears for acceleration. Each of these has multiple levels but the difference is negligible for a number of reasons. You’ll notice a slight boost at first but it disappears in seconds as the AI catches up to you. What should have been the coolest feature is also a dud. Collecting the letters that spell Nintendo will upgrade your car, first to a truck then to a sleek race car. Unfortunately the computer also receives the same upgrade which completely defeats the point.
Aside from aggressive drivers each track has varying conditions as an extra element. Rainy days leave puddles that slow you down. Sometimes there are even rain clouds that move about the track, making it harder to avoid. Oil spills will send you into an uncontrollable spin out. The worst has to be the retractable walls. If you hit one chances are you’ve lost. The few seconds it takes for your car to repair can literally send you into last place, even if it’s the first lap. The computer is not immune to these hazards and it is especially satisfying to push them into each one to get a leg up, even if it is for a few seconds. Aside from these hazards are zip lines that grant massive speed boosts. These are the most important element in the game. If you miss one pray. The computer will not.
I’ve mentioned the aggressive AI but that barely describes it. R.C. Pro Am has some of the worst rubberband AI I have come across in almost forty years of gaming. Its even worse than Mario Kart 64! Even at your very best at least one AI opponent will be a second behind at all times. If you get lucky and hit them with a missile or crash them into a wall they will come screaming back within seconds. It gets even worse. You are penalized for using weapons too much. Hit them with missiles or bombs too much and the yellow car will get a speed boost so high they can lap you twice! It is unbelievable to see in action and I’ll admit can sour the game heavily. Rarely have I gone through every track as it gets to be too much in short order.
R.C. Pro Am makes a lot out of very little but still can’t avoid being repetitive. There is no variety in track environments. What you see is all there is to the game. Even the courses repeat frequently. They alter the position and type of hazards but they are still the same layouts. This could have really used a multiplayer mode for those that can’t deal with the ridiculous AI. But at the very least it gets so much else right I can forgive it.
In Closing
Its flaws might be heavy but R.C. Pro Am is still fun in short bursts. It may not be the classic you remember but R.C. Pro Am did lay down a template that future games would follow. Just be warned that it can be infuriating.
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