Improvements include:
Three levels of difficulty.
1 or 2 players simultaneously via split-screen.
An additional 1-2 player verses split-screen mode.
Armor/Hit points (vehicles don't explode with only one hit).
Collisions cause damage at all times.
Only money and armor repair power ups are collected from the track. All other upgrades are purchased between races.
Nitro device, jump device, homing missile device, Oil slick device.
3 devices at once. Ammo limited to a maximum of 6 charges per device. Ammo is filled to capacity each lap.
Hovercraft and tracked vehicles added.
Non-flat tracks. Catching air and leaving the track. Jumping over opponents. One way jumps and gaps in the track.
Multiple track surfaces with different properties.
Vehicles can shoot or mine themselves.
Crisscrosses and multiple paths for some tracks.
Game has and ending and is 'beatable'.
Sufficient skill to continue playing is determined by a system of racing points and divisions instead of limited lives and continues.
Water obstacle is replaced by sticky goo obstacle.
A password save function. Passwords are universal and work on original SNES version or Genesis version.
Commentator, Loudmouth Larry
This version of the game features these songs
- Paranoid by Black Sabbath
- Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf
- Bad to the Bone by George Thorogood
- The Peter Gunn Theme by Henry Mancini
- Radar Love by The Golden Earrings
Removed features include:
Collecting all powerups from the track.
Lives and continues.
A trophy room.
Invincibility powerup.
Rubberband and nitro powerups for AI opponents when they fall behind. It is possible to lap opponents.
AI opponents upgrade their vehicles on a schedule instead of matching the player's choice. So upgrading is an advantage.
Quirks:
Passwords only save 6 digits of cash, if you acquire more than that or cause only the last 2 digits to be saved. $999,950 is saved but $9,999,950 becomes $50.
Some created passwords can cause the game to crash at random.
You may enter the same password for players 1 and 2 at the same time.
Differences from the original SNES version:
'Highway Star' by Deep Purple is replaced with 'Radar Love'.
The midi music sounds slightly more realistic
The music mutes when Sound FX and Larry are simultaneously heard.
No scaling or rotation effects, lower color depth.
Some parallaxing background effects added, but not during gameplay.
The AI opponents use a different algorithm.
Money is silver instead of gold.
Hit points are represented by a bar graph during the race.
The controls are different
- Fire=A. Accelerate=B. Oil/Mines=C. Brake=↓
- Jump/Nitro=Tap then hold B (or double tab).
- Jump/Nitro=↑
- Jump/Nitro=X or Y or Z
- Sharp Turn=Tap then hold ← or →
- Sharp Turn=MODE+← or MODE+→
Cross system multiplayer (xband, kalleria, etc) is not possible without game specific custom software (that does not yet exist as far as I know).