Rock n' Roll Racing

Totally Radical, and yet Totally Awesome.

A top-down racing game Blizzard Entertainment (then Silicon & Synapse) released in 1993 on the SNES, and 1994 on the Sega Megadrive/Genesis. Mostly remembered as one of the premier "simple fun" racing games the console had to offer, the controls were easy to pick up, the competition was fierce and the music was epic.

Set in the distant future, the player takes control of one of several colorful competitors on the intergalactic racing circuit, hoping to out-maneuver (and out-shoot) their fellow challengers and the reigning champion of each planet's track. Much of the fun came from relying on using knowledge of the track and "dirty tricks" available from upgrades and power-ups to defeat your opponents (made standard by the Mario Kart franchise).

It was named "Best Driving Game of 1993" by Electronic Gaming Monthly.

Tropes used in Rock n' Roll Racing include:

Car Fu
Catgirl: Katarina Lyons of Panteros V.
Cool Car: While most of the cars resemble monster truck chassis with sexy car bodies added on top, this game made hovercrafts a slick and dangerous entry in this trope.
Easy Mode Mockery: Limited what planets you could race on (and thus what cars you had access to), depending on the difficulty setting. The last planet was only playable on the highest setting, and to make it more challenging, the tracks from it weren't available in the practice mode (where you could choose the planet you wanted to race on).
Idiosyncratic Difficulty Levels: Rookie, Veteran and Warrior.
Isometric Projection: Like the 8-bit NES classic, R.C. Pro-Am.
Punny Name: Most of the racers. Dark Age of Supernames also figures heavily.
RPG Elements: Each car can have multiple upgrades added to their separate parts, including engine, wheels, suspension, armor and weapons. You also need to win so many races to reach a new "racing division."
Secret Character: Olaf and "Phantom," the super-rich, super-statted racer unlocked with a code.
Shout-Out: Several characters.
- Olaf is from Blizzard's previous game, The Lost Vikings.
- Snake Sanders (of Terra) is visually based off Whitesnake singer David Coverdale.
- Jake Badlands is named for Jake E. Lee.
- Cyberhawk is likely a reference to both the cover of the Judas Priest album Screaming for Vengeance and the '80s cartoon Silverhawks.
- Captain Braddock looks eerily similar to Snake Plissken
Spiritual Successor: Both to the above R.C. Pro-Am, and to Blizzard's earlier RPM Racing.
Those Two Racers: Rip and Shred. Even if they keep losing, they buy their way into each new division, and stay relatively current with the rest of the field's equipment.
Track Champ of the Week
Vehicular Combat: Oils slicks, metal tacks, mines, grenades, plasma fire, missiles, heat-seeking orbs of death and just ramming the other guy into the rail.
Wacky Racing
You Break It, You Profit: The more you destroy your opponents, the more winnings you receive.