Play Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat Online

Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat came out for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991, published by Leland Corporation. It was part of that wave of arcade-style racing games that tried to capture the feel of a crowded, chaotic track on the home console. You got a straightforward racer that focused on quick sessions rather than a deep career mode, which fit right in with what a lot of us were playing on the NES at the time.

You control a single Indy car driver, weaving through traffic on oval tracks. The main goal is to finish in the top four to advance through a series of races. A couple of things really stand out: you can bump and shove other cars to move them out of your way, and you have to manage your car's condition, pulling into the pit lane for instant repairs when your engine overheats or you take too much damage. The races are short and fast, but the pack is always tight, making it easy to spin out if you are not careful. It feels like a constant, aggressive scramble for position from the starting line to the checkered flag.