Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat (NES Game)

I bought Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat because I bought a Four-Score and I wanted to own as many 4 player games for the NES as possible. From the very little research I have done on the subject, there are only 22 four player games for the NES, and I only own 7 of them. I guess I have more work to do.

So let's talk about Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat (hereafter DSIH). I guess I only have one gripe about the game, and it's really not that much of a gripe. As you can see, the entire race track is a single screen. There are several race tracks in the game, all of which are miniaturized on a single screen. So instead of large cars on a large track going very fast from far away, DSIH looks like small cars on a small track going at a moderate pace close up. You could swap titles on this game and RC Pro-Am and nobody would be the wiser (especially because RC Pro-Am doesn't do the single screen track). But the thing about the single screen is that it doesn't make the game any less fun to play. In fact it makes the game a little easier than it could be, which may be a good or bad thing depending on what type of gamer you are.

DSIH is an enjoyable racer that is deeper than appearances would suggest. You have the option of upgrading your car before each race, adding better tires, more turbo, etc. Also, there are pit crews in the game and you'll occasionally be called into pit row for fuel or repairs. The pit crews are very fast, so you don't lose very much time in the pits, which is nice. There is some strategy to the game like choosing whether or not to pit when you have a chance to win.

I guess I have one more small gripe to get off my chest: when the winning driver crosses the finish line, the race is over and all the other drivers stand on the podium according to where they were when they first driver crossed the finish line. This has cheated me out of second place by ending the race when I was just about to pass the car in front of me. It has also given me second place when I didn't deserve it because I was going to get passed when the race ended. It's a small thing but I figure if you're going to give out prize money for 2nd and 3rd place, you should let the race go to the finish.

Anyway, as a thoroughly enjoyable game about which only two small gripes can be made, I give Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat...