Indy Heat

Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat is an arcade racing game that was developed and published by Leland Corporation in 1991. It was later ported to home platforms, including Amiga, NES, Commodore 64. The Amiga port, released in 1992, was created by The Sales Curve.

The game featured the tracks of the CART series in the 1990s and it had up to nine tracks along with one extra in the NES port of the game.

Players are given a fixed budget, which they can spend freely on upgrading their mean machines. MPG (fuel efficiency), Turbo (speed boosts), Pit-stops, brakes, tires, and engine, all of these components can be upgraded to give the player an edge on whatever division they prefer. This is the real core of the game that, in fact, contains a surprising sense of trial and error involved in it. To be proficient, you must become fluent in the specific upgrades required for each track. For example, a simple one like Indianapolis would require different upgrades compared to tracks that require more maneuvering. However, if this feels too complex, you can always let the computer choose it for you.

Unlike other racing games, the number of players is not limited to 2. Up to three players can play simultaneously making way for fun, good old-fashioned group racing, but it should be noted that a large number of players take a toll on the controls system. On the Amiga, for example, two players can play on the joystick, and one can opt to stick to the keyboard (which is a problem if you are playing with the emulator and you are not using 2 controllers).

The car controls are pretty straightforward, but the most exciting part of the gameplay was the pitstop scenario. The cars can actually run into one another, meaning you can potentially sabotage your opponents as a car can only take so many hits before it bursts into flames, leaving debris behind on the racetrack. Not to mention you can crush the opponent's pit-crew by smashing them off the road when approaching a stop, making them wheel off the track and into their crew with a sickening crunch.

Looking at it now, this title is an absolute gem as most racing games were unplayable, but this was genuinely exhilarating. Yes, racing against the computer does get boring after a while because of the mindless repetitive gameplay, but pair it up with a set of friends, and you got yourself a game that will provide you with hours of fun.