Play Race America Online

So Race America on NES is this weirdly intense two-player racing game where you're either battling a friend or the AI across these long cross-country tracks. At first, it's side-scrolling—both cars just blasting forward—but then it suddenly splits the screen when one of you pulls ahead, which feels brutal if you're stuck in the bottom half. Sometimes it throws in an overhead view too, just to keep you on your toes.

The cars all handle differently, and yeah, you have to manually shift gears (six speeds!), but here's the catch: you can't press gas while shifting. Took me a few crashes to figure that one out. The AI opponents are surprisingly distinct—some are speed demons on straightaways, others corner like they're on rails. Not gonna lie, it's janky in that classic NES way, but there's something weirdly satisfying about nailing the perfect shift while your friend's car sputters behind you.