R.C. Pro-Am - Reception and Legacy

Reception and Legacy

R.C. Pro-Am was reviewed in Computer Gaming World who called it "a compelling, innovating approach to car racing videogames". Bill Kunkel found that it distanced itself from earlier racing titles such as Sega's Enduro Racer, Nintendo's Mach Rider, and Atari's Pole Position by going from a more traditional first-person to an isometric perspective. He also praised the game's simplicity and controls, comparing them to that of an actual radio-controlled car. He criticized the game for its lack of a two-player feature and for the instruction booklet's vagueness. He concluded by lauding its graphics and sound, saying that they "help make this the best game of its kind ever produced in any electronic game format". Bloomberg Businessweek listed R.C. Pro-Am, along with Cobra Triangle, as Rare's most notable titles in the NES library.

The game has continued to be well received by contemporary video game publications. Allgame's Chris Couper stated that R.C. Pro-Am is among the best NES games, due to its realistic nature. He commented that the game's challenge and sounds contributed to its enjoyment level. Retro Gamer saw the game as a precursor to Codemasters' Micro Machines, and they compared the action and variety of items to the later Mario Kart series. They hailed it as one of Rare's best early products, stating: "Radio-controlled car racing in videogame form was pretty much perfected here." The 2009 book Vintage Games compared the game to Spy Hunter, noting that game emphasized collecting power-ups and weapons and not just on racing. It added how the trend of combining racing with vehicular combat would reappear in future games such as Super Mario Kart and Rock n' Roll Racing. Later in 2010, as part of Rare's 25th anniversary, the magazine said that it was Rare's first successful NES title as well as one of the first games to combine racing and vehicular combat. Readers ranked the game 22nd in a list of their 25 favourite Rare games.

R.C. Pro-Am has appeared many times on various "best games" lists over the years. A survey conducted by GamePro in 1990 ranked the game as the 10th-best sports video game at that time, whereas many gamers considered it a sports game despite disagreements by others. Game Informer put the game at number 84 on its "Top 100 Games of All Time" list in August 2001. Paste magazine placed it as the 8th greatest NES game ever, saying that it is "way more fun than real remote-control cars, which never seemed to be equipped with missile capabilities". IGN listed the game as the 13th-best NES game of all time, citing its popularity amongst gamers as well as good sales. Executive Editor Craig Harris said that it was one of the first games to introduce the concept of vehicular combat, inspiring other titles such as Super R.C. Pro-Am, R.C. Pro-Am II, and the Mario Kart series. 1UP.com listed it as the 14th best NES title, citing the game's good graphics and gameplay elements, though it said that the difficulty level was too high. As with other retrospectives, the website staff listed the game as inspiration for future series such as Super Off Road and Rock n' Roll Racing. In a look back at Rare as part of the company's 25th anniversary, GamePro listed R.C. Pro-Am as one of Rare's best games, calling the release "one of Rare's finest moments".