Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally

Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally (ファミコングランプリII　スリーディーホットラリー) is a racing video game released in Japan for the Family Computer Disk System. It is the sequel to Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race, although the two games are very different. The game play is similar to that of Rad Racer, which was released before it.

Like its predecessor, Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally was also subject of a tournament, which was held from April 14 to May 31, 1988. The top 100 players of each car class received a trophy in the form of a gold car of their class encased in quartz crystal with their name and rank on the base. Thus, there are 300 such trophies. They and thousands of runners-up and raffle winners received a "Pretty Mini", which is a yellow stationery set in the form of Diskun, the FDS mascot. It is similar to a white stationery set that was sold in stores. They also received mock driver's licenses.

Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally marks the first time that Luigi appears taller and thinner than Mario on a game's box art, though this design was established in official artwork for Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels such as its tie-in film Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!.

This game, along with its predecessor, is a possible ancestor to the Mario Kart series, most likely due to the fact that it features Mario and possesses similar 2D racing mechanics, which was later carried on to Super Mario Kart.

Development
Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally was shown to Nintendo of America, who heavily criticized the game, particularly the "cute" design of the vehicles, and stated it would not sell. This reaction infuriated director Kazunobu Shimizu, who would later become one of the drivers behind the graphical style of F-Zero.

This game is one of eight that is compatible with the Famicom 3D System. The flyer for the tournament advertised this system.

References in later games

 * Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up: The box art's artwork of Mario and Luigi driving the Monster is replicated on the "Racecar Driver/Mechanic" page.
 * Super Smash Bros. Melee: A trophy of the Monster is obtainable.
 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl / Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: An arrangement of the title theme, named "Title (3D Hot Rally)", appears in both games. It can be played in the Mario Circuit stage.
 * Mario Kart Wii: The Tiny Titan is designed after the Monster; its Japanese name also translates to "Hot Rally", a further reference to the original game.
 * Mario Kart 7: The design of the Monster Tires were heavily based from the cars of this game.
 * Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: The Mario Motors logo features the artwork of Mario holding a tire from this game.
 * Super Mario Odyssey: The Mechanic Outfit and Mechanic Hat from this game are references to Mario's appearance in Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally.
 * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: The artwork of Mario and Luigi driving the Monster appears as a spirit in this game.