Snes Central: F1 Roc: Race of Champions / Exhaust Heat

F1 Roc: Race of Champions / Exhaust Heat
Game Code:	EH	Genre:	Racing/ Simulation
US Title:	F1 Roc: Race of Champions	US Publisher:	Seta U.S.A. Inc
Japan Title:	Exhaust Heat	Japan Publisher:	Seta Co. LTD
Title in Kanji:		Title in Kana:	エキゾースト・ヒート
European Title:	Exhaust Heat	Europe Publisher:	Ocean
Developer:	Seta	Players:	1
Accessories:	none	Special Chips:	none
Save:	Battery

F1 Roc (known as Exhaust Heat elsewhere) is a game that was designed to take advantage of the new hardware that the Super NES brought. Released in 1992, F1 Roc was one of many games that utilized Mode 7 rotation, similar to F-Zero. In fact, this game is very reminiscent of F-Zero, though it has more simulation aspects.

In my brief play of F1 Roc, I found the game to be very easy to pick up and play. The controls are simple - B to accelerate, Y to break, hold A for turbo, and the shoulder buttons to shift gears. Shifting is generally automatic, but sometimes if you crash, it will not automatically shift down to first. I never had a huge problem with controlling the car, naturally if you do not slow down around a corner, you are going to skid off. The AI seems rather fair, and does not cheat the way it does in F-Zero.

The game is much more of a simulation than contemporary games like F-Zero or Top Gear. Depending on the results of the race, you gain money to buy upgrades. Upgrades such as the engine are permanent, though you have to buy new tires and turbo before each race. If you look at the map before the race, it tells you the weather condition, so it gives you a hint about which tires to purchase. The upgrades noticeably change performance, so it is a good idea to spend your money wisely. If your car gets damaged during the race, money is deducted from your winnings, so it literally pays to not crash. However, no matter how hard you try, your car does not get destroyed to the point of forfeiting.

The graphics in this game are rather bland, but perhaps less bleak than F-Zero. The weather conditions are conveyed well enough, though the puddles on the road look like a fuzzy patch. The backgrounds do change depending on the country you are on. The rotating course map probably was impressive at the time, but it is not stationary, which makes it difficult to plot out where the course might have a lot of curves. Due likely to technical limitations of the time, this game is a one-player affair, which is a bit disappointing, although perhaps less-so than F-Zero due to the simulation aspect. The sounds are pretty typical 16-bit racing noise, and sound somewhat like an F1 racer. The music is restricted to the menus, and sounds like typical snes-style J-Rock.

This game features battery backup, which allows you to continue with your previous race, as well as save the best lap times. This brings a distinct advantage over games like Top Gear, which had a password system. On the whole, this is a strong racing game for the SNES, especially for an early title.

- An early title for this game was "Super Formula One Built to Win" according to a preview in the September 1991 issue of Nintendo Power.

Cartridge label information

Region	Country	Serial Code	notes	Scan
Americas	USA	SNS-EH-USA	regular release	link
Asia	Japan	SHVC-EH	regular release	link
PAL	United Kingdom	SNSP-EH-UKV	regular release	link

Do you have a label variant that is not listed above or a better quality copy? Read the Submission guidelines for cartridge label scans.

PCB Information

ROM Chip ID	Region	Known Man. Dates	PCB Type	CIC	SRAM	Decoder/ Logic Circuit	Special Chips
SHVC-EH-0 (front)	Japan	9203	SHVC-1A3B-12	D411	64k	SN74LS139N	-
SPAL-EH-0 (front)	PAL	9239	SHVC-1A3B-13	D413A	64K	MB74LS139	-
SNS-EH-0 (front)	USA	9231	SHVC-1A3B-13	D411A	64K	SN74LS139N	-
SNS-EH-0 (front)	USA	9236	SHVC-1A3B-13	D411A	64K	SN74LS139N	-

Do you have a PCB with a different ROM chip ID, PCB type or manufacturing date? Read the Submission guidelines for PCB scans.

Box information

Region	Country	Serial Code	notes	Front scan	Back scan
Americas	USA	SNS-EH-USA	regular release	link	link

Do you have a box variant that is not listed above or a better quality copy? Read the Submission guidelines for box scans.

Screenshots

Screenshots (24)

Published Review Scores

Nintendo Power	Publication date: June 1992	Issue: 37	Page: 105
Graphics and Sound: 3.3/5	Play Control: 3.6/5	Challenge: 3.5/5	Theme and Fun: 3.5/5

Bibliography

Nintendo Power, Pak Watch - Super Nintendo Entertainment System Development Dispatch (preview - as Super Formula One Built to Win), Publication date: September 1991, Volume: 28, Pages: 97
Nintendo Power, Strategy Guide, Publication date: June 1992, Volume: 37, Pages: 88-91
Nintendo Power, Review, Publication date: June 1992, Volume: 37, Pages: 105
Nintendo Power, Classified Information (change the names of your opponents; sound test code), Publication date: July 1992, Volume: 28, Pages: 29
Nintendo Power, Super NES Technology Update - Digital Power (about digitization), Publication date: July 1992, Volume: 38, Pages: 74-77
Nintendo Power, Classified Information (start with more money code), Publication date: August 1992, Volume: 39, Pages: 29
Nintendo Power, Classified Information (race on the water in the Monaco course), Publication date: September 1992, Volume: 40, Pages: 27