is a motorcycle

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...

arcade video game An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an ar ...

released by Sega as the sequel to '' Hang-On''. It uses a simulated

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

arcade cabinet, like the original game. An updated version was released in arcades 1991 as ''Limited Edition Hang-On''.

Gameplay

The arcade mode in ''Super Hang-On'' is similar to the original ''Hang-On''. However, there is a choice of four tracks to race on which are based on continents, each containing a different number of stages. Also, should the player reach the normal maximum speed of 280 km/h, a turbo button is enabled. Using this button allows the player to reach an even higher top speed of 324 km/h. Each stage is roughly half the length of a stage in the original ''Hang-On''.

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

is the easiest and shortest out of the four courses (six stages).

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

is the second easiest and is similar in length to the course from the original ''Hang-On'' at ten stages long. The Americas is the second to toughest course, containing 14 stages and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

is the hardest course, being 18 stages long. When the player starts a race, they have their choice of four songs that will play during the race, a feature borrowed from ''

Out Run (also stylized as ''OutRun'') is an arcade driving video game released by Sega in September 1986. It is known for its pioneering hardware and graphics, nonlinear gameplay, a selectable soundtrack with music composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, and ...

''. The Sega Mega Drive version of the game included the full arcade game, and an additional ''original mode'', which allowed players to recruit sponsors and earn money to buy enhanced components for their bike. The cover for this version has a bike and rider in the same colors as Shinichi Itoh, who competed in the All-Japan 500 cc Championship on a Rothmans

Honda NSR500 1993 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix">Japanese Grand Prix 1993 The Honda NSR500 is a road racing motorcycle created by HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) and debuted in 1984 for the Grand Prix motorcycle racing's 500 cc class. Honda won te ...

Ports

Versions of the game were released for the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the S ...

and Commodore 64 in 1987 with further home conversions following for the Mega Drive/Genesis,

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore International, Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and sign ...

, Atari ST,

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

X68000 The is a home computer created by Sharp Corporation. It was first released in 1987 and sold only in Japan. The initial model has a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM, and lacks a hard drive. The final model was released in 1993 with ...

, and

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few oper ...

in 1989 and 1990. The game also appeared on several Mega Drive compilations, namely ''Mega Games I'' (bundled with the console as ''Mega Drive Magnum Set''), and ''Sega 6-Pak''. It was included in '' Sega Arcade Gallery'' for

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

. The arcade version was released on the Wii's

Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Un ...

service in Japan on September 14, 2010, and later in North America and Europe on May 3, 2012. Like ''

Shinobi A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 21– ...

'' and its omission of any references to

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

, the Virtual Console version of ''Super Hang-On'' was slightly altered to avoid any copyright troubles. This includes the replacing of several in-game billboards which used to feature real brand names such as Cibie with similar billboards which mention other Sega games such as ''OutRun'' and ''After Burner''. This version would be released on Xbox Live Arcade in 2012 as part of '' Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co''. Another version of the game was released for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generati ...

via the

Nintendo eShop The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was en ...

in Japan on March 27, 2013. The game feature stereoscopic 3D and tilt controls which emulate the arcade version. This version was released for North America and Europe on November 28. ''Super Hang-On'' is playable at the in-game arcades in '' Yakuza 0'', '' Yakuza 6'' and '' Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise''.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Super Hang-On'' on their June 1, 1987 issue as being the most-successful upright arcade unit of the month. The ride-on cabinet went on to become Japan's second highest-grossing upright/cockpit arcade game of 1987, below ''

''. It was later Japan's seventh highest-grossing arcade game of 1988. Peter Shaw of ''

Your Sinclair ''Your Sinclair'', or ''YS'' as it was commonly abbreviated, was a commercially published and printed British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was in circulation between 1984 and 1993. History Th ...

'' reviewed the arcade game, calling it "brilliant, fast and the most accurate simulation of riding a motorbike I've ever played". Mega Action reviewed the Mega Drive version, saying ''Super Hang-On'' is one of the best driving games for the Mega Drive, they concluded with a review score of 89%. The ZX Spectrum version scored 10/10 in '' Sinclair User'' and awarded it the "SU Classic" accolade. It was rated number 27 in the ''Your Sinclair Official Top 100 Games of All Time''.

Notes

References

External links