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This entry is an expanded and updated version of the version at the 2022 Games list.

I'm a little surprised that I never added Stunt Race FX to my previous list, because I do remember playing it through the "Expert" courses...though emulators until very recently haven't managed to play it properly or at all (thanks to the extra Super FX chip), which differentiates it from the other SNES games, as classics like Link to the Past or Super Mario World have been quite playable for over two decades...which is a shame because the last time I got to play this game on a real Super Nintendo was in the year 2004. The cars are somewhat hard to control and its based on an arcade-like timer rather than just trying to beat a score, but it's admirable because it has hills and features when a lot of racing games (even Super Mario Kart) did not, and I still think that the second course, Aqua Tunnel, is great. It turns out that having a glass-walled tunnel would be a feat of engineering but impractically expensive on a grand scale.

If you're familiar with games in general, you generally have the choice between "slow and sturdy", "jack of all trades", and "speedy but fragile", and Stunt Race FX is no exception with the 4WD truck, a coupe, and "F-Type". In Mario Kart, the small, zippy vehicle usually has fast acceleration but slow top speed, while the heavier vehicles have slow acceleration but good top speed. Here, the tiny "F-Type" has the slow acceleration and high top speed, paradoxically it's the 4WD truck that has the best accleration. There's one more car (2WD) that can be unlocked (it's already done for you in free play mode). There's also a big rig trailer truck in bonus courses, which isn't available in races nor can be hacked in. Finally, there's also the "Stunt Trax" mode to play around with hills.

The biggest problem with Stunt Race FX besides being a bit slow, even on a real SNES, is it feels incomplete. There's almost nothing to unlock beyond four new tracks and a single new car, and very much feels like a project that was pushed out as a product to lift flagging sales of the SNES as the mid-generation doldrums were in effect. Too bad.

FINAL RATING:   

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