Reboot This: Racing Destruction Set

Here's a game I wish they'd revisit: Racing Destruction Set.
As regular readers would know, my childhood in gaming was spent around a Commodore 64 - whilst not a big deal in the US it was however important enough in both Europe and Australia (y'know, places that don't matter) had had many interesting and unique games available. One such was the superbly titled Racing Destruction Set, courtesy of a company called Electronic Arts.

As the title suggests, this is racing game - and one which involves trying to sabotage your opponents efforts through any means necessary. As well as being a great two-player game, it even boasted a track-designing feature and a gazillion options.
But really, mere words can't do the features of Racing Destruction Set justice: Instead, they can be better exemplified with this video:



So there was certainly a lot going for Racing Destruction Set: Aside from track building, there was vehicle selection, gravity selection (GRAVITY!), terrain selection and a race/destruction option, the latter incorporating oil slicks and landmines. With so much options and freedom of choice for the player (this was back in 1985 mind you) it does seem mind-boggling that such an approach hasn't been replicated in the years since.

Last week I made a post talking about Super Mario Kart where I lamented how many clones that damn game inspired and how none of them really succeeded in replicating, let alone besting, the winning formula. And it always struck me that no one was looking back to Racing Destruction Set. I mean why not? If a formula can work so well, why not take the formula that made Racing Destruction Set, give it some fantastic graphics and you'll have game that can a serious competition for the untouchable Super Mario Kart.
Indeed, I thought back then that those wanting to replicate Super Mario Kart shouldn't be doing so - They should be doing something new with the formula. In fact it always struck me that if people wanted to usurp Super Mario Kart, they should try implementing a Track Builder - I mean I would've bought it - yet it is funny how took nearly twenty years before someone else thought the same with the PS3 game ModNation Racers.

Interestingly enough during research for this post I did find that Racing Destruction Set did indeed get a remake in the form of the SNES game RPM Racing - this led to a sequel called Rock N Roll Racing which is of some historical significance as being the first game made by a fledgling company that would later become Blizzard. So maybe there is some interest in keeping the original C64 game alive but I don't recall either game being a big deal.
So yeah, remake Racing Destruction Set. There certainly seem to be some great ideas in work and certainly worthy of dusting off and repackaging for younger gamers to see what their comrades did years before..