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 game for the Family Computer Disk System, and was released exclusively in Japan on April 14, 1988. The game serves as the sequel to Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race, although it is very different from it, and is the third title of the F1 Race series. Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally is one of the eight games compatible with the Famicom 3D System. A soundtrack for the game was released on July 25, 1988.

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 and in the film Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!.

Gameplay
Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally features gameplay that is often compared to Rad Racer, due to both being arcade-style racing games with a 3D mode. There are three cars to choose from: Kattobi, Yonque, and Monster. Each car has its own stats, namely affecting its speed and how it handles specific off-road terrain, such as grass and dirt.

There are three different courses in the game, and they all have several multiple paths that split up that players can choose between. Before the race begins, the player can choose a repair point. This acts as a check point that repairs damage sustained by the vehicle, such as when it crashes into obstacles. A damage indicator to the bottom-right displays the vehicle's condition; once the damage indicator is fully depleted, the game ends. The player can opt to pause the game and select "Repair" from the menu to avoid this, but depending on how much damage the vehicle has sustained, the longer this repair takes.

Unlike most racing games, the goal of Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally is not to finish first, but rather to finish before the timer ends. The player starts with 20 seconds in the "Time Bank". Each alternate path, or "leg", of the course has a predetermined expected time frame of completion. If players do not meet that time frame, the seconds from the Time Bank will subtract. However, if players finish the leg in under the expected time indicated, the seconds remaining from it will be added on to the Time Bank. If the Time Bank is fully depleted, the game ends.

Scattered throughout the course in groups of five are Hot Dots: collecting eight of them will grant the vehicle an additional gear for a temporary 15 seconds that allows it to speed up to 300 km/h.

Development and release
Since most Famicom Disk System titles lack shutters and are often damaged by accident, Nintendo released Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally and some of their other Famicom Disk System titles in blue disks with shutters for protection. Nintendo designed and programmed the game with auxiliary program support from HAL Laboratory.

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.

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.