Editing Rad Racer (section)

{{Short description|1987 video game}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}

{{Infobox video game
|title = Rad Racer
|image = Rad racer box front.jpg
| alt = North American box art
|caption = North American box art
|developer = [[Square (video game company)|Square]]
|publisher = {{vgrelease|JP|Square|WW|[[Nintendo]]}}
|designer = [[Hironobu Sakaguchi]]<ref name="produce" />
|programmer = [[Nasir Gebelli]]
|composer = [[Nobuo Uematsu]]<ref name="Uematsu" />
|released = {{vgrelease|JP|August 7, 1987|NA|October 1987|EU|January 15, 1988}}
|genre = [[Racing game|Racing]]
|modes = [[Single-player]]
|platforms = [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Arcade game|Arcade]] ([[PlayChoice-10]])
}}

'''''Rad Racer''''', known as {{nihongo foot|'''''Highway Star'''''|ハイウェイスター|Haiwei Sutā|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} in Japan, is a [[racing video game]] developed and published by [[Square (video game company)|Square]] for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES) in 1987. In this game, players drive a [[Ferrari&nbsp;328]] or a generic [[Formula One]] racing machine through a racecourse. The game was released in North America and Europe months after its debut. The title became well known for being one of two titles from Square that made use of [[Stereoscopy|stereoscopic 3D]], which was made possible by wearing a pair of [[Anaglyph 3D|anaglyph]] glasses. Square president [[Masafumi Miyamoto]] initially conceived the game as an opportunity for developer [[Nasir Gebelli]] to demonstrate his 3D programming skills. Gebelli developed, and often drew by hand, the graphics for the game's 3D mode.

The game sold 1.96 million copies and is considered one of the best racing games on the NES, but was criticized as being derivative of other racing games from the period. Reviewers widely compared the game to ''[[Out Run]]'', though opined that ''Rad Racer'' was different in some ways, and they praised the sense of speed. The game appeared in the 1989 film ''[[The Wizard (1989 film)|The Wizard]]'' and was one of three games to feature a unique competition course in the 1990 [[Nintendo World Championship]].